Awards and honors

Bruce Gehrig, associate professor in the Engineering Technology and Construction Management Department in the Lee College of Engineering, has received a Fulbright grant to teach civil engineering and conduct water resource management research at Namibia University of Science and Technology in Namibia, Africa, in 2017.

The J. William Fulbright Scholars Grant program sends faculty of all experience levels and backgrounds to projects throughout the world. Gehrig will travel to Namibia from January to December 2017.

UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip L. Dubois is the 2016 recipient of the World Citizen Award, presented by the World Affairs Council of Charlotte. This prestigious honor recognizes his commitment to improving the international presence of the Charlotte region. He was given the award formally at a dinner Wednesday, April 20.

Nicholas Brawner, catering chef for UNC Charlotte Center City, earned a silver medal in a culinary challenge held at the Southern regional conference of the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) at Murray State University. 

Competing for top national and international academic scholarships is a team effort, and the Honors College recently recognized endorsed candidates for these awards and other grants.

Biology major Heidi Cope was recognized for receiving a research Fulbright grant to India, where she will investigate the intersections of marriage culture and the sexual health of adolescent women; Diane Zablotsky from the Levine Scholars Program was her program director.

Bruce Taylor, an associate professor in the College of Education Department of Reading and Elementary Education, is among the 2016 recipients of the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award.

This honor, created in 1979, recognizes individuals, groups and businesses that make a significant contribution to their community through volunteer service.

Taylor was nominated by the United Way of Central Carolinas for his work with the United Way’s Project 1,000 effort.

John David Smith, the Charles H. Stone Distinguished Professor of American History, is the 2016 recipient of the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal, UNC Charlotte’s most prestigious faculty award in recognition of excellence in research.

A ceremony was held Tuesday, April 12, at the Harris Alumni Center to formally honor Smith. Each year since 1987, the University with support from First Citizens Bank presents this award to recognize and foster the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and creative endeavors.

Four degree candidates in the College of Education Department of Middle, Secondary and K-12 Education have received fellowships to participate in the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History’s prestigious Teacher Seminar program.

Brittany Gibson, Renae Kaister, and Marticia Turner are teachers at Newell Elementary School; Erin Byrd teaches at Butler High School. Gibson, Turner and Kaiser are pursing master’s degrees in teaching English as a second language; Byrd, a master’s in secondary education.

Offering odes to strong women who inspired them was a common thread by speakers at the recent International Women’s Day program held in the Student Union Multipurpose Room.

An annual event, International Women’s Day “acknowledges that our campus community is filled with local women who embody the richness of internationalism, and we would like to recognize these individuals for their contributions to UNC Charlotte and the world,” said Roslyn Lewis, communications coordinator in the Office of International Programs.

For innovative teaching methods that extend well beyond a traditional classroom setting, Joanne Maguire Robinson, chair of the Religious Studies Department, has received the 2016 American Academy of Religion Excellence in Teaching Award.

Since joining the UNC Charlotte faculty in 1996, Robinson has focused on how students engage with the classroom environment. She sees the job of a teacher as creating an environment that helps students leave as more informed, more reflective and more capable and resourceful thinkers.

Now in its third year at UNC Charlotte, the “Thank You Card” recognition program continues to grow in size and impact. Beginning in 2013, Chancellor Philip L. Dubois sent 631 thank you cards to members of UNC Charlotte’s faculty and staff who were nominated by graduating seniors on the 2012-13 Senior Survey.

Earlier this year, 721 faculty and staff members received thank you cards.