Public Health Command Europe supports local homeschool science fair

LANDSTUHL, Germany - Public Health Command Europe opened its doors to eleven students from the local Kaiserslautern homeschool association to present their seventh-grade science project and receive feedback from subject matter experts last week.

Lt. Col. Paul Hester, Director of Environmental Health Sciences at Public Health Command Europe, heard about the need for judges from his wife.

"It was a coincidence, my wife saw a social media post that asked for volunteers with a scientific background," said Hester. "I was all for it. Participating in an outreach program like the science fair provides an awesome chance for us at PHCE to share the love and excitement we have about science."

The students presented their projects to four judges representing environmental health sciences, human health sciences, veterinary services and the laboratory. Following the judging, the students split into two groups and toured the in-house laboratory and entomology division.

"It was a good interaction with the students," said Capt. Michael Dunbar, an entomologist at PHCE. "They were able to gain confidence to talk about science in front of people they weren't familiar with and simultaneously we were able to show them what we do here at PHCE."

The students enjoyed getting out of their normal working space and presenting in a scientific environment in front of subject matter experts.

"We hope to be able to support more of these events in the future," said Hester. "It's a way to give back to the community and to see and learn what we do here that goes beyond the regular public health efforts."

If you are interested in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and need volunteers from Public Health Command Europe to support your school, please contact [email protected]

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