Lunchtime Discovery Series
The NCDEQ Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs hosts a guest lecture series called the "Lunchtime Discovery," hosted and streamed with our partners at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. Professionals from a wide range of environmental fields give presentations about their work and participate in a live moderated question and answer chat with viewers. Topics range from spider diversity in North Carolina to Geographic Information Systems (GIS), to how to incorporate music in environmental education programming.
The are several recorded presentations on a wide variety of environmental topics that can be used in the classroom to supplement existing lessons on ecosystems, natural resources, and North Carolina history. See archived talks from 2017 to 2024 on the menu to the left.
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Laura White, Seasonal Park Ranger
Laura White is well-known in the North Carolina environmental education community and served as the supervisor of Stevens Nature Center at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve for 22 years. She has taught and mentored hundreds of students and environmental educators and continues to support young people in the field today. But her career didn’t end when she retired from the Town of Cary – Laura has continued to teach others about the environment by serving as a seasonal park ranger at National Parks. Laura will share some of her adventures and her photography. This will be a great talk for those who are just starting out in the field and for those nearing retirement and interested in “encore” career opportunities.
Wednesday, January 29 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. Eastern
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Jeffrey C. Beane, Collections Manager for Herpetology, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Snakes are important components of North Carolina’s ecosystems. Jeff Beane, Herpetology Collection Manager with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, will discuss basic snake biology as well as identification, natural history, ecology, distribution, and status of each of our state’s 38 species.
Wednesday, January 22 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. Eastern
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Tony Rice, NASA Ambassador
North Carolina has recently had the rare opportunity to enjoy the Northern Lights in our skies. Tony Rice joins us to explain why these opportunities to see the Aurora Borealis have presented themselves recently, what is required for the aurora to be visible this far south, and tips for seeing it. We’ll also explore the larger topic of space weather and its impact on satellites, astronaut health, and more.
Wednesday, January 8, 2025 @ Noon – 1:00 p.m. Eastern
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