News

Navigating the world’s oceans of data can prove daunting. It is not enough to simply amass and access vast quantities of data; researchers have learned the importance of understanding and using data in purposeful ways. To make the most of these opportunities, the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences earlier this year joined the UNC Charlotte Data Science Initiative.

The ancient texts that tell their secrets to UNC Charlotte researcher John C. Reeves inhabit the twilight realms of cosmic arcana, apocalyptic fervor, and religious dualism of Late Antiquity and the Medieval Era. “It’s really the thrill of solving mysteries that keeps me going,” says Reeves, UNC Charlotte Blumenthal Professor of Judaic Studies and Professor of Religious Studies.

The days and weeks following the September 20, 2016 police shooting of African-American Charlottean Keith Lamont Scott saw peaceful protests on campus and research- and scholarship-driven responses by faculty, alumni and students at UNC Charlotte. Among those responses, UNC Charlotte researchers Cherie Maestas and Sara Levens are exploring how the emotions of members of the community translated to action following news of the shooting.

The soldier’s face has faded in the World War II photograph, falling victim to the ravages of time. Yet, even as the picture has turned cloudy, the image of her father has grown sharper in Barbara Presnell’s mind. Presnell, an award-winning documentary poet and essayist, has captured the story of her father William G. Presnell in her Blue Star collection, published earlier this year by Press 53 in Winston-Salem.

The sounds that fill hospital rooms can take on a discordant tone, as life-sustaining equipment beeps, hisses and blares. Chapel Hill non-profit DooR to DooR breaks through the noise, bringing to health care settings the sounds of a different healing sort, as documented in the new film “The Acoustics of Care.”

When streetlights burn out in the Enderly Park neighborhood, the darkness closes in, causing residents to worry about safety. UNC Charlotte geography undergraduate students Jamal Covington and Devin Martin have created a way for residents to use mobile devices to easily report issues such as burned-out lights.

They are born all over the planet, some 3.5 million of them a year, beginning life as tiny flickers in the grass. They grow fast; feeding on forests, devouring ground, turning landscapes into ash. As these fires burn, atmospheric scientist Brian Magi is watching, researching the connections between fire, land, atmosphere and climate – and the role humans play in that mix.

Two on-campus entities have conducted research to improve student experiences and outcomes related to career readiness, with the added benefit of providing Communications Studies students hands-on research experience.

In the contemporary world, natural sciences and philosophy may seem to be worlds apart. Yet, these disciplines are not always estranged. Trevor Pearce, a UNC Charlotte philosophy assistant professor, currently is researching the historical connections between philosophy and biology, and he has found that the innovative method of thought utilized by pragmatists can prove relevant to contemporary education.

Loy H. Witherspoon, professor emeritus of philosophy and religious studies at UNC Charlotte and a longtime confidant to University founder Bonnie Cone, passed away on Sunday, Jan. 15, in Charlotte. The founding chair of the Department of Religious Studies, Witherspoon retired in 1994 after 30 years of distinguished service at the University. “Loy Witherspoon embodied the values and aspirations of UNC Charlotte,” said Nancy Gutierrez, dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.