Goucher College Receives Climate Change and Human Health Seed Grant

Goucher College is proud to announce that it has received a Climate Change and Human Health Seed Grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. With this funding, Goucher will kick off the Teaching and Outreach Responses for Climate and Health (TORCH) project. TORCH will bring together Goucher faculty and outside partners who would not typically work together to alleviate the national shortage in teaching tools that integrate climate science into molecular life science and health science themes. The planned educational products will emphasize hands-on, student-centered learning, including data-based case studies, laboratory modules, immersive simulation-style lessons, problem-based learning exercises, and health science communication. 

Verónica Segarra, Ph.D., associate professor and Endowed Chair of Biological Sciences and Chemistry at Goucher College, is helping lead the grant and is excited for what the funding will help achieve. “This grant will help close a nationwide gap in interdisciplinary climate health education by developing educational materials that explicitly connect changes in the planet’s climate to molecular mechanisms of disease, epidemiologic data, and policy considerations,” she says. “This partnership transcends traditional academic boundaries and departmental/institutional silos to teach students how changes in molecular or cellular systems can inform clinical practice, public health interventions, or policy decisions. There is built-in funding for student assistantships to engage Goucher undergraduates in the work.”