UNC College of Arts and Sciences

A little rain didn't stop #UNC seniors from meeting a Tar Heel hero 💙 Mary Pope Osborne, College of Arts and Sciences alumna and The New York Times best-selling author of the Magic Tree House book series, gave a once-in-a-lifetime last lecture to the class of 2025 during Senior Week. 📸 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill #GDTBATH 🐏

Carolina alumnus and explorer Ricky May ’80 wants #UNC students to be able to experience the world through study abroad 🌍 To support that dream, he created the Carolina Blue Honors Carolina Fellowship and the new Point to the Passer Carolina Covenant Honors Study Abroad Scholarship Fund. “Point to the Passer” is a nod to the late legendary Dean Smith, who encouraged scorers to acknowledge their teammates by pointing to them. “I hope future Covenant Scholars who receive Point to the Passer scholarships will understand that helping others is a Carolina tradition that was important to Coach Smith,” May said. Explore the scholarships: https://go.unc.edu/e6YTn University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 🐏

This May, over 7,000 #UNC undergraduates will go on to be the next generation of scientists, teachers, doctors, artists, public policy analysts and much more. Their involvement in #research at Carolina prepares them to address some of the world’s most significant challenges in innovative ways. “What excites me is developing creative solutions,” said senior Nico Gleason, who conducted public policy research. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eqw7Erfq 📝 📸 UNC Research

Community is at the heart of the Carolina Public Humanities Zietlow Civic Engagement Fellowship. From research on health care affordability to media literacy, community garden access to teacher retention policies, #UNC student fellows aim to support and engage with their neighbors. “By prioritizing the humanistic side of civic engagement, we foster a type of connectedness that acknowledges our humanity as well as our differences in the service of a shared future,” said Kylie Seltzer, who leads the fellowship program. Learn how three Zietlow fellows are making a difference: https://lnkd.in/eQ57Hu3v University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC Research 🔎

While she was an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Caroline Collins decided that she would work in animation. At #UNC, Collins studied dramatic art and music. After she graduated, she got her first job at Walt Disney Animation Studios — just six weeks after she left for California. Now, less than 10 years into her career, the Carolina alumna is at Pixar Animation Studios working on Toy Story 5. https://go.unc.edu/i5XEf #GDTBATH 🐏

"Building infrastructure and housing that can withstand not only the floods of the past, but also those of the future, is critical to developing resilient communities," said Antonia Sebastian, a flood expert at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Following the impact of Hurricane Helene, the North Carolina Collaboratory is supporting Sebastian's work to aid recovery in western North Carolina. Sebastian is working to understand what was damaged during the flood, what is rebuilt and when, and how this translates to community resilience over the long-term. https://go.unc.edu/Yb82Q

#UNC junior Juan Castillo studies how alcohol use disorder affects the brain and how to reverse its negative effects. Castillo's research impacts a pressing public health topic. In 2022, nearly 5,800 people in N.C. died from alcohol-related causes, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety. https://lnkd.in/efDHxEH5 UNC Research University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 🐏 UNC Department of Psychology & Neuroscience

#UNC chemist Wei You is working on his second startup company, one that uses polymers to create drug delivery systems for eye diseases. You, who has known he would be a scientist since middle school, says the possibility of advancing health care is what drives him. “Seeing your research, your idea, becoming a reality with the potential of helping other people, including maybe even myself down the road, is very exciting,” he said. https://go.unc.edu/f5T9S UNC Chapel Hill Chemistry Dept 📝 UNC Research

Can we engineer better health? This question led #UNC researcher Jason Franz to a career in biomedical engineering. The field unites medicine and engineering to improve lives and solve public health challenges, including those faced by aging populations. “We want our discoveries, and every question we ask, to help older members of our community,” said Franz, an associate professor in the Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering | UNC & NC State. https://lnkd.in/eJ25jhqU UNC Research 🔬 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 🐏

In the Outer Banks town of Corolla, North Carolina, #UNC alumna Meghan Agresto keeps the light on. For two decades, Agresto has been the lighthouse site manager for the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. She takes care of the lighthouse, hires and trains tour guides, maintains the historic property and greets approximately 80,000 climbers each year. The view — 162 feet above the Currituck Sound and Atlantic Ocean — never gets old. “I love it every time,” Agresto said. https://go.unc.edu/Qj8z6 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 🐏