COVID-19

Thomas Lawrence Mellichamp ’70, former director of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, died Sept. 12.

A professor emeritus in the Biology Department, Mellichamp retired in 2014 after nearly four decades directing the development of the University’s Botanical Gardens. He completed a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University and went on to earn a doctorate in botany from the University of Michigan before returning to join the Charlotte faculty in 1976.

Thomas Lawrence Mellichamp ’70, former director of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, died Sept. 12.

A professor emeritus in the Biology Department, Mellichamp retired in 2014 after nearly four decades directing the development of the University’s Botanical Gardens. He completed a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University and went on to earn a doctorate in botany from the University of Michigan before returning to join the Charlotte faculty in 1976.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, UNC Charlotte has performed wastewater testing of campus buildings (now grouped into neighborhoods) to proactively mitigate the spread of the virus and to determine if infections are increasing or decreasing. The reporting structure of this testing has taken different forms, but the testing itself has continued since its implementation. As the virus and its variants continue to be present, here are a few things to remember:

As COVID-19 becomes more of an endemic than a pandemic in the United States, UNC Charlotte continues to make some changes to campus protocols. The University is no longer requiring masks on Niner Transit in line with federal guidelines. Masks will remain mandatory in the Student Health Center.

Research by a team of scientists led by faculty at Yale School of Public Health and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte shows that strong protection following natural infection is short-lived.

Because of their expertise in flow measurement, researchers from The William States Lee College of Engineering are working with doctors from the Wake Forest School of Medicine to help determine the extent to which the COVID-19 virus is spread during certain surgical procedures.

Housing prices in the Charlotte region – fueled by rapid population growth –  continue to rise, especially in the lowest-priced sector, according to a new report issued by UNC Charlotte’s Childress Klein Center for Real Estate (CKCRE).

A new study released by UNC Charlotte researchers has found the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with concerning mental health effects among vulnerable community members in Charlotte.

The new year could bring a resurgence for North Carolina’s economy, which took a historic hit this spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to John Connaughton, director of the Barings/UNC Charlotte Economic Forecast.   

A team of University researchers are preparing to sample and test wastewater from various campus locations as an early-warning system to locate the presence of COVID-19.