News

Associate Professor of Architecture Jonathan Dessi-Olive had already been working with mushrooms for about five years when he first met Assia Crawford. Both researchers were attending a conference in Denmark in 2022 and discovered their shared interests in earthy materials and digital fabrication. They also “met all these mushroom people,” Dessi-Olive said, and began to […]

As Halloween approaches, spiders, bats and other “spooky” creatures are creeping into the spotlight. In the Stellwagen Lab at UNC Charlotte, though, spiders are the main focus of ongoing research throughout the year.  Sarah Stellwagen, assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, is specifically interested in spider silk. She answered questions about the uniqueness […]

Last Thursday’s ribbon cutting celebration at L.C. Coleman Park was a moment of pride for new Assistant Professor of Architecture and Urban Design Jennifer Brooks. Brooks came to UNC Charlotte in August from Mecklenburg County, where she was a design and construction project manager, directing capital improvement projects that represented a $50 million investment in […]

As chimney swift populations decline, conservationists in Charlotte are working to protect the older brick chimneys that have become important habitats for the birds.  Sara Gagné, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of UNC Charlotte’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, is among researchers helping to document local chimney swift roosting sites and raise awareness […]

When most people hear “sustainability,” they think of protecting our planet by recycling, planting trees, and cleaning up trash. Or maybe they think of reducing their consumption of a certain item to reduce waste. Sustainability means more than protecting our planet, and it does not always mean making sacrifices to be “sustainable”. Sustainability means protecting […]

Jasmine Oliver, a senior environmental studies major and Levine Scholar dedicated to addressing community‑based challenges through environmental advocacy and research, is among the 2026-27 recipients of the Newman Civic Fellowship. Oliver investigates how environmental systems, food access and community well-being intersect. Her undergraduate research examines how food assistance policies are communicated and understood, and her […]

UNC Charlotte’s Facility Operations Building (FOPS) near North Deck received a solar-powered upgrade this fall. Led by Facilities Management, the building now has 224 solar panels on its roof that will generate clean energy to power the building and contribute to the regional Duke Energy electrical grid. The rooftop solar array is on the south-facing […]

UNC Charlotte’s Office of Sustainability recently won a case study competition hosted by the Campus Race to Zero Waste. The winning case study, which won in the “zero waste” category, highlighted UNC Charlotte’s successful zero waste stadium initiative. The case study focuses on the collaboration and people-power behind the efforts to achieve an 84% diversion […]

Over the summer, two solar picnic tables were installed behind McEniry Hall next to the pollinator garden beds. Funded by the Charlotte Green Initiative (CGI) student green fund, the tables offer shaded spaces to eat, study, meet outdoors and provide a clean source of energy to charge devices. Each solar picnic table, created by EnerFusion, features a […]

UNC Charlotte has established a School of Energy, the University’s latest major step in becoming a national leader for grid modernization, energy research and workforce development. Housed in the William States Lee College of Engineering, the school will be the first in the nation to focus solely on the interdisciplinary challenges created by the race […]