Since middle school, Michelle Itano has been mesmerized by the power of microscopes. These seemingly familiar pieces of technology can do so much more than simply capture images of small things. They can unveil a world beyond our imagination ā one Itano strives to show as many people as possible.
Psychoneuroimmunology. It’s a mouthful, but itās also a burgeoning field addressing how psychological stress impacts the brain and the body. Keely Muscatell is one of just a few scholars conducting research within this realm and is working closely with two PhD students to uncover the short- and long-term effects of one particularly ugly social experience: racial discrimination.
The UNC School of Data Science and Society is slated to open in Fall 2022. Jay Aikat, RENCIās chief operating officer, discusses its origins and why data science is so vital in todayās world.
Researchers across UNC-Chapel Hill are using advanced imaging technologies and techniques to improve our understanding of cellular processes ā with visually stunning results. Collected from a variety of labs, these images showcase the incredible projects our researchers are working on and the beauty of the human body in all its forms.
For most of his life, Juan Ćlamo has used music to connect to and communicate with others. As a skilled marimba player, he uses his talent and passion to teach the next generation of musicians to do the same.
For decades, philosophers have pointed to reason as the trait that differentiates humans from other beings. Now, as many scholars identify what makes humans similar to other creatures, philosophy professor Susan Wolf strives to discover other attributes that make us unique.
Since he was in high school, Craig Cameron has been interested in viruses and vaccines. Now, he and a team of microbiologists and immunologists are studying viral infection on a single-cell level to help create better medicines.
When a research project centered on evolution within spadefoot toads fell through, Emily Harmon shifted her focus to microscopic swimmers called rotifers. The biology PhD student is studying an animal’s ability to adapt in one generation, which could inform conservation efforts in the face of climate change.
Sikoya Ashburn is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. She uses neuroimaging to understand how the cerebellum affects higher cognitive functions and neurodevelopmental disorders, like ADHD, in children.
Upon discovering a series of political cartoons mocking artists in 18th– and 19th-century France in 2010, UNC-Chapel Hill art historian Kathryn Desplanque couldnāt stop searching for them. Now, she has amassed more than 500 and is using them to redefine how we think about art and the artist in modern-day society.