2018 News - UNC Institute for the Environment

IE continues to enhance energy literacy among NC students and teachers with grant from Duke Energy

In 2019, the Duke Energy Foundation will continue to support IE’s efforts to promote energy literacy among teachers and students in North Carolina, through a yearlong teacher professional development program and a yearlong science enrichment program for high school students. … Read more

Meet the 2018 Duke Energy Faculty and Graduate Fellows

The Duke Energy Fellows program, administered by the UNC Institute for the Environment, is funded by a grant from the Duke Energy Foundation to develop leaders in the energy sector. The Duke Energy Faculty Fellowship supports one faculty member per … Read more

UNC scientists partner with Virginia Tech on National Science Foundation RAPID grant to study well contamination in aftermath of Hurricane Florence

A team of scientists from the UNC Institute for the Environment’s Environmental Resource Program (ERP) and Virginia Tech has been awarded a National Science Foundation RAPID grant to quickly mobilize a study of private well contamination in New Hanover and … Read more

Arunachalam named deputy director of IE; chair of AMS meteorological committee

By Peggy Mullin (B.S. Environment and Ecology ’19) Air pollution poses major human health concerns around the globe, ranging from respiratory and cardiovascular disease to premature death. Modeling and predicting air quality scenarios can be complicated and messy because they … Read more

‘Ready for a new challenge,’ says Cohen, IE’s recently appointed associate director

Susan Cohen is a big thinker. She has made a career of convening other big thinkers to solve complicated environmental problems from working at the U.S. Forest Service to the U.S. Navy. Now, as the newly appointed associate director for … Read more

Students learn about sustainability, storytelling in Europe

Twenty-five UNC-Chapel Hill students spent six weeks this summer navigating Germany, Spain and Denmark—and never set foot in a car. “I wanted them to experience what it was like to be able to walk out your door and either walk, … Read more

Online environmental health resource to assist communities after hurricane

In response to requests from state and local partners following Hurricane Florence, the UNC Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility (UNC CEHS) has compiled a list of online environmental health resources to assist communities who are recovering and rebuilding. The … Read more

Climate LEAP alumna receives 2017 President’s Environmental Youth Award

Emily Liu, an alumna of the Institute for the Environment’s 2017 Climate Leadership and Energy Awareness Program (Climate LEAP) and a senior at East Chapel Hill High School (ECHHS), recently received the President’s Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) from the U.S. … Read more

From the Blog: Researching Water Utility Fees with a Goal to Increase Conservation

Kate Fialko is an undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she is pursuing a degree in Environmental Science with a minor in Information Science. Kate works with the Environmental Finance Center at UNC (EFC) … Read more

UNC-Chapel Hill to Host 17th Annual Community Modeling and Analysis System Conference

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Institute for the Environment is hosting its 17th annual Community Modeling and Analysis System (CMAS) Conference Oct. 22-24 at the university’s Friday Center. The annual conference has become an international hub and … Read more

IDEA students present at 2018 Undergraduate Pipeline Research Symposium

By Megan Hoert Hughes On July 25, 2018, more than 130 undergraduate researchers from fourteen different programs came together for poster and oral presentations at the 4th Annual Summer Undergraduate Pipeline Research Symposium hosted by The Graduate School at UNC-Chapel … Read more

From the Blog: UNC Researchers Conduct In-depth Monitoring of Water Quality Across the Jordan Lake Watershed

By Joseph Delesantro Joseph Delesantro is a Ph.D. student in ecology at UNC-Chapel Hill. The Jordan Lake Reservoir was completed in the early 1980s to prevent flooding and allow for greater growth and economic opportunities in the region. Today the … Read more

Teachers get their feet wet in NC shoreline classroom

Eighteen 4th and 5th grade teachers from North Carolina got their feet wet, literally, learning about how to incorporate outdoor education into their classrooms at the 2018-2019 kick-off of ExPLORE NC, a teacher professional development program. ExPLORE NC is an … Read more

Students produce mini-documentaries on clean technology in North Carolina

Agriculture Technologies: Produce More with Less Produced by Aaron Williams, Chase Porter, Jintong Wu and Kelly Williams North Carolina at the Forefront of Solar Energy Produced by Rob Gourley, Margaret Hassell, Jack Davidson and Jonathan Gonzalez View more videos from … Read more

