Mapping UNC Research
Denver – Faculty Jeremy Smith and Gary Heise in the Biomechanics Lab continue to research the effects of two different lower extremity amputations related to functional outcomes during use of a prosthetic limb during locomotion. The lab is working with Dr. David Hahn at Colorado Limb Consultants in Denver, and their goal is to determine which of two amputation techniques provides the best benefit to individuals who must undergo a lower limb amputation.
Germany, Czech Republic – Associate Professor Christiane Olivo received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to direct a Summer Seminar for School Teachers. The four-week seminar, East-Central Europe, 1989: The History and Philosophy of the Peaceful Revolutions, took place in Berlin, Germany and Prague, Czech Republic.
Hawaii – Professor Steven Anderson and graduate student Adam LeWinter continue to study the active lava lake at Kilauea volcano using laser technology. Results will aid monitoring efforts associated with hazards from the lava lake and further the understanding of how the Kilauea volcano works.
India – Professor Stephen Mackessy collaborated on a discovery that a non-lethal protein from venom in Russell’s Viper has potential to be used to develop drugs to treat clotting disorders and heart patients.
Iraq – Assistant Professor of Anthropology Andrew Creekmore, freshman Anthropology major Nick Ownby and recent Colorado State graduate Josh Brookhouser spent six weeks this past summer near Erbil, the capital city of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, for the first phase of the study on Mesopotamian urbanism in the middle Bronze Age (2000–1200 B.C.) The research is part of a multi-year collaborative project to study and map an ancient city buried in Northern Iraq to learn more about how early cities developed and were structured.
Central America, Dominican Republic, Pakistan – Professor Madeline Milian brings teachers from Central America, the Dominican Republic and Pakistan for professional development programs on campus with grant-funded support.
Minnesota – Faculty Deanna Meinke and Don Finan, along with Audiology students, were in St. Paul to educate on noiseinduced hearing loss and prevention. The group built mannequins equipped with sound-level meters attached to their ears that read and display how loud music is being played. Kids and families brought their music players to test just how loud they’re listening to music.
Minnesota , New Orleans, Italy – Professors Sherilyn Marrow, Nancy Karlin and Joyce Weil have studied factors that affect resiliency in survivors of natural disasters. Over the years, they’ve traveled to New Orleans and Italy to interview hurricane and earthquake victims, respectively. Karlin was a guest on Minnesota Public Radio this past May to share what the group has learned in connection with the tornado that struck Moore, Okla.
Northern Colorado – Elizabeth Franklin, Hispanic Studies, is leading an interdisciplinary team of UNC faculty (Lori Reinsvold, Teresa Higgins, Youngjin Song, Jenni Harding-Dekam) in the development of effective strategies to teach math, science and academic language to English learners at the elementary level. UNC is partnering with Denver Public Schools, Greeley-Evans District 6, and Poudre School District on this $1.8 million grant from the Office of English Language Acquisition.
Poland, Slovakia, Colorado Rocky Mountains – Emeritus Professor Bob Brunswig has directed UNC archaeological and ancient climates research projects in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains with colleagues from UNC and other universities for more than two decades. Recently, he began development of an international collaborative research program with faculty from universities in Poland and Slovakia focused on archaeology and climate history in the Rocky Mountains and Western Carpathian Mountains. In advancing that program, Brunswig received a Wzrost Visiting Professor Fellowship from Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland, beginning this May. He also will be on a Fulbright Specialist Scholar stay at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, in winter 2014.
United States – Self-motivation, perceived competence and classroom engagement in fifth grade significantly predict reading achievement in eighth grade, according to UNC researchers. The study by Assistant Professor John Mark Froiland and doctoral graduate assistant Emily Oros was recently published in Educational Psychology.
Washin gton, D.C. – A study by Assistant Professor Josh Packard was included in a brief submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court in the recent affirmative action case. He told the The Denver Post that his research showed that a diverse student population led to more engaged students.
Ethiopia, Armenia, Lebanon, Myanmar – Jerry Overmyer, created the Flipped Learning Network Ning — a professional learning network for educators interested in flipped learning. The modern concept of a flipped classroom was created by teachers in Colorado, and Overmyer offered to have UNC’s Mathematics and Science Teaching Institute host a site so educators could share their flipping stories. Originally made up of a few dozen teachers, the site has recently passed 14,000 members worldwide, with members from more than 100 countries, including Ethiopia, Armenia, Lebanon and Myanmar.
