UNCW 2021 Re:search - A Journey of Intellectual Inquiry

re:search 2021

a journey of intellectual inquiry

Restoring Coral Reefs: Spawning Coral in Captivity

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA WILMINGTON

re:search 2021

a journey of intellectual inquiry UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA WILMINGTON

2 IMPACT

National Drug Court Resource Center

External Recognition

Million Dollar Club

Innovation and Discovery

8 RELEVANCE Wastewater Monitoring During the Pandemic COVID-19

Equity and Justice

Local Matters: North Carolina

12 STUDENTS

Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Marine Science

Community College Undergraduate Research Experience

Student Research Makes a Local Difference

Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program

Center for the Support of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships

Recognition and Publications

COVER PHOTO: Nicole Fogarty collects egg-sperm bundles from a threatened coral species that spawned for the first time in captivity.

PHOTO/BRYCE CORBETT, EDITED BY MELISSA SMITH.

Produced by the Office of University Relations Editor Jennifer Glatt ’21M Art Director Shirl New Graphic Design Thomas Cone Photography Bill Bolduc Bryce Corbett Heather Cunningham ’21/D.C. Virgo Jennifer Fernandez-Villa Alan Holmes Jeff Janowski/UNCW JR Pawlik Jimmy Taylor Contributors Caroline Cropp ’99, ’06M Jeanne Persuit Venita Jenkins Tricia Vance Editorial Advisors Stuart R. Borrett Paula Cameron Kirsten Wisneski

UNC Wilmington is committed to and will provide equal educational and employment opportunity. Questions regarding program access may be directed to the Compliance Officer, UNCW Chancellor’s Office, 910.962.3000, Fax 910.962.3483. UNCW does not discriminate on the basis of sex. Questions regarding UNCW’s Title IX compliance should be directed to titleix@UNCW.edu. 2,500 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $4,082.91 or $1.63 per copy (G.S. 143-170.1).

October 2021 I suspect that we can agree that the 2020-21 academic year was marked by significant challenges. A leading example was the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, which directly affected the health of ourselves, friends and loved ones and altered how we live, work and learn. We also experienced heightened sociocultural tensions, grappled with deep racism and confronted structural inequities. Yet, amidst these challenges, UNCW excelled in research and innovation.

Three features characterize this year’s success in research, scholarship and creative work at UNCW. First, the high-quality output is making a positive impact – advancing knowledge, solving problems and enhancing the economic and cultural vitality of our community.

This is evidenced by UNCW scholars publishing in high-impact journals, being awarded new sponsored projects and receiving national and international accolades. Second, UNCW researchers and innovators applied their skills to address relevant societal issues, including work focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, equity and justice as well as North Carolina specific matters. Third, students were engaged in these efforts, both learning from the processes and, in many cases, leading the discoveries and innovations. These core qualities – impact, relevance and students – are highlighted in this magazine’s stories and serve as examples of the power of UNCW research to change lives.

This success was also reflected in funding. UNCW researchers developed 317 creative project proposals that were submitted to external sponsors, requesting more than $87 million. Campus was rewarded with $13.6 million in new sponsored projects, hitting a six-year high. Further, innovation and commercialization activities generated an additional quarter million dollars in revenue. These funds will fuel new discoveries, solutions and learning in the coming years. I hope you share my excitement to see what we will accomplish next.

Sincerely,

Stuart R. Borrett Associate Provost for Research and Innovation

The articles that follow highlight just a handful of the people, places, programs and partners that make UNCW an institution like no other.

Join us as we lay the foundation for our university’s next great chapter.

Visit uncw.edu/give to learn more about how you can support research like no other at UNCW.

IMPACT Like No Other National Drug Court Resource Center Launches Interactive Map of Treatment Courts

By Jeanne Persuit Ph.D. and Caroline Cropp ’99, ’06M Treatment courts exist to lead those with substance use and mental health disorders in the justice system into a life of recovery and stability. Since 2019, the National Drug Court Resource Center, housed in the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Social Science Applied Research Center, has provided treatment court practitioners with resources to assist with their lifesaving work.

