Capturing the Lives of Sea Creatures
Liah McPherson records the lives of dolphins and whales — from Hawaiʻi to Antarctica.
Earth
Earth: Exploring Our Planet
Bewitched by Invertebrates
Jared Richards studies bizarre and beautiful sea creatures over 480 million years old.
Thirst for the Search
How Brian Coffey’s love for hunting objects unearthed a dinosaur in Durham and led him to a career in the energy sector.
Stephanie Caddell
Stephanie Caddell is a sophomore studying environmental science in the Department of Earth, Marine, and Environmental Science within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. She studies how to connect the needs of humans with the needs of the environment to protect the earth.
Galápagos: A Gateway for Global Research
For more than 10 years, the UNC Center for Galápagos Studies has been a hub of collaborative research activity spanning many disciplines, with the potential to impact the globe. Diego Riveros-Iregui and Amanda Thompson, the center’s new interim co-directors, strive to use their own experiences from the islands to expand its reach and grow its reputation as a world-renowned research institution.
Disassembling Evolution’s Engine
When a research project centered on evolution within spadefoot toads fell through, Emily Harmon shifted her focus to microscopic swimmers called rotifers. The biology PhD student is studying an animal's ability to adapt in one generation, which could inform conservation efforts in the face of climate change.
The Smorgasbord Scientist
Why do some organisms live in groups? What influences their cooperation with one another? How do they choose their mates? PhD student Brian Lerch has a lot of questions about ecology and evolutionary biology — and he strives to answer them using math.
Anna Fraser
Anna Fraser is PhD student in the Department of Chemistry within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. She designs, synthesizes, and characterizes polymers for water purification.
The Storm that Changed Her
A hurricane in 2010 turned Caela O’Connell’s dissertation plans upside down. It continues to affect her and her research 11 years later as a UNC-Chapel Hill anthropology professor.
A Project of Her Own
Most UNC-Chapel Hill PhD students oversee their own research projects for their dissertations. But Kriddie Whitmore did it in a foreign country — and with the added challenges of a language barrier, bad weather, and limited equipment. This past summer, Whitmore traveled to the Andes Mountains in Ecuador, tackling their demands with incredible tenacity and creativity.