Research News

Vivian Lord opened her mail one winter day 16 years ago, and found a letter from an inmate describing his unsuccessful attempt to force police officers to shoot and kill him. What Lord learned from him, and what she has uncovered in her subsequent years of pioneering research, has contributed significantly to the understanding of the phenomenon called Suicide by Cop.

A new book from UNC Charlotte educators and researchers examines the desegregation and resegregation of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools over the past 40 years, putting education reform in a political and economic context.

Sustainability is an international concern, and for one UNC Charlotte professor the challenge is to bring new understanding to how Nigerians can view sacred groves as secular green spaces, through in-depth research with global implications.

The PBS film “Italy’s Mystery Mountains” showcases UNC Charlotte geography and earth sciences faculty and student research into the age of river terraces. This research delves into landscape evolution, providing meaningful information on the impact of external forcing, such as climate.

For his work in helping to revitalize a challenged Charlotte neighborhood through urban design and planning, Dylan McKnight, a UNC Charlotte urban design and community planning graduate, received a top honor.

Meteorology student Ricky Matthews seeks to understand why people heed or ignore warnings and forecasts, making it his goal to improve the warning and information dissemination process so that lives can be saved during severe weather.

A research paper co-authored by UNC Charlotte student and faculty researchers has been named the most influential research pieces related to health care disparities for 2014, according to the Culture of Health Reader Poll by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, considered the largest philanthropic efforts devoted to public health.

UNC Charlotte researcher John Stogner is sounding the alarm about a drug that is 5 to 15 times stronger than heroin — and escapes detection on drug screens unless doctors specifically look for it.

UNC Charlotte meteorology students can now showcase their weather research online and in a new campus display unit in the front lobby of the McEniry building, as a result of meteorology student Warren Pettee’s Charlotte Research Scholars summer project.

UNC Charlotte researcher Margaret M. Quinlan and colleagues won a regional EMMY® on August 2 for The Courage of Creativity, a documentary series that explores the role that artists and creativity can play in people’s well-being in health-related contexts.

Two of the three winners for best research posters at the third annual Summer Research Symposium are students in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and several students who earned honorable mention also come from the college. Over 80 undergraduate students, including the students in the Charlotte Research Scholars summer research program, competed in the poster competition, presenting scholarly inquiry in a broad range of topics.

UNC Charlotte religious studies undergraduate Kevin Caldwell was so inspired by his research experiences last summer, at the university’s Mt. Zion archaeological dig site in Jerusalem, that he headed back again. “To participate in that was perhaps the best, and I would have to say the greatest, intellectual exercise that I’ve been able to participate […]

Ashley Williams knows no boundaries and shows no fear when asking big questions. Williams is one of the rare UNC Charlotte students to double major across two colleges and also begin a master’s program while working on her undergraduate degrees. She sees her wide-ranging choices as critical preparation for her future.

People who live in food deserts in Charlotte struggle to find healthy fresh food. Lauren Whipp, who as an undergraduate anthropology major began researching the topic, takes this issue personally. While she has long been interested in the topic, Whipp expanded her formal research into food access issues as an undergraduate Charlotte Research Scholar in the summer of 2013.

As competition for talent heats up worldwide, UNC Charlotte researcher Qingfang Wang has identified critical factors that appear to give some communities a competitive edge. Wang’s research considers highly skilled immigrants and immigrant entrepreneurs – what attracts them, what fosters their growth and what deters them from fully using their skills and knowledge.

One way to think about sustainability is as a three-legged stool, with environmental, economic and social sustainability as the legs. Social sustainability is the wobbliest of the three legs, because it is less defined and studied. To help address this aspect of sustainability, various UNC Charlotte faculty have organized the Integrated Network for Social Sustainability.

UNC Charlotte students this summer are creating an innovative theatrical production that combines works of two significant playwrights, while delving into topics including diversity, theatrical performance, language, history and the craft of writing. These students are studying in England, collaborating with Kingston University students, British theater professionals and a UNC Charlotte scholar.

Effective volunteers are the lifeblood of nonprofit organizations. Without them, nonprofits can wither and even die, so understanding their needs is critical. UNC Charlotte’s Volunteer Program Assessment helps nonprofits understand and respond to their volunteer programs’ strengths and weaknesses. Since 2009, VPA has helped over 120 organizations in 20 states address their needs.