STUDENT STORIES
MPA Candidate Joins Davidson As The Town's First Arborist
January 22, 2020 by Lynn Roberson
MPA student Peter Grisewood is an expert in the art and science of trees, with a focus on bridging the gap between trees, policy, and economic development in local government. His knowledge and his commitment have led the Town of Davidson to hire him as its first town arborist.
Biology Doctoral Student Grows Impact Through Research
January 22, 2020 by Lynn Roberson
As biology doctoral student Farida Yasmin advances her research into the wild soybean and its potential to address worldwide food scarcity, she continues to grow her impact and her knowledge. Most recently, she has received new funding for her work, was named one of 16 young plant scientists worldwide to attend elite training, and was a co-author on an academic paper.
INK
Professor Receives Prize For “Best Book In Modern French History”
January 16, 2020 by Lynn Roberson
A book by UNC Charlotte History Professor Christine Haynes has been chosen the best book in modern French history (post 1815) over the previous two years, receiving the inaugural Weber Book Prize from the UCLA Department of History.
Africana Studies Professor Wins Award For First Book
December 12, 2019 by Lynn Roberson
A book by UNC Charlotte Africana Studies associate professor Oscar de la Torre, The People of the River: Identity and Environment in Black Amazonia, 1835-1945, has received the inaugural Outstanding First Book Award from the Association for the Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora.
Historian's New Book Documents Life of Civil War Officer
December 02, 2019 by Lynn Roberson
In the new book Dear Delia: The Civil War Letters of Captain Henry F. Young, Seventh Wisconsin Infantry, UNC Charlotte historian John David Smith and coauthor Micheal J. Larson have provided a deeper look at Young’s letters through their detailed research and annotations. On Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 3 p.m., Smith will sign copies of the acclaimed book at Barnes and Noble Charlotte bookstore in the Popp Martin Student Union.
HONORS & AWARDS
CLAS Dean Elected Chair of North Carolina Humanities Council Board of Trustees
November 07, 2019 by Lynn Roberson
Nancy A. Gutierrez, dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at UNC Charlotte, has been elected chair of the North Carolina Humanities Council Board of Trustees for 2019-2020. The Board of Trustees seeks to make the humanities accessible statewide.
Ogundiran Named Chancellor's Professor For Outstanding Interdisciplinary Scholarship
February 13, 2020 by Lynn Roberson
Akinwumi Ogundiran, a transdisciplinary scholar and professor in the Departments of Africana Studies, Anthropology and History, is now designated as a Chancellor’s Professor at UNC Charlotte. This campus honor recognizes his outstanding scholarly achievement and demonstrated excellence in interdisciplinary research, teaching and service.
ALUMNI & FRIENDS
Life Changes Spur 1,000th 49er Finish Graduate To Complete Geology Degree
December 06, 2019 by Lynn Roberson
Jon Venable will cross the stage during Fall 2019 Commencement to accept a bachelor’s degree in geology. This milestone was 20 years in the making, as he left UNC Charlotte in August 1998 just four credit hours shy of finishing. Now, two decades later, he will be the 1,000th former student to return to UNC Charlotte through the 49er Finish Program.
Fulbright Gives Alumnus Opportunity to Grow Community
July 23, 2019 by Frizzell, Mary Ellen
Harry Gilliard will take with him a foundational belief in the positive potential of diversity, as he heads to Brazil in 2020 through a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship. Gilliard completed his bachelor’s degree in meteorology in 2011 at UNC Charlotte.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Botanical Gardens' Historical Trail To Interpret Cultures
October 11, 2019 by Lynn Roberson
An outdoor, living exhibit is on its way to the UNC Charlotte campus to tell the story of North Carolina through plants and crops crucial to the state’s development. A team composed of the university’s Center for the Study of the New South, Botanical Gardens, and Urban Institute received a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council for the project, "Walking Through Carolina: An Outdoor Living Exhibit."
RESEARCH
New Research Could Help Address Threats To Reefs
January 10, 2020 by Lynn Roberson
Corals depend on their symbiotic relationships with the algae that they host. New insights into this important process, in a study by UNC Charlotte's Tingting Xiang and colleagues, could offer clues to helping reefs survive.
Archaeologists Discover Infants Wearing Skull Helmets, In Unique Ancient Burial Practice
February 19, 2020 by Lynn Roberson
Two infants unearthed in ancient burial mounds in Salango, Ecuador were buried wearing helmets crafted from the skulls of other children, in what researchers believe was a unique practice perhaps intended to protect the infants’ souls during their journey to the afterlife. The research team – composed of UNC Charlotte’s Juengst and Abigail Bythell and Richard Lunniss and Juan José Ortiz Aguilu of Universidad Técnica de Manabí in Ecuador – published their findings in November in the journal Latin American Antiquity.
Study Shows Unemployment Encourages Men to Try Traditionally Female-Dominated Work
December 13, 2019 by Lynn Roberson
Unemployment significantly increases the odds of men entering jobs traditionally performed by women. Notably, some men find real job advantages as a result, a study published in the journal "Social Science Research" by Jill Yavorsky of UNC Charlotte and Janette Dill of the University of Minnesota finds.
TEACHING & ADVISING
New Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Studies Department Prepares Students For Changing Nature of Writing In Complex World
January 16, 2020 by Lynn Roberson
UNC Charlotte has created a new Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Studies Department, the first academic department of its kind in the Carolinas. As part of the new department, a proposed Bachelor of Arts degree is designed to address the changing nature of writing.
Students Prepare For Teaching Using Virtual Reality, In Cross-College Work
January 16, 2020 by Lynn Roberson
Education students at UNC Charlotte are now using virtual reality (VR) to prepare for real life classrooms, in a program that looks to reshape the way future teacher candidates learn about how students and teachers interact. Meghan Barnes, an English education professor from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and Hilary Dack from the Cato College of Education developed the program, which allows students to interact with videotaped K-12 classes through VR headsets.
GLOBAL REACH
Heart and Home: Writer Challenges, Inspires With His Words
December 18, 2018 by Lynn Roberson
In his 2017 memoir At Home, Away From Home, UNC Charlotte’s Tanure Ojaide speaks of the indelible impressions from his early years in Nigeria. In his words, “One does not forget what one yearns for at heart.” At age 70, many of his poems, short stories, critical essays, and books serve as activist works calling out for justice and fairness for the people and the ecosystem of the Niger Delta.
IN MEMORIAM
Community Mourns Passing of Dr. Susan Cernyak-Spatz, Holocaust Survivor and Pioneer of Holocaust Studies
November 21, 2019 by Lynn Roberson
Longtime UNC Charlotte professor Dr. Susan Cernyak-Spatz passed away on Nov. 17, 2019. Born in Vienna, Austria, Spatz survived the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, as well as the death march, during the Holocaust. She taught German language and literature in the Department of Languages and Culture Studies, and was instrumental in the creation of Holocaust studies at UNC Charlotte.
COLLEGE VIDEOS
Through #NinerNationGives, College Gains Support For Students
September 28, 2017 by Lynn Roberson
The Power of YOU Makes This The Norm! Join us for 49 hours of inspiring global thinking. With your help, we can continue provide transformational opportunities for our students and, in turn, enhance our local, regional, national and global communities.
CLAS Faculty Stand Out, With Top Teaching Awards Through The Decades
September 15, 2017 by Lynn Roberson
The Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence was first presented in 1968 to recognize outstanding faculty members at UNC Charlotte. Through the years, dozens of College of Liberal Arts & Sciences faculty have received the top award, reflecting their commitment to stellar teaching.
