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Educational Events

Rx for Science Literacy teacher professional development workshops
NCABR at NCSTA
NCABR Science in the Cinema
NCABR Debates in Biomedicine

I. Rx for Science Literacy

Nearly 3,000 attendees from 93 of North Carolina’s 100 counties have participated in the Rx for Science Literacy K-12 teacher professional development workshop series, presented annually by NCABR. At the free workshops, held at NCABR member research facilities throughout the state, teachers tour laboratories, hear from scientists about their latest work and take home a free curriculum and bioscience education materials to use in the classroom.

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II. NCABR at NCSTA

Each year, North Carolina teachers are invited to attend NCABR’s scientist speaker series at the North Carolina Science Teachers Association (NCSTA) annual conference in Greensboro. This series showcases North Carolina’s leading experts in such subjects as veterinary medicine, the Human Genome Project, genetic research, DNA testing and forensic science, human clinical trials and stem cell research.

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III. NCABR Science in the Cinema

The Magic of Science in the Cinema

Photo Gallery

If you want to get people excited about science, you might try showing them a movie.

That's what NCABR found in November 2003 with the North Carolina launch of Science in the Cinema, a program modeled after the highly popular film and lecture series developed at the National Institutes of Health.

The event, hosted by the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham with support from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Duke University Medical Center Department of Surgery, featured a free screening of the Academy Award-winning film “A Beautiful Mind” and talks by experts in schizophrenia and mathematics.

The purpose of this program, which drew 265 high school students and members of the general public, was to use a popular film to get North Carolinians thinking and talking about the role of medical science in diagnosing and treating schizophrenia, a devastating mental health disorder.

Speakers were Dr. Diana Perkins, director of the Schizophrenia Treatment and Evaluation Program at UNC Hospitals and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine; and Dr. Dave Bayer, professor of mathematics at Barnard College and Columbia University, who served as the mathematical consultant for “A Beautiful Mind” and appeared in the film.

This event, which was the pilot for future NCABR Science in the Cinema programs, provoked a lively discussion following the film and received high marks from attendees. Of those who completed a program evaluation, 96 percent said they’d like to attend future Science in the Cinema programs.

Want to help bring Science in the Cinema back to North Carolina?

Those interested in cosponsoring future Science in the Cinema programs should contact Karen Hoffman at khoffman@ncabr.org or by phone at 919.785.1304.

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IV. NCABR Debates in Biomedicine

The general public, K-12 teachers and advanced high school students are invited each year to participate in NCABR’s popular Debates in Biomedicine program.

This debate series — which reaches 300 to 400 North Carolinians each year — provides a forum to disseminate knowledge and stimulate discussion about the implications and applications of scientific and technological innovations within societal, ethical, legal and public policy contexts.

Since May 1998, nearly 1,000 North Carolinians have attended an NCABR Debate in Biomedicine. Past debates have addressed:

The ethics of human cloning
Xenotransplantation — the use of animal organs for human transplant
The use of genetic testing in the criminal justice system and the health insurance industry
Genetically modified plants
Gene therapy

Past debates have been held at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center (Research Triangle Park), the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (Raleigh) and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (Durham).

To learn more about the NCABR Debates in Biomedicine series, check out this debate series overview.

Debates in Biomedicine DVDs
Highlights from NCABR's first three Debates in Biomedicine are available on DVD with accompanying discussion guides.

This DVD is ideal for fostering debate and discussion about bioethical issues for staff development programs, professional societies, civic and religious groups and high school and college classes.

This DVD package consists of:

"The Ethics of Human Cloning" (1998)
"A Case Study in Xenotransplantation: The Use of Animal Organs for Human Transplant" (1999)
"Genetic Testing: The Scientific, Social, Ethical and Legal Applications and Implications in the Criminal Justice System" (2000)

The debate programs run 20 to 25 minutes each. All three debate programs are available on one DVD at a cost of $45 (shipping and handling included).

To order a Debates in Biomedicine DVD, download NCABR's science education materials order form.

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