This summer, senior 2 student nurse Payton Kaldenberg and Assistant Professor Pamela Guthman from the College of Nursing and Health Sciences embarked on a project to provide climate and environmental health information to a rural community by partnering with the local newspaper that serves that region.
Kaldenberg and Guthman teamed up to write weekly articles for publication in the Cornell Courier Sentinel from June 15th through August 15th. The weekly topics vary, but recent titles have included, Climate and Heat, Climate and Air Pollution, Asthma, Allergies, Climate and Health and Environmental Injustice, Climate, and Health. Kaldenberg has been responsible for conducting research and writing the first drafts and then working with Guthman to submit the articles to the newspaper’s editor for publication.
This project has been funded through a Gritzmacher Science Education Fellowship award. Christine Gritzmacher, a UW-Eau Claire alumna who graduated with an undergraduate science degree, established the fellowship for students to perform science education outreach activities. Although this fellowship is primarily awarded to College of Arts and Sciences student/faculty teams, on occasion, student nurses can apply. In this most recent case, the award to Kaldenberg and Guthman has provided the student with an opportunity to not only connect with a community but also learn more about nursing in the public health sphere, particularly the intersectionality of climate, health, and racial equity and justice issues.
A recent article appearing in Cornell Courier Sentinel can be found here.
