Carolina Arts and Sciences Spring 2011

C R E A T I V E C O L L A B O R A T I O N S

Faculty and students breaking new ground in Chapel Hill, China, Italy and the Galapagos

S P R I N G • 2 0 1 1

a r t s& s c i e n c e sC A R O L I N A

T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F N O R T H C A R O L I N A A T C H A P E L H I L L

College of Arts and Sciences• Karen M. Gil, Dean• William Andrews ’70 MA, ’73 PhD SeniorAssociateDean,FineArtsandHumanities• Michael Crimmins SeniorAssociateDean,NaturalSciences• Jonathan Hartlyn SeniorAssociateDean,SocialSciences, InternationalPrograms• Tammy McHale SeniorAssociateDean,FinanceandPlanning• James W. May SeniorAssociateDean,ProgramDevelopment; ExecutiveDirector,Arts&SciencesFoundation• Bobbi Owen SeniorAssociateDean,UndergraduateEducation

Arts and Sciences FoundationBoard of Directors• James L. Alexandre ’79, Haverford, PA, Chair• Vicki Underwood Craver ’92, Riverside, CT, ViceChair• Karen M. Gil, Chapel Hill, NC, President• William L. Andrews, ‘70 MA, ‘73 PhD, Chapel Hill, NC, VicePresident• Tammy J. McHale, Chapel Hill, NC, Treasurer• James W. May, Jr., Chapel Hill, NC, Secretary• Ivan V. Anderson, Jr. ’61, Charleston, SC• R. Frank Andrews ’90, ’95 MBA, Washington, DC• Valerie Ashby ’88, ’94 PhD, Chapel Hill, NC• Constance Y. Battle ’77, Raleigh, NC• Laura Hobby Beckworth ’80, Houston, TX• William S. Brenizer ’74, Glen Head, NY• Cathy Bryson ’90, Santa Monica, CA• R. Duke Buchan III ’85, Amenia, NY• Jeffrey Forbes Buckalew ’88, ’93 MBA, New York, NY• Sunny H. Burrows ’84, Atlanta, GA• G. Munroe Cobey ’74, Chapel Hill, NC• Sheila Ann Corcoran ’92, ’98 MBA, Los Angeles, CA• Steven M. Cumbie ’70, ’73 MBA, McLean, VA• Jaroslav T. Folda III, Chapel Hill, NC• Emmett Boney Haywood ’77, ’82 JD, Raleigh, NC • Lynn Buchheit Janney ’70, Butler, MD• Matthew G. Kupec ’80, Chapel Hill, NC• William M. Lamont, Jr. ’71, Dallas, TX• Edwin A. Poston ’89, Chapel Hill, NC• John A. Powell ‘77, San Francisco, CA• Benjamine Reid ’71, Miami, FL• Alex T. Robertson ’01, New York, NY• H. Martin Sprock III ‘87, Charlotte, NC• Emily Pleasants Sternberg ’88, ’94 MBA, Greenwich, CT• Karen L. Stevenson, ’79, Los Angeles, CA• Eric P. Vick ’90, Oxford, UK• Charles L. Wickham, III ’82 BSBA, London, UK• Loyal W. Wilson ’70, Chagrin Falls, OH

FROM THE DEANF R O M T H E D E A NCarolina Arts & Sciences • Spring 2011

Cultivating collaborations

As dean of the College and as a scientist, I know firsthand about the importance of collaboration. The opportunity to develop partnerships across disciplines, institutions and geographic boundaries offers scholars and students a chance to create new and exciting things — including solutions to major challenges facing our state, region and world.

In this spring issue, we showcase examples of interdiscipli-narity in teaching, research and public engagement across the College and beyond. Here are a few highlights:

• More than 30 UNC faculty and nearly a dozen graduate and undergraduate students from many diverse departments across the University are involved in research in the Galapagos

Islands off the coast of Ecuador — in collaboration with our international partner, the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ). This May, UNC will dedicate the new Galapagos Science Center in San Cristobal to further education, research and outreach about the islands.

• Although we may be rivals on the basketball court, Duke and UNC are developing strong allegiances in their efforts to tackle North Carolina poverty. Undergraduates at both institutions are taking a two-semester class, “The Moral Challenges of Poverty and Inequality,” taught by UNC historian James Leloudis (B.A. ’77, Ph.D. ’89) and Duke public policy professor Robert Korstad (B.A. ’71, Ph.D. ’88).

• What if medical professionals could utilize a simulation tool like aeronautics engineers use in treating children with obstructed airways? Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine and a multidisciplinary team from the College will work to develop a computer model that doctors can use to predict the outcome of various surgical options. The new Pediatric Airways Project will be funded with a $3.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

• Dimes clattering on a table top and ice melting in a cup might not seem rhythmic to you, but it means sweet music for music professors Allen Anderson and Stephen Anderson (no relation) and their students. In the Electro-Acoustic Studio on the second floor of Hill Hall, they’re joining forces to turn sounds into electronic music compositions. Alex Van Gils ’10 said teamwork with professor Allen Anderson was essential to a piece they created from its inception to performance.

• Triangle high school students will be coming to campus this spring to debate such thought-provoking topics as linkages between corporal punishment and child abuse, American-born children of illegal immigrants, and privacy on social networks such as Facebook. They will be here for the new High School Ethics Bowl, sponsored by our own Parr Center for Ethics in the department of philosophy. It’s one of many programs offered by the innovative Parr Center, which is the public face of ethics for the University.

As I walk across campus, I love strolling by Venable and Murray Halls, the last two buildings in the Carolina Physical Science Complex. The story behind the naming of Murray Hall is a tale about the importance of mentorship. Carolina alumnus Lowry Caudill provided the gift to name Murray Hall after one of his UNC mentors, Kenan Professor of Chemistry Royce Murray.

Stay tuned for more news from the College as we continue to cultivate a spirit of collaboration.

— KarenM.Gil,Dean

KarenM.Gil

Don

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F E A T U R E S

6 • ParadiseParadox Interdisciplinaryresearch intheGalapagosIslands

11 • Creative Collaborations Imaginativepartnerships explorepoverty,ethical dilemmas,theoilspill, electro-acousticmusic, andmore

20 • Mentoring Chemistry RoyceMurray’sscience ‘family’paystribute

23 • Wordswithout Borders AlaneMasonhelpsreaders traveltheworldofliterature

COVERPHOTO:A Galapagos land iguana basks in the sun on a lava rock. Cover photo by Steve Walsh.

TABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTST A B L E O F C O N T E N T SCarolina Arts & Sciences • Spring 2011

D E P A R T M E N T S

inside front cover FROM THE DEAN Cultivating collaborations

2 HIGH ACHIEVERS Two Rhodes scholars; awards for country, blues and Paris opera books; studying galaxy evolution; scholars win Fulbrights; and more

24 HIGHLIGHTS Unlocking the potential of synthetic blood; creating 3-D models of landmarks; online William Blake archive expands; gifts support dramatic art, the humanities, Jewish studies and faculty leadership; global centers net $11.29 million; and more

29 MEET THE PROFESSOR Political science professor Mark Crescenzi researches international conflict.

31 COLLEGE BOOKSHELF Poetry by Michael Chitwood, a marine’s path to peace, best American short stories, football fatalities and catastrophic injuries, religion and adolescents, recollections of Chapel Hill, and more

inside back cover FINAL POINT Photographer Bill Bamberger ’79 explores the democratization of basketball, and the intersection of sports and culture in American life.

COMING SOON AngelsinAmerica playwright Tony Kushner speaks on campus April 10

CAROLINA ARTS & SCIENCES•SPRING2011•COLLEGE.UNC.EDU•1

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MUMBY HONORED FOR COMMUNICATION RESEARCH

Dennis Mumby, professor and

chair of the communication studies

department, has won a research award

from the National Communication

Association.

Mumby received the Charles

H. Woolbert Research Award, which

recognizes a book chapter

or journal article that has

stood the test of time and

has become a stimulus for

new ways of looking at

communication research.

Articles or book chapters

must be in their 10th to 15th

year of print.

Mumby was

recognized for “Modernism,

Post-Modernism and

Communication Studies: A

Rereading of an Ongoing

Debate” (Communication

Theory, 1997).

One reviewer wrote: “[Mumby’s

article] attunes me and the students with

whom I work to the preconceptions,

assumptions and consequences of

adopting any research orientation or

method. It makes us more aware of what

we’re doing and why, and reminds us

that how we go about learning makes a

difference.” •

HIGH ACHIEVERS

2•COLLEGE.UNC.EDU•SPRING2011•CAROLINA ARTS & SCIENCES

H I G H A C H I E V E R S

Recorded Sound Collections in the category, Best Research in Recorded Country Music. GiveMyPoorHeartEase (University of North Carolina Press, 2009), the book, CD and DVD by historian William Ferris, was also honored with a certificate of merit by the same association in the category, Best Research in Recorded Blues, Rhythm & Blues or Soul Music.

The Ferris collection comprises recordings of roots blues singers, lyrics and tunes, plus film, interviews and photos, which he collected in the 1960s and ’70s in his native state of Mississippi.

Ferris is Joel Williamson Eminent Professor of History and senior associate director of the Center for the Study of the American South. •

Country, blues music books win awards

Scholars Jocelyn Neal and William Ferris have received national honors for their books on country and blues music.

Neal, associate professor of music and adjunct associate professor of American studies, is the author of TheSongsofJimmieRodgers:ALegacy

inCountryMusic(Indiana University Press, 2009). She received a Deems Taylor Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. The awards are presented to American authors and journalists whose books, articles and liner notes about music are selected for their excellence.

The Rodgers book also recently received a certificate of merit from the national Association for

Phillips honored for distinguished service

Earl N. “Phil” Phillips Jr. has received the inaugural Dean’s Award for Distinguished Service to the College.

The award was presented by Dean Karen Gil and James L. Alexandre ’79, chair of the Arts and Sciences Foundation board of directors, at the board’s meeting last fall. The award recognizes alumni who have served the College with distinction through their exceptional vision and leadership, and who have made extraordinary contributions that further its mission and goals.

Phillips, a 1962 alumnus, is a former U.S. Ambassador to the Eastern Caribbean and North Carolina businessman.

He created the Phillips Ambassadors Program, which provides up to 50 scholarships each year for students to study in Asia. Since the program’s inception in 2007, 116 undergraduate students have been named Phillips Ambassadors, more than doubling the number of Carolina students who have studied in Asia.

He also has strengthened faculty in the College with the establishment of a distinguished professorship in international studies and has supported students with an endowment in Latin American studies. •

Phil Phillips

Dennis Mumby

Jocelyn Neal (right) talks with a student after class.

Dan

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HIGH ACHIEVERS


H I G H A C H I E V E R S

AWARD HONORS ESSAY COLLECTION ON PARIS OPERA

Musicologist Annegret Fauser

has won a prestigious award from the

American Musicological Society for her

essay collection on opera and musical

theater in Paris.

Fauser is a professor of music and

adjunct professor of women’s studies.

Fauser and co-editor Mark Everist of

the University of Southampton received

the Ruth A. Solie Award for the book,

Music,TheaterandCulturalTransfer:

Paris,1830-1914 (University of Chicago

Press, 2009). The Solie Award honors

a collection of musicological essays of

exceptional merit.

Music,Theaterand

CulturalTransfer explores

the diverse institutions that

shaped Parisian music and

extended its influence across

Europe, the Americas and

Australia. Opera and musical

theater dominated French

culture in the 1800s, and the

influential stage music that

emerged from this period helped make

Paris, as Walter Benjamin put it, “the

capital of the nineteenth century.”

Fauser’s research focuses on music

of the 19th and 20th centuries and in

particular that of France and America. She

is working on a new book, SoundsofWar:

MusicintheUnitedStatesduringWorld

WarII. •

ONLINE EXTRAS: Watch Fauser talk

about her research at www.youtube.com/

user/UNCCollege.

Zhou tapped for engineering institute

Otto Zhou has been named

to the College of Fellows of the

American Institute for Medical and

Biological Engineering.

Zhou is the David R. God-

schalk Professor in the department

of physics and astronomy.

Zhou joins a group of

individuals who are outstanding

medical and bio-engineers

in academia, industry and

government. As leaders in the field,

the fellows have distinguished

themselves through

their contributions in research, industrial practice and/or education.

He is a global leader in the science and technology of carbon nanostructures,

which have applications in electronics, medicine, homeland security and construc-

tion. He pioneered several major advances in the field of nanotechnology. He started

a company, Xientek, to apply his research to revolutionary X-ray technology. •

COLLEGE SCHOLARS WIN FULBRIGHTS

Geography professor Michael Emch was one of three scholars in the College who received 2010-2011 Fulbright Scholarships.

Emch is studying in New Zealand at the University of Canterbury this semester. His research will seek ways to determine what is more important in disease transmission: where one lives or social connections. The approach could apply to many health problems, including infectious diseases such as the flu or more socially connected issues, such as smoking and smoking cessation.

Other College Fulbrights are:• Joshua Davis, a doctoral

candidate in history, for a lecture on “Globalizing American Studies Through Teaching and Scholarship” at the University of Hamburg in Germany.

• Christopher Nelson, associate professor of anthropology, for research on “In the Darkness of the Lived Moment: Okinawa and the Trauma of History” at Waseda University in Tokyo.

The Fulbright Scholar Program for faculty and professionals is admin-istered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars under an agree-ment with the U.S. Department of State. •

Otto Zhou displays a carbon nanotube model.

Annegret Fauser

Dan

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HAGAN WINS LATINA/O BOOK AWARD

Sociologist Jacqueline Hagan received the 2010 Distinguished Book

Award from the Latina/o Sociology Section of the American Sociological

Association.

Hagan was recognized for MigrationMiracle:Faith,HopeandMeaning

ontheUndocumentedJourney (Harvard University Press, 2008). Drawing on

more than 300 interviews with men, women and children, Hagan focuses

on an unexplored dimension of the migration undertaking — the role of

religion and faith in surviving the journey. Each year, hundreds of thousands

of migrants risk their lives to cross the border into the United States, yet until

now, few scholars have sought migrants’ own accounts of their experiences.

The book also won a 2009 Distinguished Book Award honorable

mention from the Association for Latina/Latino Anthropologists, a section of

the American Anthropology Association. •

FACULTY ELECTED SCIENCE FELLOWS

Five faculty members in the College were named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The association, the world’s largest general scientific society, elects fellows who advance science applications that are considered scientifically or socially distinguished.

The fellows are biologist Kerry S. Bloom, anthropologist Paul W. Leslie, chemist Wenbin Lin, computer scientist Dinesh Manocha and physicist John F. Wilkerson.

Bloom was recognized for his research using yeast cells, which has led to insights into how chromosomes work and the mechanics and dynamics of cell division.

Leslie was honored for his contributions to demographic, social, health and environmental modeling of human populations living in arid and semi-arid environments in East Africa.

Lin was tapped as a fellow for his work in the field of inorganic chemistry, including nanoparticle imaging agents and anticancer drugs. He is a principal investigator on a new $2.3 million National Cancer Institute grant to address the critical need for early diagnosis of and more effective treatments for pancreatic cancer.

