Two student groups win Gillings Student Organization Service Project Awards
| March 16, 2013 | |||
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Two student endeavors focused on environmental sciences initiatives have won the Gillings School of Global Public Health 2013 Gillings Student Organization Service Project Award. The projects were spearheaded by the Environmental Sciences and Engineering Student Organization (ENVRSO) and A Drink for Tomorrow. Each group will be awarded $1,500 to help its members reach their program goals.
The ENVRSO project, “Initiative to Promote STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] Among Minority Students in Local Middle Schools,” will aim to make an impact on students in Orange and Chatham (N.C.) counties by implementing STEM teaching modules for the Scholars’ Latino Initiative, a program conducted through The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Center for Global Initiatives. By engaging Latino/Latina students early in the education process, ENVRSO aims to increase the number of these students who pursue scientific and technological careers.
Alison Sanders
Maya Nadimpalli
Cate Parker
“[We] are excited to begin expanding our teaching and outreach activities to local schools,” said Maya Nadimpalli, an ENVRSO project leader. Nadimpalli and co-leader Alison Sanders say they are “especially pleased to work with underrepresented local students to encourage early interest in engineering and math, using examples from the field of environmental health sciences.” A Drink for Tomorrow’s project, “Las Cocas Sustainable Water Project,” will collaborate with the local water board in Las Cocas, Peru, to develop a sustainable and sanitary water system.
“Access to clean, safe drinking water is a fundamental human right and the first step in ensuring a level of health that allows individuals to rise from poverty,” said Cate Parker, project leader. “The Gillings Award, along with nonprofits and community members in Las Cocas, will play a crucial role in improving health and promoting individual well-being in Las Cocas through the provision of clean water.”
Funding for the service awards derives from a 2008 gift to the School from Dennis Gillings and Joan Gillings.
Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: David Pesci, director of communications, (919) 962-2600 or dpesci@unc.edu.
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