Forever Chemicals in North Carolina: A Story Archive

The DLC and HHIVE labs, led by Courtney Rivard and Jordynn Jack at UNC Chapel Hill, are conducting a research study to document oral histories of North Carolinians affected by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as forever chemicals. PFAS are a class of chemicals found in a variety of products, such as non-stick cookware, food containers, and firefighting foam. North Carolina’s industrial and military endeavors have led to high levels of PFAS in our water systems, particularly in the Cape Fear watershed, which extends into 26 counties in North Carolina including Chatham County, a neighboring county of UNC. High levels of PFAS within the human body are now being linked to negative health outcomes, including cancer and fertility issues (Centers for Disease Control, 2025; Steenland and Winquist, 2021; Fenton et al., 2021).

Our goal is to partner with local organizations and interested individuals across North Carolina to bring attention to the state’s PFAS issues and the people most affected by them. As part of this research, we will conduct interviews to talk about your life history, your community, and how PFAS has affected your environment and daily life. Your story matters. It will be preserved in the archives at UNC and possibly featured on a public website that highlights the voices of North Carolinians. Together, we’re creating a platform where community perspectives can guide research, influence policy, and raise public awareness.

We welcome anyone over the age of 18 who has lived in North Carolina and has experience with PFAS to participate in this research study. Whether your experience is personal, community-based, or advocacy-focused, your story matters. Interviews are convenient and flexible — they can take place in private rooms at public libraries or via Zoom, and typically take 1-2 hours. Our aim is to conduct these interviews in a collaborative and respectful manner, centering your perspective and experiences.

Rhetoric and Neuroscience

In collaboration with scholars at the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, I conducted research into the rhetorical shapings of neuroscience findings. Team members included Gregory Appelbaum,  Jim Moody in the Department of Sociology at Duke, Scott Huettel in the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at Duke, and Duke undergraduate student Elizabeth Beam. Our research examines how rhetoric and neuroscience intersect in contemporary discourse.

Our research resulted in the following publications:

“This is Your Brain on Rhetoric”: Research Directions for NeuroRhetorics.”(co-author, L. Gregory Appelbaum), Rhetoric Society Quarterly, special is00sue on NeuroRhetorics, 40.5 (2010): 411-437. Download full text.

“Mapping the Semantic Structure of Cognitive Neuroscience.” (co-authors Elizabeth Beam, Scott Huettel, James Moody, and L. Gregory Appelbaum). Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (preprint ahead of publication, March, 2014). Download full text.

Current research projects examine the rhetorical effects of scientific abstracts in neuroscience publications. In “Mapping the Intrinsic Structure of Cognitive Neuroscience,” we are pursuing a quantitative (coding) assessment of the rhetorical language used in recent peer-reviewed neuroscience journals. In this work we make use of social networking analyses to investigate the relationship between theoretical, anatomical, and descriptive categories and ultimately how these may vary depending on the article in which they appear (manuscript currently under review).

Writing Diabetes/Dancing Diabetes

Can crafting stories about the illness experience help patients with chronic conditions? How can dance-based movement encourage people with diabetes to develop self-efficacy? This series of projects sought to answer these questions through workshop-based interventions that draw on humanities concepts. The research team analyzed study results using concepts drawn from literary and rhetorical theory, narratology, and phenomenology.  Our initial funding came from a $25,000 FIRE grant [Fostering Inter-disciplinary Research Explorations] awarded by UNC’s Vice Chancellor for Research and an Undergraduate Strike Team grant. See more at the HHIVE Lab website.

The Genre Project

With my colleagues in the Writing Program, Department of English and Comparative Literature at UNC-Chapel Hill, I investigated the genres students read and write across the disciplines, both at UNC and beyond. The first phase of the project involved determining what genres are most commonly taught in undergraduate science, social science, and humanities classes.

A bubble chart showing the genres most commonly taught at UNC-Chapel Hill in undergraduate science courses. The chart shows that research reports, empirical reports, and short discussion questions are among the most common genres.

Caption: Genres common in undergraduate science syllabi at UNC.