NEWS

Louisiana Tech’s chapter of the Sigma XI Scientific Research Honor Society invites the Ruston and Tech communities to the winter quarter installment of its Science Café series, a discussion titled “Children’s Health: It Takes a Village,” lead by Dr. Julie Rutledge, Associate Professor of Human Ecology and director of Tech’s Education and Research in Children’s Health (ENRICH) Center.

The free event is Tuesday, Jan. 14 at Ruston Artisans, 203 W. Alabama Ave. A social with appetizers begins at 5:30 p.m., and the discussion starts at 6.

The ENRICH Center aims to “enrich environmental, psychosocial, and physical health outcomes for children through research, education, and outreach,” Rutledge said. “We have important programs such as We Inspire Smart Eating (WISE) and the Bulldog Book Club (BBC) to promote healthy eating and early literacy, but community support with parent-teacher-interventionists working together is also essential for improving children’s health outcomes.”  

The Science Café is a series of public “chats” sponsored by Tech’s Sigma Xi chapter, voted the most outstanding chapter for the 2018-19 fiscal year at the national organization’s recent annual conference.

The Science Café events are held during the fall, winter, and spring academic quarters so members of the campus and local communities can have a conversation with Tech faculty and researchers about their work. All sessions are free to attend. This year’s series is sponsored and hosted by Ruston Artisans.

The idea is for the Science Café to be less formal than a typical lecture so that people can really engage and feel comfortable asking questions.

In the Spring Quarter, Dr. Kirk St Amant, Professor and Eunice C. Williamson Endowed Chair in Technical Communication at Tech, will discuss his work in improving international health and medical communication.

For more information, contact Dr. Terri Maness at tmaness@latech.edu.

For more information about the ENRICH Center, email enrich@latech.edu. If you would like more information about how to support ENRICH, contact Penny Humphries, Director of Development for the College of Applied and Natural Sciences, at penny@latechalumni.org or at 318.245.2013.