General News

Dean Kruckeberg, professor of communication studies, is the 2013 recipient of the Atlas Award for Lifetime Achievement in International Public Relations. He will be presented the honor formally by the 21,000-member Public Relations Society of America at the general session of its international conference in Philadelphia, Monday, Oct. 28.

The Bonnie E. Cone University Center will celebrate 50 years of campus life in November with a weeklong celebration of the facility’s historical significance and contemporary relevance to the University community with commemorative remarks, student performances, personal stories, educational exhibits, music, dance and other festivities.

“Hard Hits: Concussions and the Modern Athlete,” a panel discussion, will be held at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 5, at UNC Charlotte Center City.
Four UNC Charlotte faculty and staff members will consider the emerging research on sports-related concussions in this latest offering of the series “Sports in the New South: Culture, Color and Cash,” sponsored by the Center for the Study of the New South.

Allison Burfield, assistant professor of nursing, has received a highly competitive grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Nurse Faculty Scholars program.
One of just 12 nursing educators from across the United States to be honored, Burfield will receive a three-year, $350,000 award to promote her academic career and support her research. The Nurse Faculty Scholar Award is given to junior faculty who show outstanding promise as future leaders in academic nursing.

Basketball Madness, an annual happening, is the official start of the season. This year’s event, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 24, will feature a number of entertaining activities, including the introductions of the men’s and women’s teams, a slam dunk contest and more. The first 1,500 fans will receive a free Niner Nation T-shirt.
Madness begins at 9 p.m. in Halton Arena, and 49ers alumnus and WACH Fox meteorologist Garrett Bedenbaugh returns as the host for the evening.

Maren Coffman, a faculty member of the School of Nursing in the College of Health and Human Services, recently received the Marlene Kramer Outstanding Alumni Award for Research in Nursing from the University of Connecticut School of Nursing.
The honor, named after a former dean of UConn’s Nursing School, recognizes distinguished nursing alumni who have demonstrated excellence in nursing research.
Collfman’s research interests include access to health care, health literacy and diabetes self-management in Latino immigrants.

Meg Whalen from the College of Arts + Architecture talks with members of the University’s Solar Decathlon team on the Oct. 22 edition of Inside UNC Charlotte’s streaming webcast “The Live Wire.” The team recently returned from Southern California; tune in to learn more about how UNC Charlotte was well-represented in this major, multinational event devoted to leading-edge work in sustainable design.

The University’s Energy Production and Infrastructure Center is the location for the joint UNC Charlotte and N.C. State University Photochemistry Symposium, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 26.
Photochemistry, basically stated, is the study of chemical changes caused by light. The symposium will focus on early-career researchers and students as a way to grow knowledge and enthusiasm for photochemistry and its implications for society, said symposium organizers.