Society

Society: Understanding Human Nature and Behavior

a woman holds a sign that reads "the real pandemic is racism"

Taking On Discrimination

Julian Rucker wants to motivate people to address the stark racial disparities that have characterized the history of the United States. As a UNC-Chapel Hill postdoctoral researcher, he uses social psychology to unpack why structural racism exists, how people perceive it, and why we must change policies to eliminate it from our society.
Photo: A young woman in black leans into a large device of wood and metal. She is lit from behind by an open window.

A Respectable Use of Time

How do official records of the American past differ from those documented by the everyday women who lived through it? Danielle Burke, a master’s student in the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of American Studies, is combining studio art with archival and ethnographic research to explore class, gender, and identity through an overlooked sector of craftspeople: handweavers and lacemakers.
Siddharth Maruvada, Arnav Meduri, and Abhinav Meduri sort through potatoes

A High-Tech Solution to Hunger

With a passion for technology, a drive to make a real-world impact in their community, and some help from UNC-Chapel Hill researchers, three local high school students created Pantry Patrol, a user-friendly application designed to help food pantries better combat hunger.
Jason and Johna Mihalik

Divide and Conquer

Jason Mihalik and Johna Register-Mihalik — both exercise and sport science professors — have spent the past 17 years beautifully navigating the personal-professional divide at UNC-Chapel Hill. Not only did they meet and get married at Carolina, but they’ve since gained tenure and now oversee innovative and complementary research programs within the field of sports-related concussion.
Paige Ouimetphoto by Mackenzie Kern

Paige Ouimet

Paige Ouimet is a professor of finance in the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. Through the lens of societal challenges like income inequality, gender diversity, and the opioid epidemic, she studies how businesses impact society and how society impacts businesses.
Jennifer, Diane, Kay, and Eric Youngstrom

It Runs in the Family

What do you get when a research psychologist marries a clinical psychologist? Two Carolina chemists. UNC-Chapel Hill psychologists Eric and Jen Youngstrom both joined the faculty in 2006. Through their research and global travels, their daughters Diane and Kay have developed a love of science, immense school spirit, and a deep desire to help the world.
high school students use an app as part of an environmental science class

Empowering Youth for a Resilient Future

As climate change continues to impact daily life, researchers at the UNC Institute for the Environment want to discover the best way to teach the next generation to build a more equitable, resilient society. To do this, they are studying how young people learn about the environment and enact change in their communities.
Ganga Bey

Ganga Bey

Ganga Bey is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Epidemiology within the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and a fellow in the Carolina Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity. She studies how people’s beliefs about identity, worth, and ability affect their stress, aging, and susceptibility to disease.
a woman takes notes while another, who looks in distress, shares her thoughtsphoto from Adobe Stock

Stopping Harm Before It Starts

Researchers at the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center began studying the long-term effects of injury and violence well before they were recognized as public health problems. For 30 years, they have addressed vital societal issues including domestic abuse, car crashes, traumatic brain injury, home and workplace safety, and opioid overdose — and have worked closely with practitioners to change policies and save lives.
Cynthia Fraga Rizo

Cynthia Fraga Rizo

Cynthia Fraga Rizo is an associate professor within the UNC School of Social Work. She researches intimate partner violence, sexual abuse, and human trafficking to prevent such acts and provide survivors with effective services and interventions.