Graduate School

The First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal Committee is soliciting nominations for the 2015 award. This award recognizes outstanding scholarship, creativity and/or research among senior full-time faculty members. Each year the University with support from First Citizens Bank presents this award in order to recognize and foster the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and creative endeavors.

Starting this fall, Meredith College M.B.A. students will have the option to earn a concentration in health informatics from UNC Charlotte through a partnership between the two institutions.
UNC Charlotte, through its College of Computing and Informatics and College of Health and Human Services, is at the forefront of educating students to leverage their knowledge of computer sciences and health care to evaluate, modify and implement medical information systems as well as educate others in their use.

Philip Payne, chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Ohio State University, will kick off this year’s Health Informatics Seminar Series; his talk is scheduled for 4 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 20, in Fretwell Building, Room 126.
An internationally recognized leader in the field of clinical research informatics, Payne has authored more than 140 publications focusing on the intersection of biomedical informatics and the clinical and translational science domains. He received his Ph.D. with distinction in biomedical informatics from Columbia University.

As the academic year gets under way, seven graduate students are ready to help welcome their peers to campus. They are the 2014-15 Graduate Life Fellows.
In this capacity, the students will offer guidance and promote engagement through first-hand experience, peer mentorship and graduate student events.  They will work with incoming graduate students and provide opportunities for them to network across disciplines. GLFs receive an award annually for their contributions to the UNC Charlotte graduate student community. 

Through their research in developing advanced machining analytical models, Tony Schmitz and his students are bringing science to the art of high-speed manufacturing.
“We’re making manufacturing more efficient by applying a physics-based understanding of the processes involved,” said Schmitz, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and associate of the Center for Precision Metrology. “This is smart machining for use in intelligent manufacturing.”

Brenda Shue, a member of the Chancellor’s Office, is passionate about learning and the University.
At December commencement, where she graduated with a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies and a graduate certificate in technical and professional writing, Shue was chosen to ring the bell during the afternoon ceremony for her exemplary 49er spirit.

Graduate certificate programs can provide individuals with an important educational credential in a focused area of study, and the University is seeking to increase program visibility through a new mini-marketing campaign.
“A graduate or post-master’s certificate enables individuals to obtain specialized training in a particular academic or occupational area that can help advance their careers,” said Karla Stanchina, manager of communications for the Graduate School.

Public Policy doctoral student Ada Uche recently received a 2014-15 American Educational Research Association (AREA) Minority Dissertation Fellowship in Educational Research. As part of the writing process, Uche utilized resources provided by UNC Charlotte’s Center for Graduate Life (CGL).

The film “The House I Live In” will be shown at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 25, in the Student Union, Room 340. A panel discussion will follow.
According to event sponsors, the documentary explores America’s “War on Drugs” and the profound human rights implications of this “war.”  The film outlines the seriousness of mass incarcerations and drug abuse as a public health concern. It also investigates the errors and shortcomings of this “war” and the harm on America’s poor, especially minority communities. 

The Graduate School will hold its Winter Commencement Dinner for the 2013 graduating doctoral class at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 12.
Summer I, II and Fall graduating doctoral students and advisors of graduating doctoral students are requested to register to attend this event. RSVPs should be submitted by Friday, Dec. 6.