For the first time since 2016, court counts across the U.S. and territories have been updated and are available via the NDCRC’s new interactive map. The new and improved map of treatment courts reflects the number of courts by state and county as of December 2020. Users can explore and compare data from the U.S. Census, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Survey on Drug Use and Health and Uniform Crime Report as they relate to the prevalence of treatment courts across the U.S. and territories.

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Darker colors mean a higher number of courts in that state for a given search parameter

“We are in the process of collecting juvenile treatment court numbers with the assistance of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals to further build out the map,” said NDCRC co-director Christina Lanier. Lanier and co-director Kristen DeVall have led the interdisciplinary team of UNCW researchers, staff and students in creating deliverables such as the interactive map, the “Justice to Healing” podcast and a monthly newsletter.

The National Drug Court Resource Center’s mission is to equip treatment court practitioners with an array of resources relevant to the field. The center is funded by a $2.4 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance; the current cooperative agreement extends through September 2022.

The NDCRC focuses on providing treatment court professionals with the information needed to design

and implement programs that align with best practice standards, expand and enhance court operations and collect and analyze program data. NDCRC resources are featured on the website and include operational materials organized by court type, seminal readings for treatment

court stakeholders, a calendar of professional development opportunities, a moderated discussion board for all treatment court professionals and more.

The NDCRC is a member of the Bureau of Justice Assistance Training and Technical Assistance

Collaborative. The collaborative comprises four organizations: the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, the Center for Court Innovation, the Tribal Law and Policy Institute and the National Drug Court Resource Center.

Learn more at ndcrc.org.

EXTERNAL RECOGNITION Caitlin Ryan, associate professor of language and literacy in the Watson College of Education, received the 2020 CLA Research Award from the Children’s Literature Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English for her work with the Reading the K-8 Rainbow Book Club project. The book club helps teachers read, discuss and teach with LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books. (Feb. 2021) Julie-Ann Scott-Pollock, professor of communication studies and director of performance studies, was named the recipient of the Lilla A. Heston Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Interpretation and Performance Studies from the National Communication Association.

(Sept. 2020) Rachael Urbanek, associate professor and assistant chair in the Department of Environmental Sciences, received the Wildlife Society Fellows Award, which recognizes members who have made exceptional contributions to wildlife resources and the wildlife profession. Fellows act as ambassadors for the society and serve a lifetime appointment. (March 2021)

Ryan

Scott-Pollock Urbanek

The Association of Rehabilitation Nurses announced the creation of the Barbara Lutz Stroke Rehabilitation Grant, developed to honor the 2019-20 ARN President Barbara Lutz, McNeill Distinguished Professor in the School of Nursing, and to provide funding for stroke research and educational opportunities for rehabilitation nurses. The initial research grant is expected to be awarded in 2022. (Nov. 2021) Nina de Gramont (pen name: Marina Gessner), assistant professor of creative writing, is slated to have her 2015 novel The Distance from Me to You adapted as a feature for HBO Max. (June 2021) Meredith Jones, assistant professor in the Department of Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle, Literacy and Special Education in the Watson College of Education, received the 2020 Early Career Research Award from the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators. (Nov. 2020)

Lutz

Gramont

Jones

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IMPACT INNOVATION & DISCOVERY Threatened Coral Species Spawns for the First Time in Captivity in UNCW Lab

Threatened Mountainous Star Corals release pink egg-sperm bundles that float to the surface, break apart and fertilize to form coral babies that will replenish dying coral reefs.

Nicole Fogarty, assistant professor in biology and marine biology, has induced coral spawning in captivity, making it the first lab in North Carolina and one of the few labs in the world to do so. The lab researches coral reproduction and how human stressors – such as ocean warming and acidification, low oxygen levels, sedimentation, microplastics and other pollutants – can alter reproduction and the overall health of corals from babies to adults. This giant leap forward has huge implications for coral restoration. The research has been supported and permitted by Fogarty’s partners at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Florida Wildlife Commission.

