News Articles

8/4/2021
Finding common ground in Malden
Using an untapped resource, the Malden River Project is boosting social resilience along with climate mitigation in the gateway city of Malden, Massachusetts.  Read more.

11/6/2019
Introduction by MIT Community Engagement and Education Core Director Dr. Kathleen Vandiver: More than 90 people attended the Malden River Works Kick-off Public Meeting held at the Malden Senior Center on October 21, 2019.  City officials who attended this meeting stated it was the most diverse public town meeting they have ever seen.  Malden High School (HS) youth were also present in high numbers, and they participated in the workshop exercises and volunteered for the report-backs from their table group discussions. Later, Dr. Vandiver discovered that Carlos Aragon Aldana had written a report about the meeting for his HS newspaper. Dr. Vandiver made a few typographical edits to this report (below), and would like to share this youth’s perspective on the first public town meeting for the Malden River Works project. 

A Report on the first Public Meeting of the “Malden Works for Waterfront Access and Equity” Project by Author: Carlos Aragon Aldana, Sophomore, Malden HS.  Blue and Gold, Malden High School Newspaper, Posted on November 6, 2019. to read more, click here.

9/24/2019
Malden Works for Waterfront Equity and Resilience awarded Norman B. Leventhal City Prize
Prize supports powerful collaboration among diverse constituencies in Malden, Massachusetts.  Read More »

This news was also highlighted in the Partnerships for Environmental Public Health (PEPH) newsletter in the issue January 2020.

6/4/2019
The Human Health Risk Study Report-Back: The Malden River is Clearded for Public Boating
For nearly 150 years, the Malden River in Massachusetts served as an industrial waste dumping site for oil refineries, coal processing plants, tanneries, and chemical factories. Despite this history of heavy contamination, no reliable information existed about the health risks of recreating on the river. This situation was recently remedied.  A research study has just been completed by Gradient Corporation, MIT CEHS and the Mystic River Watershed Association to provide an independent and comprehensive human health risk assessment for the river. Read More »

2/1/2019
Cruising and Cleaning The Malden River
On the eve of the 2018 Autumnal Equinox during the mystical moment of twilight, two launch boats from the Gentle Giants Rowing Club (GGRC), towed 10 canoes from the Blessing of the Bay up the Malden River. Aboard were Pastor Edwin Menon of the Highrock Malden Church and his wife, Kelsey Menon. They were preparing for what would be one of the largest community cleanups in Malden River’s recent history on the next day. Read More »

6/14/2018
Boston Public Schools Benefit from COE2C’s Sustained Science Outreach
This smiling Boston Public School teacher, Ms. Ivyrose Likis from Excel HS, South Boston (left in the photo), was particularly excited on hearing good news! She was one of the original biology teachers who participated in a four year Boston Public School (BPS) pilot program with MIT’s Community Outreach Education and Engagement Core (COE2C). COE2C had produced and donated six hands-on DNA and Protein Sets to be shared among the Boston Schools. Ms. Likis, along with 25 other teachers volunteered to try out the models after receiving a workshop training. Read More »

11/30/2017
Talk about a watershed year? The Malden River Greenway takes shape in 2017
Attention and excitement has been growing in 2017 for an ambitious plan to construct a greenway along the Malden River. This important natural resource, a tributary of the Mystic River just north of Boston is bordered by three cities: Malden, Medford, and Everett. Townspeople have been known to say “What? A river runs through it?” whenever someone refers to the river. This is understandable. Currently, of the 3.5 miles of shoreline, only about one mile is publically accessible and even these spots remain quite hidden. Generations of heavy industrial use of the river have led to contaminated soils. Later these lands were sealed by hot-top paving or brownfields that were fenced, further keeping the river out of sight and out of mind (see Figure 1 for an example). However, this past year with local leadership and several brownfield redevelopments, the Malden River is well on its way to becoming a central open space amenity for all three cities. Read More »

6/26/2017
Passamaquoddy Tribe hosts CEHS Community Forum and Workshop in Pleasant Point, Maine on March 10, 2017
Recognizing that people in their communities wanted to learn how to write more effective grant proposals, and they might not have the funds to travel, the Passamaquoddy Tribe decided to organize an event in Pleasant Point, Maine.  The Sipayik Environmental Department included Asha Ajmani, William Longfellow and Christopher Johnson, invited CEHS Director John Essigmann to come to Pleasant Point to teach a workshop in the morning and to lead a community forum in the afternoon.  The event took place at the tribe’s Koluscap Community Center on March 10, 2017 with 30 people in attendance.  This community engagement event was also designed to help tribal and community members recognize how a local issue of concern might be transformed into a grant proposal that could potentially improve public health. Read More »

10/22/2014
Half a Day Inside the Edgerton Center with Amy Fitzgerald
The COE2C outreach coordinator Amy Fitzgerald's impact on our local community is featured in this MIT News article. One of Amy's former students from a Cambridge elementary school --now an MIT undergraduate--gives back by assisting Amy as she teaches young students at the Edgerton Center. One of Amy's classroom programs includes a CEHS lesson on environmental health.
http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2014/half-day-edgerton-center-STEM-educator-amy-fitzgerald-1022

12/1/2013
CEHS COE2C expands to New Audiences and Communities
Several new faculty members join the CEHS and the COE2C reaches out to new organizations.
https://cehs.mit.edu/files/newsletter/Fall%202013%20Newsletter%20FINAL%20feb18.pdf 

6/1/2013
CEHS COE2C Pilots “Understanding Air” Lesson Materials
To study the impact of the “Understanding Air” materials with the LEGO models, the COE2C utilizes an evaluation instrument called a SAMI card.
https://cehs.mit.edu/files/newsletter/spring2013newsletter.pdf

2/19/2013
AAAS Annual Meeting Puts MIT Science and Technology on Display
The 2013 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference, held on February 19, 2013, featured research presentations with hands-on demonstrations.
http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2013/aaas-meeting-2013-0219

2/2/2012
Community Service Day Draws Volunteers from Across the Institute
MIT community gathers for an afternoon of public service on February 2, 2012.
http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2012/community-service-day

12/8/2011
Mass. Science Teachers' Association Inducts Vandiver into Hall of Fame
The CEHS outreach and education director teaches abstract scientific concepts with LEGOs on December 8, 2011.
http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2011/mass-science-teachers-association-inducts-vandiver-hall-fame

9/20/2011
Science School for Judges
The MIT and the Broad Institute open their doors to the judicial community for a workshop at the intersection of science and the law on September 20, 2011.
http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2011/science-for-judges-0920

4/30/2011
Got Gunk on Your DNA? 
The CEHS Open House for MIT’s 150th anniversary “Under the Dome” Saturday event held on April 30, 2011.
http://mit150.mit.edu/open-house/activity/got-gunk-your-dna%1C

2/8/2011
Building Blocks
The MIT groups lending a hand by assembling LEGO biology kits for local schools on February 8, 2011.
http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2011/lego-kits