two men

Eyes in the Sky

Ever since the Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina has proudly proclaimed to be “first in flight." Less well-known is Carolina’s connection to deep space — from the first astronomical observatory on a college campus, to the first planetarium in the South, to one of the first administrators at NASA, UNC scientists have long been connected to and inspired by the night sky.
a woman

Nur Shahir

Nur Shahir is a PhD student in the Curriculum in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology within the UNC School of Medicine, as well as a member of the UNC Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity. Her research focuses on computational and statistical methods to investigate the role of the gut microbiome in inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease.
a woman

The Cure Code

When Fred Sanger figured out how to sequence DNA in 1975, the world changed — and so did UNC. As more and more scientists dove headfirst into the field of genetics, the university realized the need for a department dedicated to this cause.

Since its founding in 2000, the UNC Department of Genetics has continuously made the top-five list of NIH program funding and has grown to include 80 faculty, who have taken the world of research and medicine by storm.
A young man plays the piano

And All that Jazz

Discussions of sixteenths, scales, and solos rang through the rooms of Kenan Music Hall during the 2017 UNC Summer Jazz Workshop, led by music professor Stephen Anderson. Those who attended were of a variety of ages, skill levels, and backgrounds — a true testament to the universal language of music.

Some students were involved in theory and improvisation courses, while others focused on jazz history, many receiving college credit during the five-day event. All participants had the opportunity to enjoy evening concerts performed by talented guests, professors, and peers. Some of the same students return each year, sure to receive a unique experience each time — that’s the beauty of jazz.
Lin Cao poses for a portrait on campus.

Lin Cao

Rising senior Lin Cao is an undergraduate researcher in the Neher Lab within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences, double-majoring in anthropology and biology, with a minor in chemistry. She is also an ambassador for the Office of Undergraduate Research. Her research focuses on the maturation and structure of lipases, a group of proteins that digest fats in the body.
A woman and a man sit in an office type setting in the 1960s.

From Turmoil to Triumph

The major political events of the 1960s set the stage for the founding of the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, which forever changed education research and practice.
Two adults play with a child.

The ABCs of Early Childhood Education

Smarter. Healthier. Better prepared for the world. Those are just a few of the benefits early childhood education can have over the course of a lifetime — benefits made evident by the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute’s Abecedarian Project researchers, who have spent the past 45 years following up with their original research subjects.
Francesca Bernardi poses for a portrait in her lab.

Francesca Bernardi

Francesca Bernardi is a math PhD candidate within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences and a member of the Joint Applied Mathematics and Marine Sciences Fluids Lab. She is the co-founder of Girls Talk Math and president of the UNC Association for Women in Mathematics. Through experiments and mathematical modeling, Bernadi examines the behavior of fluids flowing through tubes of various geometric shapes such as square, rectangular, elliptical, and more.
Cheng Cao poses for a portrait on campus.

Cheng Cao

Cheng Cao is a PhD student studying geological sciences within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. Her research focuses on understanding Earth’s evolution over time, as well as the chemical processes that take place on the planet’s surface.
Portrait of Rachel Willis on a rock near a flood gate. The rock reads "The Path."

Rachel Willis

Rachel Willis is a professor of American studies, global studies, and economics within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. Her research focuses on how sea-level rise, drought, and increased storm severity threaten port communities, influence migration, alter global food sheds, and impact future access to work through complex water connections related to infrastructure for global freight transportation.
Two women walking in chest deep water, one of them holds a pool noodle for support.

Striking a Balance

People with cerebral palsy (CP) are now living longer than they ever have before. But a longer life with CP can include more complex health issues that providers are struggling to accommodate.

One physical therapist at UNC wants to change that.
Illustration of two self driving cars at a overhead view. There are "sonic ways" emitting from the cars, showing that they are "talking" to one another.

Disruptive Driving

While car manufacturers and tech companies around the world work to make autonomous vehicles a reality, two UNC researchers are raising some important questions about the impacts — both positive and negative — that this massive change will have on our daily lives and public health.