Could North Carolina’s Collaboratory be a national model for incorporating scientific research into policymaking?

Researchers at University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences began more than a year ago tracking in wastewater the virus that causes COVID-19, just as the pandemic was beginning to sweep across the globe.

In 2019, as part of Senate bill 429, a disaster recovery legislative package, the N.C. General Assembly funded a $2 million flood resiliency study and charged the N.C. Policy Collaboratory to study flooding and resiliency against future storms in eastern North Carolina.

On May 4, researchers from the PFAS Testing Network held a virtual forum to share the latest findings and recommendations from a multi-year study on PFAS, which are often referred to as “forever chemicals.”

While face coverings, physical distancing and testing events have come to define COVID-19 for many colleges and universities, including Appalachian State University, a key component of managing the global pandemic runs in the sewers beneath their campuses.

Federal COVID-19 funding allocated by the N.C. General Assembly is supporting vital research by Carolina scientists, who are keeping tabs on the deadly coronavirus using wastewater and nasal test swabs.

Plans for legislation to deal with riverine flooding and improve flooding resiliency are moving forward in the North Carolina General Assembly this month, with a major review of policy and funding needs planned for next week.

The NC Policy Collaboratory and the NC PFAS Testing Network will host a virtual forum Tuesday, May 4, to discuss the Collaboratory’s and Network’s research on PFAS and GenX. Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) is a family of emerging contaminants that … Read more

Clean water availability and wastewater services are crucial in fighting outbreaks and preventing disease spread, both functions which are especially vital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With funding from the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory, UNC epidemiologist Kimberly Powers and her team conducted a two-part study to gain insight into how N.C. public school districts have handled reopening and the experiences and perspectives of teachers.