General News

Maren Coffman, a faculty member of the School of Nursing in the College of Health and Human Services, recently received the Marlene Kramer Outstanding Alumni Award for Research in Nursing from the University of Connecticut School of Nursing.
The honor, named after a former dean of UConn’s Nursing School, recognizes distinguished nursing alumni who have demonstrated excellence in nursing research.
Collfman’s research interests include access to health care, health literacy and diabetes self-management in Latino immigrants.

Meg Whalen from the College of Arts + Architecture talks with members of the University’s Solar Decathlon team on the Oct. 22 edition of Inside UNC Charlotte’s streaming webcast “The Live Wire.” The team recently returned from Southern California; tune in to learn more about how UNC Charlotte was well-represented in this major, multinational event devoted to leading-edge work in sustainable design.

The University’s Environmental Health and Safety Office, in partnership will the Charlotte Fire Department, Sigma Tau Gamma and the student group Fire and Safety Technologists, will hold a fire safety event at 4 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 22, on the front recreational fields near Moore Residence Hall.
The event will be a simulated fire of a residence hall room. Organizers will demonstrate the difference that occurs when a fire starts in a room that is equipped with sprinklers versus one without sprinklers.

The University’s Energy Production and Infrastructure Center is the location for the joint UNC Charlotte and N.C. State University Photochemistry Symposium, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 26.
Photochemistry, basically stated, is the study of chemical changes caused by light. The symposium will focus on early-career researchers and students as a way to grow knowledge and enthusiasm for photochemistry and its implications for society, said symposium organizers.

Jerry Coughter, executive director of UNC Charlotte Center City, recently climbed Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds to help eradicate polio worldwide.
Coughter made the excursion with a group of Rotarians from Charlotte Rotary District 7680. Rotary International sponsors the End Polio Now campaign. According to Coughter, Rotary International and its partners have raised funding to provide polio vaccine worldwide since 1985.

The College of Health and Human Services Department of Social Work is co-sponsoring the one-day conference “Boots to Books: Understanding Military Culture and Supporting a Successful Transition” on Monday, Nov. 18, in Cone University Center, McKnight Hall.

For the past 30 years, Student Alumni Ambassadors have welcomed thousands of visitors to UNC Charlotte at venues across the campus and in UNC Charlotte Center City. They are easy to recognize in their “49er Green” blazers.  
Recently, members of the organization gathered at the Harris Alumni Center for a special celebration.

Ken Smith is a numbers guy, and virtually every day, he’s inundated with data, figures and spreadsheets.
In his role as the assistant University budget director, Smith works primarily with UNC Charlotte’s General Fund Budget, comprised of state appropriations and tuition and fees. For the 2013-14 fiscal year, it totals around $330 million.