CHEMISTRY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL
ALUMNI
newsletter
A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR Dear Alumni and Friends, I am pleased to introduce our Spring/Summer 2021 newsletter, an abbreviated version of our annual winter e-magazine. There are many exciting departmental events and initiatives happening year-round, and we want to share them with you. In this publication, you will discover new initiatives we are implementing to provide a diverse, equitable and inclusive academic environment, resources provided by the Sustainability Committee to cultivate a greener lab, and how our faculty continue our commitment to helping students achieve academic success. The newsletter will close with a recognition of our newest Carolina Chemistry graduates. The pandemic has certainly presented unprecedented challenges and complex times for the world and our chemistry community. We continue to push forward by creating new initiatives to respond to the changing environment. Your generosity helps make our
initiatives a reality, and we hope you will consider giving as we continue our mission to train the next generation of chemistry professionals. We hope this letter finds you well and in good spirits. We are thankful for your continued commitment and support to the department as we navigate the changing environment. I encourage you to read further and reach out if you have any questions or would like to learn more about departmental events and initiatives.
IN THIS ISSUE 2
DEI departmental initiatives We are continuously committed to providing an inclusive environment here at Carolina Chemistry. Read more about our new initiatives.
3
Faculty focus on student success Our faculty continue to focus on evaluating and developing strategies to help students achieve success in their studies.
3
The Sustainability Committee
4
The Class of 2021
Sincerely, Wei You
Department Chair chemchair@unc.edu
Spring/Summer 2021 Vol. 1 Issue 1
The Sustainability Committee continues to connect with department members to provide education on best sustainability practices.
We are incredibly pleased to introduce the #uncchemistry graduates in the Class of 2021.
Lab of the Future ready for next gen learning and research We are excited to resume in-person undergraduate laboratory instruction this fall in the newly upgraded Morehead Labs, complete with a brandnew air handling system. Just as exciting is the completion of our vision for the chemistry teaching laboratory of the future. The two-year project was made possible with support from both the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and the department of
chemistry. The area is designed to encourage collaboration between student teams, with large screens lining the perimeter to display data and open sight lines between octagonal tables to foster communication. These labs include modular furniture to accommodate a breadth of experiments that span multiple courses as well as hoods along the perimeter to facilitate synthesis and analysis.
Special naming opportunities are available to support these investments in the department’s future. Please contact jennifer.chandler@unc.edu for more information.