“This is a giant leap forward to not only understand the mechanisms involved in the reproduction of this threatened species, but to create the next generation of corals to restore coral reefs,” Fogarty said.

Million Dollar Club The James F. Merritt Million Dollar Club is a university honor and recognition for faculty and staff who have received $1 million or more in external research funding. The 2020 inductees were:

Catharina Alves de Souza, MARBIONC

Kristen DeVall, Sociology and Criminology

Christina Lanier, Sociology and Criminology

Sally MacKain, Psychology

Jeanne Persuit, Communication Studies

2021 Million Dollar Club inductees will be named in October. Visit uncw.edu/research for the full list.

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Big Things Come in Very Small Packages: A New Way of Looking at the Ocean UNCW’s SeaHawk-1 CubeSat, outfitted with the HawkEye Ocean Color Imager, has completed on-orbit commissioning and has entered into a period of phased startup of operations. Ocean color satellite oceanography provides a unique window into the global ocean ecosystem, and the SeaHawk-1 CubeSat satellite has pushed the boundaries of what was previously thought to be possible with such a tiny spacecraft.

HawkEye data will enhance understanding of ocean biology and complement the larger, polar orbiting satellites currently in space. Its high-spatial resolution imagery improves scientists’ ability to monitor near-shore environments where anthropogenic stresses are often most acute and where there are considerable security and commercial interests. This project is funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and led by Professor John Morrison of physics and physical oceanography. (June 2021)

SeaHawk-1 image of North Carolina’s Outer Banks PHOTO/ALAN HOLMES (CLOUDLAND INSTRUMENTS)

WCE and CAS Collaboration Results in Coastal Eco Explorer App Amy Taylor (Watson College of Education), Dennis Kubasko (Watson College of Education) and Lucas Layman (College of Arts and Sciences), in partnership with UNCW students and local park rangers, collaborated to create a new mobile application to teach island ecology at Carolina Beach State Park.

Coastal Eco Explorer guides both novice and experienced hikers in the exploration of ecologically sensitive terrain by providing virtual educational information and resources, including videos of rangers, at each of the park’s 13 native ecosystems. This pioneering app combines biological education, outdoor exploration and mobile navigation to create a fun and engaging park experience.

(March 2021)

UNCW Researcher Selected to Serve on NC Black Entrepreneurship Council Karl Ricanek, professor in computer science and director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Identity Sciences, was selected by NC IDEA to serve on the inaugural Black Entrepreneurship Council (NC BEC).

Representing UNCW, greater Wilmington and southeastern North Carolina, Dr. Ricanek fills one of 25 seats on the council. (Aug. 2020)

Computer Science Professor Recognized by ACM Elham Ebrahimi’s paper titled “How the Presence and Size of Static Peripheral Blur Affects Cybersickness in Virtual Reality” was selected to be published in a special issue of Transaction for Applied Perception Journal and awarded the best paper at the ACM Symposium for Applied Perception 2020 Conference. Dr. Ebrahimi is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science. (May 2021)

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IMPACT Chemistry and Biochemistry Work Reflects Value of Biotech Partnerships With funding from Apertor Pharmaceuticals Inc., R. Thomas Williamson, Yousry and Linda Sayed Distinguished Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, will focus on discovering and developing new treatments for age-related diseases. Apertor’s world-class synthetic biology platform will synergize knowledge of natural products and analytical resources such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to generate data for structure-based drug design. This project provides an exceptional and rare opportunity for UNCW students to work directly on a project that is translatable to the public sector and to improving human health in a significant way.

(June 2021)

UNCW Professor Co-leads Research on Prehistoric Humans and Climate in Portugal Funded by the National Science Foundation since 2011, professor Mike Benedetti of the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences is co-leading an international collaborative study of prehistoric human occupation and environmental change at a cave site in central Portugal named Lapa do Picareiro. Recent discoveries at the site include the early arrival of modern humans in the area around 40,000 years ago – about 5,000 years earlier than previously known – and geological evidence for dramatic climate change around the same time frame. Benedetti co-authored publications on this research that appeared in PNAS and Geoarcheology, and the research team was also featured in the Netflix documentary series “Connected.”

