College News

Bernadette Donovan-Merkert named founding dean of the College of Science

Categories: College News

Bernadette Donovan-Merkert has been named as the founding dean of the College of Science after serving in the role for more than a year as interim. Her appointment, approved by the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees, is effective Aug. 15. “Bernadette has spent her career at Charlotte supporting our students, leading faculty, promoting innovative research […]

The rehabilitated red-tailed hawk was released to campus. Photo: Scott Deyo.

10,000th Rehabilitated Raptor Released on Campus

The College of Science hosted the Carolina Raptor Center as they released their 10,000th rehabilitated raptor on Saturday, Aug. 10. The red-tailed hawk spent 58 days in CRC’s hospital facility and was released into the trees at the Hauser Alumni Pavilion in front of a crowd of guests, including families and CRC volunteers. The event […]

Double Major Dhairya Desai Awarded Newman Civic Fellowship

Dhairya Desai, a rising senior and chemistry honors student, has been named a 2024-25 Newman Civic Fellow. The fellowship is awarded by Campus Compact, a national non-profit and the oldest association in higher education dedicated to civic and community engagement. Desai is a Levine Scholar working towards a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a […]

Jordan Poler Awarded NCInnovation Grant

Jordan Poler, professor of chemistry, has been awarded a grant through a pilot program from NCInnovation.  He is one of two UNC Charlotte faculty selected for the funding and among eight researchers chosen from the UNC System. The grant will allow Poler to expand on his team’s recent innovations in water purification that have led to […]

Bernadette Donovan-Merkert, Juan Vivero-Escoto, Adam Reitzel

Two College of Science Professors Receive Prestigious University Awards

The UNC Charlotte Faculty Awards Ceremony was held on Monday, May 13 and two College of Science professors were recognized with some of the University’s most prestigious awards. Adam Reitzel, professor of biological sciences, was awarded the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal, which recognizes research excellence.  Reitzel serves as the graduate program director for the […]

Yelixza Avila: From First-Gen to Postdoc

Categories: Chemistry, College News

Growing up in the small West Texas border town of Tornillo, Yelixza Avila viewed military service as her only way to experience life beyond her hometown. But the first-generation college student persevered in pursuit of higher education, enrolling at nearby Sul Ross State, where she studied biology and chemistry. “Ten weeks in the summer in […]

16 College of Science Faculty join the ‘Million Dollar Research Circle’

Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber recognized researchers across the University with more than $1 million or more in active external funding at a reception on March 27. The Million Dollar Research Circle, one of several new initiatives to support research through the Division of Research, honors faculty who have received federal and state grants, as well as […]

Shaoyu Li featured as data ‘heavy lifter’

Shaoyu Li is a College of Science associate professor of Mathematics and Statistics and a member of CIPHER, Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks, research center. Her area of research is statistical genetics and genomics. She is also an affiliate of the School of Data Science and was featured in an article alongside […]

Chemistry student nominated for Goldwater Scholarship

Categories: Chemistry, College News

Juliusz Wieckowski, a junior in the chemistry honors program, is one of two UNC Charlotte students that have been nominated for the 2024 Barry Goldwater Scholarship. The Goldwater is considered one of the top awards for undergraduate U.S. STEM students. The scholarship helps identify the next generation of leaders in scientific, mathematical and engineering research, funding […]

Zooming in on Nanoparticles

The Afonin Nanotech Lab was featured in the Biomedical Beat blog from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of the National Institute of Health (NIH). The post entitled “Science Snippet: Zooming in on Nanoparticles” features an explanation of nanoparticles and their biomedical benefits to treat cancers, fight iron deficiencies, treat fungal infections […]