Faculty and staff were able to apply their knowledge to the election season and its results, being quoted in publications that analyzed the lead-up and the results. They were among many accomplishments to be celebrated in recent months.
Election Experts
Dr. Lisa Levenstein, director of the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, was quoted extensively in the New York Times article that looked at women’s choices in the polls.
Lloyd International Honors College Dean Omar Ali was part of a cross-Atlantic collaboration of political scientists, historians, and sociologists who provided presidential election analysis.
For FOX8 News, Political Science Graduate Program Director Hunter Bacot broke down the red and blue propensities of national and state election results in North Carolina.
Political Science Professor Thom Little was a guest expert for WFMY News 2, where he explained early voting as well as North Carolina’s constitutional amendment on voting and citizenship.
More from Faculty and Staff
Teacher Education and Higher Education Professor Wayne Journell gave the presentation “Political Challenges of/for/in 21st Century Schools” at McGill University’s Learning Commons’ conference about polarization in classrooms.
Keisha Brown, principal of the Middle College at UNCG, spoke to Triad City Beat about its participation in the Fulbright-TEA program.
Pianist and Staff Accompianist Ināra Zandmane was featured in Duke University’s ‘The Chronicle” with her performance at Duke Music’s Faculty Recital “New Creations.”
Dr. Amanda Gale, director of undergraduate studies for interior architecutre, had her research on multisensory spaces highlighted by I & S Magazine.
Dr. Gay Ivey, William E. Moran Distinguished Professor in Literacy, spoke on youth and whether they should have access to contested books in school settings.
MFA Writing Program faculty member Xhenet Aliu previewed her new audiobook “Brass.”
Community & Therapeutic Recreation Director of Undergraduate Studies Kimberly Miller received a roughly $10,000 award for a graduate assistantship position with Greensboro Parks and Rec. The grad student will assist in developing after-school programing and an adaptive mountain bike program.
Dr. Alan Chu, associate professor of applied sport psychology in the Department of Kinesiology, presented at the Association for Applied Sport Psychology conference. He was also selected for the association’s Dorothy V. Harris Memorial Award.
Public Health Education Professor Sharon Morrison was recognized, along with her research assistant Nathan Dang by the North Carolina Hmong Women Association.
Kinesiology Professor Ben Dyson was inducted with former Ph.D. student Yu Kai Chang as Fellows into the National Academy of Kinesiology.
Dr. Sandy Shultz, kinesiology professor and director of the Center for Women’s Health and Wellness, talked to CT Insider about the risk of ACL injuries faced by high school girls playing soccer.
UNCG Professor Jianjun Wei takes a closer look at a centuries-old technology known as biochar to help with cleaner water.
‘Light the Way’ Surpasses Goal and Presents Next Steps Forward
Posted on November 19, 2024
UNCG’s comprehensive campaign has surpassed its original $200 million mark. Now, the University sets its sights on specific campaign objectives to further enhance opportunities for students and boost academic excellence.
UNCG Professor Jianjun Wei takes a closer look at a centuries-old technology known as biochar to help with cleaner water.
UNCG Studies Better Biochar for Cleaner Water
Posted on November 18, 2024
Biochar, a centuries-old technology for enriching depleted agricultural soils, has been getting second looks in recent years as a potential solution to a range of challenges, from making fire-resistant building materials to storing carbon from the atmosphere. At UNC Greensboro, Jianjun Wei is researching ways to make it better at removing lead, mercury and other heavy metals, plus emergent chemicals known as PFAS, from water.
A nearly $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service has funded a two-year project to use biochar created by the Forest Service and make it better at cleaning up contaminated water and resisting fire. Wei is co-principal investigator, focusing on environmental remediation.
The grant, awarded earlier this year, comes as the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering is growing its grant funding. As Interim JSNN Dean Mitch Croatt says, “Grant awards for nanoscience at UNCG are moving in the right direction, with a 40% increase over the prior year.”
Wei, a JSNN professor and chemist, is working with postdoctoral researcher Leticia de Moraes and Ph.D. student Sherif Bukari on the biochar project.
What is Biochar? Why is it important?