(Sept. 2020)

CIE Shares in Two NC IDEA Grants to Promote Entrepreneurship The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is part of two NC IDEA grants to promote and support business startups, particularly among underrepresented groups and those focused on the Blue Economy. The CIE will collaborate with North Carolina A&T University on a semester-long program for students that focuses on marine engineering and information technology. The center will also participate in a grant-funded program with the Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington to support minority and women entrepreneurs as they work to move from the idea stage to marketing and attracting investors for their startups.

(Dec. 2020)

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Research Team Receives

$1,162,145 in Funding for Pathways to Impact Project

Pathways to Impact, an international research collaboration that studies the long-term impacts of peacekeeping missions on post-conflict societies, received a $1,162,145 award in 2019 from the U.K. Economic and Social Research Council, the Fell Fund and the University of Oxford and will conclude its work in October 2021. Athena Kolbe, assistant professor in the School of Social Work in the College of Health and Human Services, and her colleagues conducted field work in Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire. The project seeks to provide the United Nations, government bodies, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders engaged in peacekeeping with policy-relevant insights to improve the understanding of the potential effects of peacekeeping withdrawal.

“Ultimately, peacekeeping missions should observe the campsite rule, leaving the country in better condition than it was when they arrived,” Kolbe said. “That means a sound exit strategy is needed to ensure that the government can make sustainable changes that protect the human rights of its citizens and continue to improve human security. I hope our research can give scholars, practitioners and policy makers some clear sense of what is needed to make that happen.”

WCE Faculty to Participate in National Autism Research Study Amy Moody, Sharon Richter and James Stocker are part of an accelerated research team that will conduct interventions for children with autism. The project, initiated by the Special Education Research Accelerator at the University of Virginia, brings together top researchers from across the country to conduct highquality, large-scale studies to address

critical questions in the field of special education. As members of the SERA research team, the Watson College of Education faculty members will conduct science facts intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in grades 2-4. The same intervention will be conducted by researchers across the country in order to improve Sharon Richter research efficacy. (April 2021)

UNCW Marine Mammal Stranding Team Played Role in Identifying

Previously Undiscovered

Whale Species

Ann Pabst, professor of biology and marine biology, and Bill McLellan, director of the UNCW-based Marine Mammal Stranding Program, were called to examine the carcass of a whale that had washed up at Carolina Beach in March 2003 – one of the first responses under a grant through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s newly developed Prescott Stranding Assistance Program. More than 17 years later, from genetics samples collected by that UNCW team, the sub-adult male was confirmed to be a member of a previously undiscovered species of baleen whale that lives in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico and traverses the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. NOAA researchers published a paper identifying the tentatively named Rice’s Whale as a separate species.

James Stocker

“The work of Dr. Pabst, Mr. McLellan and the Marine Mammal Stranding Team provides a valuable service to the community, creates opportunities for primary discoveries such as identifying new species and generates enriching research experiences for the engaged students,” said Stuart Borrett, UNCW associate provost for research and innovation. “The team is one of the many programs that distinguish UNCW.” (Feb. 2021)

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RELEVANCE Like No Other UNCW Researchers Monitor Wastewater for Signs of COVID-19

By Tricia Vance

Since July 2020, a team of UNCW researchers has been involved in testing wastewater on the UNCW campus and at two Cape Fear Public Utility Authority wastewater treatment plants for signs of the RNA of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. The group includes water quality specialist Larry Cahoon, virologist Art Frampton and microbiologist Ryan Rhodes as well as graduate students Jacob Kazenelson and Tori Zimmerman.

The original work, conducted with a $75,000 grant through the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory, was part of a nearly $1.8 million statewide project led

by Rachel Noble of the Institute of Marine Sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill that ended in December 2020.

Art Frampton (left), associate professor of biology and marine biology, assisted by graduate student Jacob Kazenelson, has been collecting wastewater samples that will be tested for signs of the virus that causes COVID-19.

