Community Engagement

When a treasured topiary tree was scooped from the soil and stolen from the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens the first weekend of April, hundreds of people turned to social media to spread the word. Upon the plant’s return one day after the community learned it was missing, the outpouring continued.

“I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues. And I am asking you at the top of my lungs.” Many of us recognize this quote from Dr. Suess’ book The Lorax from when we were young. Biological Sciences faculty member Aaron Kampe describes the Arbor 49er project in which he and his students have created a physical and virtual educational experience focused on 49 distinct tree species on UNC Charlotte’s campus.

Gain an intoxicating perspective on the leaves, bark, seeds, roots, flowers and fruit imbibed around the world when Amy Stewart, best-selling author of The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World’s Great Drinks, keynotes a UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens’ 50th Anniversary Symposium on Saturday, October 8, 2016.

English language learners in Mariella Duarte’s eighth-grade class at Whitewater Middle School in Charlotte face the steep task of learning middle school math in a language they have yet to master. For these students, the cognitive load can prove overwhelming. Anthony Fernandes, a mathematics professor at UNC Charlotte, is seeking solutions to that struggle.

In a significant botanical accomplishment, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens staff have successfully pollinated a Titan Arum, using pollen from another Titan Arum at Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens. “The pollination of the Titan Arum is very significant for UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens,” said Paula Gross, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens assistant director. “We were the first to bloom this rare plant in the Carolinas, and now we are the first in North America to have achieved pollination with fresh, or unfrozen, pollen.”

As the new director of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, Jeff Gillman sees his mission as engaging the public with the gardens and with nature. “My goal is to bring the gardens to the public,” Gillman said. “The gardens have had a wonderful base over the years, and I hope we can bring it to […]

Odie, the rare Titan Arum tropical plant at UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, began unfurling around 12:30 p.m. on Friday, July 17, 2015. The McMillan Greenhouse will be open extended hours for visitors who want to see — and smell — this botanical rarity.

A new garden in the works at UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens will  blend southeastern native flora, sustainable practices, and smart home landscape design in a 1/5-acre showplace that will add to the diversity of these public gardens. The design for the Mellichamp Native Terrace Garden artfully combines common home landscape features – wooden and stone […]

As part of the 2014 North Carolina Science Festival in late March and early April — with its theme of “Life is Your Lab” — UNC Charlotte will present a Science and Technology Expo, a seven-event public science lecture series, a four-event film festival and a star party. College of Liberal Arts & Sciences students, faculty and staff are deeply involved with these community events, as presenters and volunteers.

UNC Charlotte on Sunday, April 21 will host a free, public Science and Technology Expo on the lower campus mall, facing the Student Union.