Science Cafés are events that bring people together in a casual setting to discuss scientific topics and issues. These gatherings began as a grassroots movement to engage with local communities, and take place all over the world.
The Science Café program at The University of Iowa is a collaboration between the Environmental Health Science Research Center and the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science. The U.I. program focuses on rural citizens and highlights current research projects that are relevant to the community. The venture began in October 2013, and events have been held in Mt. Vernon, Lisbon, Ottumwa, Fairfield, and Iowa City. Speakers have been from several departments.
Currently the Science Cafe meets monthly in Fairfield at the Fairfield Library and in Mt. Vernon at Fuel Coffee Shop.
Fall 2019 dates are:
September 12- 5 pm in Mt. Vernon
September 17- 7 pm in Fairfield
October 17- 5 pm in Mt. Vernon
October 22- 7 pm in Fairfield
November 14- 5 pm in Mt. Vernon
November 19- 7 pm in Fairfield
The EHSRC organized a regional Environmental Journalism Summit that took place on March 5th, 2019. Some sessions were filmed, check them out below! View the agenda here
We are happy to work with communities to connect you with important information and relevant research about environmental issues you are facing. We can help in the following ways:
- Facilitate a needs assessment or listening session in your community
- Conduct a literature search of peer reviewed science
- Connect you with scientific experts who specialize in your area of interest
- Facilitate workshops and trainings for a variety of community groups (students, farmers, legislators, general community)
- Connect you with others in the region who share your concerns
In June of 2019 the CEC hosted members of the NIEHS staff to tour three farms in Mt. Vernon and host a public community forum about water quality. Read about the event here on the NIEHS website.
Watch this 5 minute video on the Farm Tour and Community Forum:
Here is the full video from the Community Forum on Water Quality