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“Our students, staff and faculty are conducting research that has positive impacts for our community.”

– Stuart Borrett

Additional funding from the Centers for Disease Control and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has ensured the project’s continuity. As part of the North Carolina Wastewater Monitoring Network, the research group continues to partner with the CFPUA, who collects and deactivates their own samples, to track the virus levels in New Hanover County and the City of Wilmington. The weekly SARS-CoV-2 data for each site is posted on the NC COVID-19 dashboard. (https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/dashboard) With the support of UNCW Plumbing Services, including Chris Phillips, Phillip Fielder, Theofilos Lorentzos, Geoffry Vance and Tokunboh Balogun, on-campus sampling started at five locations last summer and has increased to ten sites, mostly near dorms. The collection tools include one of Cahoon’s deep-sea fishing rods, modified for the job at hand, and Mason jars, known for their tight seals. Once they have their samples, Mason jars are slipped into a hot water bath to deactivate any live microbes that remain. A more sophisticated instrument system purchased with funds allocated by the College of Arts and Sciences aids in analyzing the samples and can pick up very small amounts of the virus.

Testing sewage for the coronavirus RNA provides information about the virus on a community scale and also aids in identifying where there may be asymptomatic cases of COVID-19. It cannot identify individuals who are infected with the virus. While the initial efforts were to quantify viral “signals” in wastewater reliably enough to use as a surveillance tool and possible outbreak alert for public health officials, the team is now more focused on sampling for research purposes like genomic sequencing, variant transitions and developments in methods for extracting RNA more efficiently.

“This is an exciting research project and is an example of the value of growing high-quality research at UNCW,” said Stuart Borrett, associate provost for research and innovation. “Our students, staff and faculty are conducting research that has positive impacts for our community. This is a key feature of the university’s Strategic Plan.”

uncw re:search 9

RELEVANCE ASSESSING IMPACTS

IN REAL TIME

Number of confirmed cases as a percent of the population for counties in the Cape Fear region as of 09-13-2021.

UNCW data scientist and associate professor of mathematics and statistics Rachel Carroll is leading a team that has adapted publicly available COVID-19 data to visualize the outbreak in North Carolina and the state’s southeastern region in real time. The project also involves Mark Lammers (mathematics and statistics/data science), Dylan McNamara (physics and physical oceanography), postdoctoral researcher Zachary Williams and several MS Data Science students.

(Aug. 2020)

UNCW STUDENTS DESIGN

WALKING TOURS STEPPING INTO THE PAST

Four students from the international studies, computer science and fine arts departments – Heather Cunningham ’21, Carolyn Hellman ’21, Kassie Robakiewicz ’21 and Bhavna Singh ’20 – designed a series of interactive one-mile walking tours in Wilmington based on the Parisian Situationist practice of psychogeography and around the themes of migration, development and gentrification.

The goal is to engage participants in reflections of these movements on the current world and to develop a new intimacy with their surroundings, bringing them closer to the region’s histories and making visible marginalized voices in the city. The mini-tours are accessible through a free online app.

Participants can virtually follow the walks online or complete them in person. Visit walkingwilmington.com for details. The project was funded through Cahill and Applied Learning Awards from UNCW. (May 2021)

Walking through Wilmington’s past and present.

PHOTOS/HEATHER CUNNINGHAM ’21

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Finding new angles to Wilmington’s landscapes.

INITIATIVE RESULTS IN 140M

MORE OYSTERS

IN NC AIDED PARTLY BY CMS

NC Sea Grant Finds Farmed Shellfish Creates Half of Economic Impact of Shellfish in NC New research has found that North Carolina’s shellfish industry provides more than $27 million in economic impact and 532 jobs in the state. Until 2016, the industry’s economic impact primarily came from the harvest of wild oysters and clams. The findings stem from a collaborative project led by North Carolina Sea Grant in partnership with researchers at NC State University, Appalachian State University, Duke University and the University of North Carolina Wilmington and funded by the NC Commercial Fishing Resource Fund Grant Program. (June 2021)

Center for Social Impact Aids Partners in Tackling Systemic Problems Launched in fall 2020 and housed in the Office of Community Engagement and Applied Learning, the UNCW Center for Social Impact draws faculty expertise from a multitude of fields including public health, sociology, data science, economics, nursing, education and public administration.