“Biochar” refers to charcoal made from carbon-based materials, or biomass. It’s a porous material made by burning organic waste — such as sawdust, agricultural residues and manure — in low-oxygen environments.
The Forest Service’s Forest Products Laboratory has been working for 10 years or more to develop production processes for biochar with different characteristics, Wei says. “They are looking for some breakthroughs for applications, and one of their application directions is environmental remediation.”
As the Forest Service webpage explains, the agency sees biochar as a valuable way to use the massive amount of woody residues left in forests after harvesting operations, wildfire suppression, and insect and disease outbreaks.
The Need for a Biochar Solution
Wei comes to the project with a long history of carbon materials work. His research focuses on nanomaterials — ones so tiny that they are invisible to the unaided eye and hard to detect with a conventional microscope — and recently he’s been studying ways to use such materials in environmental remediation. For example, he has explored ways to clean antibiotic-resistant bacteria from water and to detect toxic organophosphates from pesticides.
Wei’s team will use chemicals and other means to alter the biochar to make it better able to adsorb, or bind to, toxic pollutants — specifically, heavy metals ions and chemicals known as PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
PFAS are often called “forever chemicals” since they persist and don’t break down in the human body or the environment. PFAS have been used since the 1940s in a wide range of products — from cosmetics to non-stick cookware and from food packaging to firefighting foams.
While recent studies have warned that exposure to PFAS, even at low concentrations, may be linked to serious health effects, it’s long been known that heavy metals can be toxic, causing liver and kidney damage, cognitive impairment, cancer, and other ailments.
Removing heavy metal ions and PFAS from water is difficult because they are often present in extremely stable complexes and are not easily biodegradable.
“Because biochar is highly porous and has a large surface area, there are a lot of advantages for using it in the environment to remove such contaminants,” Wei says.
The Challenge Ahead
Still, the biochar needs to be altered to work efficiently. Because PFAS and heavy metal ions differ significantly in their structure, the team needs to produce methods for both contaminants, Wei says.
“If we don’t modify the biochar, it has a very weak affinity, or a specifically selective affinity, to adsorb either the heavy metal ions or PFAS,” he says.
Over the next two years, Wei’s team will work on ways to increase that affinity, first by studying the ways heavy metal ions and PFAS interact with biochar of different surface modifications.
While other researchers have focused on using powdered biochar to adsorb pollution, Wei reports biochar-based panels have advantages for regeneration and reuse. Water would pass through the panels, with the heavy metal ions or PFAS clinging to the surface.
Once saturated, the panels can be treated to remove the contaminants and then reused, he says.
Research, Training Scientists Drive Wei
The project brings Wei full circle to his undergraduate days at East China University of Science and Technology in Shanghai. There, he earned a bachelor’s degree in applied chemistry, with a concentration in water recycling. In the 32 years between then and now, he’s earned a Ph.D. in chemistry and worked in both industry and academia.
Wei joined UNCG’s faculty in 2013, and he’s since won grants from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, the U.S. Department of Defense, and from industries such as Syngenta, LLC.
Wei was drawn from industry to academia for two reasons.
“Working at a university allows for more freedom and flexibility in terms of my research,” he explains. “I also wanted the opportunity to work with students. Training emerging scientists is a top priority in my research.”
In just over a decade, Wei has advised or mentored 26 Ph.D. students and four postdoctoral researchers. He’s currently advising eight Ph.D. students and one postdoc, including de Moraes and Bukari who are working with him on the biochar project.
Making the World a Better Place
In addition to being committed to training and educating the next generation of scientists, Wei is committed to bringing nanoscience to bear on making the world a better place, particularly when it comes to environmental quality.
He points to statistics that show that a significant portion of U.S. water bodies are considered impaired and below U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards.
The problems aren’t limited to this country. Long-term, the world needs economically viable solutions. “We are hoping to commercialize this research, so that in the end, it has a big impact,” he says.
Story written by Dee Shore, AMBCopy LLC Photography provided by Sean Norona, University Communications
UNCG Professor Jianjun Wei takes a closer look at a centuries-old technology known as biochar to help with cleaner water.
Spartans Help WEstern NC’s Hurricane Recovery
Posted on November 18, 2024
The devastating images from North Carolina’s mountains after Hurricane Helene inspired an outpouring of support across the state. UNC Greensboro students and alumni were among those who answered the needs of those communities who lost homes, power, and businesses to flooding and mudslides.
