Community Engagement

The Charlotte Teachers Institute is sponsoring the community event “The Art and Chemistry of Light” on Tuesday, May 21, at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.

This “Teachers as Scholars” event will feature presentations and discussions with local educators who studied the topic together in a 2018 Charlotte Teachers Institute (CTI) seminar, including UNC Charlotte chemistry professor Tom Schmedake and 11 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teachers.

Chesney Klubert ’14 has volunteered with Girls Rock Charlotte for five years and has watched the nonprofit grow from a summer camp for girls age 8-16 to a year-round experience that now reaches out to adult women.

It has been a busy week of volunteering for Jerry Womack, a zone supervisor in UNC Charlotte’s Facilities Management Department.

During Holy Week, Womack said his church, Ebenezer Baptist, holds a mission blitz. He packed food at the Second Harvest Food Bank and prepared packages of medical supplies that included items such as non-prescription drugs and bandages for distribution to needy people as part of North Carolina MedAssist.

UNC Charlotte’s Botanical Gardens is holding a new three-day festival that combines nature and fine arts.

The Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center (ECAC), in collaboration with the Cato College of Education’s Department of Special Education and Child Development, recently presented a daylong free training for parents of children with disabilities. The workshop, “Parents as Leaders: Taking the Next Step–Telling Your Story,” was led by Beverly Roberts, Aimee Combs and Rowena Barker of the ECAC along with Professor Donna Sacco from the Cato College.

It was a busy week for UNC Charlotte employees who used their paid community service leave to volunteer across the campus and city of Charlotte during National Volunteer Week, April 8-12.

Employees packed 1,200 meal supplement backpacks, 1,500 pencil pack kits, 1,500 toiletry kits and made 2,500 sandwiches. University alumni helped sort clothing donations at Crisis Assistance Ministry.

Individuals unable to secure a ticket to attend the inaugural TEDxUNCCharlotte event on Friday, March 22, will be able to view the presentations via live stream.

The Office of University Communications is providing live stream coverage of the talks between 12:30 and 5 p.m.

Twelve speakers will deliver presentations on the topic “The Power of You Makes It Possible.”

April marks the return of the statewide N.C. Science Festival (NCSF), a month-long celebration of science and public engagement in STEM fields. UNC Charlotte, for the eighth year, will participate in the festival’s mind-expanding public activities.

Yesika Sorto Andino, a junior from Charlotte, North Carolina, is among the 262 students selected for Campus Compact’s 2019-20 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows.

Campus Compact is a Boston-based nonprofit organization that is working to advance the public purposes of higher education. The Newman Civic Fellowship is a one-year experience that emphasizes personal, professional and civic growth for student leaders who demonstrate an interest in solving public problems.

Wendy Wilson, adult education coordinator for the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, will lead a workshop on cell phone macrophotography from 1 to 3 p.m., Saturday, March 16, in the McMillan Greenhouse.

The workshop will start in the classroom as attendees will attach a macro lens to their smartphones. After practicing with the lenses, members will search for the perfect image in the Botanical Gardens. Upon returning to the classroom, participants will learn about creative photo editing.