From the competitive ports of China, to the innovative flood gates of the Netherlands, to the shifting sands of the Outer Banks, the sea creeps farther up the coastline every single day, and the distance between the top of the water and the bottom of bridges decreases — a major issue for port economies. UNC American studies professor Rachel Willis searches for solutions to help these communities cope with the impact of sea-level rise.

Adrienne Erickcek is an assistant professor of physics and astronomy within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. As a theoretical cosmologist, she researches dark matter, dark energy, and the evolution of the universe shortly after the Big Bang.

Waru Gichane is a PhD student in the Department of Health Behavior within the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and a research assistant at the Carolina Population Center. Her research focuses on the individual, interpersonal, and institutional barriers women face in achieving optimal sexual and reproductive health.

Amanda Suchanek is a postdoctoral research fellow working in molecular and biochemical nutrition at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Her research focuses on how enzymes control fat production in the liver — studies that may lead to the development of new interventions to treat metabolic disorders of the liver.

Doctors, researchers, social workers, and other professionals at the UNC Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health work diligently to help people with severe mental illness. By providing comprehensive care that extends beyond traditional medical protocol, the center aims to help these individuals regain their independence and livelihood.

Some researchers believe gratitude is a fundamental human emotion, connecting us to friends and partners who support our well-being. Two UNC psychologists focus on the long-lasting effects of living a life full of thanks.

Tamera Coyne-Beasley is a professor of pediatrics and internal medicine within the UNC School of Medicine, as well as director of the North Carolina Child Research Health Network at the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute (NCTraCS). She is the president of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Her research focuses on sexual health, vaccines, injury, and violence prevention among adolescents.

From the time he was a child, Bryan Reatini has always held an inherent fascination for the natural world. Now, as he pursues his PhD in biology, Reatini has the unique opportunity to collect data from one of the most distinct ecosystems in the world — the Galápagos Islands.

Senior Madeline Fisher is an undergraduate researcher double-majoring in environmental studies and music within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. She is also a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow. Her research focuses on gathering oral histories from musicians who have come from coal-mining communities and the role environmental science plays in their lives.

Sarah Ramdeen is a doctoral candidate in the UNC School of Information and Library Science. Her research focuses on the information-seeking behavior of scientists who use physical data sources within the geosciences such as cores, cuttings, fossils, and other specimens. She successfully defended her dissertation on July 28.

Blossom Damania is the vice dean for research and Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professor within the UNC School of Medicine. Her research focuses on the biological mechanism behind cancer-causing viruses.

12,340 miles separates the North Pole from the South Pole. But many geophysicists believe the two points are connected. How has always been a mystery, but UNC geophysicist José A. Rial has a hypothesis — they actually “talk” to each other through a natural process called synchronization.