Manocha was recognized for his research in geometric computing, and strong applications to computer graphics, robotics and parallel computing.

Wilkerson was honored for his leadership of experimental efforts to understand the fundamental properties of the neutrino and neutron. •

HIGH ACHIEVERSH I G H A C H I E V E R S


Sheila Kannappan, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, has won a $795,000 National Science Foundation award to analyze the components and structures of galaxies and the larger cosmic web in which they live.

She was awarded the Faculty Early Career Development Award, a major honor given to junior teacher-scholars who show the most promise for lifelong achievement in building integrative research and education programs.

Kannappan will conduct the RESOLVE (REsolved Spectroscopy Of a Local VolumE) Survey to create an unprecedented view of gas, dark matter and stars in the nearby universe. She and her research group

will have access to UNC’s partnership in the SOAR and SALT telescopes in Chile and South Africa. The

project will train a new generation of scientists in future growth areas of astronomy.

Kannappan will partner with Teach For America and others at UNC to develop an astronomy enrichment curriculum for the state’s high schools as well as workshops to train teachers in mentoring student projects. The RESOLVE Web site will provide a range of discovery activities and small research projects for high school and undergraduate students. •

Kannappan to study galaxy evolution

Jaqueline Hagan

Wenbin Lin

Paul W. Leslie

Sheila Kannappan (seated, center) with

her research team.


HIGH ACHIEVERSH I G H A C H I E V E R S

Scientist honored for medical image computing

Stephen Pizer was recognized by

an international computing organization

for his contributions to the field of medical

image computing.

Pizer is Kenan Professor of Computer

Science in the College and an adjunct

professor in the departments of radiation

oncology, biomedical engineering and

radiology in the School of Medicine. He

has been named a fellow of the Medical

Image Computing and Computer Assisted

Intervention Society, the premier society

in the field of medical image computing.

Medical image computing involves

extracting and presenting information

from medical images to be used,

for example, in radiation treatment

planning and minimally invasive surgical

procedures. Pizer is a pioneer in the field,

having written the first dissertation on

medical image computing in 1967. His

research led the way for international

standards on electronic display of medical

images and the routine clinical use of 3-D

display of medical images. •

TWO NAMED RHODES SCHOLARS

College seniors Laurence Deschamps-Laporte and Steven Paul Shorkey Jr. have won Rhodes Scholarships, the world’s oldest and best known awards for graduate study at the University of Oxford in England.

Deschamps-Laporte, 22, of Repentigny, Quebec, Canada, and Shorkey, 21, of Charlotte, both came to Carolina on Morehead-Cain Scholarships — full, four-year scholarships to UNC.

An honors student, Deschamps-Laporte is majoring in global studies with a concentration on the Middle East and a minor in Islamic studies.

Shorkey is double majoring in psychology and business administration. He will use the scholarship to pursue master’s degrees in psychological research and neuroscience. The work will speed him to his goal of becoming a clinical psychologist who combines research with patient service. He would like to go on to earn a doctorate in clinical psychology.

Deschamps-Laporte wants to help people like those she has seen in Uganda, in

desperate need of clean water, and children working in a landfill in Managua, Nicaragua.

“The Rhodes Scholarship will allow me to study in the [master’s degree] program in development studies at Oxford and become an engaged scholar in international development, working for the advancement of marginalized women around the world,” she said.

Morehead-Cain international experiences have taken Deschamps-Laporte to places where she could make a difference. Her second experience, in Uganda, saw her in villages populated mainly by AIDS widows, who identified a need for clean water. Deschamps-Laporte helped start rainwater harvesting systems that eventually reached 450 households.

Deschamps-Laporte is fluent in French and English; advanced in Arabic, German and Spanish; and a beginner in Farsi and Luganda, the main language of Uganda.

Shorkey was one of 10 undergraduates chosen to develop and teach a for-credit course for fellow undergraduates: “Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors: Suicide and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury.”

He has studied such behaviors in two campus laboratories and one at the London Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College.

Inducted last spring into Phi Beta Kappa and the psychology honor society, Shorkey is the second author on a paper presented to the international conference of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapists.

On one of his Morehead-Cain summers, Shorkey volunteered for an organization combating HIV/AIDS in South Africa. •

Hackney is kinesiology fellowAnthony Hackney, a professor of exercise physiology and nutrition, has been

named a fellow in the National Academy of Kinesiology.The National Academy of Kinesiology fellows have made significant contributions

to kinesiology through scholarship and professional service. The Academy promotes the study and educational applications of the science of human movement and physical activity.

Hackney joins eight U.S. and two international scholars who were recently inducted into the academy. He is the assistant chair of the department of exercise and sport science and serves on the board of directors for the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes. •

Laurence Deschamps-Laporte (left) and Paul Shorkey Stephen

Pizer


Paradise

W


c o n t i n u e d

ParadisePARADISEPARADOX

When your 737 jet touches down on the small islet of Baltra, one of two tourist entry points in the Galapagos Islands archipelago, you spy concrete pads left over from U.S. military buildings erected during World War II. The structures are long gone, but the pads stand out in the cacti-pocked landscape as reminders of the longevity of the human footprint in the Galapagos.

But you’re a tourist. You paid a $100 fee to enter the Galapagos National Park, which spans all 19 islands and numerous islets located 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. You’re here to see this world-famed ecological paradise. So you grab your bags and board a ferry. You cross the Canal de Itabaca to Santa Cruz, a nearby island and major tourism hub. When you hail a taxi or take a bus for the 30-minute drive to the central town of Puerto Ayora, a bustling city greets you. The streets are busy and lined with gift shops,

places to rent kayaks, Internet cafes, bars, bicycles and trucks. This could be any booming beach town along North Carolina’s Outer

Banks, you think, perhaps a little disappointedly. Puerto Ayora hosts the largest human population in the Galapagos Islands; between 15,000 and 17,000 people call it home. Beyond the hodge-podge of buildings, you glimpse hills rising in the distance. Your spirits rise. Maybe tomorrow you’ll visit the highlands to get a taste of what you journeyed to this remote outpost to experience — a chance to look into the face of a giant tortoise, to see a land iguana bask in the sun or to listen to the song of a Darwin finch.

Exploring the interplay of tourism, development and conservation in the Galapagos

B y T . D e L e n e B e e l a n d • P h o t o s b y S t e v e W a l s h

LEFT: A Galapagos land iguana on lava rock. ABOVE: Boats in Wreck Bay on San Cristobal Island. ABOVE RIGHT:The Puerto Ayora waterfront on Santa Cruz Island.


ManyvisitorssaytheyaresurprisedbythelevelofdevelopmentandinfrastructurethatgreetsthemwhentheyarriveattheGalapagosIslands.Whileonly3percentoftheislandsareallowedtobedevelopedbytheGalapagosNationalPark,thisrestrictionisdeceptive;inotherareaswherepeopleareallowedtobuildandtolive,thetug-of-warbetweenconservationanddevelopmentisheated.

“Mostpeoplewhoarein-the-knowsaythebattleforconservationwaswagedandlostinSantaCruz,”saysSteveWalsh,ageographyprofessorinUNC’sCollegeofArtsandScienceswhodirectstheUniversity’sinterdisciplinaryGalapagosInitiative.“Isabelaisnowtherealbattleground.”

Isabela,withonlyabout2,200people,isoneoftheleastdenslypopulatedislands.Itsunpavedstreetsareformedwithbeachsand,butparkbenchesareincisedwithasaying:“Isabelagrowsforyou.”

ButitisSanCristobalthatWalshwilllikelybevisitingthemostinthecomingyears.Thisislandhasamodest9,000or10,000citizens—andinmid-May,Walsh,ChancellorHoldenThorpandotherUNCvisitorswilltraveltotheremoteoutposttodedicatetheGalapagosScienceCenter.It’sanew12,000-square-footbuilding,designedandconstructedjointlybyUNCanditspartner,theUniversidadSanFranciscodeQuito(USFQ),atopprivateuniversityinEcuador.ThechancellorofUSFQ,SantiagoGangotena,isaUNCalumnuswhoearnedaPh.D.inphysicsin1978andreceivedaDistinguishedAlumnusAwardin2009.

ThenewsciencecenterispartofthelargerGalapagosInitiative,ajointventurelinkingUNCandUSFQthrougheducation,outreachandresearchabouttheislands.Morethan30UNCfacultyandnearlyadozengraduateandundergraduatestudentsareinvolvedfromdiversedisciplines,includinganthropology,biology,cityandregionalplanning,computerscience,economics,environmentalsciences,epidemiology,

geography,journalism,publicpolicy,marinesciences,sociology,geologicalsciencesandnutrition.Thebuildingisaphysicalcrystallizationofthispartnership.

Thenewsciencecenterwillprovideresearchsupportspaceincludinglaboratories,officesandaclassroom.It’sdesignedtosupportabroadsliceofnatural,socialandspatialinquiry,frommarineecologyandconservationtoinvasivespecies;fromevolutionarybiologytohabitatrecoveryorrestoration;fromgeologicalsciencesandtectonicstoclimateandenvironmentalchange;frommicrobiologytopopulation,tourismandmigrationstudies;andfromwater,hygieneandsanitationtohealth,nutritionandmedicine.ThesciencecenterwillopenupnewstudyabroadopportunitiesforundergraduatesandlinkstothelocalcommunityaswellastootherislandsandtheGalapagosNationalPark.

Inshort,theGalapagosScienceCenterwillenablethecross-disciplinaryworkneededtounderstandtheinterplayofconservation,developmentandtourismandtheirimpactsonhuman,marineandterrestrialenvironments.Theironythatresearchersneedanew12,000square-footbuildingtostudythisisnotlostuponWalsh.Buthebelievestheresearchbenefitswilloutweighthephysicalfootprint.Mostofall,hebelievesthattheGalapagosScienceCenterwillhelptocracktheGalapagosparadox.

ABOVE: A sea lion mother and pup at Playa Mann on San Cristobal Island. LEFT: The flowers of night-blooming cereus open in the evening and last only until mid-morning of the next day. BELOW: The central islands of the Galapagos

archipelago of Ecuador.

The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago that lie about 600 miles offshore from Ecuador. The Galapagos National Park protects more than 1.7 million acres of land and about 51,000 square miles of water via the associated Marine Reserve that rings the islands.

The islands

DarwinDarwin sailed to the Galapagos in 1835. The rest of the world caught up in recent decades, spawning a demand for modern hotels, restaurants, gift shops and transportation.


TheGalapagosparadoxDarwinsailedtotheGalapagosin1835.Therestof

theworldcaughtupinrecentdecades,spawningademandformodernhotels,restaurants,giftshopsandtransportation.Atfirst,touristsflockedtothearchipelagotosoakupitsnaturalhistorybyboat,butnowadaystheywantsomewhereonlandtosleep,grabahotshowerandevenbuyafrostybeverage.Considerthis:In1990,some41,000peoplevisitedtheGalapagos;lastyearthatnumberhadgrownto175,000.In1990,about10,000peoplelivedthere,buttodaythatnumberiscloserto35,000.AlmosteverythingconsumedintheGalapagosisshippedinfromthemainland—fromnecessitieslikefuelandbottledwatertofrivolitieslikepotatochipsandchocolates.Andnearlyallthepowerisderivedfromdieselgenerators.

Asthetourismindustryhasblossomedto$418millionperyear,poorEcuadoriansmigratefromthemainlandtotheislandswiththehopesofgettingjobsworkinginconstruction,tourism,ordrivingataxi.Anestimated$63millionofthatentersthelocaleconomy;foracountrywithapercapitaGDPof$7,600,thisisalucrativeindustry.Themorebothtouristsandtourismindustryemployeesvisitandincreasinglystay,themorebuildingsneedtobebuilt,foodandwatershippedin,andenergyconsumed.

Theislands,alivinglaboratoryforstudyingevolutionandecology,globalenvironmentalchangeandconflictsbetween

natureandsociety,werethefirstlocaletobenamedaWorldHeritageSitebyUNESCOin1978.In2007,theislandswereplacedona“watch-list”forconcernsaboutenvironmentaldegradation.Theywereremovedfromthelistthisyearduetotheirdemonstratedprogressinaddressingsomeofthegreatestchallengesthatarelinkedtotheexpandinghumanimprint.

“TheparadoxisthattheisolationandthespecialnessthatcreatedtheGalapagosanditsbrandingistheverythingthatisdrawingpeopletotheGalapagos,”Walshsays.“Howcanyouhaveremote

isolationwhenyouhave175,000peoplecomingtovisit?Canthegoldeneggbebrokenandtarnishedsomuchthatitceasestobeaspecialplace?”

Multi-disciplinarystudies

WalshfirstbegandoingmappingprojectsintheAmazonianheadwatersofEcuadoraboutadecadeago.Hehadnoinklingthathisstudieswouldpullhimfartherwestuntilonedayhe’dfindhimselfmappinginvasiveguavaplants600milesoffshoreintheGalapagosNationalPark.Guavawaschokingoutnativeandendemicplantsandevendegradingagriculturalareaswithinhuman-usezones.ItwasWalsh’sfirstpeekatthegrowingproblemsthearchipelagofacedasaconsequenceoftheexpandinghumandimension.

Now,WalshteachesanundergraduatecourseontheGalapagos,andheroutinelybringsUNCstudentsintothefieldwithhimtodoresearch.In2006,oneofthosestudentswasageographyPh.D.candidatenamedCarlosMena.AftergraduatingfromUNC,MenareturnedtohishomecountryofEcuadorwhereheisnowaprofessorofgeographyatUSFQandtheco-leaderofthejointUNCandUSFQGalapagosInitiative.CarolinastudyabroadstudentshaveshowedupinMena’sclassroominEcuador,andhisclasseshaveinteractedwithWalsh’sinChapelHillthroughonlineinteractivevideodocumentaries.(WalshteacheshisstudentsaboutthehumanimprintthattourismanddevelopmentleaveonthenaturalenvironmentintheGalapagosaswellastheislands’ecologicaltreasures.) c o n t i n u e d

ABOVE: A brown pelican resting on the volcanic shoreline of Isabela Island. RIGHT: A giant tortoise lives along the rim of the Alcedo Volcano on Isabela Island.


“It’samicrocosmofcontestedplacesandspacesthatsufferfromthecollisionofconservationanddevelopment,”hesays.TheGalapagosScienceCenterwillhelpWalshandhiscolleaguestostudytheseissuesmorecontinuouslyandmoredeeply.

LastsummerWalshbroughtacadreofUNCstudentstotheislandstosecureGPScoordinatesforeverydwellingstructureonIsabelaIsland.Theyalsodocumentedsewerandwaterconditions,withtheintentionoflookingforpatternsconnectinghighcoliformlevelsinthenearshorewaterswithhumanhealthissues.Therearenofunctionalwater-treatmentandsanitationsystemsintheGalapagos.It’sasemi-aridenvironment,andWalshsaysthatwaterquantityandcontaminationarebigproblems.

