May 2026
5 Cool Things
Six Wins. One Crown.
01
Layne Riggs ’24 clinched the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular-season championship with his sixth victory of the year. The motorsports engineering alum enters NASCAR’s seven-race postseason as the No. 1 seed before returning to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 9.
02
The Eighth-Year Flex
For the eighth consecutive year, Forbes has named UNC Charlotte one of America’s Best Employers by State. Charlotte was one of only 100 North Carolina employers recognized based on employee feedback about workplace culture, benefits, reputation and career opportunities.
No Patient Required
03
Charlotte nursing students practice complex clinical situations using high-tech simulators before treating patients in real healthcare settings. A new $500,000 investment from Novant Health will strengthen 15 simulation labs and help graduates enter the workforce with confidence.
04
The Hunt Is On
Charlotte researchers have already collected nearly 500 ticks while studying the local risk of tick-borne illnesses. The student-powered surveillance project eventually aims to gather public health data from 42 Mecklenburg County parks and greenways.
Nearly 250 first-generation Niners received free laptops through Charlotte’s partnership with Eliminate the Digital Divide. The collaboration is putting essential technology directly into students’ hands as they begin the academic year.