People with autism are twice as likely to use drugs and alcohol than someone without the disorder — a statistic that most people are unaware of. To educate the public on this topic, UNC autism professional Ann Palmer and addiction specialist Elizabeth Kunreuther teamed up to write a book: “Drinking, Drug Use, and Addiction in the Autism Community.”

Over the last five years alone, more than 15 UNC students have accepted jobs at Eastman, a materials and specialty additives company in Kingsport, Tennessee. On top of hiring Carolina grads, the company supports research projects across four departments within three schools at UNC, creating a successful model for how industry partnerships function at the university.

Rima Janusziewicz is a PhD student in the Department of Chemistry within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences, and a graduate research assistant in the DeSimone Lab. Her research focuses on a more effective way to 3-D print objects called continuous liquid interface production and how that method aids application development for the life sciences.

Junior Ling Lin is an undergraduate researcher within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences double-majoring in chemistry and Asian studies. She is also a McNair Scholar and a Chancellor’s Science Scholar. Her research focuses on developing novel antiplatelet therapeutics to inhibit blood clot formation and prevent the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Senior Haley Moser is an undergraduate researcher within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences double-majoring in environmental sciences and geography. Her research focuses on utilizing geographic data to identify the spread and level of nutrients and contamination within waterbodies after a major weather event like a hurricane — information that helps local governments better prepare for when the next storm hits.

Tonya VanDeinse is a clinical assistant professor within the UNC School of Social Work. Her research focuses on how to improve mental health and criminal justice outcomes for adults diagnosed with both mental illnesses and substance use disorders.

A generation under Soviet control made its voice heard on tape. UNC music scholar Andrea F. Bohlman is listening.

Junior Victoria Whitley is an undergraduate researcher within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences majoring in applied mathematics. She is also a research assistant in the Joint Applied Mathematics and Marine Sciences Fluids Lab. Her research focuses on understanding how some salts dissolve in corn syrup, causing stratified fluids to diffuse unevenly.

Even though more than 1.4 million American children under the age of 18 care for siblings or parents who have a chronic illness or disability, support for this demographic is in short supply. UNC geographer Elizabeth Olson and collaborators look to other countries as models for growing youth caregiver resources in the United States.

Last fall, UNC professor Maureen Berner visited food banks across Belgium to learn how they handle issues of poverty and food insecurity. This scholarly exchange was also a home exchange, as University of Antwerp historian Maarten Van Ginderachter came to Carolina to work on his new book and collaborate with professors.

Nena Peragallo Montano is the dean of and professor within the UNC School of Nursing. Her research focuses on health disparities in HIV prevention among Latinos, as well as translating research into best practice within the community.

In December, graduate students from the UNC Department of Marine Sciences spent 10 days transplanting corals on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef in southern Belize. The data they collect from this research could impact coral reef conservation efforts in the future.