Walshisalsointerestedinabetterunderstandingofwhathecallsthe“pushesandpulls”ofmigrationfromthemainland,bytracingtheeconomicforcesthatdrive(orattract)peopletotheislands.Amongthe“pushes”thattaketourismworkersbacktothemainlandaremajormedicalevents,hesays.Women,iftheyareable,choosetotravelbacktothemainlandtogivebirth.Peoplestruckwithillnessorneedingspecialmedicalattentionalsodepart.

“Itdisruptsfamilystructuresandwork,”Walshsays.Heplanstoinvestigatethefeasibilityof“telemedicine,”byusingultrahigh-speedInternetwithreal-timevideoandvoiceapplicationstoallow,say,adoctoratUNCHospitalstoexamineanddiagnosesomeoneintheGalapagos.

Intermsofterrestrialstudies,Walshisinterestedinresearchingwhatmightbeviewedasanunusualinvasivespecies—goats.Piratesandbuccaneersreleasedgoatsontheislandsafewhundredyearsago.Yearslater,thegoatshadgrowntoaherdnearly70,000strongonIsabelaIslandthatdenudedmuchofthenorthernpartsoftheislandofitsvegetation,out-competedgianttortoisesfor

foodandleftecosystemstructuresalteredfromtheirnativestates.Thegoatsarenowmostlyeradicated,buttheirlegacylivesonlikeanecologicalcautionarytale.Walshandhiscolleaguesarealsosettingtheirsightsonunderstandingthreatstothemangrovefinch.Fewerthan100ofthebirdsremain,andhewantstoassesswhattheirhabitatneedsandthreatsare,whilekeepinganeyeonhowpeopleandtheiractivitiesmaybeaffectingtheseelements.

“Whathaskepttheislandssouniquealltheseyearshasbeentheirisolation.Buttheyareisolatednomore,andthehumanimprintisdramatic,”Walshsays.“It’stheinteractionsofhumansandtheenvironmentthatwearekeenlyinterestedinunderstanding.”

AnislandofopportunityWalshhopesthatthenewGalapagosScienceCenterwill

producesolutionsthatcanbeexportedtosimilarlychallengedplacesaroundtheglobe.

ResearchersaredevelopingmappingmethodologiesthatusethenewesttechnologiesfromNASAandotherspaceagenciestoplotspeciesandland-usechange,waterconditionsandurbanexpansion.ThisinformationcouldbeappliedtostudysimilarissuesintheOuterBanksofNorthCarolina,forexample.

Computermodelsandspatialsimulationsthatcapturethewayhuman,landandmarinesystemsinteractcouldbeusefulforpolicymakersintheGalapagosandinNorthCarolina.

“Sustainableagriculture,newopportunitiesforourfishermen,invasivespeciesandabalancedtourismindustryareimportanttotheGalapagosIslands,”saysJorgeTorres,governoroftheGalapagosProvince.“WehopeUNCandUSFQcanworkwithustoaddresstheseimportantchallengesnowandintothefuture.”•

“The paradox is that the isolation and the specialness that created the Galapagos and its branding is the very thing that is drawing people to the Galapagos.”

— S T E V E W A L S H

The paradox

INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH TheGalapagosInitiativeincludeswide-rangingresearchprojectsengagingfacultyacrossdisciplines.Herearejustafewexamplesofrecentlyfundedprojects:

• Economic Grow th and the Impac t s o f Tour i sm

UNC political scientist Michele Hoymann will examine the use of tourism as an economic development strategy. She will survey local government, business and nonprofit leaders about their views on balancing sustainability and growth, the challenges to implementing a viable tourism strategy, how they have had to adapt their economic development approach over the

past 20 years and their attitudes to the recent laws designed to promote sustainable tourism.

• Mobi l i t y UNC researchers Ronald Rindfuss, Kyle

Crowder and Margarita Mooney (sociology) and USFQ researchers Carlos Mena and Diego Quiroga (geography) will seek to understand mobility to and within the Galapagos Islands, as well as how tourism and migration blend into one another and influence one another.

• Nut r i t ion, Food Secur i t y and Sus t a inable Agr icul ture

UNC researchers Margaret E. Bentley and Marci Campbell (nutrition) and Gabriela Valdivia (geography) will evaluate current nutritional status and food security as well as the determinants of health on San Cristobal Island. The project includes an assessment of local agricultural practices and food production for local consumption, which may impact food security among residents.


Expanding knowledge and

seeking innovative solutions to

21st century challenges require

creative partnerships that

offer diverse approaches and

perspectives. In these pages,

we highlight a few examples of

alliances in research, teaching

and engagement involving faculty,

students and alumni across the

College of Arts and Sciences

and beyond. In their quest for

answers, these collaborators cross

disciplines, institutions, geographic

boundaries and experience levels,

reaching a new understanding of

what’s possible.

C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T: See stories, pages 20, 12, 14, 18.

DonnYoung

SteveExum

BillyE.Barnes

CREATIVE Collaborations

SteveExum

c r e a t i v e c o l l a b o r a t i o n s

traditionalsurfacewavesaswellasdensity-stratifiedfluidsandinternalwaves,thetankisuniqueamongresearchinstitutions.Thatabilitygarnereda$100,000NSFgrantfollowingtheDeepwaterHorizonoilspill,tostudythephysicsofoilplumesinteractingwiththesortofdensitystratificationfoundintheGulfofMexico.Themathematiciansworkedonwhytheplumessettled

attheleveltheydid;marinesciencesaddedanewinsight.

“Untilwebroughtinmarinesciences,wedidn’tknowthattheplumeswerebeingeaten

bybacteria,”McLaughlinsaid.“Neitherdepartmentwouldhavebeenableonitsowntoconvertresearchintosomethingasrelevanttoreal-worldproblems.”

WithhelpfrommarinescientistCarolArnosti,anotherNSFgrantof$900,000fundsthelab’sstudyof“marinesnow”—organicparticlesfromdecayingmarinelifeinthelighterwaterneartheocean’ssurfacerainingdownthroughtheheavierwaterneartheoceanfloor.

“That’sanimportantprocessindetermininghowmuchcarbongetssequesteredinthedeepocean,”Whitesaid.“Theoceanabsorbsatremendousamountofcarbondioxide,preventingitfromremainingintheatmospherewhereitactsasagreenhousegas.Notallofthiscarbon,however,sinkstothedeepocean.Someofitgetsreleasedbybiologicalprocessesintheupperocean,fromwhichitcanreturntotheatmosphere.”

Inall,about30undergrads,graduatestudentsandpostdocsworkinthelab,supportedbyafive-year,$1.2milliontraininggrantfromNSF,thesecondsuchgrantthelabhaswon.

“Thatwillfund10yearsoftraininginthelab,”McLaughlinsaid. •


Theroadfromfishtanktowavetankstartedwithastickofdynamite.

InconstructingMaxC.ChapmanJr.Hall,contractorsmiscalculatedeitherthedensityofthebedrockorthestrengthoftheblastingmaterialandendedupwithafoundationholedeeperthantheyexpected.Noonerecallswhomadethedecisiontoretaintheundergroundspaceratherthanbackfillitin,butwhenthen-marinesciencesdepartmentchairCiscoWernersawthespaceduringatouroftheconstructionsitein2005,hegaveaheads-uptoappliedmathematiciansRichMcLaughlinandRobertoCamassa,theKenanDistinguishedProfessorofMathematics.Theyrequestedthespacefortheirfluidslab.Atthetime,thelabconsistedofacollectionoffishtanksinaroominPhillipsHallthesizeofasupplycloset.

“Itwasdirt,noactualfloor,butitspannedonewholesideofthebuilding,”Camassasaidoftheserendipitouscavern.“ItgaveusaclearshottofitthislongtankthatI’dbeendreamingabout.”

Thefluidslabhasbroughtinmorethan$3.3millioningrantfundingsofar.In2006,CamassawithMcLaughlin,Werner

andmarinescientistAlbertoScottireceivedahighlycompetitiveNationalScienceFoundationgrantof$744,000tobuildthethree-chambertank,whichwascompletedin2010.MarinescientistBrianWhitejoinedtheteamin2008.

Thegrouphascollaboratedtowinadditionalgrants,fundresearchprojectsandtrainundergraduates,gradstudentsandpostdocswhoworkontheexperiments.Theywereawardeda$400,000DefenseUniversitygrantfromtheNavytoaddasaltwaterfiltrationsystemtothetanksoitswatercouldbereused.Eventhecomputersciencedepartmentgotinvolvedrecentlywhenthedirectoroftheappliedengineeringlab,LeandraVicci,donnedawetsuittotinkerwithabalkycomputer-controlledgateinthedeeptank.

Thetank’stotallengthis120feet.Itcanholdupto13,500gallonsofwater.

“Westarteddoingfluiddynamics10yearsagoinafishtank,”Camassasaid.Thenewwavetanktestswhethertheirtheoriesholdtrueafterbeingscaledup.

ThepromiseofthetankattractedWhitetoUNCfromtheWoodsHoleOceanographicInstitution.Withitsabilitytoallowresearcherstostudy

ABOVE: Mathematicians Roberto Camassa (left)

and Rich McLaughlin study fluid dynamics in a

120-foot-long wave tank in Chapman Hall.

MAKING Waves Scientists study fluid dynamics using giant water tank

B Y N A N C Y E . O A T E S

SteveExum



UNChistorianWilliamFerrisrecallsinvividdetailthatswelter-ingeveningonAug.2,1967,inComo,Miss.,whenherecordedleg-endarybluesartistFredMcDowell,hiswifeAnnieMae,andfellowmusiciansrockingthenightawayatafriend’shouse.

ItwasanespeciallymemorableencounterforyoungBillFerris.Butevenhecouldn’timaginethenthathistapeswouldonedayinspireanotheryoungmantolauncharecordingcompany.ThatnightwasthebeginningofFerris’workasafolklorist.HewasblownawaybyMcDowell’sstyleofplayingthebottleneckguitar,whichFerrisdescribedassoundinglike“anorchestra”or“afreighttrainrunningdownthetracks.”McDowell,whodiedin1972,influencedcountlessmusicians,includingBonnieRaitt,EricClapton,MuddyWatersandtheRollingStones.

“Itwasmagical,”Ferrisrecalled.“Iwasthisyoung,whitekiddiscoveringaworldIhadneverknown,ofmusicandoffamilieswhowelcomedmeandtookmeonajourneythatwasdeeplyrootedintheNortheastMississippihills.…Irecordedoverthreehoursofsingingandofconversation,andthenwedrovebackhomeandIsleptonacouchin[theMcDowells’]livingroom.Thenextmorning,Iwokeuptothesmellofbiscuitsandeggsandbaconcookingandcoffee.”

TodayFerrisistheJoelR.WilliamsonEminentProfessorofHistoryandseniorassociatedirectorofUNC’sCenterfortheStudyoftheAmericanSouth.TheFredMcDowellrecordingseventuallybecameapartoftheWilliamR.FerrisCollectionintheSouthernFolkloreCollectionatUNC.Untilrecently,Ferrishadnotlistenedtotherecordingofthatonespecialnightin1967inabout40years.

That’swhereCarolinajuniorandbluesfanReedTurchiofAshevillecomesintothepicture.TurchiispursuingamajorinAmericanstudies(withaconcentrationinSouthernstudies)andminorsinentrepreneurshipandhistory.TurchitookFerris’classinSouthernmusic,andtheFredMcDowelltapeswerebroughtto

hisattentionbyUNCfolkloregraduatestudentVincentJoos,whoistheeditoroftheFrenchbluesmagazine,ABS.

Turchitookmorethanthreehoursofrawaudiorecordings,digitallymasteredthemandreleased“MississippiFredMcDowell:ComeandFoundYouGone,TheBillFerrisRecordings,”thedebutCDfromhisnewrecordcompany,DevilDownRecords.

“Nowthishere’sthefirstpieceIlearnedtoplaywhenIwasalittleboy:it’scalledthe‘Big

FatMamawiththeMeatShakingonHerBone,’”McDowellsaysasheopenstheCD’s18tracks.

TheCDalsofeaturesaninterviewwithFerris.Thesongsappearonthealbumintheordertheywereplayedthatnight43yearsago,givingita“housepartyfeel.”Positivereviewshavecomeinfrombluespublicationsallovertheworld.TurchiwroteabusinessplanforhiscompanyaftertakinganartsentrepreneurshipclasstaughtbyassociateprofessorofmusicMarkKatzandmusicindustryentrepreneurKenWeiss.TurchidesignedaWebsite,completewithaudiosamplesandvideosofMcDowellplayingtheguitar.

“Asthenightwearson,FredMcDowellwarmsuptheguitar,”Turchisaid.“It’ssomeofthoselatertracks,like‘ComeandFoundYouGone,’thatIwouldargueareamongthebestMcDowellrecordingsbecausetheyareinformallikethat.”

What’snext?DevilDownRecordsco-releasedtheNorthMississippiAllstars’nextalbum“LiveintheHills”inJanuary.Thisspring,TurchialsowillbereleasinganalbumbyNorthMississippilegendKennyBrownandacompilationfromtheNorthMississippiHillCountryPicnic.AndTurchirecentlybecamepresidentofUNC’sstudentrecordlabelVinylRecords.

“Reedisoneofthemostresourcefulstudentswe’vehad,”saidKatz.“Heseemstohaveunlimitedenergy.”

Ferrisagreed.“Ialwaystellmystudentstofollowyourheartanddowhatyou

loveinthedeepestway—andifyoudothat,youwillbesuccessfulandhappy.AndReedistheembodimentofthat.” •

ONLINE EXTRAS: Moreatdevildownrecords.com.

TangledupIN BLUES

ABOVE RIGHT:

Carrboro artist

Phil Blank

designed the

cover for Devil

B Y K I M W E A V E R S P U R R ’ 8 8

Shared love of music leads to debut CD, new record company

Down Records’ debut CD. ABOVE LEFT:

Historian Bill Ferris (left) and student

Reed Turchi share a love of blues music.


KristenChavez


Dimesclatteronatabletop.Audiencemembersmakecatsounds.Icemeltsinacup.

ThesesoundsarefodderfortheUNCstudentswhocomposeelectronicpiecesofmusicintheElectro-AcousticStudioonthesecondfloorofHillHall.

“Electroniccompositionscancreate,inawaythatyoucan’twithtraditionalmusic,differenthumanexperiencesandhavethemjuxtaposedinadifferentway,”saidassistantprofessorofmusicStephenAnderson,whoteachesadvancedcomposition.“Thesepiecescanhavebroaderimplicationsthanstandardmusicdoes.Thechallengeistoprovokeamovinghumanexperiencewithouthavingtraditionalpitchesandrhythmsbethecentralfocusofthemusic.”

StephenAndersonandmusiccolleagueAllenAnderson(norelation)asktheirstudentstoseewhattheycancreatewithdiversesounds.Studentslearnthatsimilartotraditionalrepertoire,electro-acousticcompositionsmayevokeasenseofforwardmotion,musi-calprogression,dynamics,cadenceandclimax,aswellasdelineateawell-definedformalstructureandshareaprogramorstoryline.