CSI’s interdisciplinary faculty

The North Carolina Coastal Federation and partners nearly tripled their goal to restore 50 million oysters in coastal waters. Through its 50 Million Oyster Initiative, there are now 140 million oysters on 43 acres of newly created oyster reefs in coastal North Carolina. Oyster sanctuaries are areas dedicated to oyster repopulation that are open to fishing but not harvest. Siting of the sanctuaries and cultch areas is guided by the division’s field-based data collection and modeling efforts from North Carolina State University’s Center for Marine Sciences and the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

(Jan. 2021)

investigate community-defined research questions to produce actionable insights that inform policy and guide decision making. One project analyzed patient records for more than two million individuals in the region to understand the effects of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations, while another called for performing social network analysis to map the health, social service and human service ecosystems and identify how they might operate more efficiently and effectively in service provision.

(Jan. 2021)

Faculty Member Part of Collaborative Global Training Initiative UNCW is one of several schools participating in NC State’s University Global Training Initiative. Through its Global Education, Academics and Research Skills Program, academically gifted international students experience campus life and academic research at North Carolina’s universities. Xaver Neumeyer, assistant professor of entrepreneurship, is a faculty mentor in GTI’s GEARS program. He and his mentees co-authored two papers to be presented at the 2021 IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Conference in Europe. (May 2021)

RECOGNITION Rec Therapy Assistant Professor Receives Mather Award Recreation Therapy Assistant Professor Angie Sardina and her collaborators received the Innovative Research on Aging Silver Award from the Mather Institute for their manuscript entitled “Older Black Adults’ Satisfaction and Anxiety Levels After Completing Alternative Versus Traditional Cognitive Batteries.” The Innovative Research on Aging Award recognizes excellent applied research that has important implications for the aging service industry and inspires future practices in the field. (June 2021)

Kevin McClure Co-Founds New Research Collaborative Kevin McClure, associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at UNCW’s Watson College of Education, is a founder and director of the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges, a new research collaborative that seeks to highlight the importance of regional public institutions. ARRC issued its first report, “Strengthening Rural Anchor Institutions: Federal Policy Solutions for Rural Public Colleges and the Communities They Serve” in January 2021. (Feb. 2021) uncw re:search 11

STUDENTS Like No Other NSF Grant Supports

First-Year Students’ Research Efforts in

Marine Sciences

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By Caroline Cropp ’99, ’06M

In July 2020, a team of UNCW researchers was awarded a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation for $388,000 to support summer undergraduate research opportunities for first-year students who aspire to work in the marine sciences.

Faculty members Nathan Grove, professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and director of UNCW’s Center for the Support of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships; Jess Boersma, College of Arts and Sciences associate dean for student success, policy and undergraduate scholarship and; Shawn Bingham, assistant provost and director of Honors College; Martin Posey, professor in the Department of Biology and Marine Biology; Chris Finelli, associate provost for graduate education and lifelong learning and dean of the Graduate School; and Bill Sterrett, professor in the Watson College of Education and associate dean of teacher education and outreach, plan to bring a cohort of 10 students to campus to spend 10 weeks conducting research alongside them.

“This project embodies the essence of what UNCW does best – it provides authentic applied learning and research opportunities for students,” said Grove, the principal investigator. “This grant will provide significant funding to support cohorts of first-year, underrepresented students as they learn more about what it means to be a scientist and engage in cutting-edge research with our talented faculty members.”

All research will be broadly focused on the marine sciences and involve interdisciplinary teams of students and faculty working together on UNCW’s main campus, the Center for Marine Science and D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy, a K-8 year-round public school that was opened by UNCW in July 2018.

