General News

The Department of Dance will host the Collegium for African Diaspora Dance (CADD) on Thursday and Friday, April 9-10. CADD is an egalitarian community of scholars and artists committed to exploring, promoting and engaging African diaspora dance as a resource and method of aesthetic identity. CADD was founded at Duke University; UNC Charlotte Assistant Professor of Dance Takiyah Nur Amin is one of the group’s original members.

The UNC Charlotte meeting of CADD includes two free public events.

The Division for University Advancement will host an introduction to campaigns session from 8 to 9 a.m., Friday, April 24, in the Student Union, Multipurpose Room.

A student volunteer venture to help veterans near Camp Lejeune this past fall recently earned the University the Outstanding Community Partner Award from the Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project (SERCAP).

This past fall, eight students from the University College/College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Learning Community participated in a SERCAP Volunteers for Communities Alternative Break Program. The volunteers, all freshmen, were Jessica Beavers, Selena Brown, Alyssa Finkelstein, Benjamin Iuliano, Hannah Javidi, Madison McKinnon, Edwin Ogachi and Sarah Payne.

General Graphene, an Oak Ridge, Tenn.-based company, won the grand prize of $20,000 at the 2015 Charlotte Venture Challenge.

The company is developing industrial scale graphene manufacturing capabilities using production methods licensed from the University of Texas and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Each machine will produce 60,000 sheets (square meter) of graphene (a form of carbon described as having “extraordinary” properties) per year.

The Center for Wellness Promotion and the Interpersonal Violence Prevention and Education Committee will host the annual Take Back the Night at 5 p.m., Wednesday, April 15, in the Barnhardt Student Activity Center.

Bill Ribarsky, the Bank of America Endowed Chair in Information Technology, is the 2015 recipient of the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal, UNC Charlotte’s most prestigious faculty award in recognition of excellence in research.

Ribarsky’s research has greatly influenced the field of visualization and visual analytics. He has been lauded by peers for advancing the way in which individuals visualize data and approach real-world problems.

Matthew Vines will present “God and the Gay Christian” at 6 p.m., Wednesday, April 8, in the Student Union Theater. The Multicultural Resource Center is sponsoring this free, public event.

Vines is an advocate for the acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people within Christian communities and in society at large. He attended Harvard University from 2008-10, then took a leave of absence in order to research the Bible and homosexuality and work toward LGBT inclusion in the church.

“Staying Young through the Years” is a lunch-and-learn program designed to offer advice on how employees can stay mentally and physically young despite the advancement of time. This event will be at noon, Wednesday, April 15, in the Student Union, Room 200. Register to attend online.

A new study by UNC Charlotte scholars is shedding light on the connection between diet and a common childhood disease.

Using national health data, the researchers determined children who ate certain types of food or dealt with food insecurity may be more likely to contract the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).

Faculty and staff members can continue “Giving Green in the Community” by participating in a number of projects planned for National Volunteer Week, April 13-18. These projects, coordinated by the Community Relations Department in the Division for University Advancement, involve two- to four-hour commitments in the morning or afternoon.