Thepiecesalsorequireadegreeofcollaborationamongstudentsandinstructorsnotseenineveryclassroom.Studentsbounceideasoffclassmatesandprofessors,usecreativitytofuelenergylevels,andsharecomputertechniquesandlisteningears.

“Ithelpstogetotheropinionsbecauseearscangettired,”saidLowellHutcheson,ajuniorinStephenAnderson’sclasswhouseddimestoproducethesoundsheneededforherpiece“ColdHardCash.”“Freshearsarehelpfultosoundcreationandsoundprocessing.”

Meldingcompositionalideas,suchasmelodicmaterialorstructure,withactualnuts-and-boltstechnicalprogramsforthelaptopstousewasinspiringtoAlexVanGils’10.HetookacompositionclasswithAllenAndersonandworkedwithhimandseveralstudentsonanelectronicpiecethatwasperformedatacampusfestivalcalledCollaborations:Humanities,Art&Technology(CHAT)inFebruary2010.

“Someofuswhoareinrockgroupsareusedtothesharedgroupeffort,”saidVanGils.“Butforcomposers,thewritingprocessusuallyissolitary.Thiscollaborativeprocesshasmoreofademocraticfeeltoit.”

TheElectro-AcousticStudio,withitsarrangementofmonitors,speakers,electronicboards,akeyboardandthicketsofelectronicwiring,providesacozyspacewherestudentscanproducefinelytunedsoundscapes.Thecomputerprogramsalter,createandprocesssounds.JuniorVinceWebbspentanhourrecordingmeltingiceforStephenAnderson’scompositionclass.

Learningrunsbothways:AllenAndersonbroadenedhispalettebytappingintohisstudents’enthusiasmformakingmusicwithcomputers.Hedidn’tbringtheexpertiseofusingthesoftware,buthedidbringanenergytolearnaboutitandtalkaboutitthatinspiredthestudents.

VanGilsandfourotherstudentsworkedwithAllenAndersonon“CicadasintheClouds,”whichtheyperformedattheCHATFestival.Thepieceinvolvedseverallaptops,amicrophonetocapturesoundsfromtheaudienceandamixingboard.

“Whatweworkedoutwiththesoftwarewasawayforthesoundcapturedinthemicrophonetoberecordedasasoundfileandsentfromahubtotheothercomputers,”AllenAndersonsaid.“Wewerealaptoporchestra;therewerenoinstrumentsonstage.Soundswentintoonecomputer,werecapturedassoundfiles,isolatedassoundfilesandthensentoverourprivatenetworktotheothercomputers.Wehadalittlecollection…thatwecouldthenplaybacktotheaudience.”

Inspeakingofanothercollaborativecomposition,VanGilssaidteamworkwasessentialtothepiecefromitsinceptiontotheperformance.

“Ratherthan,Iwriteamovement,youwriteamovement,andweputittogether,weliterallywroteeverynoteofthepiecetogether,discussingandsharingideas,”VanGilssaid.

TheexperiencealsogaveAllenAndersonachancetore-examinehisroleinthepartnershipbetweenteacherandstudent.

“Whatitcomesdowntofortheinstructoris[creating]theopportunityforpeopletofeelliketheyhavesomethingtocontributetoaproject,”hesaid. •

Electro-AcousticMUSIC

TOP: Stephen Anderson chats with

students in the Electro-Acoustic Studio.

RIGHT: Allen Anderson also collaborates

with students on music compositions.

Professors, students & computers create new compositions

B Y D O N E V A N S ’ 8 0

DonnYoung

DonnYoung

oc r e a t i v e c o l l a b o r a t i o n s


themselvestoeasysolutionsistootemptingforteachersandstudentstopassup.

Certainly,therewillneverbeashortageofteachablemoments.Considerjustafewofthescenariosthat

theLunch&Learnseries,whichisfreeandopentothepublic.ThefirstLunch&Learnof2011was“WikiLeaks,Ethics,andtheLaw,”ledbytwoprofessorsofjournalismandmasscommunicationatUNC.JulianAssange’sdisclosuresofmassiveamountsofcloselyguardedwaranddiplomatic

informationledtoeverythingfromcriesof“treason”andthreatsoflegalprosecutiontoheartycongratulations.ThephilosophersandethicistsattheParrCenterrecognized

anotheropportunitytohelppeoplethinkmoredeeplyaboutacontroversialsituation.

InadditiontothetimelyLunch&Learns,eachacademicyeartheParrCenterchoosesadedicatedtheme.Theplannedthemefornextyearissocialmediaandinformation.Programminginthecurrentacedamicyearhasrevolvedaroundenvironmentalethicsissues,kickingofflastOctoberwithapubliclecturebyrenownedwriterandlinguistNoamChomsky.Theyearwillconcludewithaday-longsymposiumonApril2,addressinglocalenvironmentalissuessuchastransportation,food,energy,wateranddevelopment.

“Allofthechoiceswemakeonalocallevel,fromthefoodwebuy,towhereourgarbagegoes,tohowwemovearound,tohowwedevelopourcommunities,haveprofoundethicalimplicationsforourselves,ourneighborsandevenpeopleontheothersideoftheearth,”Boxillsays.

“Feelingsareimportant,butourlivesasindividualsandourlivesincommonareaboutmorethanfeelings.Weneedtoalsodealinfactsandrecognizenooneisinfallible.Justbecausetherearen’teasyanswersdoesn’tmeanweshouldn’tlookatthefactsandtrytoappreciatedifferentsidesofanargument.Ethicsfigureintoeveryaspectoflife.” •

ONLINE EXTRAS: Moreinformationatparrcenter. unc.edu.

REAL-LIFE EthicsInnovative Parr Center addresses real-world dilemmas

B Y L I S A H . T O W L E

willbeinplayfortheApril30competition:Whentospeakoutagainsthomophobicslurs,linkagesbetweencorporalpunishmentandchildabuse,American-bornchildrenofillegalimmigrants,privacyonsocialnetworkssuchasFacebookandtherightsofathletestocompetewhilepregnant.

PuttingfeetontheoreticalissueshasprovedtobeasavvystrategyfortheParrCenter,establishedduringthe2004-2005academicyearwithagiftfromtheGaryW.ParrFamilyFoundation.Fromtheget-go,there’sbeenaneffectivecollaborationamongundergraduates,graduates,facultyfellows,andvisitingfellowsandscholars.Thishascreatedapooloftalentandexpertisevastenoughtoaddressthemesfromenvironmentalresponsibilityandgenetictestingtopoliticallibertyandmilitaryethics.In2008,theAmericanPhilosophicalAssociationawardeditsPrizeforExcellenceandInnovationinPhilosophyProgramstotheParrCenter.

AmongtheCenter’sregularprogramsis

TOP: A 2008 UNC team competes at the

National Ethics Bowl in Cincinnati. BOTTOM:

Parr Center Director Jan Boxill (left) with

environmental ethics speaker Noam Chomsky.Longaftermostpeoplehadfinishedfinalexamsandleftforwinterbreak,fourphilosophygraduatestudentsandJanBoxill,directoroftheParrCenterforEthics,gatheredinasmallroomonthesecondfloorofCaldwellHalltocontinuewithbigplansforthespring:thefirst-everTriangleHighSchoolEthicsBowl,modeledafterthecollegiateUNCEthicsBowl,nowinitsfifthyear.

Alreadydedicated“tobeingthepublicfaceofethicsfortheUniversity,”theParrCenteriskeentotakethatcommitmentstatewide.

GiventheParrCenter’saffiliationwiththephilosophydepartment,it’sfittingthatBoxill,who’salsoaseniorlecturerinthedepartment,hastwoequallylogicalconstructsforitsmission.There’sthis:“Ethicalthinkingmovesyoufromthemoretheoreticalaspectsofphilosophytoreal-lifeprinciples.Ithelpsyouorganizeyourthoughts,andgivesyouaframeworkforwhentospeakandhowtoact.”Andthenthis:“Ethicalthinkinggets[you]outoftheivorytoweranddownontothefieldsofplay.”

UNCgraduatestudentswillserveas“coaches”fortheteensfrompublic,privateandcharterhighschoolsintheResearchTriangleareawhowillparticipateintheethicsbowl.Organizersbelievetheopportunitytomakesenseofripped-from-the-headlinesissuesthatdon’tlend



Whenachildisbornwithanobstructedairway,physicianscanintervenewithdifferenttypesofsurgery.Buttodecidewhethertooperateandwhen,andwhichprocedurestooffer,doctorsmustmakeeducatedguesses,relyingheavilyontheirownexperience.

“Typicallyit’sveryyoungchildrenwiththeseproblems,sothechallengeindecidingthebesttherapyis:Doweallowtheairwaytogrowfirst,ordowesurgicallyintervenenow?It’sreallyuptotheindividualsurgeonorpediatricpulmonologistcaringforthechild,”saysStephanieDavis,chiefofpediatricpulmonologyintheUNCSchoolofMedicine.

Computerscientists,physicistsandmathematicianspreciselymodelhowairflowsinconstrictedspaces.Whycan’ttheydothattopredictwhensurgerywillhelpchildrenwiththeseconditions?DavisandotherphysiciansfromtheSchoolofMedicineareworkingwithamultidisciplinaryteamfromtheCollegeofArtsandSciencestodojustthat.

Fundedby$3.6millionfromtheNationalInstitutesofHealth,thePediatricAirwaysProjectiscreatingacomputer-basedworkbenchthatdoctorscanusetopredicttheoutcomeofvarioussurgicaloptions,basedoncomputedtomography(CT)imagesandotherinformationabouttheirpatients.CTisapowerfultechniqueforproducing2-Dand3-Dcross-sectionalimagesofanobjectfromflatX-rayimages.Fornow,theprojectwillfocusonmodelingairwaysofchildrenwithtwoconditions—

PierreRobinsequence(characterizedbysmalljawandposteriordisplacementofthetongue,causingairwayobstruction)andsubglotticstenosis(narrowingoftheairwaybelowthevocalcords).

Thescientistshopetoequippediatricpulmonologistsandotolaryngologists/headandnecksurgeonswithasimulationtoollikethoseusedbyaeronauticsengineers.

“Whenengineersmakeachangeintheaircraft,theyhavefirstverycarefullysimulatedtheresults,sotheyunderstandwhateffectthatwillhaveonperformance,”saysRussTaylor,researchprofessorofcomputerscience,physicsandastronomy,andappliedandmaterialssciences.“Wewanttodevelopasimilartoolsothat[medicalprofessionals]canaskthecomputer,‘ifthisisthegeometryoftheairwaythatweknowfromCTscans,andweadjustitthiswaywithsurgery,howisthatgoingtoaffectthebreathingwithinthisinfant?’”

Thispediatricairwaymodelispossibleonlybecauseofalargecollaborationthatbeganin2003—theVirtualLungProject.InitiallystartedbyRichardSuperfine,Taylor-WilliamsDistinguishedProfessorinthedepartmentofphysicsandastronomy,GregoryForest,GrantDahlstromDistin-guishedProfessorofMathematicsandBio-medicalEngineering,andRichardBoucher,KenanProfessorofMedicineanddirectorofUNC’sCysticFibrosisCenter,thevirtuallungisahugeundertaking.Theresearchersaretryingtomodelhowmucusclearanceandotherfunctionsworkdeepinthelung,

downtothelevelofthecell,withthegoalofultimatelydevelopingnewtreatmentsforlungdisorderssuchascysticfibrosis.

Superfinesaysthathalfthechallengeofsuchcollaborations is teaching scientiststounderstandeachother’slanguages,sointhiswaythe pediatricairwaysprojecthasaheadstart.

“We’reapplyingthestrengthsofthecommunitywe’vedevelopedforthevirtuallungtothiscloselyrelatedbutnewproblem,”Superfinesays.

ThePediatricAirwaysmodelwillcombineexistingvirtual-realityandairflowsimulationtechnologiesinaworkbenchwherephysicianscansee,touchandhearhowdifferentsurgicalprocedureswillaffecttheairflowofeachindividualpatient.Theteamwillworkwithsomenewerimagingtools,suchasopticalcoherencetomography(OCT), atechniquewhichissimilartoultrasoundbutuseslightwavesratherthansoundwavesandproducesimagesofafinerresolution.

Theprojectwillusedataandimagesfromactualpediatricpatients,buttreatmentdecisionswillnotbemadebasedonthemodelduringthisinitialperiod.Theresearcherswillspendfouryearsdevelopingandvalidatingthemodel,saysCarltonZdanski,chiefofpediatricotolaryngology/headandnecksurgeryandsurgicaldirectoroftheNorthCarolinaChildren’sAirwayCenter. •

ONLINE EXTRAS: Watchtheresearcherstalkabouttheprojectatwww.youtube.com/user/UNCCollege.

Scientists and surgeons are developing ways to clear children’s airways

Breathing RELIEFB Y A N G E L A S P I V E Y ’ 9 0

FROM LEFT: Carlton Zdanski, Stephanie Davis and Richard

Superfine are working on a computer model to evaluate

surgical options for children with obstructed airways.


SteveExum

AccordingtobiologistGoldstein,tardigradeshavedevelopedanalmostcult-likefollowingbe-causeoftheirabilitytosurviveinadried-upstateforyears.Then,afterbeingrehydratedwithwater,thetardigradescomebacktolifeinonlyafewminutes.Aftersurvivingabout600millionyearsofevolution,tardigradescouldholdthekeystothewaysinwhichanimalsevolve.GoldsteinhasevencreatedaWeb

sitedevotedtothecreatures(tardigrades.bio.unc.edu).

GoldsteinletClarkborrowsomebooksandarticlesontardigradesandinvitedhertolabmeetings.Hegavehersome

labspaceundertheguidanceofpostdoctoralfellowJennyTenlen,oneofonlyafewexpertsworldwideontardigradedevelopment,topracticerearingthewaterbears.AndthenhesentaletterofrecommendationforClarkandRhodestotardigradeexpertsinItaly.ItalianresearcherRobertoBertolaniidentifiedthetardigradespeciesthatGoldstein’slabisnow

studying.HiscolleagueLorenaRebecchiwaspartofateamthatanalyzedtardigradeswhentheycamebackfroma2007spacemission.TheItaliansofferedtosetuplabspaceforClarkandherfriendforpartoftheirsummer.TheduothenspentfourweeksinItalyandfiveinChinaresearchingtardigrades.

FindingthewaterbearsinChinaposedamoredifficultchallengethanClarkhadanticipated.SheandRhodespokedandproddedmosssamples,treebarkandleaflitterinShanghaifordays.

“Weweregettingprettyworried,butwefinallyfoundthemonatreecoveredinlichen,”Clarksaid.

AsampleofthosetardigradeswassentbyFedExtoItaly,wheretheywereanalyzedbyBertolaniandRebecchi(afterspendingseveralweeksinItaliancustoms).

China’sTeamSeleneisstillvyingfortheLunarXPrizeandhopingtosendtardigradesintospace.

