The Goodrich-Blair lab recently participated in the Wolbachia Project! 
Learn more here about "Discovering the microbes within" through this citizen science initiative founded by the Bordenstein lab!
Science (microscopes!) in the community
One of my favorite ways to engage people with my work is to bring microscopes to local events or classrooms. Simply by peering into a microscope, kids (and their parents!) are transported to the unseen world that exists all around them. This experience often reveals the "micro"-scale of tiny organisms and the cells that make up all organisms.
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We often bring our favorite model organisms to share including: worms, flies, zebrafish, stentor (a cilliate), and tardigrades (right panel)!




Kidzu event flyer - Mix it up in the Makery
Jenny Talkin' Tardigrades
Jenny at NC DNA Day Science Festival 2013
Tardigrade
Model organisms on display. Top: worms (C. elegans) Bottom: tardigrades (H. dujardini)
Building DIY-microscopes with students and teachers
I've also helped local students and teachers build low-tech, Smartphone compatible, DIY microscopes using Kenji Yoshino's Instructable, "$10 Smartphone to digital microscope conversion!". This allows students access to a user-friendly microscope to exercise their curiosity in the classroom or beyond. Building and using a microscope successfully with their own hands not only helps kids understand how they work, but it helps them picture themselves in STEM careers.
DIY microscope images: Lily pollen, wasp wing, ballpoint pen tip 
Encouraging young women to explore STEM​
As a female cell biologist, I am especially committed to encouraging the participation of young women in STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) activities. I volunteer with a local girl scout troop and participate yearly in FEMMES (Females Excelling in More Math, Engineering, and Science) on the UNC campus. ​​These hands-on experiences help challenge the stereotypes girls have about STEM fields and the people who work in them. . ​
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Using "Kitchen Chemistry" to explore surfactants with local Girl Scouts
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​Girl Scouts visit the Goldstein lab Spring 2016