Social Workers Help Schools
Tanya Little ’19, ’20 and Haleigh Gilbert ‘24 work in Randolph County Schools. When the superintendent of Buncombe County Schools asked social workers and counselors to help, they answered that call.
As many people lost their homes to the storm and many more had to evacuate, that left animals in need of new homes while local shelters also had no power or water to take care of them. Jessica Arias ’23, director of Burlington Animal Services, stepped up to make sure pets were not overlooked.
UNCG Professor Jianjun Wei takes a closer look at a centuries-old technology known as biochar to help with cleaner water.
UNCG Cheerleaders Balance Busy Schedules to Bring Spartan Spirit
Posted on November 15, 2024
Spartan athletic events wouldn’t be the same without the athletes that appear on the sidelines. The cheer team connects the fans to the action on the court and brings the hype to events like NAV1GATE. For UNCG, the cheerleaders personify school spirit and elevate each event they attend to a Spartan experience.
Let’s Get This Work
For athletes who cheer, participating on the team is always fun, but it’s also a lot of hard work.
First of all, try-outs are not for the weak of heart. Candidates must learn routines and cheers before tryouts, where skills like stunting, tumbling, jumps, and chants are measured along with crowd appeal and interview scores. Judges submit scoresheets with a maximum score of 500 points.
“As the coach, I do not participate in judging,” says Liza Palazzi. “I take a hands-off approach to eliminate any perceived biases, and the team selection is based solely on scores. To make the team, the athletes must score more than 400 points.”
Team members are required to practice for two and a half hours three times a week and work out two additional days each week to prepare for games. The cheerleaders split home volleyball games with the dance team, but both teams participate in all home women’s and men’s basketball games throughout the season. In addition, the cheer team makes various appearances on campus and in the community.
“They participate in community service events and consistently demonstrate what it means to be a well-rounded UNCG student, athlete, and citizen of the community in which they live,” Coach Palazzi explains.
A Spartan in Full
Being well-rounded is second nature for the cheer team’s student-athletes. They juggle studies with their practices and workouts, and most are also involved in full—or part-time work, campus organizations, and service initiatives.
“I like to keep my schedule full,” says cheerleader Ayla Thompson, who is a full-time student, owns her own upcycling clothing business and manages social media for the cheer team. “When I have a lot on my plate, I’m more motivated to get things done.”
Despite their full schedules, members of the cheer team love representing UNCG and find the comradery of the group worth all the hard work they put in.
“Even though many people don’t see us as athletes, we strive to prove that we are,” says second-year social work major Maghen Wagner. “We are a close team that connects on more levels than just cheerleading.”
Meet a few of the cheer team’s star athletes for a glimpse into their lives on campus and what they enjoy most about UNCG and being a Spartan cheerleader:
Activities: President of UNCG’s chapter of the National Retail Federation Student Association. Pouges has already accepted a position to work for TJX Companies as an allocation analyst after graduation.
“Spartan spirit is unique because everyone expresses themselves differently, but I love seeing everyone come together to show Spartan spirit at games. And I love having a front-row seat to all our UNCG teams.”
Activities: EcoThrifty, NRFSA, CEO Club’s Director of Media. Thompson has a part-time job at Chipotle, is the administrative and marketing assistant for Charlotte-based artist Elizabeth Palmisano, and runs her own business, Finds & Reminds, selling upcycled clothing to help reduce textile waste.
“Many of us are first-generation students, so it’s inspiring to be a part of a community that understands that drive and celebrates each other’s progress. We’re not only shaping our futures but also honoring the hard work and sacrifices that got us here, and it’s very motivational.”
Activities: Lloyd International Honors College student, parliamentarian for Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business fraternity. Sandaire has completed two kinesiology internships and volunteers with Greensboro Urban Ministry, Youth Focus, Inc., and Hope Academy.
“I love seeing the team’s growth throughout the season and building bonds with my teammates.”
Activities: Tau Sigma and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies, a participant in the Bryan School’s Bronze Leadership Challenge. Garrison also works full-time as a manager at Chipotle on Tate Street and volunteers at her church.
