Research

Effective Monday, Sept. 15, Heather Brown will become the executive director of the Women + Girls Research Alliance.
According to academic affairs officials, Brown will lead the alliance to fully realize its mission to become a recognized authority in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County on issues affecting women and girls.

UNC Charlotte economist John Connaughton will give his quarterly forecast for the North Carolina economy at a luncheon and press conference Tuesday, Sept. 9, at UNC Charlotte Center City. The presentation begins at noon in the auditorium. Lunch will be available starting at 11:30 a.m.                               

America’s middle class is suffering an economic meltdown that threatens the sector of society long considered the nation’s bedrock. UNC Charlotte author and researcher Scott Fitzgerald will dissect these troubles and explore ways to regain prosperity, in the first talk of UNC Charlotte’s Personally Speaking series for 2014-15.
This free community talk is set for 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 18, at UNC Charlotte Center City. The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and Atkins Library present this series, which is marking its fifth season.

Teaming up with students from England’s University of Birmingham, two graduate students from the Lee College Engineering participated in the third annual Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Railway Challenge this summer, where they learned that building a working electric locomotive is a real challenge.
Civil engineering master’s students Ben Gorman and Matt Washing traveled to Leicestershire, England, for the event, which pitted five teams against each other in the design and construction of a 15th-scale locomotive.

Larry Mellichamp, director of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, has written “Native Plants of the Southeast,” which was published by Timber Press.
Billed as a comprehensive guide to the best 460 species for the garden, “Native Plants of the Southeast” features the most beautiful native plants that adapt well to garden cultivation, have multi-season appeal and attract native butterflies, birds and other beneficial wildlife, according to the publisher.

Jay Grymes, interim chair of the Department of Music, has written a new book “Violins of Hope: Instruments of Hope and Liberation in Mankind’s Darkest Hour.” The book, published by HarperCollins, is receiving critical praise and should be in bookstores now.
Academy Award-winning film composer John Williams wrote, “Violins of Hope is a work of research and scholarship that forms one of the most moving chronicles in the history of Western music.  James A. Grymes has earned our plaudits and praise, and deserves our everlasting gratitude.” 

Gina Ramoz recently joined UNC Charlotte as biosafety director in the Office of Research and Economic Development.
With nearly 30 years of scientific experience working in clinical, research and academic laboratories, Ramoz will manage the biosafety program for the University’s rapidly growing and evolving research and academic environment.

Philip Payne, chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Ohio State University, will kick off this year’s Health Informatics Seminar Series; his talk is scheduled for 4 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 20, in Fretwell Building, Room 126.
An internationally recognized leader in the field of clinical research informatics, Payne has authored more than 140 publications focusing on the intersection of biomedical informatics and the clinical and translational science domains. He received his Ph.D. with distinction in biomedical informatics from Columbia University.

UNC Charlotte chemistry major Alexis Brown is spending her summer participating in a groundbreaking program at the North Carolina Research Campus, exploring the plant pathways of food crops such as blueberries, oats and strawberries.  And more.
“We are trying to create the super broccoli,” she said.

The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute has been accepted into the National Neighborhood Indicator Partnership (NNIP), which is a collaborative effort by the Washington D.C.-based Urban Institute and local partners to further the development and use of neighborhood information systems in local policymaking and community building.
Membership in the network opens participation in conferences and other learning opportunities as well as participation in cross-site research projects.