College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences

With her selection as UNC Charlotte’s first-ever Ertegun Graduate Scholar, UNC Charlotte’s Eileen Jakeway is headed to England’s University of Oxford, for what she anticipates will be one of the most intellectually rich and invigorating experiences of her life. Each year, only about 20 full-time graduate students in the Humanities are chosen from throughout the world to receive the scholarships.

In recognition of their exceptional teaching, Ashley Bryan, Nishi Bryska and Ian Marriott have received the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences’ Excellence in Teaching Awards for 2017. Dean Nancy A. Gutierrez and the awards committee chairs commended the honorees and award finalists for their innovation, creativity and focus on engaging students in scholarship and research.

Erica Cherian, a junior at UNC Charlotte who is devoted to addressing issues of healthcare access and utilization by Charlotte’s most vulnerable citizens, has been named a Newman Civic Fellow. Newman Civic Fellows are student leaders who have demonstrated an investment in finding solutions to challenges that face their communities.

UNC Charlotte researcher Cheryl L. Brown delivered a keynote talk at the Duke-UNC China Leadership Summit on April 9, titled “China’s Evolving Role in Cybersecurity and Hyperconnectedness in the Internet of Things.” Other keynote speakers included Joseph Nye of Harvard University and Thomas Christensen of Princeton University.

When the Charlotte literary festival Novello ended in 2010 after a successful 15-year streak, a huge gap emerged in Charlotte’s creative market. This considerable loss has inspired Mark West, children’s literature professor and chair of the English Department at UNC Charlotte, to create a new literary festival to be held on May 6, 2017 at UNC Charlotte Center City.

UNC Charlotte history professor Mark Wilson has won two top international prizes from the Business History Conference for his book, Destructive Creation: American Business and the Winning of World War II, including the Hagley Prize for the best book in business history in the previous year. Wilson also was co-recipient of the Gomory Prize, in the first time a scholar has won the organization’s two major book awards.

In his acclaimed book, Destructive Creation: American Business and the Winning of World War II, research by UNC Charlotte history professor Mark Wilson offers a fresh and fascinating look. During World War II, the United States transformed its massive economic capacities into military might, which proved critical to winning the war against the Axis powers.

UNC Charlotte researchers have examined over one million tweets sent during the protests of the police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte in September 2016. This research holds implications for understanding the role of cluster tweets and other public relations strategies in relation to online activism.

As temperatures spike each spring, mosquitos start to swarm. They bring with them an increased risk of mosquito-borne diseases and a need to understand how to guard against these pesky – and at times dangerous – insects. Researchers at UNC Charlotte and the Mecklenburg County Health Department are collaborating on a study to determine which factors in the environment lead to hotspots of mosquito activity, in a project led by doctoral student Ari Whiteman.

Heather Smith, professor of geography and earth sciences and director of the doctorate in Geography and Urban Regional Analysis, is the 2017 recipient of the Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award. She was honored at a ceremony on Thursday, March 30, at the Harris Alumni Center at Johnson Glen.