Unlike other research experiences for undergraduate programs that focus on more senior undergraduate students, Grove says this is unique in that it specifically focuses on first-year students from underrepresented populations.

Toward the conclusion of the 10-week experience, the students will work with Sterrett and the staff at D.C. Virgo to prepare classroom materials for students that highlight the results of their research, laying the foundation for the would-be future scientists to communicate and translate their work to broader audiences.

Nathan Grove

Jess Boersma

Shawn Bingham

Martin Posey

Chris Finelli

Bill Sterrett

D.C. Virgo students visited the UNCW campus and surrounding areas for field trips to tie in curricular aspects including sustainability and outdoor education.

PHOTO/D.C. VIRGO

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STUDENTS

UNCW PARTNERS WITH COMMUNITY COLLEGES ON RESEARCH INITIATIVE The Community College Undergraduate Research Experience is a new initiative that seeks to open pathways to undergraduate research for community college students prior to transferring to a four-year institution. The CCURE pilot program, coordinated at UNCW by High Impact Pathways Director James DeVita, engages with partners at Cape Fear CC, Craven CC and Lenoir CC. The three community college partners were selected for the pilot

UNCW STUDENTS’ MARINE SCIENCE RESEARCH

MAKES A LOCAL DIFFERENCE

Coastal engineering student Drew Davey (left) and doctoral student Mariko Polk ’15M (right) conduct research designed to protect the state’s coastline and its people. Polk studies coastal ecology with Professor Martin Posey (biology and marine biology) and Assistant Professor Devon Eulie (environmental science). Polk’s research explores the benefits of living shorelines, which can both protect coastal communities and preserve the delicate ecosystems where the water meets the land, to the North Carolina coast.

Davey joined a research team lead by Assistant Professor Ryan Mieras (physics and physical oceanography) working to better understand how storms are damaging North Carolina’s coastline. Davey has helped test tools – CCP+ and LIDAR – which can provide data to guide policy advice about coastal construction and protection measures.

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CCURE participants from Lenoir Community College.

PHOTO/JIMMY TAYLOR

because of their existing engagement with the UNCW/3C Collaborative, an initiative to build partnerships with community college leaders that is housed in the Watson College of Education. The 22 student participants pursued an array of career fields including biology, business, English, nursing and psychology. The program culminated in a virtual student research showcase.

UNCW WELCOMED THIRD INTERNATIONAL FULBRIGHT TEA FELLOWS COHORT UNCW is one of two universities nationwide that received grants to host fellows from the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the International Research and Exchanges Board.

The Fulbright TEA program, co-directed by Jennifer Fernandez-Villa, director of International Student and Scholar Services in the Office of International Programs, and Amy Garrett Dikkers, professor of educational leadership in the Watson College of Education, offers academic and cultural exchange. Thirteen international fellows – English teachers in their home countries of Belarus, Egypt, Ghana, Honduras, Iraq, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uruguay – learned about American education and obtained field experience in local schools.

UNCW hosted 13 Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program fellows who represented 11 countries. The fellows, who are teachers in their home countries, took courses at UNCW, worked with students in southeastern North Carolina and participated in cultural exchanges. The fellows arrived in January 2021.

SHOWCASE OF STUDENT RESEARCH AND CREATIVITY The Showcase of Student Research and Creativity is a campus-wide event held every fall and spring on the UNCW campus. Students from all disciplines (graduates and undergraduates) are invited to present their research/ scholarly activity in poster format. There are typically around 500 participants and 150 student presenters. The showcase features two 90-minute presentation windows with an open session/reception in between. Due to COVID-19, the 2020 events were cancelled, and the spring 2021 event took place virtually. Plans are also underway for a virtual fall 2021 showcase.

UNCW Honors College student, Noah Baker, presents his research during the annual fall Student Research and Creativity Poster Showcase at Warwick Center.

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STUDENTS AWARDS AND PUBLICATIONS Andrew Castagno (pending ’21M) received a Fulbright grant to expand upon his thesis work in Iceland, which focuses on the link between sea ice meltwater concentrations and marine ecosystem productivity in the Arctic, particularly in the region near the Fram Strait, a sea channel connecting the Arctic Ocean and the Nordic Seas.

