LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 27, 2020) — The University of Kentucky Center for Appalachian Research in Environmental Sciences (UK-CARES), in partnership with the Center of Excellence in Rural Health (CERH), recently announced the nominees and the winner of the 2020 Community Engagement Award in Environmental Health Sciences.
Craig Wilmhoff and biology students at Perry County Central High School won this year’s award. The decision was unanimous among the reviewers.
“The UK-CARES/UKCERH Community Engagement Award means a great deal to me,” said Wilmhoff. “The students have done such an amazing job on projects in air quality and on in-home radon testing.”
The award recognizes individuals or community-academic teams who demonstrate effective research or project evaluation to improve environmental health in Appalachia. The nominees had to meet at least one of the following guidelines:
- Community-engaged environmental health scientist
- Community member engaged in issues to keep the air or water healthy
- Involved in community-academic partnerships
- Demonstrate outstanding community-engaged science.
“The students should be very proud of the way they have represented Perry County and Eastern Kentucky,” said Wilmhoff.
Wilmhoff’s fellow nominees included Dylan Baker (Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Perry County), Madison Baker (Appal-TREE: Knott County Field Director), Brittany Combs (City of Jackson, Parks & Recreation), Nina McCoy (Martin County Concerned Citizens), Sherrie Stidham (Kentucky River District Health Department) and Carley Watts (InVision Hazard).