“Our campus is so diverse and full of character and beauty. I could not dream of being at another college. I love cheering with my best friends at the Greensboro Coliseum.”
Activities: UNCG Marshal, SGA representative. McMasters helps coordinate service projects for the cheer team and is a kindergarten teaching intern.
“Don’t get me started about my joy for UNCG! I have been blessed to be surrounded by wonderful professors, friends, community, and opportunities. Something about cheering for the Spartans is so special! You just have to experience a game to feel the spirit that everyone has.”
Story by Becky Deakins, University Communications. Photos by Sean Norona, University Communications. White background cheer portraits were submitted by athletes.
UNCG Professor Jianjun Wei takes a closer look at a centuries-old technology known as biochar to help with cleaner water.
UNCG Student Entrepreneurs Change the World One Business at a Time
Posted on November 19, 2024
The UNCG Collegiate Entrepreneurship Organization (CEO) club, a student-led organization, accommodates students by facilitating educational opportunities that push them to tap into their creativity and network with other like-minded individuals.
The club informs, supports, and motivates students to be more entrepreneurial and to start or continue promoting a business. Jules Belfi, president of CEO and Vice President, Meaghan Dohnert have worked to make CEO as interactive as possible for students by hosting various events and workshops that support innovative thinking.
From Idea to reality
Belfi was inspired to start the CEO student marketplace after seeing a need for her peers to expand their audience and combine both business and design. The student marketplace provides a platform for students to sell and market their goods and services to other students on campus. Typically, the marketplace happens every fall and spring semester on College Avenue.
The most recent marketplace took place on October 1, 2024. Seventy-three vendors collectively made over $27,500 in sales, with an average of $475.55 per vendor. 59% of vendors made over $200.
Got to start somewhere
Ayla Thompson, an entrepreneurship and marketing student and director of media for CEO, sold 87 items from her business called “Finds & Reminds.” She says, “I wanted to start my business at fourteen, but I didn’t prioritize it until the first student marketplace last fall. Since then, I have promoted my business at over ten markets outside of the CEO club. The student marketplace gave me the push I needed to get started and keep going.” Thompson’s business upcycles and resells clothes to help reduce textile waste.
Like Thompson, there were many students who got to explain what their artistic pieces signify. For computer science graduate student, Lakshmi Bobbili, her passion for her business was rooted in her childhood love for crafts.
“I specialize in handmade Indian fusion jewelry that blend traditional Indian elements with modern designs. Each piece reflects my love for craftmanship and is created for those who appreciate unique, culturally inspired accessories.” Bobbili goes on to say, “Entrepreneurship is not just about building a business but also creating value. It’s a journey of self-discovery, resilience, and innovation, where every step is an opportunity to make a difference.”
Taking on a challenge
While you can expect to grow personally and professionally in entrepreneurship, there are also several challenges that come with managing business responsibilities. For Bobbili, being an entrepreneur means dealing with uncertainty, taking risks, learning from setbacks, and trying to understand customer preferences in a competitive market. “Despite these challenges, the journey is incredibly rewarding, as each obstacle provides an opportunity to grow, learn, and improve,” Bobbili says.
The CEO marketplace not only increased awareness of student businesses but also prompted students to meet new people and connect with other student entrepreneurs. Briana Johnson, a new media design student with an established business since 2016, shares that being in organizations at UNCG like CEO helped her become more comfortable talking about her business and what it represents.
“In entrepreneurship, I’m in control of my success or failure,” Johnson says. One of the business skills she’s learned from UNCG is improving her self-image and how she presents herself to others. Johnson’s business “Br33zytees” sells handmade custom tie-dye, bleach, ice-dye apparel and hand-painted accessories.
What’s your story?
Behind every business is a story waiting to be heard. UNCG encourages all students to lean into what drives their creativity, embrace obstacles, and further the transformative ideas embedded inside of them. Students interested in learning more about entrepreneurship can find more information here.
Story by Lauren Segers, University Communications Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications
UNCG Professor Jianjun Wei takes a closer look at a centuries-old technology known as biochar to help with cleaner water.
