Scholarship and Academic Life

“Materialities of Ritual in the Black Atlantic,” co-edited by Akin Ogundiran, professor of Africana studies, was named an outstanding academic title for 2015 by Choice magazine.

In its January issue, Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries published its list of “Outstanding Academic Titles” reviewed during the previous calendar year. According to the magazine, the list represents approximately 10 percent of the some 7,000 works reviewed by Choice in 2015.

A new UNC Charlotte College of Education partnership under way in Union County is allowing a group of teachers to earn a master’s degree in education through a new model that brings that graduate classroom to them.

The pilot program offers 16 teachers in high priority middle and high schools the opportunity to earn a Master of Education at a significantly reduced rate, while collaborating with College of Education professors on site near their home schools.

Edd Hauser, director of the Center for Transportation Policy Studies and the Center for Disaster Studies, recently received the academic Lifetime Achievement in Transportation Research and Education Award from the Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC).

Applications for the Provost Doctoral Teaching Fellowship for the 2016-17 academic year are being accepted. This opportunity will introduce doctoral students to teaching practices used in higher education and better prepare them for careers in college-level teaching.

The Office of Academic Affairs and the Center for Teaching and Learning, in collaboration with the University’s doctoral programs and the Graduate School, are offering this fellowship. The deadline for Ph.D. students to apply is Monday, Feb. 15.

An automated personal knitting machine that can produce ready-to-wear clothing at the click of a button – it’s an innovative offering developed by Nona, a team of UNC Charlotte students. They are on their way to Los Angeles to compete in RECESS, a college music and ideas festival.

The American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) Bus and Paratransit Conference will be held in Charlotte in May.

In advance of the conference, the APTA is seeking transit-related ideas from students and professionals age 25 or younger for a “pitch session” on Wednesday, May 18. Ideas can involve technology, service delivery or any other area of transit, as long as it is innovative.

A team of UNC Charlotte engineering technology and construction management students won the 2015 Concrete Construction Competition sponsored by the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and the American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC).

The UNC Charlotte School of Architecture chapter of “Freedom by Design” earned two awards at the 2015 AIAS FORUM, the national conference of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), held Dec. 29-Jan. 2 in San Francisco. The UNC Charlotte team was recognized as the 2014-15 Chapter of the Year and received the 2014-15 Project of the Year award.

Third-year special education master’s student Maureen Mensing was one of two individuals honored by the National Association for Gifted Children. She received the association’s Master’s and Specialist Award for Exceptional Contributions to Gifted and Talented Education. This honor recognizes professionals who have contributed to the field in a host of manners, including through teaching, writing, advocacy, curriculum development and community service in gifted education.

UNC Charlotte is a leader in the field of advance machining engineering, and in support of the University’s efforts, the Gene Haas Foundation has donated $20,000 to the Lee College Department of Mechanical and Engineering Science Department for student scholarships.