As an environmental science and biology teacher at an Atlanta high school, Eric Kirk was energized by developing lessons that connected science concepts to pressing social issues — climate change, matters of public health, and more. He was energized by “the lightbulb moments” his students experienced.
Outside of the classroom, viewing the country around him, Kirk saw strict political divisions drawn around those issues. Once graduated, his students would need to be prepared to join those conversations — and productively move them forward.
“There are all sorts of [societal] questions where you need science to understand them,” said Kirk, now a third-year doctoral student in the UNC School of Education’s Learning Sciences and Psychological Studies concentration. “These are tricky questions. People get passionate because they raise questions of morality and personal…