UNCG Earns Rankings and Adds New Honors for 2025
Posted on November 14, 2024
UNC Greensboro is proud to announce continued high marks on respected 2025 lists highlighting value, social mobility, and student experience in higher education.
In a UNC System that provides exceptional options, UNCG strives to offer opportunity, excellence, and impact, both to its students and the communities that we prepare them to serve. As the 2025 accolades are tallied, it is heartening to find our name on rankings that praise universities for those same attributes.
Opportunity
UNCG helps make higher education costs manageable for its students and broadens their aptitude for lifelong career success. In addition to challenging academics and the guidance of first-rate faculty, UNCG places internships, hands-on research, and study abroad experience within reach for its students.
All these opportunities lead our Spartans – half of whom are first-generation college students – to graduate into a higher socio-economic class. But don’t take our word for it. The following lists keep UNCG at the top in 2025:
The New York Times’ most affordable institution in North Carolina for net cost
#1 in North Carolina for social mobility by U.S. News and World Report and The Wall Street Journal
Whether preparing students for careers in education, health care, science, the arts, humanities, or business, UNCG’s faculty and staff strive for excellence. Our continued accolades speak for themselves:
U.S. News and World Report’s best colleges for 34 straight years
Princeton Review’s best colleges for 25 straight years
Furthermore, independent surveys prove that students genuinely enjoy their collegiate experience at UNCG and praise their return on investment. Many of the 2025 rankings support what Spartans say about the welcoming environment, supportive resources, and career preparation they find here.
UNCG is The Wall Street Journal’s #2 university in North Carolina for student experience.
The Princeton Review named UNCG among 16 universities nationwide on its inaugural mental health honor roll.
The Military Times named UNCG as a “Best for Vets” university for our exceptional support for military-affiliated students.
Impact
The University’s impact not only benefits its students, but also our state and its communities. UNCG stimulates the Piedmont Triad economy by $1 billion, pulls in $65 million for external research funding, and leads innovative programs serving our communities. Here are a few examples of how these programs will connect Spartans with impactful funding and experiences in 2025:
UNCG Professor Jianjun Wei takes a closer look at a centuries-old technology known as biochar to help with cleaner water.
Review Revised Policies at UNCG
Posted on November 13, 2024
This semester, UNCG has updated policies while rescinding two. All campus employees are encouraged to read and familiarize themselves with the newest versions of these policies:
Staff will be working with the Provost’s Office, Human Resources and the Office of Research integrity to update the process and procedures for reporting and reviewing and to ensure consistency with the workload policy.
UNCG Professor Jianjun Wei takes a closer look at a centuries-old technology known as biochar to help with cleaner water.
Spartan Rises Nationally in USA Volleyball
Posted on November 13, 2024
Future Olympians and Paralympians can look to one UNCG alumna for inspiration. With USA Volleyball, Jenny Johnson ’95 is changing the lives and the trajectories of hundreds of thousands of young athletes. She shared her philosophy that’s driven her and is now driving athletes with the UNCG Magazine.
UNCG Professor Jianjun Wei takes a closer look at a centuries-old technology known as biochar to help with cleaner water.
AI in Nursing: Real-Life Experience, Right Away
Posted on November 08, 2024
UNC Greensboro’s School of Nursing (SON) is using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve and enhance nursing instruction, patient care, and nursing practice with virtual tools that create enriching real-world experiences, underscore ownership, and increase engagement.
The immediate integration of practical experience has been a game changer, says Lindsay Draper, clinical associate professor and nursing’s director of faculty credentialing, compliance, and special initiatives.
“We can talk about a health condition in class and then put on virtual-reality headsets to practice taking care of a patient,” she says. “Right then and there, they’re able to connect theory with clinical practice before they ever get to a clinical setting.”
Further, students say virtual experiences make them feel more confident, competent, and empowered.
“They don’t have their preceptor or instructor to watch their every move – they are the nurse, and they make the decisions,” Draper says. “They tell us it’s the most they’ve felt like a nurse since starting nursing school, even after their first time in the headset, and that is a really cool thing.”
How Are We Not Using AI?
From integrated simulations to dynamic student and faculty tools, AI has played a prominent role across the UNCG Nursing educational experience.
