PITTSBORO, NC—Chatham community members are invited to an enlightening program to learn about the fascinating research of an N.C. State University scientist. This event is free and open to the public.

WHAT: Dogs of Chernobyl with Dr. Megan Dillon

WHEN: Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Chatham Community Library
Holmes Family Meeting Room
197 NC Hwy 87 N, Pittsboro, NC 27312

The 1986 Chernobyl disaster released 400 times more radioactive waste than the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. Over 120,000 people were evacuated in a 30-km exclusion zone around the facility. Pets were forced to be left behind, and many migrated to the nuclear power plant. The "Dogs of Chernobyl" are descendants of those pets with hundreds still living in the 18-square-mile exclusion zone. Through NC State’s Genetics and Genomics Scholars program, Ph.D. awardee Dr. Megan Dillon has become a leading expert in conservation biology and the population genetics of stray dogs living around Chernobyl. The project has caught the attention of many around the world and resulted in four publications since 2023.

Residents may visit the libraries’ website www.chathamlibraries.org, or contact the Library at (919) 545-8084 for more information on this and other events and programs.