Along with Sharon Beard, chair of the Durham SEE and an industrial hygienist at the National Institute of Environ- mental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Education and Training Branch, Joan Packenham co-chaired the NIEHS Science Education Committee, which was in charge of organizing the first annual Durham Science and Everyday Experiences Science Day Camp at the Durham Alumnae Delta House in July 2006. Also involved in the initial plan- ning of the camp was Marian Thompson-Johnson, NIEHS director of education and biomedical research development.
With the help of other NIEHS volunteers, the Durham Alumnae Chapter gave the first group of 39 children an opportunity to experience the fun side of science and mathematics. Burroughs Wellcome Fund contributed financial support for the event. By the third annual SEE Summer Camp, in 2008, there were more children and volunteers involved as well as an innovative program for parents. The 2009 camp focused on emphasizing alterna- tive energy solutions—electric, solar and wind energy.
The fifth annual Durham SEE Science Day Camp was held on June 19, 2010. A returning component was the SEE Parental Involvement Workshop, added to introduce parents and caregivers to the world of hands-on science. Parents and caregivers were given activities, tools, re- sources and instruction on how to effectively engage their children in science and mathematics through everyday life experiences. This year, many of the activities were done as a family, with a small program at the beginning for parents to introduce the theme of Healthy Lifestyles for All.
Results from the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutri- tion Examination Survey, using measured heights and weights, indicate that an estimated 17 percent of children and adolescents ages two-19 years are obese. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is a health concern for children and adolescents. Among pre-school age children (about to two-to-five years old), obesity increased from 5 percent to 10.4 percent between 1976-1980 and 2007-2008, and from 6.5 to 19.6 percent among six-11 year olds. Among adolescents aged 12-19, obesity increased from 5 percent to 18.1 percent during the same period.
Obese children and adolescents are at risk for health problems during their youth and as adults, says the CDC. During their youth, obese children and adolescents are more likely to have risk factors associated with cardiovas- cular disease, such as high blood pressure, high choles-
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terol, and Type 2 diabetes, than are other children and adolescents, the CDC says.
First lady Michelle Obama’s far-reaching nationwide cam- paign called “Let’s Move” calls for a myriad of initiatives that target what she calls four key pillars: getting parents more informed about nutrition and exercise, improving the quality of food in schools, making healthy foods more affordable and accessible for families, and focusing more on physical education.
The SEE Initiative inspires future generations in the STEM pipeline.
“One of the activities which I am proud of is an activity that I presented in Roseboro, North Carolina a few years ago,” says Dr. Packenham. “We went to Charles E. Perry Elementary School, in one of the poorest school districts in North Carolina. We taught parents how to teach their children about finances and their health,” she recalls. “What was really exciting was that a few parents said they took the day off work to come to the workshop because they had overweight children and they wanted to learn how to help their children. This, to me, was significant— a parent to take off work in one of the poorest counties in North Carolina.”
Two teachers, Mary Lee Fisher Morris and Minnie Pearson Turner Spaulding, were responsible for establishing the first chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority in Durham in the 1930s. Both women initiated into Greek life at histori- cally black colleges and universities. Today, the Durham Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority is one of over 950 chapters that share a service commitment with over 200,000 members worldwide. The chapter continues to grow and progress by giving and generating services to the greater Durham community.
by Lango Deen,
ldeen@ccgmag.com WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2010 7
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