Ph.D. student Lauren Olinger, with Wendy Strangman, Steven McMurray and Joseph Pawlik, published “Sponges with microbial symbionts transform dissolved organic matter and take up organohalides” in Frontiers in Marine Science.

Doctoral student Marae Lindquist has been selected for the National Estuarine Research Reserve System’s Margaret A. Davidson Graduate Fellowship, a two-year award by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Coastal Management, to research the population biology of saltmarsh and seaside sparrows during their non-breeding season in southeastern North Carolina.

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Ph.D. candidate Amy Grogan, with Michael Mallin, published the “Successful mitigation of stormwaterdriven nutrient, fecal bacteria and suspended solids loading in a recreational beach community” in the Journal of Environmental Management.

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Honors student Krista Laforte ’19 and doctoral candidate Emily Peele, with Kara Yopak, published “Ontogenetic Shifts in Brain Size and Brain Organization of the Atlantic Sharpnose Shark, Rhizoprionodon terraenovae” in Brain, Behavior and Evolution.

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Karcin Vick ’18M, with Kimberly Cook and Meghan Rogers, published “Lethal leverage: false confessions, false pleas and wrongful homicide convictions in death-eligible cases,” in Contemporary Justice Review.

A baby giant barrel sponge (Xestospongia muta) pumps fluorescein dye in a glass jar.

PHOTO/JR PAWLIK, UNCW

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Ph.D. students Casey Irwin Helvey and Elizabeth Thuman ’17, with Tom Cariveau, published “Recommended Practices for Individual Supervision: Considerations for the BehaviorAnalytic Trainee,” in Behavior Analysis in Practice.

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At Health and Human Services Week, Bradley Caison ’21 won the student Research and Innovation ThreeMinute Thesis Competition with his presentation entitled “Impacts of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis on Sexual Behavior.”

SPONSORED PROGRAMS, PROPOSALS AND AWARDS

Fiscal Year 2021

RESEARCHREPORT Proposals

Total Requested

$100 266

281

253

318

400

Total Awarded

$15 195

300

$50

220

160

Count 209

184 190

$10

300 200

200 $47.2

$57.3

$40.0

$65.1

$77.1

$87.2

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

$0

100 0

Millions

Millions

Awards

Count

292

288

$5 $0

$9.5

$11.4

$9.4

$12.0

$8.8

$13.7

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

15

$5 Million Club

18

$1 Million Club*

101

Disclosures 6 Patents Filed

Academic Licenses 38

Prime Sponsor Type

Funding Received

 Federal  Foundation  State Government (NC)  Business and Industry  Education and Research Institutions  Local Government  State Government (other)  Association  Nonprofit Organization  Federal (non-US)

Top Five Federal Prime Sponsor 1 DOC National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Science Foundation (NSF) 2 U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) 3 National Institutes of Health (NIH) 4 Department of Defense (DOD) 5

1

Commercial Licenses 5

*5 New Inductees

Total

0

Innovation and Commercialization

Members $10 Million Club

100

Percent

$

8,001,973.31

58.61 %

$

2,390,513.08

17.51 %

$

1,095,366.00

8.02 %

$

550,235.26

4.03 %

$

401,863.44

2.94 %

$

328,976.92

2.41 %

$

290,636.16

2.13 %

$

262,317.00

1.92 %

$

199,898.43

1.46 %

$

132,381.00

0.97 %

$ 13,654,160.60 100%

NC State Prime Sponsor North Carolina State Appropriation NCDENR Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) NCDENR Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services (MHDDSAS) North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDCR)

uncw re:search 17

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID Wilmington, NC Permit No. 444 601 South College Road Wilmington, NC 28403-5904

Ancient Adélie penguin colony revealed by snowmelt at Cape Irizar, Ross Sea, Antarctica Steven Emslie, Professor Department of Biology and Marine Biology