“The big question is how are we not using AI,” Draper says, “Because it is a helpful tool to create unique, realistic patient scenarios for our students that mirror the real world.”
If the topic is diabetes, students can use AI to assess patients, determine what labs a nurse might need, and develop questions for patient conversations.
“Explaining concepts to patients is very challenging in health care,” she says. “As nurses, we understand what we’re talking about, but that doesn’t always translate to the patient, their family members, and the community.”
Students are also able to create their own case studies, then reflect on the experience: What was the AI response? What was missing or may have been incorrect?
“So, it prompts critical thinking in addition to learning,” Draper says. “It’s a wonderful tool for a more comprehensive approach to engagement, relevance, and ownership in education.”
Virtual Reality: Collaboration, Retention
Since 2023, the SON has integrated VR into the undergraduate and nurse practitioner programs, specifically as a simulation tool. They use MetaQuest2 headsets and Oxford Medical Simulation, which offers access to more than 230 scenarios and the option to create unique scenarios.
“If we have a regular simulation with a standardized patient, only so many students can participate at one time,” Draper says. “With VR, we can supplement for those not actively engaged in the scenario.”
“We can do small groups or have one person wear the headset while it’s screen-casting to a TV, so other students can see what they’re seeing,” Draper says. “It has reduced downtime in simulation and helped to make it a more rewarding experience.”
Nikolas Everhart, a senior nursing student who will graduate in May 2025, appreciated the use of VR for learning about pre-eclampsia: “It essentially provided a risk-free pathway to learn and deepened my understanding of obstetrical patient care.”
Draper also points to benefits for nursing graduates taking the national board exam, which is based on scenario-based application of learning. Because AI tools offer the opportunity to hear it, see it, then do it, students better retain information.
In the future, SON hopes to incorporate augmented reality with student VR experience and explore how VR can be used for interprofessional education and in mass-casualty simulations for disaster preparedness.
Other Uses of AI
Faculty are using AI to create course descriptions; to design, improve and revise curriculum; to streamline assignments from learning objectives; and to generate rubrics.
“Health care and nursing can be complex, and AI is a really good tool to simplify instruction and make content more relevant to students,” Draper says.
SON has used AI to create its new master’s curriculum, its undergraduate curriculum, and its DNP curriculum, which consolidated efforts and inspired creative ideas. These curricula are in the approval process and should be available to students in Fall 2025.
Students in NUR 375 Nursing Informatics and Technology 2 were asked to use AI to create class assignments for a designated week.
“The use of AI was mind-blowing to me at first,” says nursing student Richelle Hensen. “However, I quickly became aware of AI’s value in creating assignments, test questions, or outlines for studying. AI thinks creatively and can illuminate new avenues in nursing studies. I do fear it could be used too much.”
Critical Thinking Required
Draper is not at all concerned with the views that AI will halt learning.
“I think it’s the exact opposite,” Draper says. “Used correctly, AI is going to help people get smarter because there’s that critical thinking piece, an evaluation process, and creativity involved.”
“It’s not a passive tool; it doesn’t do anything unless you do something with it,” she says. “And that’s why we’re teaching our students, from the get-go, how to use it to enhance their learning, not replace their thinking.”
Draper says balanced integration of AI is paramount for both faculty and students: What is AI? How to use it ethically and responsibly? What does academic integrity look like when you start using AI?
A module developed as part of the UNCG AI Teaching Grants will be implemented across three courses in various nursing programs to address these critical questions.
What’s Ahead?
As SON builds multiple dynamic uses of AI, they also spread the word and hope to bring others along.
“We are all in” says Dean Debra Barksdale. “AI is transforming student learning, faculty productivity, and patient care.”
Barksdale and several UNCG nursing faculty contribute to these advancements through their roles in the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) AI special interest group. Additionally, as liaison to the American Academy of Nursing’s AI Task Force, Barksdale will shape health policy and address ethical AI use.
“We think about how we can share what we’re doing here in the School of Nursing, not only with the campus, but with the broader community as well,” Draper says.
That includes speaking at conferences and to various groups across the state about the changing state of health care and using AI to prepare and upskill the workforce.
“We also continue to explore how we better introduce and incorporate AI tools students will use in practice into the academic setting,” Draper says.
