Phyloinformatics Lab

Denis is Green Dot Trainer of the Month this December 2023

Green Dot Trainer of the Month

The Green Dot’s newsletter (December 2023, Vol. 3) announced that Dr. Denis Jacob Machado is the Green Dot Trainer of the Month. Below, we past a copy of that announcement.

Copy of the original announcement

“Denis is an assistant professor inthe Department of Bioinformaticsand Genomics. He has beenworking at UNC Charlotte’sCIPHER center since August2022, but has been a part of thecommunity in various roles since2016. As a faculty member, Deniscreated the Phyloinformatics Lab,designed to stand on top of astrong tripod of research,education, and service. Denis became a Green Dot trainer because ‘service and outreach are twoof the pillars of the Phyloinformatics Lab. In Brazil, I was involved inseveral efforts to bring science and education to the community. Violencewas one of the factors that hampered those students to thrive, and I hadlong recognized the need for efforts that tried to set norms making clearthat violence, in any form, is not welcome in University spaces oranywhere else. At Charlotte, I recognized Green Dot as a program that canhelp shift our campus norms, promoting an inclusive and safe space forthe 49ers community.’

When asked what Denis would like other people on campus to know aboutGreen Dot, Denis said ‘I want people to understand that Green Dot givesyou tools to respond safely when you see a situation that could lead tointerpersonal violence. Putting safety fi rst and recognizing everybody’slimitations and concerns, Green Dot teaches you bystanders skills. Theseskills are not hard to learn and it’s guaranteed that you will learn somethingnew if you come to one of our sessions or invite us to prepare somethingfor your group.’”

More about Green Dot

Green Dot is a violence prevention strategy designed to mobilize students, faculty, and staff to recognize, react, and intervene during instances of interpersonal violence including sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, and stalking.

A green dot represents any behavior, choice, word, or attitude that interrupts violence or promotes safety by communicating an intolerance for interpersonal violence. Your Green Dot might look like pulling a friend out of a risky situation, responding to a victim-blaming statement with words of support, coordinating a training for your student org, or displaying an awareness poster in your office.

Through education, awareness and skills practice, Green Dot participants are equipped to react and intervene resulting in the ultimate reduction of violence. To prevent violence, Niners can make individual choices to actively intervene and speak out against harmful behavior. Together, this combined effort leads to a large shift in campus culture.

Green Dot is coordinated by the Center for Wellness Promotion in partnership with the Jamie Kimble Foundation for Courage.

Learn more about Green Dot

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