Clarkcallsherglobalexperience“themostamazingsummerofmylife.”SheiscontinuingherbiophysicsworkthisspringinGoldstein’slabandisconsideringagraduatedegreeinphysics.

“Carolinaisanunbelievableplaceforundergradswhowanttodoresearch,”shesaid. •

ONLINE EXTRAS: Wanttobetardi-savvy?CheckoutClark’sblogatmoonstruck2010.wordpress.com.ListentoanNPRstoryfeaturingGoldsteinat tinyurl.com/cpflfw.


JuniorphysicsmajorSusanClarktraveledhalfwayaroundtheworldlastsummerhuntingtinysuper-heroeswhocanwithstandextremeconditions.Thesemicroscopicanimalscansurviveboiling,freezing,radiation,exposuretothevacuumofspaceandverylongperiodsofdehydration.

ClarkisaMorehead-CainScholar-turned-microorganismdetectivewhoisinterestedinastrobiologyresearch.SheteamedupwithherfriendKristinRhodesfromtheCollegeofWilliamandMaryonaninternationalsummerresearchexperience.Clarkhadfinancialsupportfromthescholarshipprogram;shejustneededtofigureoutwheretogo.

ShefoundoutabouttheGoogleLunarXPrize,aworldwidecompetitionofprivatelyfundedteamsvyingtobethefirsttolauncharobotonthemoonbetween2012and2014.Clarkstartede-mailingteamstoseeiftheywouldbewillingtotaketwo“super-enthusiasticphysicsundergraduates”undertheirwingforthesummer.Shegotane-mailfromTeamSeleneinChina,ledbyMarkusBindhammer.

“Markussaid,‘YoushouldcometoChina.Wewanttodothisprojectwherewesendtardigradesintospace,’”Clarksaid.“Ourreactionwas,‘Yes,we’dlovetodothat,butwhataretardigrades?’Iliterallytyped‘tardigrades’intoGoogle,andoneofthefirstthingsthatcameupwasDr.[Bob]Goldstein’slab.AndIthought,‘Well,howveryconvenient.He’satUNC!’”

Tardigradesareaffectionatelyknownbyscientistsas“waterbears”becausetheylooklikechubbyminusculebears(withfourpairsoflegs).Manyspeciesaretransparent,andtheyareonlyaboutaquartertohalfofamillimeterlong.

GLOBE-TROTTING forTardigradesPhysics major studies microscopic ‘water bears’

B Y K I M W E A V E R S P U R R ’ 8 8


TOP: Tardigrades are affectionately known as ‘water bears.’ MIDDLE: Susan Clark (left) and Kristin Rhodes at the University of Padua in Italy. BOTTOM: Clark at a lab in Modena, Italy.


‘TO RIGHT These

’

Nearly17percentofNorthCaroliniansliveinpoverty.Inthewinterof2009,morethan10,000homesinthestatehadnoheatandalmosttwicethatnumberhadnoindoorplumbing.

UndergraduatesatUNCandDukeUniversityhadabsorbedthosesoberingfactsonpaperintheirnewtwo-semester,joint-campuscourseonpovertyandinequality.Butitwasn’tuntiltheytookclassfieldtripsinthefalltodifferentregionsofthestatethatthosenumbersbecamereal.

EddieWu,ajuniorphilosophymajorfromDuke,andaclassmatevisitedthedepartmentofsocialservicesinHalifaxCounty.Thestudentswereusheredthroughacrowdedwaitingroomtothedirector’sofficeforaninterview.

“Aswewalkedout,Icouldnotmakeeyecontactwiththepeoplesittingoutsidewhowerestillwaitingtobeseen,”WuwroteinanessayforEncompass, Duke’sethicsmagazine.“Thatspoketomeaspowerfullyasanystatistic.…Weascollegestudentstakeforgrantedourprivilegeofaccess.”

TheMoralChallengesofPovertyandInequalityprojectisthebrainchildoftwoUNChistoryalumswhowereingraduateschooltogetherandnow

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:

A grandmother near

Boone makes homemade knitted

goods for sale and a Lumbee child in

Robeson County plays on a tenant farm

in these two black-and-white photos

from the N.C. Fund. • Students in Jim

Leloudis’ and Robert Korstad’s class

listen to and present projects on poverty

and inequality in North Carolina.

teachinbothBlueDevilandTarHeelcountry.JamesLeloudis(B.A.’77,Ph.D.’89)isprofessorofhistoryandassociatedeanforhonorsinUNC’sCollegeofArtsandSciences.RobertKorstad(B.A.’71,Ph.D.’88)isKevinD.GorterProfessorofPublicPolicyandHistoryatDuke.

KorstadandLeloudishadteameduptowriteabookonthegroundbreakingNorthCarolinaFund,aphilanthropiceffortcreated

UNC-Duke project addresses N.C. poverty

B Y K I M W E A V E R S P U R R ‘ 8 8

Wrongs BillyE.Barnes

BillyE.Barnes

DonnYoung

DonnYoung


LilyRoberts,aUNCjuniorwithadoublemajorinpeace,waranddefenseandEnglish,saidoneofthehardestthingsabouttheclasshasbeentryingto“dispelourcollectiveunderstandingofwhatthefaceofpovertylookslike.”

“Evenaswereadstatisticsthatindicatedotherwise,wekeptgoingbacktostereotypicalimagesofwelfaremothersanddrug-

addictedhomelesspeople,”shesaid.

“We are at a crossroads. How do we build a prosperous

future for all North Carolinians? This demands as much intellectu-al creativity as we can bring to it.”

—James Leloudis

Korstadagreedthatoneofthechallengeswasingettingstudentstounderstandthehistoricalrootsofpoverty,andthatit’snotan“individualproblem.”

“They’vebeguntounderstandthatit’sacomplicatedstory,”hesaid.“Their

previousinteractionwithpeopletheyconsiderpoorwasoftenatthehomelessshelterorsoupkitchen.They’velearnedthatthepeoplecleaningtheirdormroomsmaynotmakeenoughmoneyto[rise]abovethepovertyline.”

Aspartoftheproject,ayearlongfacultycolloquium,madeupofscholarsfromDukeandUNCacrossdifferentdisciplines,alsohasbeenmeetingtodiscusspoverty.

Thissemester,theprojectwillfinalizeplansforanewonlinemagazinecalled At The Table. Itwillbeaforumfortranslatingresearchintosocialaction,andforphilanthropists,socialentrepreneurs,povertyorganizationsandotherstosharebestpractices,grantopportunities,problemsandsolutions.

LeloudisandKorstadhopetoexpandthepovertyconversationtocampusesandcommunitiesaroundthestate.

“Weareatacrossroads,”Leloudissaid.“HowdowebuildaprosperousfutureforallNorthCarolinians?Thisdemandsasmuchintellectualcreativityaswecanbringtoit.” •

ONLINE EXTRAS: Learnmoreatwww.torightthesewrongs.com.Readabookchapteratlcrm.lib.unc.edu/voice/works.

byformerN.C.Gov.TerrySanfordtoaddressthestate’spoverty.To Right These Wrongs, withphotographsbyBillyE.Barnes,waspublishedin2010.

TheN.C.Fundcameupshortinthebattleagainstpoverty,butthestorycontinuestobeasourceofinspiration.Andtheco-authorswantedthebooktodomorethanjustsitonalibraryshelfandgatherdust.

“Wewantedtoseethisbookdosomeworkintheworld,”Leloudissaid.

WithhelpfromDuke’sKenanInstituteforEthicsandUNCSchoolofLaw’sCenteronPoverty,WorkandOpportunity,LeloudisandKorstadlaunchedtheirhonorscourseinthefall.UNCundergraduatestudentshavebeentakingthefreeRobertsonScholarsbustoDukefortheclass.Thestudentshavebeenmeetinginweekly“labs”—maps,computers,booksandawhiteboardspreadaroundthem—wherethey’vebeendoingintenseanalysesofpovertyindiverseregionsofthestate.ThelabsaredirectedbygraduatestudentsandoverseenbyRachelSeidmanatDuke’sSanfordSchoolofPublicPolicy.

Thisspring,studentsaredevelopingindividualprojects,includingresearch,documentaryfilmandpublicserviceefforts.


TOP LEFT:

Students discuss what they’ve learned at a dinner

at Robert Korstad’s house. TOP RIGHT: UNC

students take the free Robertson Bus to Duke for

the poverty class. BOTTOM: Robert Korstad (left) and

James Leloudis want to see their book on the N.C.

Fund’s war on poverty ‘do some work in the world.’

DonnYoung DonnYoung

DonnYoung

a successful stint at pharmaceutical giant Glaxo-SmithKline.

In his last year as a Carolina undergraduate, Caudill did his senior research in Murray’s lab. “I remember thinking at the time that if I were ever in a position to lead a group or organization, I wanted to model myself

after Professor Murray,” says Caudill. “He is one of the most recognized chemists in the world, yet he was, and still is, an incredibly nice person. He helped me take my first steps into the scientific world which I love.”

Mark Wightman, the W.R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Chemistry, was another role model for Caudill and a link in his connection to Murray. After doing his graduate work in Murray’s lab in the early 1970s, Wightman joined the faculty at Indiana University. At the suggestion of Murray, after graduating from Carolina, Caudill joined Wightman’s lab at Indiana, where he received his Ph.D. Wightman returned to Carolina as a faculty member in 1989, becoming a colleague of Murray’s.

“As a student, I learned that Royce is just a first-class mentor,” says Wightman. “He is very current on what is interesting in chemistry, so projects he gives to graduate students are at the cutting edge of science.”

Mentoring CHEMISTRY

Royce Murray’s science ‘family’ pays tribute

B y M i c h e l e L y n n

20 • COLLEGE.UNC.EDU • SPRING 2011 • CAROLINA ARTS & SCIENCES


RIGHT: Students explore the skies

via Chapman Hall’s rooftop

observatory. MIDDLE: Royce Murray

(left) served as a mentor for UNC

alum Lowry Caudill. BOTTOM:

Chemist Gary Glish works on an

explosives detector in Caudill Hall.

A lthough his name adorns a new building in the Carolina Physical Science Complex, Royce Murray remains as down-to-earth and humble as when he joined the UNC chemistry department more than 50 years ago.

Having a building named for him “feels like a dream,” says Murray, “and one morning I’m going to wake up. But I deliberately try not to notice it; I have seen people who have been changed by recognitions, and I don’t want to be like that.”

The building name is just one of many ways that Murray’s contributions as a scholar and mentor in the field of analytical chemistry have been recognized. The extensive list includes being elected to the National Academy of Sciences, being selected as the editor of the preeminent journal in his field, Analytical Chemistry — a position he has held since 1991 — and receiving UNC’s Thomas Jefferson Award, which honors the faculty member who best exemplifies the ideals and objectives of the founding father.

Murray, Kenan Professor of Chemistry, says another a recent moment that has brought him great joy was learning about the birth of his first and only grandson. That’s not surprising since family is such an important thing in Murray’s life, not just his immediate kin but his self-described “chemistry family.” Murray says that he feels like a father to the students he mentors, and many think of him that way, too.

In fact, it was one former student, Lowry Caudill, who provided the $5 million gift to the science complex project which funded the naming of Murray Hall. Caudill, who received his B.S. in chemistry from Carolina in 1979, is highly accomplished in his own right, having co-founded Magellan Laboratories after

Steve Exum

Steve Exum

Steve Exum

“AndRoyceisagreatcolleaguebecausehealwayshasanopenear,”continuesWightman.“Heisverycollegialyethighlyproductive.Hiswholescientificcareerhasthesebenchmarkswherehehasthoughtupanewideathatnobodyhaseverthoughtaboutbefore,andimmediatelypeoplearejumpingonthebandwagon.”

Inadditiontobeinganoutstandingteacherandscholar,MurrayhasstrengthenedthesciencesatCarolinathroughhisinvolvementinthedesignofcampussciencebuildings.Hebeganin1970withtheplanningofthebuildingnowcalledKenanLaboratories,andcontinuedthroughthedevelopmentofthecomplexcontainingthebuildingbearinghisname.“Tocreatebuildingsthatwork,youhavetounderstandwhatyourcolleaguesneed;therequirementsaredifferentforaphysicist,organicchemistorphysicalchemist,forexample,”Murraysays.

CaudillsaysthatgivingbacktoCarolinabyhelpingtofundnewbuildingshasbeenaprivilege.Anotherbuildinginthecomplex,theW.LowryandSusanS.CaudillLaboratories,bearsthenameofCaudillandhiswife.“WhenIlookback,mysciencecareerispinnedtotwopeople:RoyceMurrayandMark

Wightman,”Caudillsays.“ThesuccessthatIhavehadfromabusinessstandpoint,Icantracerightbacktothosetwoguysgivingmesuchafundamentalunderstandingofproblemsolvingandscienceandjustagreatfoundationformycareer.”

CaudillalsohasbeeninstrumentalintheentrepreneurshipprogramintheCollegeofArtsandSciences.AftersellingMagellanLaboratoriestoCardinalHealthin2002,heandhisbusinesspartnerdecidedtoleavethecompanyinDecember2003“becausewewerereadytomoveontoournextendeavors,”Caudillsays.

Notlongafter,Caudillwasinvitedtoadinneratwhichsuccessfulentrepreneurswereaskedfortheirinputonthecurriculumfora

minorinentrepreneurship.Ultimately,ChancellorHoldenThorp,thenchairofthedepartmentofchemistry,askedCaudilltoco-teachandco-createthescientificventurescourse.

“Alloftheclassesaretaughtbyanacademicianandco-taughtbyacard-

carryingentrepreneur,”saysCaudill.“Ihavenowbeenteachingsincethespringof2007,andithasbeenawonderfulexperience.”

“UNCisoneoftherecognizedleadersintheworldatteachingentrepreneurship,”headds.“Tobepartofthatisarealprivilege.”

Nowthatheisoncampusteaching,CaudillseesMurrayandWightmanregularly.“Ibumpintothemallthetime.Wealsohaveseeneachothersocially.It’sgreattobebackwithmysciencefamily.” •


TOP: The court-

yard area between Murray and

Venable Halls. MIDDLE: The Royce

Murray family on Murray Hall

dedication day. BOTTOM: Chemistry

graduate student Danielle Herrod

works with plants in Caudill Labs.

Venable Hall and Murray Hall, the last two buildings in the Carolina

Physical Science Complex, were dedicated on University Day, Oct. 12.

The five buildings that comprise the complex house the departments

of chemistry, computer science, marine sciences, mathematics, physics

and astronomy, and the Institute for

Advanced Materials, Nanoscience

and Technology. The buildings were

designed to enhance collaboration and

interdisciplinary inquiry.

SteveExum SteveExum

SteveExum

anditisstillgrowing.Theinitiativeis

fundedinpartbytheCollegeandU.S.De-partmentofEducationTitleVIfunds,whichsupportprogramsandcentersfocusingonglobalareastudies.AlthoughUNCwasnotthefirstuniversitytoincorporatethistypeofintensivelanguageinstruction,ithasoneofthelongest-lastingprograms,accordingtoKinsella.

