Graduate School

Margaret Kocherga’s Instagram comes alive through the vivid photos and videos she posts, illustrating her life as a student in the Nanoscale Science Ph.D. Program at UNC Charlotte.

Lauren Austin ’18 Ph.D. and Amanda Burmeister are the 2019 recipients of the Dean’s Distinguished Dissertation Awards, presented by the UNC Charlotte Graduate School to recognize outstanding research and scholarship by a doctoral student.

How institutions can create inclusive communities among graduate students was the theme of a recent professional development conference co-hosted by UNC Charlotte’s Graduate School.

Tom Reynolds’ early childhood fascination in microscopy turned into a collection of antique and vintage microscopes, which are on display in the J. Murrey Atkins Library.

Reynolds, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School, amassed nearly 150 microscopes and accessories during the past 30 years. They primarily represent those from the 19th-century English genre.

Eight students who represent a number of educational disciplines are this year’s recipients of the Thomas L. Reynolds Graduate Student Research Award.

The Reynolds Fellowship was created by its namesake, Associate Provost and Graduate School Dean Tom Reynolds, to assist with costs that are overlooked in other funding sources and to help students stay focused on their research goals. The Reynolds Fellowship provides up to $1,500 to doctoral students who have completed three semesters and to master’s students who have completed at least one semester.

Completing a doctorate is a major academic milestone that requires years of rigor and dedication. For the 74 individuals who participated in this year’s annual Doctoral Hooding Ceremony, May 9, the journey takes on even greater meaning.

Jonathan Blanton, city manager for Hamlet, North Carolina, will join UNC Charlotte’s Graduate School May 20 as director of finance and business affairs. He will report to Tom Reynolds, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School.

“As we begin developing our strategic plan for 2020-25, we are excited to add Jonathan’s expertise in management process improvement, policy development and financial planning to the team,” Reynolds said.

Yuehan Shao, who is working on a Ph.D. in applied mathematics, and Katie Wilkers, a master’s student in kinesiology, were named Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistants for 2018-19.

The Graduate School bestows the awards, which are presented at the doctoral and master’s levels, to recognize outstanding and innovative teaching techniques.

The UNC Charlotte Mu Tau Beta chapter of the international counseling honor society Chi Sigma Iota recently honored three outstanding graduate students and two faculty members in the Department of Counseling.

Lydia Roos, a doctoral student in health psychology, recently received the P.E.O. International Scholarship, a competitive merit-based $15,000 award.

Given by the P.E.O. Sisterhood, an organization focused on helping women around the world participate in graduate study in the United States and Canada, the international scholarship is intended to recognize and encourage academic excellence and achievement by women in doctoral-level programs.