College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences

Christian Rios is a double major in political science and history with a minor in American studies. His involvement on campus ranges from being a Niner guide, previously a Student Senator and now the current Student Government Association chief of staff. He also participates in the Mock Trial club and works in the Popp Martin Student Union as a reservation specialist. As a senior, he will be the first in his family to obtain a high school diploma and to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. 

Supported in part by a national Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship, Claire Patrick is studying urban planning in the master’s program at Georgia Tech’s School of City and Regional Planning. Her goal is to meld technology and equitable planning strategies to ensure that in the future our cities are healthy, just, and sustainable. Patrick graduated in May 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in geography, minors in public health and religious studies, and University and Geography honors.

To support the first translation into English of an extensive 12th-century Persian poem that presents a Sufi spiritual journey, UNC Charlotte’s William Sherman has received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The $48,371 award will enable continued work on a critical collaborative translation of a poem called the “Musibat-Namah,” or “The Divine Tragedy,” by Sufi poet Farid al-Din ‘Attar.

UNC Charlotte researchers and the Gaston County Department of Health and Human Services have created the Gaston Water Map, a website with tools that map known groundwater quality in the county. The site also provides resources on best practices households can use to understand their well water quality. The researchers have mailed more than 8,000 postcards to residents, encouraging them to locate their addresses on the interactive maps on the website.

An article by UNC Charlotte researcher Andrea J. Pitts and colleagues published in the world’s leading medical journal details how competing interests in academic medicine can harm patient care and perpetuate structural racism. Published in early June in the New England Journal of Medicine, the article explores the tensions found in academic residency clinics, as doctors deal with dual loyalties to their patients and their academic institutions.

It’s been a sizzling spring and summer for UNC Charlotte Professor Mark West, as his three new books have all been listed as Amazon Hot New Releases. “I am amazed,” said West, Bonnie E. Cone Professor in Civic Engagement and professor in the Department of English.

For their exceptional teaching and student engagement, Michael Walter, Alan Rauch, Tiffany Morin and Katie Kutcher have received the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences’ 2022 Excellence in Teaching Awards. Five additional faculty were honored as finalists.

UNC Charlotte Professor of History Mark Wilson is one of 28 exceptional scholars, journalists and authors chosen as members of the 2022 Class of Andrew Carnegie Fellows. Wilson will receive a $200,000 stipend to conduct significant research and writing.

The nation’s most prestigious academic honor society, Phi Beta Kappa, installed a new chapter at UNC Charlotte on April 20. Following the installation, the new Theta of North Carolina chapter inducted 68 UNC Charlotte students, selected for their academic excellence in the arts and sciences. The chapter also inducted 11 Foundation members, each chosen for their commitment to the ideals of the liberal arts and sciences.

Erin Basinger, associate professor of communication studies in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, is this year’s recipient of the Bonnie E. Cone Early-Career Professorship in Teaching. This annual award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated a commitment to teaching at the beginning of their academic career.