UNC study finds living shorelines enhance nitrogen removal over time

By Michael F. Piehler Scientists have documented many benefits of living shorelines, but until now there have been no studies on their capacity to remove nitrogen from the water, a natural process called denitrification. The ability of living shorelines to … Read more

From the Blog: Emerging Contaminants in Our Waterways – Quality vs. Equity

This spring, I participated in a senior capstone class with students in UNC-Chapel Hill’s Environment, Ecology, and Energy Program (E3P) and led by the Institute for the Environment’s Andrew George. A capstone is an engaged scholarship course that allows students … Read more

From hog farm to nuclear engineering lab, NC teachers take an energy road trip (EducationNC | July 24, 2018)

Seventeen North Carolina science teachers stood on the flat top of a trash “cell,” a compacted trash mound sealed with soil. In the distance, a line of trucks dumped garbage into a new cell. A handful of gulls flew over … Read more

Carolina hires new IE director, launches program for environment studies

As the new director of the Institute for the Environment effective July 1, Michael Piehler draws on his lifetime of experiences as an observer, researcher, teacher and convener to lead an environmental convergence at Carolina to new heights. Featured July … Read more

Massey winner Gregory Gangi has a passion for the natural world

Gregory Gangi argues that greater collaboration between universities, government and business can transform North Carolina into a clean technology powerhouse. Read more in this profile by the University Gazette.

Postcard from the Field: Galapagos – Kyle Oliveira ’20

Name: Kyle Oliveira Major: Environmental Science Expected graduation date: Spring 2020 Why did you want to go to the Galapagos? It has always been a dream of mine to travel and see the islands at some point in my life. … Read more

Carolina Stories: David ’74 (Ph.D.) and Gladys McNelis

By Hope Baptiste David Nicholas McNelis ’74 (Ph.D.) and his wife, Gladys Hau McNelis, of Chapel Hill, are on an epic journey that has taken them across the nation and around the world. It all started in 1958 in Gladys’s … Read more

IDEA 2.0 welcomes 2018-2019 cohort

Eight UNC-Chapel undergraduate students recently began an intensive, yearlong research program called IDEA 2.0 (Increasing Diversity and Enhancing Academia). The program kicked-off with a luncheon where students and their faculty and graduate student mentors gathered to discuss the 10-week summer … Read more

Piehler (’90, ’94, ’97) takes the helm of UNC Institute for the Environment amid renewed environmental landscape at Carolina

Having grown up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the collapse of the steel industry and the city’s subsequent revitalization, Michael Piehler’s childhood experiences left an indelible mark and inspired him to pursue his life’s work in understanding the human impacts on … Read more

MEDIA ADVISORY: IE’s Energy Literacy Fellows from across the state to explore the future of the electric grid

The UNC Institute for the Environment (IE) will host seventeen middle and high school teachers from across North Carolina who are enrolled in IE’s Energy Literacy Fellows Program at a professional development workshop July 10-12 that will explore the future … Read more

UNC’s 2018 Climate Change and Resilience Symposium

Margaret Keener is a graduate student in the UNC Department of City and Regional Planning. Jessie Straub is a graduate student in the UNC Department of Marine Sciences. We both had the opportunity to work with Christian Kamrath and fellow … Read more

Characklis honored by ASCE for service to the environmental engineering profession

Greg Characklis, Philip C. Singer Distinguished Professor of environmental sciences and engineering at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, has won the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Environment and Water Resources Institute’s Service to the Profession Award. Characklis, … Read more

Seymour ’81 hosts D.C. meet and greet with incoming IE director

UNC Institute for the Environment (IE) Board Member Frances Seymour (’81) and her husband, Michael Kopetski, a former Congressman from Oregon, hosted nearly 30 guests in their Washington, D.C., home May 23 for a meet and greet with incoming IE … Read more

Hunting for Salamanders in the Highlands

The UNC Institute for the Environment’s Highlands field site was recently featured in a photo essay in Endeavors, a publication by UNC Research. View the full photo essay

Citizen scientists, partners contribute 1,000 lake measurements to NASA-funded study

On Monday, May 14 at 12:56 p.m., a citizen scientist texted a lake level measurement for Great Lake in the Croatan National Forest, North Carolina, marking the milestone 1,000th measurement for the NASA-funded Lake Level Monitoring Project. Great Lake is … Read more

CMAS expands to Asia-Pacific with inaugural conference in Beijing

The Community Modeling and Analysis System (CMAS) held its first biannual CMAS Asia-Pacific Conference in Beijing, China, May 21-23. The event attracted more than 300 attendees from around the world, including nearby Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the Philippines. … Read more

From the Blog: Are Floodplain Buyouts a Smart Investment for Local Governments?

