Organizational Events
- Programs for NCABR Members and Supporters
- Sponsorship Opportunities for Members and Supporters
I. Programs for NCABR Members and Supporters
NCABR periodically sponsors programs exclusively for its members and supporters on topics ranging from crisis management and crisis communications to media relations and community outreach support for researchers. NCABR notifies its members and supporters as these special programs arise.
As always, NCABR encourages all North Carolinians — including its members and supporters — to attend its programs for the general public. See General Public Events for details.
II. Sponsorship Opportunities for NCABR Members and Supporters
Each year, NCABR provides its members and supporters with opportunities to sponsor and cosponsor a variety of public science education and media relations programs. Sponsorship opportunities include:
Rx for Science Literacy Teacher Professional Development Workshops
NCABR takes its highly acclaimed K-12 teacher professional development
workshop programs to select member research facilities throughout North Carolina each
school year.
To date, nearly 2,900 attendees from 92 of North Carolina's 100 counties have
participated in an Rx for Science Literacy teacher workshop on topics such as basic
biomedical research, toxicology, cancer, genetics, infectious diseases, forensics and
genetically modified foods.
Hosting a workshop is an excellent way for NCABR members and supporters to
promote their institutions and to share their research with the public.
Remember, information provided at one workshop for 20 teachers has the
potential to reach 2,000 students in one school year alone! (This figure is
based on an average of 100 students per teacher in North Carolina.)
For more information on the Rx for Science Literacy workshops, visit NCABR's
online teacher Professional Development section.
How to Get Involved
If your organization is interested in hosting an Rx for Science Literacy workshop, or if your organization would like to make a contribution to this program, please contact NCABR President Karen Hoffman at 919.785.1304, ext. 208, or via e-mail at khoffman@ncabr.org.
NCABR Debates in Biomedicine
To foster public support for biomedical research, NCABR invites the general public, K-12 teachers and advanced high school students each year to participate in its popular Debates in Biomedicine series.
This program 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.
How to Get Involved
If your organization is interested in sponsoring or hosting a Debate in Biomedicine, or if your organization would like to make a contribution to this program, please contact NCABR President Karen Hoffman at 919.785.1304, or via e-mail at khoffman@ncabr.org.
NCABR Science Journalism Conferences
Working with the news media is one of the most effective ways the research community can transmit vital bioscience research information to the public.
NCABR is the only organization in the state that sponsors media forums on biomedical research for print, television, radio and Internet reporters, editors, producers and columnists as well as college journalism students, faculty and staff.
NCABR’s forums provide journalists with sources for future stories, as well as solid scientific background information on high-profile, controversial research issues. Perhaps most important, these programs promote a much-needed dialogue between researchers and the media and are an excellent way for NCABR members and supporters to inform and interact with the media.
Past programs have addressed:
- Clinical trial research for cystic fibrosis
- Genetic research
- Obesity prevention and treatment research
- Stem cell research
- Therapeutic and reproductive cloning
- Vaccine research and infectious diseases
- Xenotransplantation — the use of animal organs for human transplant
How to Get Involved
If your organization is interested in hosting an NCABR science journalism program, providing speakers, or if your organization would like to make a contribution to this program series, please contact NCABR President Karen Hoffman at 919.785.1304, or via e-mail at khoffman@ncabr.org.
To date, representatives from the following media sources have participated in or attended an NCABR science journalism program:
Print Media:
The American Scientist (RTP, N.C.)
The Business Journal (Greensboro,
N.C.)
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte,
N.C.)
The Daily Press (Newport News, Va.)
The Herald-Sun (Durham, N.C.)
The Hickory News Extra (Hickory, N.C.)
The News & Observer (Raleigh,
N.C.)
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio)
The Washington Post (Washington,
D.C.)
Winston-Salem Journal (Winston-Salem,
N.C.)
Television and Radio Media
The Fox News Network (Dallas, Texas)
News 14 Carolina (Raleigh, N.C.)
Reuters Television America (Washington, D.C.)
WECT-TV (Wilmington, N.C.)
WNCN-TV (Raleigh, N.C.)
WRAL-TV (Raleigh, N.C.)
WUNC Radio (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
WXLV-TV (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Internet Media
LocalTechWire.com (RTP, N.C.)
Students, faculty and staff from the following journalism schools and
departments have participated in one or more of NCABR's programs:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
College of Communications
University of Mississippi
Department of Journalism
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
return to top
