Extracting Extraordinary Things
April 24, 2023
Claire Bunschoten spent a year at The New York Botanical Garden unpacking the history and culture tied to one of America’s favorite flavors: vanilla.
Alyssa LaFaro
- On any given day, Alyssa can be found photographing the effects of climate change, digging up long-lost information in the University Archives, or writing furiously in her Bynum Hall office. As the editor of Endeavors, she’s mastered the art of “wearing many hats.” When she’s not behind a camera or a computer, she’s meeting regularly with communicators, students, and faculty from across campus to learn about the latest research projects and unlock new opportunities for collaboration.
Posts by Alyssa LaFaro:
More Than Books
April 12, 2023
Tushar Varma traveled across 35 states, visiting 85 independent bookstores to learn why they’re so vital to the communities they reside in.
For Her Brother
March 21, 2023
Upon watching her brother grow up and struggle with cystic fibrosis, Rhianna Lee has dedicated her life to studying the disease.
Math-Age Daydream
February 16, 2023
The mathematical puzzles that arise when modeling neurodegenerative diseases fascinate Tanya Garcia, who hopes to solve them to speed treatment development.
A Crystal Ball for Chemistry
February 10, 2023
Jack Sundberg has created a software to help chemists uncover the best materials for their experiments — a potential game-changer for minimizing time and costs.
Hunting for Hemlocks
January 20, 2023
Ken Donny-Clark spent his last semester at UNC-Chapel Hill in the woods searching for a dwindling population of trees that local wildlife depends on: Carolina hemlocks.
All Creatures Great and Small
January 17, 2023
Rada Petric's love for nature has led her to study how human presence affects the behavior of small mammals like bats and mice.
Surveying the Smalls
November 18, 2022
Local biologists team up to study how wetland mitigation affects small mammals.
The Layers Beneath the Church
October 31, 2022
Michelle Freeman uncovers how clergy and laity revered saints in the fourth to sixth centuries to improve cultural understanding today.
The Optimistic Nutritionist
October 20, 2022
Saroja Voruganti uses genetics to improve people’s nutrition — and she’s helping the next generation of scientists do the same.