By David Salvesen and Christian Kamrath David Salvesen, is a research associate with the UNC Institute for the Environment and the director of the Sustainable Triangle Field Site. Christian Kamrath is a graduate student in the UNC Department of City … Read more

Rye Barcott to graduates: ‘Do not run from the pain’

By Brandon Bieltz Adapted from the University Gazette Watch video For the more than 6,000 students sitting in a sea of Carolina blue in Kenan Stadium on May 13, the journey to graduation was anything but easy. There were … Read more

Field site students nab second place overall student poster at State Energy Conference of North Carolina

Thailand field site alumnus Steven Tulevech represented a team of UNC-Chapel Hill students who won second place overall at the 2018 State Energy Conference of North Carolina on April 17-18 with a research poster titled “Life Cycle Assessment: A Multi-Scenario … Read more

Postcard from the Field: STFS – Brianna Small ’19

What is your name: Brianna Small Major: Dramatic Art and Environmental Studies (Sustainability Track) double major with minor in Hispanic Studies Expected graduation date: May 2019 Why did you want to go to the STFS? I was interested in the … Read more

IE exhibit explores e-cigarettes, flavorings and the toxicology of vaping at annual UNC Science Expo

Amid stations of matching smells to graphics, blowing bubbles and building molecules out of candy, families and children were learning about the science behind a serious emerging public health issue in the United States—vaping. Vaping is the act of inhaling … Read more

From the Blog: Well Empowered – UNC Partners with Communities to Respond to Contamination of Private Wells

By Martha Scott Tomlinson and Paige Bommarito Martha Scott Tomlinson (left) is a doctoral student at the UNC-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health. Paige Bommarito (right) is a doctoral student at the UNC-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global … Read more

Haine receives NC Outstanding Informal Educator Award in STEM

Reprinted from North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center Dana Brown Haine works for a major research university that is on the cutting edge of scientific discovery. While this research may not have found its way into science textbooks just yet, … Read more

Impacts of Global Warming on Sustainable Farmers

Inspired by her involvement in IE’s Climate LEAP Program, high school senior Grace Baucom produced this documentary that explores how extreme heat affects sustainable farmers in North Carolina’s Piedmont region. Watch documentary

UNC team wins $1.5M NASA grant to study water storage in lakes using measurements from satellites, citizen scientists

A University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill team led by geologist Tamlin Pavelsky has received a $1.5 million grant from NASA’s Earth Science Division to expand a pilot citizen science program to measure lake water storage from North Carolina … Read more

Carolina celebrates Earth Week

Earth Week will feature several events including a student-led fair in the Pit and a keynote lecture from award-winning climate change communicator and author Susan Joy Hassol. See all #UNCEarthWeek2018 events. The Institute will be hosting Movie Night at the Collider featuring … Read more

Gangi earns prestigious Massey Award

Gregory J. Gangi, IE’s associate director for education and a teaching associate professor in the Curriculum for Environment and Ecology, was one of six employees at UNC-Chapel Hill to receive a 2018 C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Awards. The Massey … Read more

McNelises pledge transformational $6 million gift to Carolina

David McNelis (Ph.D. ’74) and his wife Gladys Hau McNelis have made a $6 million estate gift to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, including support for the Campaign for Carolina. Once realized, the gift will fund initiatives … Read more

Michael Piehler named director of UNC Institute for the Environment

Vice Chancellor for Research Terry Magnuson recently announced that Michael Piehler has been named director of the UNC Institute for the Environment. Piehler, an expert on the ecology and biogeochemistry of land-water interfaces and the connection between human activity and the … Read more

Gray proposes new conceptual framework for environmental health literacy

Kathleen Gray, UNC Institute for the Environment’s associate director for outreach and public service, recently published a paper in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. In this paper, she proposes a new way to consider how … Read more

Postcard from the Field: Thailand – Felix Evans ’20

What is your name: Felix Evans Major: Environmental Science Expected graduation date: Spring 2020 Why did you want to go to Thailand? I knew coming into college that if I ever studied abroad, I’d want to go to a country that was … Read more

