Author: Dee Shore

Jul 21, 2010

CEFS launches campaign to build North Carolina’s local food economy

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) has launched a new statewide effort to build North Carolina's local food economy. The 10% Campaign encourages consumers to spend 10 percent of their existing food dollars to support local food producers and related businesses. Doing so will create jobs, boost the viability of North Carolina farms and fisheries and promote healthy communities statewide. 

Jul 16, 2010

A berry good experience

Eight teens and tweens wandered beneath and between the branches of blueberry bushes under a sweltering July sun in Moore County's Cameron community. Some mentioned the careers they'd like to pursue when they grow up: One said a hockey player. Another, an auto mechanic. And yet another, a veterinarian. Whatever careers they ultimately choose, all of the 4-H'ers were gaining skills that will help prepare them. They were learning what it means to work hard, develop a business plan, put it into action and move on to new strategies when things don't work out as planned. 

Jul 15, 2010

Extension works to lower farmworkers’ pesticide exposure

North Carolina Cooperative Extension's latest tool to help farmers, farmworkers and their families lower their risks of injury, illness and death is a kit of easy-to-use materials to teach pesticide safety to Spanish-speaking agricultural workers with limited formal educations. 

Jul 15, 2010

Educator provides food-safety facts for those who need to know

N.C. State University's Dr. Ben Chapman focuses on finding the best ways to communicate food safety risk to the people who need to know. He is interested in how social media like Facebook and rapid communication technologies like Twitter might improve public safety around the issue of food risk. 

Jul 15, 2010

Microbiologist traces contaminants in soil, water and food

What’s causing health-harming pollution isn’t always readily apparent. Finding a fecal contaminant in a river, for example, doesn’t tell you if you have a problem with your city wastewater treatment… 

Jul 15, 2010

Geneticist’s mice studies yield human health solutions

Three different websites carry three different headlines: Eurekalert announces, “New paradigm identifies gene responsible for acetaminophen-induced liver injury.” Futurity.org covers the discovery of a “potent target for stopping colon cancer.” And Scientific American says, “To better study disease, mice that reflect human DNA diversity.” Aside from their focus on human health, what do these headlines have in common? 

Jun 29, 2010

Nyeema Harris: Studying creatures big and small

Ph.D. candidate Nyeema Harris studies patterns of carnivore diversity across North America, trying, she says, "to figure out where there are more species and less species and their corresponding parasites." So far, she's studied island foxes in California, black-footed ferrets in South Dakota, Mexican wolves in Arizona and New Mexico and Canada lynx in Maine. 

May 15, 2010

Kirk Smith: Art to Wear Winner

Senior food science student Kirk Smith racked up top awards from this year's Art to Wear competition, a collaborative fashion show between the College of Textiles and the College of Design. "My theme was 'College: An introduction to the flavors of education.' And what I wanted to do is I wanted to take local food companies that are often eaten by college students and say something about the stereotypes that I see eating these food products," Smith says. 

Apr 29, 2010

Natalie Cooke: Learning and leading through service

Senior biochemistry and nutrition sciences student Natalie Cooke took part in a PACKed Kitchen, a service learning project in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. "We collaborate with the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, and they’ve been providing Share Our Strengths Operation Frontline cooking classes for a couple of years here in the area," she says. 

Apr 29, 2010

Ellen Orabone: Stopping World Hunger

Senior food science student Ellen Orabone's career goal: to end world hunger. Study abroad experiences have taken her to farflung places and given her experience working on food- and hunger-related issues.