Studentsmayenrollinamainlecturecourse,whichmaynotalwayshaveadirectrelationtothelanguageintheirLACsections.Sometimesafacultymemberiscloselytiedtothelanguageandresearch,suchashistoryprofessorJohnChasteen’sLatinAmericacourse.HehasresearchedmanyaspectsofLatinAmericanculture,includingnationalismandnationalidentity.Forlesscommonlytaughtlanguages,likeSwahiliorArabic,therearecombineddiscussionsections.

StrongstudentdemandledtothecreationofaSpanishsectionfor“IntrotoEnvironmentandSociety”lastfall,anattempttoattractstudentsinthesciences.AndapprovalforLACresearchcreditisintheworksforstudentswhoareconductingresearchinaforeignlanguage.

Forexample,studentstakingacoursewithHannahGill,assistantdirectorfortheInstitutefortheStudyoftheAmericas,conductedethnographicresearchinMexico

whileincorporatinginformationfromthelocalLatinocommunity.

SeniorbusinessmajorCaitlinStyresisenrolledinEnglishPh.D.candidateAllisonBigelow’s“GlobalMarketing”Spanishsection.Styressaidlearningbusinessskillsinanotherlanguageiscriticaltosuccessintoday’sworld.

“Culturalknowledgeandawarenessarejustasimportantastheabilitytospeakanotherlanguage,somethingthatAllisonhasbeenabletobringtotheclassthroughcountry-specificcasestudies,”Styressaid.

UndergraduatestudentsarenottheonlyoneswhobenefitfromLAC.Theprogramreliesongraduateteachingassistantswhoreceivevaluablehands-onteachingskillsforthejobmarket.Withadditionalcoursework,theymayapplyforagraduatecertificateinlanguages-across-the-curriculuminstruction.

Theprogramshouldn’tdeterstudentswhoarenotyetfluentinanotherlanguage,asaLACclassprovidesmoreopportunitiestopracticetheirskillswithnativespeakersintheclass,saysCabello-DelaGarza.

“Withtheinteractionanddynamicsoftheclass,youexperiencenewwordsandcolloquialismswithnativespeakers,whichalsoexposesyoutonewviewpointsbyapplyingwhatyouknow,”shesaid. •

Special program integrates study of foreign languages into

mainstream curriculum

¿HablasESPAÑOL?B Y K R I S T E N C H A V E Z ’ 1 3


ImaginetakingaclassonpostwarGermanyinGermanoraglobalbusinessmarketingclassinSpanish.StudentsinterestedinadvancingtheirlanguageskillsatCarolinaaredoingjustthat,thankstotheLanguagesAcrosstheCurriculum(LAC)programintheCollegeofArtsandSciences.

SophomoreglobalstudiesmajorAnaCabello-DelaGarzaistakinghersecondLACcoursethisspring,“LatinAmericaSinceIndependence.”(ShepreviouslyparticipatedinaFrenchsectionforaglobalstudiescourse.)HercurrentclasshasaSpanishsectionledbyJulianDiezTorres,aPh.D.candidateinromancelanguages.

Onebenefitofthecourseisthatitcoversallareas,saysCabello-DelaGarza.“YoulearnwhatwasandcurrentlyishappeninginLatinAmerica,anditgivesyoutheopportunitytoexpressyourselfinSpanishand[enhance]yourcommunicationandcomprehensionskills.”

TheLACprogramreachesbeyondclassesandacrossavarietyofdepartmentsanddisciplinesacrosstheUniversitytobringtherelevanceofotherlanguagesandculturesclosertostudentsandfaculty.

“We’retryingtofindawayofengagingstudentsfromdifferentdisciplines,butalsotakinginterdisciplinaryapproachestoglobaltopics,”saidTanyaKinsella,theundergraduateacademicprogramcoordinatorintheCenterforEuropeanStudies,whoalsooverseestheLACprogram.“It’sanadditionalcommitmentonbehalfofthestudents,buttheyareusuallyreallymotivatedandexcitedtousethelanguage.”

Sinceitbeganinthespringof1996,theLACprogramhasofferedninelanguages(Spanish,German,French,Arabic,Swahili,Dutch,Italian,PortugueseandTurkish)formorethan55coursesacross23disciplines,

KristenChavez


TOP: Ph.D. candidate

Allison Bigelow (right)

discusses global marketing in Spanish

with undergraduate Ginny Crothers.

BOTTOM: Elizabeth Schreiber-Byers

leads the German section for ‘Society

and Culture of Postwar Germany.’

KristenChavez

Alane Salierno Mason longs for days when snow stops the world, when appointments are canceled, meetings are post-poned, the phone goes quiet and even the relentless stream of e-mail slows to a nearly frozen trickle. In the cocoon of those halted hours she can be alone in doing what she loves — working with words.

Mason is a New York book editor. It’s a busy job in a busy place. But as much as she enjoys reading, she wants to change something about books. She wants to knock down the walls that separate great writing by the author’s language. Her goal is to make it easier for readers, especially those who read only in English, to travel the world of literature.

Mason (English ’86), a vice president and senior editor at W.W. Norton & Co., is founder and president of Words without Borders, a not-for-profit dedicated to translating, publishing and promoting the best in international literature.

“The aim is really to broaden the horizons of all English language readers and to nurture the spirit of curiosity and openness to the rest of the world,” said Mason, whose modest office on Fifth Avenue overlooks the New York Public Library.

Mason founded Words without Borders in 2003. It’s an online magazine where editors can sample works by writers

from other countries “and maybe fall in love with one or two authors. Because the only way you can publish literature is to fall in love with somebody and really go to the wall to champion that author,” Mason explained.

A native of Tuxedo Park, N.Y., Mason’s upbringing was greatly influenced by her Italian grandparents. Her family lived in an apartment in a Tudor-style house that her grandfather, an immigrant from Naples, Italy, bought in 1946 for $7,500.

Mason took Italian for the first time at UNC and spent a summer in Italy studying the language and researching her family’s roots. Her first job out of college was as an intern at Harper’sMagazine.

She later worked at Simon & Schuster and Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, but continued studying Italian. In the mid-1990s, she translated a short novel, Elio Vittorini’s ConversationsinSicily, and was hooked on translation.

Mason’s acquisition list, representing 16 years of work at Norton, includes Andre Dubus III’s HouseofSandandFog, which was a #1 New York Times paperback bestseller and National Book Award finalist, and Stephen Greenblatt’s bestseller and Pulitzer finalist WillintheWorld:HowShakespeareBecameShakespeare.

Since its inception, Words without Borders has published more than 1,100 pieces from more than 110 countries and 90 different languages, Mason said.

Success stories include Tablet&Pen:LiteraryLandscapesfromtheModernMiddleEast, a recent anthology by best-selling author Reza Aslan, as well as a piece by Romanian-born German novelist Herta Müller, recipient of the 2009 Nobel Prize for Literature. Words

without Borders also was the first to publish Magdy El Shafee’s graphic novel Metro, seized by Cairo police upon publication and never available in the original Arabic.

Mason and Randall Kenan, now an associate professor of English at Carolina, met while they were students taking the honors seminar in creative writing taught by English faculty members Doris Betts and Daphne Athas. The first book that Mason acquired and edited was Kenan’s second, a collection of stories, LettheDeadBuryTheirDead.

“Alane is smart, ruthless, dedicated and what I would describe as a pragmatic idealist,” Kenan said. “Her taste in literature is impeccable.”

“Aside from creating a legacy as a top-notch New York editor, with a stable of lasting and important writers to her credit, she has created an extremely valuable resource in Words without Borders,” Kenan added. “In time it will be recognized as a powerful and important archive which will have a vast impact upon literature and upon international relations.”

Words without Borders recently launched an education initiative with the hope of getting educators to use contemporary international literature in the classroom.

The group has begun to link foreign writers with American classes, and some teachers have developed lesson plans using Words without Borders material.

“There are a limited number of people who are readers,” Mason said. “But of those people, many if not most have a curiosity and an interest in finding out about the rest of the world.” •

ONLINE EXTRAS: Read more at wordswithoutborders.org.

Words without BordersAlaneMasonhelpsreaders traveltheworldofliteratureBy Pamela Babcock

RIGHT: AlaneMason,founderofWordswithoutBorders,inNewYorkCity’sBryantPark.


PROFILEP R O F I L E

Eric

Dar

ton


HIGHLIGHTSH I G H L I G H T S

MAY NAMED HEAD OF ACADEMIC ADVISING

Lee Yeager May is the new

associate dean and director of academic

advising in the

College of Arts and

Sciences.

She replaces

longtime associate

dean Carolyn

Cannon, who retired

from UNC after 25

years of service.

May had been the associate

director for advising and admissions in

the undergraduate program at UNC’s

Kenan-Flagler Business School since

2006. In that role, she promoted UNC

and the business school to prospective

students and their families, designed

and conducted programs for high school

students, and advised students part time

in the College of Arts and Sciences. •

TheEnglishpoet,painterandprintmakerWilliamBlake(1757-1827)inventedatechniquehecalledilluminatedprinting.

“Hewouldwriteapoembackwardonacopperplatewithaquillpen,usinganinkthatwasimpervioustoacid,anddrawadesignaroundthewords,”saidJosephViscomi,JamesG.KenanDistinguishedProfessorofEnglish.“ThenBlakeorhiswifewouldprinttheplateonfinewovepaperandfinishtheimpressioninwatercolors,penandink.”

Today,Blake’silluminatedbooks,scatteredinmuseumsandspecialcollectionslibraries,bringmillionsatauctions.

ButscholarsandstudentsaroundtheworldcanstudyBlake’sworksonlinethankstotheWilliamBlakeArchive,aprojectcreatedbyscholarsattheUniversityofRochester,theUniversityofCalifornia,RiversideandUNC.

ThecreatorsandeditorsareMorrisEaves,EnglishprofessorandRichardL.TurnerProfessorofHumanitiesatRochester;RobertEssick,distinguishedprofessoremeritusofEnglishliteratureatRiverside;andUNC’sViscomi.

SponsoredbytheLibraryofCongress,thearchive,availableatwww.blakearchive.org,hasnowreceivedamajorboost.The

NationalEndowmentfortheHumanities(NEH)recentlygrantedit$230,000,whichwilllettheeditorsaddanother500digitalimagestothearchive,Viscomisaid.

TheprofessorsandteamsofstudentsatUNCandRochesteralsowillbeabletoaddnewfeaturesandtoolstoenhancetheuser’sexperience;furthertheirworkonmanuscriptsandraretypographicalworks;prepare20ormoreilluminatedbooksandnumerousseriesofprints,drawingsandpaintingsforpublication;codemorethan

1,000imagessothattheyaresearchable;andadd40yearsworthofissuesofBlake/An Illustrated Quarterly,apeer-reviewedjournalthatViscomicalls“thejournalofrecordinBlakestudies.”•

OnlineWilliamBlakearchiveexpands

Carolina #1 best value for 10th timeKiplinger’sPersonalFinance has ranked UNC the best value in American public higher

education for a “remarkable” 10th time in a row. The consumer finance magazine started ranking the best values in public universities in 1998; Carolina has been number one every time.

Kiplinger’s editors say their top 100 public campuses deliver “a stellar education at an affordable price.”

“The takeaway for soon-to-be matriculating students: Look for schools that deliver an outstanding, affordable education in good times and bad,” Kiplinger’s story states. “The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill … is a prime example.”•

JosephViscomiisacreatorandeditorofTheBlakeArchive.

LeeMay

Dan

Sear

s


H I G H L I G H T SHIGHLIGHTSLOCALS MOVE OUT WHEN IMMIGRANTS MOVE IN

Nativeresidentsofaneighborhoodaremorelikelytomoveoutwhenimmigrantsmovein,accordingtonewresearchco-authoredbyUNCsociologistKyleCrowderandpublishedintheAmerican Sociological Review.

Thestudyshowsthatfornativewhites,thetendencytoleaveareaswithlargeandgrowingimmigrantpopulationsappearstoberootedinreactionstotheracialcompositionofaneighborhood.Incontrast,decreasinghomeownership

ratesandincreasingcostsofhousinginthe

neighborhoodappeartobe

theprimaryimpetusfornative

blackstoleaveneighborhoods

withlargeandgrowing

immigrantpopulations.

However,large

concentrationsofimmigrants

inareassurroundinga

neighborhoodreducethe

likelihoodthatnativeblack

andwhiteresidentsofthat

neighborhoodwillleave.The

scholarsproposethatthismay

bebecausethesesurrounding

areas,whichnormallywouldbethemost

likelydestinationsfornativehouseholders

seekingtorelocate,becomelessattractive

tothosenativehouseholderswhenthey

containlargerimmigrantpopulations.

“Thesefindingshaveimportant

implicationsforprocessesofimmigrant

incorporation,patternsofneighborhood

changeandbroadersystemsof

residentialsegregation,”

saidCrowder,theHoward

W.OdumDistinguished

ProfessorofSociology.•

AteamofUNCscientistshascreatedparticlesthatcloselymirrorsomeofthekeypropertiesofredbloodcells,potentiallyhelpingpavethewayforthedevelopmentofsyntheticblood.

Thenewdiscovery—outlinedinastudyintheProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences—couldleadtomoreeffectivetreatmentsforlife-threateningmedicalconditionssuchascancer.

ResearchersusedtechnologyknownasPRINT(ParticleReplicationinNon-wettingTemplates)toproduceverysofthydrogelparticlesthatmimicthesize,shapeandflexibilityofredbloodcells,allowingtheparticlestocirculateinthebodyforextendedperiodsoftime.

Researchersbelievethefindings—especiallyregardingflexibility—aresignificantbecauseredbloodcellsnaturallydeforminordertopassthroughmicroscopicporesinorgansandnarrowbloodvessels.Overtheir120-daylifespan,realcellsgraduallybecomestifferandeventuallyarefilteredoutofcirculationwhentheycannolongerdeformenoughtopassthroughporesinthespleen.Todate,attemptstocreateeffectiveredbloodcellmimicshavebeenlimitedbecausetheparticlestendtobequicklyfilteredoutofcirculationduetotheirinflexibility.

Thefindingscouldaffectapproachestotreatingcancer.“Creatingparticlesforextendedcirculationinthebloodstreamhasbeena

significantchallengeinthedevelopmentofdrugdeliverysystemsfromthebeginning,”saidJosephDeSimone,thestudy’sco-leadinvestigatorandChancellor’sEminentProfessorofChemistry.ThePRINTtechnologywasdevelopedinhislab.“Webelievethisstudyrepresentsarealgamechangerforthefutureofnanomedicine.”

ThestudywasledbyDeSimoneandTimothyMerkel,agraduatestudentinDeSimone’slab.•

ONLINE EXTRAS: TimothyMerkeldiscussesthesyntheticblooddiscoveryatwww.youtube.com/user/UNCCollege.

