Funded by the NSF, a nearly is helping UofL cultivate environmentally conscious educators to equip students with knowledge of Louisville’s environmental issues and promote a more just and sustainable city.

Eight JCPS teachers participated in a six-week summer program where they partnered with UofL faculty in their urban-based ecological research. Mackenzie Kuhns, a Waggener High School chemistry teacher, collaborated with UofL Biology professor Mikus Abolins-Abols to study how Louisville’s urban heat island effects its robins.

“I didn’t like biology very much before I started this,” said Kuhns, who has previously participated in RET programs at UofL. “I have an appreciation now when learning about field work and different career opportunities for my students. When doing these programs, I always have something fun to bring back to them.”

For some teachers, it was their first lab or research project. Justin McFadden, an associate professor in the and one of the principal investigators of the grant, said this experience with UofL researchers strengthens their teaching.

“Learning what research is and what can happen during research helps our teachers think about what their students are capable of in classrooms,” McFadden said. “That’s one of the hidden things that come to life when you’ve been working in a lab for six weeks.”

The second part of the institute was to create curriculum support pieces that the teachers can weave into the established JCPS science curriculum.

Erin Brock, a biology teacher at Seneca High School, said the program opened her eyes to all kinds of environmental issues she was unaware of previously and by bringing in local examples, her students will be more engaged throughout the year.

“We learned that Louisville is the fifth most air polluted city in the nation. And I was like, ‘What the heck?’,” said Brock, a first-year participant in a RET program at UofL. “Our cohort has talked about how we don’t want to be all doom and gloom. We want to show students the activists working to address these issues. Some of these neighborhoods that are more affected by environmental issues are not able to have a voice for various reasons and we want our students to know that and to speak up.”

Teachers seeing themselves as agents of changes is one of the primary goals of the program, according to Linda Fuselier, chair of the and one of the principal investigators of the grant.

“Learning about pollution, in and of itself, can just be depressing and boring,” Fuselier said. “But when you put it into the context of here are some activists right down the road from you who are working to interpret the science so that communities understand what is going on with these big industries and regulating authorities, it can make the content hit home.”

During the school year, teachers will receive ongoing support through professional development sessions and a collaborative network designed to foster curriculum sharing, continued research and teacher leadership.

The NSF grant will fund the program for an additional two years to train a total of 24 teachers. Applications for the summer 2025 cohort will open in the spring.

“This is absolutely the best training I’ve ever had as a teacher, to make me a better teacher. I feel like I have so much to bring to the classroom this year that I want to get the kids kind of hyped up about. I’m very thankful for UofL for offering this program,” said Brock.

DeJarnett has accepted a one-year fellowship as deputy director for environmental justice data and evaluation for the . The council coordinates the federal government’s efforts to improve, preserve and protect public health and the environment. It also advises the president and develops policies on climate change, environmental justice, federal sustainability, public lands, oceans and wildlife conservation.

DeJarnett is on leave from UofL for the one-year fellowship, but she will be working remotely, so she will remain in Louisville and stay connected with her UofL colleagues.

UofL News talked with about the fellowship and what she hopes to gain from the experience that she can bring back to UofL.

UofL News: What will be your role as deputy director for environmental justice data and evaluation?

�ٱ𴳲����Ա�ٳ�:��The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has created the . Version 1.0 was , and we’re continuing to mold it with input from stakeholders across the U.S. and experts in the field. I will continue that process and engage people and experts around the tool. We are also developing an Environmental Justice Scorecard that will track government agencies’ progress on environmental justice.

I’m very excited to see how the information from these environmental justice tools will be used to identify communities across the U.S. that are disadvantaged and thereby uniquely susceptible to the health hazards of climate and environmental exposures, but ultimately how climate and environmental justice investments in these communities will benefit health.

My interest is in advancing environmental health for everyone, particularly the populations that have borne the greatest burden, that have frequently experienced these exposures and communities that may be less resilient to these health threats. I want to help equip those communities and ensure that future actions and activities and efforts to protect health do not leave certain groups behind. If marginalized communities do not benefit from these actions, then injustice continues to perpetuate.

UofL News:�� What is environmental justice?

DeJarnett: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies. This goal will be achieved when everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and have equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn and work.

UofL News: What are some examples of environmental injustice?

DeJarnett: ��I have a personal example. I’m from here in Kentucky, but the greater portion of my family is from Birmingham, Alabama, where my parents and my grandparents lived in an area of environmental injustice.

Their community was home to numerous steel mills. Some still are in the neighborhood today. Also, a major interstate runs right through their community, another interstate is south of it, the airport is just south of their neighborhoods, there were hazardous waste sites and so forth. There was documented soil contamination in their community that has been remediated. But the community continues to deal with poor air quality and there are a number of health disparities present – cardiovascular disease, low birth weight and other chronic conditions.

We have similar experiences right here in Louisville in Rubbertown, which at its height, had 11 to 13 chemical manufacturers in a community that’s largely populated by low-wealth individuals and people of color. Another example is in southeastern Louisiana in an area known as cancer alley.

Flint, Michigan’s water crisis and formerly redlined communities that have warmer surface temperatures, poorer air quality and are more flood prone are other examples.

You have places where there are large industrial exposures, hazardous waste sites or other environmental toxins that people are being exposed to and we often find that those happen to certain segments of our population. It could be on tribal lands; it could be communities of low wealth.

UofL News: What do you hope to contribute to the council’s mission?