From the Blog: Hurricane Matthew Recovery Efforts in Eastern North Carolina

By Jessica Southwell Jessica Southwell is the Project Manager for the Hurricane Matthew Disaster Recovery and Resilience Initiative. She coordinates the work of the Initiative in six communities in eastern North Carolina that were impacted by Hurricane Matthew. The Hurricane Matthew … Read more

Why I Give: Betsy Steele and Geo. Watts Carr III ’64

When asked to name his favorite memory from his UNC undergraduate days, Geo. “Watts” Carr III quickly responded, “that has to be the day I had a blind date with my wife-to-be, Betsy Steele, for the State-Carolina football game my … Read more

UNC-Chapel Hill study finds common width among headwater streams

A recent study published in Nature Communications shows that small stream networks, also known as headwater streams, are remarkably similar despite a wide range of climates and geologies. The research team, led by Tamlin Pavelsky, associate professor in the UNC-Chapel … Read more

Rye Barcott, social entrepreneur, to speak at Spring Commencement

The U.S. Marine Corps veteran and co-founder of Carolina for Kibera to give keynote address. By University Communications, Thursday, February 15, 2018 Rye Barcott, social entrepreneur, graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and board member … Read more

Annual UNC Clean Tech Summit urged entrepreneurship and innovation

The annual conference highlighted how the University, Research Triangle Park and the state play a key role in leading the way to a green global economy. By Will Rimer, University Communications, Friday, March 2, 2018 Not so long ago, clean … Read more

Taking the Measure of Smart Cities in the Triangle

By Britanny Baporis and Andrew Jacober Britanny Baporis is a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill double majoring in Environmental Science and Geography. Andrew Jacober is a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill majoring in Environmental Science with a minor in Computer Science. According … Read more

IDEA 2.0 students dive into 2018 with a series of Geoscience Intensives

IDEA 2.0 students from UNC-Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University are participating in a series of “Geoscience Intensives” over the course of the Spring 2018 semester. On January 26, students toured the campus of the National Institute of Environmental … Read more

Industry, policy leaders to headline UNC Clean Tech Summit in March

The UNC Clean Tech Summit convenes professionals in business, policy and academia for two days of problem-solving to foster leadership and growth in the southeast’s clean tech industry. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) will host its fifth … Read more

Cable named Institute’s Associate Director for Experiential Education

Jaye E. Cable, chair of the Curriculum in Environment and Ecology (CEE) and professor in the Department of Marine Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences was recently named associate director for experiential education at the UNC Institute for … Read more

UNC-Chapel Hill wins second NSF Innovations at the Nexus of Food-Energy-Water Systems grant

Greg Characklis director of the Center on Financial Risk in Environmental Systems and Philip C. Singer Distinguished Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, is part of a team awarded $2.5 million by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to … Read more

UNC Study Takes a Closer Look at Jordan Lake

By Mike Piehler Mike Piehler is a professor at the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences and the Technical Lead for the UNC Nutrient Management Study. The UNC Nutrient Management Study is conducting a comprehensive assessment of the condition of Jordan … Read more

Featured Event: 2018 UNC Clean Tech Summit

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will host its fifth annual UNC Clean Tech Summit Mar. 1-2, 2018 at UNC’s Friday Center. The event highlights the latest innovations, trends and challenges in the clean technology industry and how … Read more

Capstone program gives undergraduates research, consulting experience

In December, undergraduate students in the environmental capstone program presented at the Capstone Showcase where the UNC campus, community members and clients came to hear about the innovative research and recommendations the students worked on over the fall semester. Environmental … Read more

“Explore More at Pritchard Park” kick-off showcases local natural resources, IE outreach

Six months into a year-long partnership, the Chapel Hill Public Library hosted a kick-off of its new outdoor learning and play initiative “Explore More at Pritchard Park”. As one of the named partners, the UNC Institute for the Environment has … Read more

IE releases new report to guide airports on local air quality health concerns from airport emissions

A new report published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, provides guidance to airport operators on selecting an appropriate model for studying the potential health impacts of airport emissions. Scientists from the UNC Institute for the Environment … Read more

From the Blog: Connecting University Research to Policy

By Steve Wall Steve Wall is a policy research associate with the UNC Institute for the Environment and the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory. In the summer of 2016 the North Carolina General Assembly established and funded the North Carolina Policy … Read more