Community Engagement Core (CEC) staff, Chiara Klein, Community Engagement Program Manager, and Megan Hoert Hughes, Director for Research Translation, recently joined Center for Inquiry-Based Learning (CIBL) Associate Director, Rachael Polmanteer, as facilitators at the 2026 Soar into STEM event at UNC Wilmington’s Watson College of Education. Soar into STEM draws formal and informal educators from southeastern North Carolina and throughout the state for STEM professional development.
CIBL, based in Durham, serves K-8 students and educators by providing high quality, hands-on STEM kits aligned with NC standards in science, math, and beyond, as well as training that helps teachers use the kits in ways that enhance student learning. CIBL furthers the work of the CEC by expanding our reach to more educators in more districts, ensuring our curricula and activities are well-aligned with teacher needs, and guiding our community outreach efforts by actively engaging with our Community Advisory Board (CAB).
The CEC and CIBL co-facilitated two sessions. The first was based on a 6-8th grade soil testing activity that has been developed by the CEC alongside other soil resources like Check your Dirt, NC and our Gardening Safely video series.
The second session featured the toxicology board game Resilience. After three years of developing and designing the game with scientists in the DUSRC and pilot testing with teachers, the CEC is excited to be finalizing a re-design of the game’s species cards and printing 150 board games that will become part of CIBL’s Population and Dynamics kit for middle schoolers. These kits will be available through CIBL during the 2026-2027 school year. Support for game production has been provided by the Duke Community Affairs Education Strategic Council.