U N L O C K I N Gthepotentialofsyntheticblood

JosephDeSimone(left)andTimothyMerkel

Dan

Sear

s



Cancer researchers share motivation behind discovery

TwoUNCresearcherswholostfriendstocancerareworkingonapromisingnewdrugthatcouldeliminatesomeofthepainfulsideeffectsofchemotherapyforfuturepatients.

Thepre-clinicalfindingsdevelopedbychemistMatthewR.RedinboandhisgraduatestudentBretWallace,thepaper’sfirstauthor,arepublishedinthejournalScience.TheirresearchrelatestothedrugCPT-11,orIrinotecan,achemotherapeuticagentusedagainstcoloncancerandothersolidmalignancies.Itisbelievedtobethefirstsuccessfultargetingofanenzymeinsymbioticbacteriafoundinthedigestivesystem.

Whileithasprovenavaluabletoolforattackingtumors,CPT-11canalsocauseseverediarrhea,whichlimitsthedosagethatpatientscantolerate,curbingthedrug’spotentialeffectiveness.

TheteamledbyWallaceandRedinbohasdiscovereditispossibletotargetandblocktheenzymewhichisthoughttoplayamajorroleinthegastricsideeffects.

RedinbowasmotivatedtotackletheproblemofcurbingCPT-11’ssideeffectsafterseeingthetreatment’sdebilitatingimpactonacolleague,LisaBenkowski,whocontractedcoloncanceranddiedin2003.

Foralongtime,hedidnotsharethiswiththemembersofhisresearchteambecausehedidnotwanttoriskputtingunduepressureonthem.Butastheirworkprogressed,hetoldthem.That’swhenhelearnedthatWallacehadexactlythesameexperience:afamilyfriend,StaceyMicoli,wasdiagnosedwithcancerin2006,treatedwiththesamedrug,sufferedthesamewayanddiedlastyear.

Bothwomenarecitedinthestudy’sacknowledgementssection.

“It’sremarkabletomethatwebothhadpersonalreasonstofindawaytoimproveCPT-11tolerance,”Redinbosaid.

“Thispaperisatestamenttothefactthatasscientists,ourexperiencescanhaveaprofoundeffectonourwork,andthatthoseexperiencescantranslatefromlife,throughthelaboratoryand—hopefully,incasessuchasthis—intopatientclinics.”

ONLINE EXTRAS: RedinboandWallacetalkabouttheirresearchatwww.youtube.com/user/UNCCollege.•

Globalcentersawarded$11.29million

Seven international centers at UNC have received

competitive Title VI grants from the U.S. Department of

Education that will total $11.29 million over the next four years.

The awards will support global business education,

international and regional studies — including foreign-

language and area-studies fellowships for students

— language instruction, teaching, research and

community outreach involving Africa, Europe, Eurasia,

Latin America and the Middle East.

Six of the Title VI centers are designated as

U.S. Department of Education National Resource

Centers (NRCs) for providing language instruction and

comprehensive international education. Five are in the

College of Arts and Sciences and one in the Center for

Global Initiatives.

UNC is tied for fifth among American universities

for having the largest number of NRCs, behind the universities

of California, Berkeley and Wisconsin-Madison (eight each)

and Indiana University and the University of Washington (seven

each). The University of Michigan also has six.

The seventh Title VI center to receive funds from the grant

is the UNC Center for International Business Education and

Research at Kenan-Flagler Business School — one of 33 such

centers nationwide designed to increase global competitiveness.

Some of the funds will support new positions for

faculty experts on Arabic languages and literature, European

economics, energy and environmental issues in Central Asia or

the Caucasus, and lecturers in Persian, Swahili and Wolof.•

MatthewRedinbo(left)andBretWallace

The FedEx Global Education Center houses UNC’s international centers.


Lars

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CREATING 3-D MODELS OF LANDMARKS

WhosaysRomewasn’tbuiltinaday?Computerscientistshaveinventedatechniquethatautomaticallycreates3-D

modelsoflandmarksandgeographicallocations,usingordinarytwo-dimensionalpicturesavailablethroughInternetphotosharingsiteslikeFlickr.

Thetechniquecreatesthemodelsusingmillionsofimages,processingthemonasinglepersonalcomputerinlessthanaday.

ItwasdevisedbyateamofresearchersfromCarolinaandtheSwissuniversity,ETH-Zurich,ledbyJan-MichaelFrahm,researchassistantprofessorofcomputerscienceatUNC.

Todemonstratetheirtechnique,theresearchersusedthe3millionim-agesofRomeavailableonlinetorecon-structallofthecity’smajorlandmarks.Ittooklessthan24hoursonasinglePCusingcommoditygraphicshardware.TheyalsoreconstructedthelandmarksofBerlininthesamemanner.

Frahmsaidtheprocessprovidesafarricherexperi-enceandisanimprovementofmorethanafactorof1,000overcurrentcommer-cialsystemsandalternativetechniquesdevelopedbyotherresearchers.

“Ourtechniquewouldbetheequivalentofprocessingastackofphotosashighasthe828-meterDubaiTowers,usingasinglePC,versusthenextbesttechnique,whichistheequivalentofprocessingastackofphotos42meterstall—ashighastheceilingofNotreDame—using62PCs,”hesaid.“Thisefficiencyisessentialifoneistoutilizethebillionsofuser-providedimagescontinuouslybeinguploadedtotheInternet.”

Oneadvantageofthe3-DmodelscomparedtoviewingavideoofalandmarkisthattheInternetphotocollectionsusedtoconstructthemshowthesceneatdifferenttimesandunderdifferentlightingandweatherconditions,potentiallycreatingaricherexperienceforviewers,hesaid.

FrahmsaideventuallythemodelscouldbeembeddedintocommonconsumerapplicationssuchasGoogleEarthorBingMaps,allowinguserstoexplorecitiesfromthecomfortoftheirhomes.Healsonotedthatthetechnologycouldbeabuildingblockfordisasterresponsesoftware.

FrahmcollaboratedontheprojectwithMarcPollefeys,professorofcomputerscienceatETH-ZurichandanadjunctprofessoratUNC,andSvetlanaLazebnik,assistantprofessorofcomputerscienceatUNC.•

An innovative theater residency program

PlayMakers Repertory Company has received a $200,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support annual residencies by theater ensembles over the next three years. The ensembles will come to campus to develop new theater pieces with artistic, technical and administrative support provided by PlayMakers.

Pig Iron Theatre Company (Philadelphia, Pa.), SITI Company (New York, N.Y.) and The TEAM (New York, N.Y.) are the ensembles that will be in residence. Each group uses a unique collaborative process to create their performance pieces devised from theater, dance, performance art, video, visual art, music and other influences. The PlayMakers residency program will provide support for the ensembles’ “research and development” period with access to the theater’s staff, production shops, rehearsal halls and performance spaces, and the intellectual resources of UNC.

“We are deeply honored to receive this grant from the Mellon Foundation,” said PlayMakers producing artistic director Joseph Haj. “Pig Iron, SITI and The TEAM are some of theater’s most daring and forward-thinking artists. Developing their future work with us will spread the word that innovation is a priority at UNC.” •

Jan-MichaelFrahm(left)andSvetlanaLazebnik

Joseph Haj

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Alifelong love of theater and decades of dedicated service to the University have resulted in the establishment of the David and Rebecca Pardue Distinguished Professorship in Technical Theatre and Production Management and the Courtnay Arpano and David Pardue III Graduate Fellowship Fund. The two new endowments, totaling $1.4 million, will provide a great boost for the department of dramatic art and PlayMakers Repertory Company.

“I have loved PlayMakers since my parents took me to my first real play there when I was 12 years old,” said David Pardue ’69. “And my wife Becky has been very involved with the PlayMakers Ball since 1988.”

Through their work with PlayMakers, the Pardues became friends with Carroll Amanda Kyser, who was in charge of promotion and special events for the professional theater company.

“Carroll was a wonderful person and a real inspiration. Sadly, we lost her to cancer in 1993 at age 45,” Pardue said. “Our gift is given in her memory.”

The new Pardue Professor will focus on technical and production management, especially for undergraduate performances.

ALUMNI COUPLE SUPPORTS THE HUMANITIES WITH DISTINGUISHED PROFESSORSHIPBy Joanna Worrell Cardwell (M.A. ’06)

“The Pardue Professor will mentor and teach students about the full arc of the production experience — from page to stage,” department chair McKay Coble said. “The technical capabilities of our venues combined with the acumen of our extraordinary faculty, now to include the Pardue Professor, will make Carolina a destination for students pursuing a life in theater.”

In addition, the Pardue Graduate Fellowship, given by the Pardues’ children Courtnay Arpano and David Pardue III ’88, will help the department attract and train gifted graduate students in technical production and management.

“Upon graduation, our students are sought out by professional the-aters, entertainment industries and the best technical theater education programs,” Coble said. “The Pardue Fellowship will support talented graduate students as they learn with us.”

The Pardues have established several other funds at UNC, including the D. Earl Pardue Faculty Fellowship in the Institute for the Arts and Humanities, the Dr. George and Alice Welsh Professorship and the Pardue Professorship in the College of Arts and Sciences. •

FamilyAffairThe Pardues support new professorship, graduate fellowship in technical theaterBy Jim Magaw ’89

ForBarbara“Bobby”GitensteinandDonHart,choosingtosupportthehumanitiesatUNCwasaneasydecision.

BothearnedtheirdoctoratedegreesinthehumanitiesatCarolina—GitensteininEnglishin1975andHartinphilosophyin1981.ThecouplegrewupinthesamesmalltowninsouthAlabamaandchoseCarolinaforits“excellent”Englishandphilosophydepartments.Theyformedlastingrelationshipswithseveralfacultymemberswhoservedasimportantmentorsforthemintheircareers.

Bothestablisheddistinguishedcareersinhighereducationandthehumanities.GitensteinhasenjoyedalongcareerasanEnglishprofessorandadministrator,andsheisnowpresident

oftheCollegeofNewJersey,whereshebecametheinstitution’sfirstwomanpresidentin1999.Harthastaughtphilosophy,directedanhonorsprogram,andmostrecentlybeeninvolvedwithcomputinginthehumanities.

“Asanacademicadministratorandafacultymember,Igenuinelybelievethatweinhighereducationdosomeofthemostimportantworkintheworld,”Gitensteinsaid.“Iamconvincedthatthelessonsandskillslearnedinhumanitieseducationcanmaketheworldabetterplace.”

GitensteinandHartrecentlydecidedtocreatealegacyforthehumanitiesbyincludingaprovisionintheirwillstocreatetheR.BarbaraGitensteinandDonaldB.HartDistinguishedProfessorshipintheHumanities.ThisgiftwillestablishanendowmentforadistinguishedprofessorinanyofthehumanitiesdisciplinesandwillensurethatfuturegenerationsofCarolinastudentscontinuetobenefitfromthehighstandardofexcellenceandteachinginthehumanitiesthatthecoupleenjoyedasCarolinastudents.

“Weareconvincedthatahumanitieseducationwasthefoundationforoursuccessinlife,andthatthedisciplineofcriticalthinkingshouldbethemeansforcivicengagementandcommunication,”Gitensteinsaid.•

Don Hart and Bobby Gitenstein



StudentstobenefitfromgifttoJewishstudiesBy Karen Gajewski

UNCalumnusHowardR.Levine,chairmanandCEOofFamilyDollarStoresInc.,hascreatedanendowmenttosupportundergraduateandgraduatestudentsinJewishstudiesathisalmamater.

TheHowardR.LevineStudentExcellenceFundinJewishStudies,createdthrougha$500,000pledge,willsupportacademicstudiesandscholarlyresearch.Whenfullyfunded,theendowmentwillprovidetheCarolinaCenterforJewishStudiesintheCollegeofArtsandScienceswithapermanentsourceoffundingtofurthertheCenter’steachingmission.

“Throughthisgift,Ihopestudentswillhaveamoreenrichingcollegeexperienceandperhapshavethemeanstotakeadvantageoflearningopportunitiesthatotherwisemightnotbewithintheirfinancialreach,”saidLevine,whograduatedfromUNCwithabusinessdegreein1981.

Theendowmentwill:•supportstudentresearchinsideandoutsidetheclassroom,

includingstudenttravelandstudyabroad;•fundacademicfieldtripstoextendtheclassroom

experienceintothecommunity;•enabletheCentertobringinvisitorstomeetwith

studentsanddeliveruniqueprograms;and•allowtheCentertoexpanditscourseofferingstomeet

risingstudentdemand.“WearesothankfultoHowardandhisfamilyforthis

generousandinspiringgifttotheCenterandtoCarolina’sstudents,”saidJonathanHess,CenterdirectorandMosesM.andHannahL.MalkinTermProfessorofJewishHistoryandCulture.“ThelevelofstudyandthequalityoftheresearchconductedbyUNCstudentsistrulyimpressive.Now,thankstotheLevinefamily,ourstudentscanparticipateinmoreprojectsandprogramsthaneverbefore.”

Levine,aCharlottenativeandresident,saidheisdelightedtogivebacktoUNC’sstudents.

“I’vebeenfollowingtheCarolinaCenterforJewishStudiesforafewyearsnow,andI’veheardnothingbutpositivethingsabouttheprogramanditsgrowth,”Levinesaid.“Furthermore,IlikethattheCarolinaCenterforJewishStudiesattractsstudentswithdifferentbackgroundsandarangeofinterests.”

Establishedin2003,theCenterunitesthepublic,studentsandfacultyfromvariousacademicdisciplineswhoshareapassionforadeeperunderstandingofJewishhistory,cultureandthought.•


M E E T T H E P R O F E S S O R

Mark CrescenziA s s o c i a t e P r o f e s s o r o f P o l i t i c a l S c i e n c e

• BackstoryTwo seminal international conflicts during Crescenzi’s

undergraduate years at the University of California at Irvine altered the anticipated trajectory of his career. After watching the Tiananmen Square massacre and then the Persian Gulf War unfold, the native Californian scuttled plans to get a degree in economics. Today, his fields of specialization include international relations, conflict processes and international political economy.

• Give Peace a Chance“I am what they call a peace scientist,” says Crescenzi, a

scholar who uses “the objective tools of science to look at what’s causing conflict and how to address it.”

He’s proud that UNC has hosted the Peace Science Society Conference. In November 2009, some 250 members of the international Peace Science Society gathered on campus to present research on everything from conflict management and foreign aid to negotiation with terrorists and ethnic segregation.

Who reads this research? “Outside of academia, people in the policy world, though maybe not the top level. They might get the executive summary. Scholars, policymakers and students are the primary audiences.”

• Good Rep, Bad RepCrescenzi focuses on international economic interdepen-

dence and conflict, the role of democracy on international conflict, and, most recently, theories of reputation, history and learning in world politics. While the most important thing about an ally is its political and military power, new research shows that attractive potential allies are also those who live up to their prom-ises. Still, even good alliances can crumble when self-interest is threatened. He created a mathematical model to help parse the reputations of allies over the past two centuries and determine who held fast and why.

