Essay Contest Awards Ceremony
May 16 @ 1:00 pm EDT
The Western North Carolina Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility (WNCPSR) will award the winners of an essay contest offered to high school students in Western North Carolina on May 16. Entries have included students from Madison, Transylvania, Buncombe, Henderson and Jackson Counties, plus one entry from Catawba County. Essayists were asked to focus on either of two optional subjects: Why do we need to abolish nuclear weapons and how do we start? Or, How do low-income and socially disadvantaged communities disproportionately experience the effects of climate change? These subjects correspond to the existential threats that Nobel Peace Prize winning PSR confronts: abolition of nuclear weapons and mitigating the effects of climate change. Essays were limited to 500 words.
The awards for the winners in each subject will be: $1500 for first place; $1000 for second place; and $500 for third place. Winners will be announced in an Awards Ceremony that will be held at the Reuters Center of UNCA on May 16 at 1:00 p.m. The first place winners in each of the two categories will be read during the ceremony by the student-authors themselves. Also a brief address will be given by Dr. Scott Mahan, a member of WNCPSR who specializes in infectious disease and practices in Asheville. He will speak on How Infectious Disease is Affected by Climate Change.
Interested persons are welcome to attend. A lunch of pulled pork, baked beans and cole slaw will be served at the cost of $25 per person. A vegetarian option will be available. Those wishing to attend should make their reservation by emailing Dr. Charles Mahan, member of WNCPSR, with their name and number attending at csmahan@verizon.net by the reservation deadline, May 10th.