Rhesus macaque monkeys in a forest.

Join us for this new educator workshop to learn how you can connect your students to authentic monkey health research!

How can monkey research teach us about humans? Scientists and educators from the NC Museum of Natural Sciences will captivate you with their research on rhesus macaque monkeys, while providing you content to excite your students in a citizen science project relevant to blood chemistry and the immune system. Gain new ideas for engaging your students in research and get one-on-one time with researchers. The workshop includes a behind-the-scenes tour of the Genomics & Microbiology Research Lab. Discover new ways to incorporate authentic research into your classroom!

Monkey Health Explorer is a participatory science project hosted on Zooniverse. It is geared toward 6-12th grade students interested in pattern matching, health, and behavior. Participants gain hands-on experience collecting data on monkey health. Participants will learn basics about artificial intelligence and how it will be used in the project too.

The goals of the workshop are to engage teachers and students in authentic research and to provide a platform for clinically-interested students to gain valuable career experience.  In addition, we will provide lesson plans and activities and will have time to develop them for different teaching styles and classrooms.

Eligibility: This workshop is designed for middle school and high school biology and earth/environmental science/math teachers, but any educators who would like to adapt content are welcome to attend.

Credit: 8 contact hours toward CEUs or Criteria II/III for North Carolina’s Environmental Education Certification Program (one credit hour will be earned at an evening virtual follow-up meeting either in December or March. Follow-up date will be set by participants during the workshop.)

Register online
The full workshop fee is due when you register and payment is via credit card. Registration for most Educator Treks is on a first-come, first-served basis. Treks fill quickly, so register early!