• Passing It OnIn 2008, nine years after arriving at UNC, Crescenzi

was honored with the Tanner Teaching Award. It was “a real treat” to be recognized for his work with undergraduates. This spring, in addition to his responsibilities as associate chair of the department, he is teaching an introduction to world politics course. While telling his students about “history as an eco-system within which all political action takes place,” the professor hopes he’ll inspire a future peacemaker. •

—ByLisaH.Towle

Howard R. Levine

Issac

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Budgetsaretight,butresearchhastocontinueandeven$1,000or$2,000isextremelyvaluable,particularlybecausetravelcostsforourresearchinAsianstudiesisexpensive.Theseawardsprovidegreatencouragement.”

Gil,aformerdepartmentchair,saidit’sherprioritytosupporttheCollege’sacademicleadership.

“Beingachairisalarge,time-consuminganddemandingjobthat’sperformedmostlywithoutrecognitionandadequatecompensation,”shesaid.“It’slikerunningasmallbusinessandhavinglittletoputintobuildingthebusiness.”

“Thebestwayformetorecruitthemostablefacultytoserveaschairsistoprovidegreaterandmoreeffectiveincentives,”Giladded.“ThiswonderfulgiftnotonlyprovidesfundsformetodirecttoourCollegeleadership,butitalsosendsamessagethatwesupportourchairs.Thisgiftwillempowerthemtodotheirworkandgivethemresourcestomakethingshappen.”

Andchairsmustmakeplentyofthingshappen.

Theyoverseesearchesthatbringtalentedfacultytocampus.Theymentorjuniorfaculty,andwhenfacultyarecourtedbypeerinstitutions,chairsworkwiththedeantomakeacounter-offerforavaluedfacultymember.Thedeanalsoaskschairsforrecommendationsontenuredecisions.Chairssetprioritiesthatinfluencethequalityofdepartmentcurricula,overseemulti-milliondollarbudgets,andwield

JanBardsleyknewjustwhattodowithsurprisefundingfromthedean’soffice.

AstipendforagraduatestudenttooverseelogisticsforamajorAsianstudiesconferenceoncampus?Yes.

Fundsforfacultywhoelevatethedepartment’sprofilebyeditingprestigiousacademicjournals?Yes.

Researchawardsfortalentedjunior

facultywritingtheirfirstbooks.Yes!Thankstoa$1milliongifttothe

CollegeofArtsandSciencesfromananonymousalumnicouple,thedean,too,cansay“yes”withsupportfordepartmentchairs—facultyleaderswhooftensacrificetheirowncareerstoservetheUniversity.

DeanKarenM.Gilmadethefirstawards—academicleadershipgrants—thisfallto12departmentchairs,includingBardsleyofAsianstudies.Awardsrangedfrom$13,000to$20,000.Gilwillhave$200,000availableeachyearforthenextfiveyearstoprovidechairswithfundstheymayusetosupportresearch,teachingand“sayyes”initiativesforfacultyintheirdepartments.Chairsmayalsousethegrantstosupporttheirownacademic,professionaloradministrativeactivities,orassummercompensation.

“Iamreallygratefultothedeanandthedonorsforthisfunding,”saidBardsley,whoreservedasmallamountforherownpostponedresearchasaJapaneseculturescholar.

“Theabilitytohelpjuniorfacultygetaheadontheirresearchwasveryhelpful.

authorityoncoursedevelopment,teachingassignments,meritraisesandleaves.Withoutcommitted,creative,problem-solvingchairs,facultyproductionandmoraledeclines,andtheyleaveforotherinstitutions,compromisingaqualityeducationalexperienceforstudents.

Chairsalsoplacetheircareersonholdtorunthedepartment.

“Theresourcesmadeavailablebythisgiftwillprovetopotentialfacultychairsthattheirscholarshipwillnotsufferiftheyaccepttheposition,butcould,infact,bestrengthened,”saidLloydKramer,historychairforfiveyears,andanotherrecipientoftheinitialgrants.“Itenhancestheattractivenessofbeingchair,anditsbenefitshavearippleeffectthroughoutthedepartment.”

MattRedinbo,chemistrychair,saidthegenerousgrant—evenmorewelcomewiththecampus’economicpressures—hasenabledhimtosendfacultytochemistryteachingconferencestodealwithcurriculumchangestopre-medrequirements.

“I’vealsobeenabletofocusonmechanismstorecruitunder-representedminorities,bothstudentsandfaculty,tothedepartment.”

ForCarolinatocompetewiththebestschoolsinthecountryandforthebestpeople,itmusthavefundstoattracttopfaculty,saidoneofthedonors.

“Departmentchairsmakedecisionswithlong-termrepercussionsaboutthedirectionoftheirdepartmentsandhavegreatinfluenceovertheUniversity’sfuture,”shesaid.“Itisextremelyimportantthatwehavethebestfacultypossibleinthesepositionsandthatweequipthemwell.”•



SAYINGYES $1 million gift supports leadership grants to faculty chairs

“ T H I S G I F T W I L L E M P O W E R C H A I R S T O D O T H E I R W O R K A N D G I V E T H E M R E S O U R C E S T O M A K E T H I N G S H A P P E N . ”

Terry Rhodes, front center, music department chair and leadership grant recipient, rehearses with UNC Opera students. D

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S P R I N G • 2 0 1 1

•Poor-Mouth Jubilee(Tupelo Press)byMichaelChitwood.Theauthor—apoet,essayistandUNCcreativewritinglecturer—callshisseventhcollectionofpoems“ghoststories,bothholyandprofane”populatedbyghostswho“havetheirmotorcycles,theirshotgunsandtheirpublicaddresssystems.”ItcomeswithanaudioCD.

•A Faith of Their Own: Stability and Change in the Religiosity of America’s Adolescents (Oxford University Press) byLisaD.PearceandMelindaLundquistDenton.Drawingonamassivestudyofadolescentsandyoungadultsoverathree-yearperiod,including120in-depthinterviews,theauthorsshowthatreligionstillplaysanimportantforceinthelivesofmanyteens.PearceisaUNCsociologistandDentonaUNCdoctoralalumnateachingsociologyatClemsonUniversity.

•Adrian Piper: Race, Gender and Embodiment (Duke University Press) byJohnP.Bowles.Theauthorexploresthelifeandworkoftheavant-gardefeministconceptualartistwhochallengedAmericansontheirassumptionsaboutrace,gender,sexualityandclassduringthe1960sand’70s.Bowlesisanassociateprofessorofart.

•It Happened on the Way to War: A Marine’s Path to Peace(Bloomsbury)byRyeBarcott.Tenyearsago,whilehewasstillaCarolinaundergraduate,theauthor

co-foundedCarolinaforKibera(CFK),anonprofitbasedinNairobi.Despitestaggeringpovertyandethnicviolence,thecommunity-basedorganizationinvolvingKenyansandCarolinastudentsbuiltamedicalclinic,healthservices,recreationalprogramsandhopeinthelargestslumineastAfrica.Todate,TabithaClinichastreatedmorethan41,000patients,andmorethan5,000boysandgirlshaveparticipatedinCFK’sannualsoccertournament.Barcott’sstorytakesreadersinandoutofKiberaashewasdeployedasaMarineinIraq,BosniaandAfrica,wrestlingtomakesenseoftwoformsofserviceastheyclashedandconvergedinhisheadandheart.ArchbishopEmeritusDesmondTutucallsit“atremendousstoryofthepoweroffriendship,loveandthetransforminggraceofGod.”

•Chasing the Mad Lion,afull-lengthdocumentaryfilmdirectedbyUNCalumnusJasonArthurs,recountstheunlikelyfriendshipofalumnusRyeBarcottandKenyansTabithaFestoandSalimMohamed,andhowtheycollaboratedtocreateCarolinaforKibera(CFK),toempowercommunitywithinamassiveAfricanslum(seeabove).This

rivetingstoryofjoyandpainillustratesthepowerofparticipatorycommunitydevelopment.ThefilmcrewincludesUNCalumnusAndrewJohnson(assistantdirector),UNCEndeavorsseniorstaffwriterMarkDerewicz,andproducerBeth-AnnKutchma,seniorprogramofficerforUNC’sCenterforGlobalInitiatives.chasingthemadlion.org.

•Labor Rights and Multinational Production (Cambridge University Press)byLaynaMosley.Thisusefulguideforscholars,students,activistsandpolicymakersanalyzesthepositiveandnegativeimpactsoftheglobaleconomyonlaborrightsindevelopingcountries.OneMITreviewercallsMosley,aUNCpoliticalscientist,“oneofhergeneration’sleadingscholarsofinternationalpoliticaleconomy.”

•Designing Democracy in a Dangerous World(Oxford University Press)byAndrewReynolds.Theauthor,aUNCpoliticalscientistandchairofglobalstudies,hasdesignedaseriesofcasestudiesforstudents,teachers,researchersandpolicymakersonfragileanddivided

C O L L E G E B O O K S H E L F BOOKSHELF

c o n t i n u e d


CzechwriterMacura’sworkoffersessaysanalyzingavarietyofmythsandsymbolsthathavedefinedhisnationanditsidentityandculture.PichovaisUNCassociateprofessorofSlaviclanguagesandliteratures;CravensisattheUniversityofTexasatAustin.

•Best American Short Stories 2010(Mariner),editedbyRichardRusso,includesstoriesbyUNCcreativewritingalumniJillMcCorkle(“PS”),BrendanMathews(“MyLastAttempttoExplaintoYouWhatHappenedwiththeLionTamer”)andScottNadelson(“Oslo”)andUNCKenanVisitingWriterLoriOstlund(“AllBoy”).

•Chapel Hill in Plain Sight: Notes from the Other Side of the Tracks(Eno Publishers)byDaphneAthas,forewordbyalumnusWillBlythe.Whetheryou’reafanofChapelHillorofbelovedcreativewritinginstructoremeritusDaphneAthas,youwillenjoyherfrankrecollectionsofyesteryearwhenBettySmith,PaulGreen,JuniusScalesandMiltonAbernethyroamedFranklinStreet,andtheauthorlivedinaself-built“shack”ontheedgeoftown.FormerstudentMichaelParker

saysthis“steam-rollingchronicleofthesubversiveandmostlyforgottenhistory[ofChapelHill]…putsbothpeopleandinstitutionsincontext…inwonderandrespect.Everysinglesyllablesings.”

•Football Fatalities and Catastrophic

Injuries: 1931-2008(Carolina Academic Press) byFrederickO.MuellerandRobertC.Cantu.EversincethefirstcollegiatefootballgameonNov.6,1869,theneedtoreduceinjurieshasplayedamajorroleinfindingwaystoimprovethesafetyofthesportthroughruleandequipmentchanges.Thisstudylooksatthehistoryoffootballinjuriesbydecadeandcriticallyanalyzesimportantcircumstancesrelatingtofatalitiesandcatastrophicinjuries.MuellerisprofessoremeritusandformerchairofthedepartmentofexerciseandsportscienceanddirectoroftheNationalCenterforCatastrophicSportInjuryResearch,bothatUNC;CantuismedicaldirectoroftheCenter.

•Copperhead(Carnegie Mellon University Press)byRachelRichardson.Inherdebutcollectionofpoems,theUNCfolkloregraduatepayshomagetothefolkwaysandmythsoftherapidlydisappearingOldSouth.“Likemistrisingfromlow-lyingfields,thesepoemslingerinourimaginationlongafterreading,”writesWilliamFerris,UNC’sJoelWilliamsonEminentProfessorofHistoryandseniorassociatedirectoroftheCenterfortheStudyoftheAmericanSouth.•

states.Coveringlessonslearnedfromsuccessesandfailuresindemocratizationoverthepast40years,ReynoldsalsodrawsfromhisownexperiencesconsultingonelectoralandconstitutionalissuesindiversehotspotsfromAfghanistan,Burma,IraqandJordantoNorthernIreland,SouthAfrica,YemenandZimbabwe,amongothers.

•Writing Blackness: John Edgar Wideman’s Art and Experimentation(Louisiana State University Press)byJamesW.Coleman.Theauthor,aUNCprofessorofEnglish,exploreshowWideman’slifeasanAfrican-Americanstudent,athlete,RhodesScholar,IvyLeagueprofessorandliterarystar,affectedhiswritinganditsevolution.Afterearlysuccessinfiction,Widemanhasfocusedmoreon“blackness,”combiningelementsoffiction,biography,memoir,history,legend,folkloreanddreams.

•The Mystification of a Nation: ‘The Potato Bug’ and Other Essays on Czech Culture (University of Wisconsin Press)byVladimirMacura,translatedandeditedbyHanaPichovaandCraigCravens.Thisfirstbook-lengthtranslationof

C O L L E G E B O O K S H E L FBOOKSHELF

FINAL POINTF I N A L P O I N T CAROLINA

A R T S& S C I E N C E SCarolina Arts & Sciences • Spring 2011

Director of Communications Dee Reid

Editor Kim Weaver Spurr ’88 Assistant Director of Communications

Editorial Assistant Kristen Chavez ’13

Graphic Designer Linda Noble

Contributing Writers• Pamela Babcock• DeLene Beeland• Joanna Worrell Cardwell (M.A. ’06)• Kristen Chavez ’13 • Don Evans ’80 • Del Helton• Michele Lynn• Jim Magaw ’89 • Nancy E. Oates • Angela Spivey ’90 • Lisa H. Towle

Contributing Photographers• Bill Bamberger• Billy E. Barnes• Kristen Chavez ’13 • Eric Darton • Steve Exum ’92• Lars Sahl• Issac Sandlin• Dan Sears ’74, UNCNewsServicesPhotographer• Steve Walsh• Donn Young

CarolinaArts&Sciences is published semi-annually by the College of Arts and Sciences at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and made possible with the support of private funds. Copyright 2011.

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College of Arts and SciencesThe University of North Carolina at Chapel HillCampus Box 3100Chapel Hill, N.C. 27599-3100(919) 962-1165

PhotographerBillBamberger’sgrassrootsproject“BALL”exploresthedemocratizationofbasketball,andtheintersectionofsportsandcultureinAmericanlife.Bambergerisa1979Americanstudiesgradu-ateandhaslecturedformanyyearsinthatdepartment.The“BALL”projecttookhimalloverthecountrytophotographbasketballgoalsinsmalltowns,largecities,rurallandscapes,firestations,schoolyards,communitycentersandprivateresidences.ThesetwophotosweretakeninNorthCarolina—theabandonedredbarninMebaneandthemeatmarketsigninCaswellCounty.HisworkisrepresentedbyAnnStewartFineArtofChapelHill.Seemorephotosatwww.billbamberger.com.

Coming Soon • APRIL 10 Playwright Tony Kushner (AngelsinAmerica),

the Frey Foundation Distinguished Visiting Professor, will discuss “Art, Community and

Culture” with PlayMakers Producing Artistic Director Joseph Haj. 7 p.m., Memorial Hall.

COLLEGE OFARTS & SCIENCES

THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL CAMPUS BOX 3100205 SOUTH BUILDINGCHAPEL HILL, NC 27599-3100

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Carolina Arts and Sciences Spring 2011