Faculty, staff and students honored for advancing international education

During the University’s observance of International Education Week, Charlotte Global recognized three faculty members, a staff member and two students for their efforts to advance global learning.

Aspen Hochhalter, associate professor of art and art history, received the International Excellence Award. During her tenure, she has developed and led multiple study abroad experiences including the biennial Ireland Creative Pilgrimage and the Italy Art and Culture in Rome and Venice summer programs. Charlotte Global noted her programs are known for their depth, creativity and ability to shape students’ global competencies.

Gang Chen and Colleen Hammelman earned the Curriculum Design Award in recognition for their collaborative and innovative approach to designing a research-focused education abroad experience.

Faculty members in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Chen and Hammelman co-lead the summer program Thailand Lasting Consequences of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Landscape Change in Tropical Crop Cultivation. The program provides students with an in-depth interdisciplinary lens into the complex intersections of environment, agriculture and society.

Hania al-Shamat was honored with the Faculty International Education Award. An assistant teaching professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, al-Shamat emphasizes the internationalization of students’ learning through globally engaged assignments, simulations and experiential projects including virtual collaborations with international universities and a study abroad course in Morocco.

EPIC business officer Robin Moose received the Staff International Education Award for continuing to manage the center’s Transatlantic Energy Research Experience with Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology that began in 2014. She created processes, secured PI mentors, projects and funding in support of in and outbound participants.

Student International Education Award recipients were Arielle Brown, a senior biology major and secondary education minor, and Annabelle Hill, a senior majoring in political science, French and international studies.

Brown, a Levine Scholar from Raleigh, North Carolina, engaged in a Global Networked Learning project with PH Ludwigsburg University in Baden-Württemberg and studied abroad in Japan, researching disaster resilience.

Hill, also a Levine Scholar, studied abroad in France, South Africa, the Philippines and Spain. She leads internationally focused clubs including UNC Charlotte Model UN and the Charlotte Global Studies Organization. An intern with the Office of Global Education and Engagement and study abroad ambassador, Hill is from Chattanooga, Tennessee.   

Photo: Charlotte Global award recipients, left to right, Arielle Brown, Annabelle Hill, Hania al-Shamat, Colleen Hammelman, Gang Chen and Aspen Hochhalter. Not pictured, Robin Moose.