Research

With the opening of PORTAL, Charlotte Research Institute officials have announced that Lester “Chip” Yensan will remain at CRI as associate director for infrastructure through the current calendar year.
Prior to joining CRI in August 2012, Yensan was assistant vice president for student affairs at the University of Rhode Island; he held positions at the University of Connecticut and Michigan State University, too.  

Na Lu, an assistant professor in the Engineering Technology and Construction Management Department of the Lee College of Engineering, has won a $400,000 National Science Foundation CAREER award to further her research to develop cost-effective thermoelectric materials for high-temperature power generation through waste-heat harvesting.

The Africana Studies Department in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences will host its 12th annual symposium on Wednesday and Thursday, April 2-3.
This year’s symposium will focus on the topic of “Moral Economies.” According to Akin Ogundiran, chair of Africana studies, the goal of the two-day event is to diagnose and evaluate the rise in and ramifications of social inequality at the local and international levels despite increases in global wealth.

The Blumenthal Foundation of Charlotte has awarded the University $22,500 for a collaborative initiative that will increase the profile of and engage the public in issues about the natural environment.

The newly published “Visible Man: The Life of Henry Dumas” by English professor Jeffrey Leak has been praised for “shining a piercing light” on the elusive Dumas, who has remained a mystery even to his fans.
Leak, through interviews with Dumas’ family and friends, along with writers who knew Dumas, examined the author’s life and writing.

A Charlotte-based permanent supportive housing program is finding success in its efforts to improve stability for chronically homeless individuals while also helping the community to save money, according to a report from  UNC Charlotte’s College of Health and Human Services.

The University’s Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) and three other major universities are collaborating with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) on a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) workforce development grant under the Grid Engineering for Accelerated Renewable Energy Deployment (GEARED) program.
This five-year project, approaching $6.5 million, will be managed by EPRI and includes Georgia Tech, Clarkson University, the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, and 10 utility companies from mostly the eastern United States.

Tuesday, April 1, is the deadline for submissions for the Undergraduate Research Conference, scheduled for Friday, April 25, at the Barnhardt Student Activity Center.

In its third year, the Undergraduate Research Conference showcases projects being completed by undergraduates from all levels and from all colleges/departments. The Office of Academic Affairs, Atkins Library and new this year, the Levine Scholars Program, are cosponsoring this event.

The North Carolina economy can expect continued growth in 2014, said UNC Charlotte economist John Connaughton today in his quarterly forecast for the state .

Faculty author and national expert on election administration Martha Kropf will discuss how the 2000 election continues to affect policymakers nearly 15 years later in the final installment of the 2013-14 Personally Speaking Lecture Series. This free, public talk is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Thursday, March 20, at UNC Charlotte Center City. A reception will follow.