DeJarnett: My interest overall is to contribute to the advancement of environmental justice for the advancement of public health. I am super excited that I may be able to contribute to actions, activities, resources and tools that could contribute to improved health across our nation, particularly for communities that bear a heavier burden and that have higher risk.

I hope to be able to make a difference for communities like that of my family in Birmingham and Rubbertown here in Louisville, in Mossville, Louisiana and all across the nation. These and other communities have not always been given a voice in their exposure to environmental burdens and are not able to – nor should they have to – just up and move.

We all deserve clean air to breathe, we all deserve safe water to drink, and I hope to contribute to activities that support upholding those rights.

UofL News: What in your previous experience makes this a perfect position for you?

DeJarnett: At UofL, I was doing research on climate change and health and was looking at extreme heat exposure and cardiovascular disease risk as well as poor air quality and cardiovascular disease risk. In addition, I was examining environmental health disparities.

Before I came to UofL, I worked at two national nonprofits, the American Public Health Association and the National Environmental Health Association. There I did a lot of work building partnerships and facilitating opportunities for multiple people to weigh in with their expertise and contribute to an end product.

I have appreciated opportunities to build consensus among national leaders and to identify emerging trends and share environmental health resources.

In this role I’ll need to work between agencies and be able to put on multiple hats and speak to multiple audiences. I love opportunities to try to meet people where they are, find what we have in common, what values we share and how can we move from there with shared vision.

UofL News: How will this experience be helpful to you and the mission of the Envirome Institute once you return to UofL?

DeJarnett: I will get a national picture of the current state of environmental justice research and data that exists and a deeper understanding of the gaps in knowledge in environmental health and environmental injustice across the U.S. This will help me understand where academic research may be able to fill those gaps.

In addition, this opportunity will expose me to environmental justice data tools that our communities can utilize to inform local action.

Our center is committed to human health, to improving, advancing and protecting health in our communities. Environmental justice is a key aspect of health in our community. Plus, I’ll get a lot of experience with data and analysis, and that always benefits in environmental epidemiologist.

I love being at the University of Louisville. I love the expansion and direction that’s happening right here within the Envirome Institute, so I’m grateful for the support to have this life-bridging opportunity and to be able to bring that back here.

Burnett understood the depth of the connection between Justice Brandeis and Louisville. He admired Brandeis’ respect for small institutions, his appreciation for federalism, his interdisciplinary insights and his vision of universities as hubs of innovation. He especially respected Brandeis’ commitment to pro bono work, saying how Justice Brandeis “really thought that was part of the obligation of lawyers and part of the noble calling of the law as a career.”

Burnett gathered broad support throughout the university, the local bench and bar and even the Brandeis family. On Feb. 24, 1997, the UofL Board of Trustees officially changed the name of the school to the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law.

“The law school has a unique advantage in the national landscape of legal education. Prospective students know that Brandeis is a school that carries on both the name and the spirit of a towering figure. That legacy has its home at the University of Louisville,” said Burnett.

Over the past 25 years, the school has endeavored to embrace its Brandeis name and legacy.�� Beyond his generous donations, Justice Brandeis gifted the philosophy of public service, which has been an integral part of what makes the Brandeis law community so dynamic and engaged, and such a special place to develop the next generation of legal minds.

Students continue the Brandeis tradition of public service through thousands of volunteer hours annually. The Louis D. Brandeis School of Law was among the first five U.S. law schools to require that its graduates complete at least 30 hours of public service. Public service projects during orientation helps new law students appreciate the school’s commitment to service.�� It sets the standard early, and most Brandeis Law students’ service exceeds the prescribed hours.

Central High School partnership

Another way the school honors Justice Brandeis is through the Law and Government Magnet Program at Central High School, which enables law students to provide a variety of enrichment activities, from teaching Central students a street law curriculum to attending law school events. Under the leadership of professors Cedric Powell, Laura Rothstein and Enid Trucio-Haynes, coordinating with Central High Magnet director Joe Gutmann, the partnership is in its 21st year.����������

Alumna Mashayla Hays, ’15, ’18, chose Central High School for this program. Today she is legal counsel for The Lawyering Project, focused on Reproductive Justice. From Central High to UofL and the Brandeis School of Law, Mashayla thrived because of the village behind her. Now she’s inspiring future lawyers herself.

“Community service has always been a huge part of my life. It started at Central with opportunities to serve the Louisville community in various ways, and it came full circle when I was able to go and teach at Central – giving back to those that poured into me,” Hays said.

The school also is a leader in the study of environmental justice, a discipline focused on the fair treatment of all peoples, regardless of race, ethnicity or income in environmental laws, policies and conditions. Brandeis School of Law’s commitment to environmental justice is an essential part of the school’s commitment to social justice, public service and high-impact, applied research. The program successfully incorporates experiential and service learning, as well as embracing a broader community, as professors Craig “Tony” Arnold and Shavonnie Carthens work with both law students and law fellows.

These are just a few of many examples of students and faculty honoring Justice Brandeis’ legacy, from engaging in legal research to working in our Ackerson Law Clinic.

Looking to the future, Melanie B. Jacobs, dean of the ��Brandeis School of Law, looks forward to expanding the school’s public service commitment to Louisville and throughout Kentucky with more clinical opportunities, service learning and applied legal research.��

“The best way to honor Justice Brandeis’ legacy is to ensure that Brandeis School of Law-educated attorneys are compassionate, dedicated, collaborative and innovative lawyers who seek to improve the lives of their clients and fellow community members,” Jacobs said.

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