Issue: Fall 2014
Stories
Stellar discoveries: White dwarf stars and exotic exoplanets
UNC astronomers Bart Dunlap and Nicholas Law played a key role in exciting summer 2014 discoveries involving white dwarf stars and exoplanet systems (planets around other stars).
Exploring the legacy of World War I through talks, performances, art and more
The legacy and impact of World War I will be explored during a yearlong, interdisciplinary conversation at UNC during the 2014-2015 academic year.
Applied Physical Sciences: Bringing new inventions that change lives to the marketplace
Making solar energy more economical and developing targeted drug treatments to effectively fight cancer and cystic fibrosis — these are among the cutting-edge research activities affiliated with the new department of applied physical sciences.
Digital Portobelo: Connecting scholarship and cultural preservation in Panama
Renee Craft’s digital humanities project is an interactive collection of ethnographic interviews, photos, videos, artwork and archival material that illuminates the rich culture and history of Portobelo, Panama.
Bluegrass Believers: UNC partners with heritage tourism project honoring Earl Scruggs
Visitors to the new Earl Scruggs Center, nestled in the renovated 1907 courthouse in uptown Shelby, N.C., can immerse themselves in the life of the late banjo player and bluegrass pioneer who grew up in the nearby Flint Hill community.
Center Stage: Wann’s Tony-nominated musical revived on Broadway
Singer and composer Jim Wann ’70 saw his career take off when his first name became his last and he took to the stage as the bank robber Jesse James.
Brooks’ influence spans IBM mainframes to next-gen virtual reality
In 1944 a 13-year-old Fred Brooks sat in the public library in Greenville, N.C., and read about the Mark I computer in Time magazine.
Medical imaging extends frontiers, aids diagnosis and treatment
You’ve probably seen 3-D ultrasound images of a baby in a mother’s womb — maybe your own child, or those of a relative or friend.
Want to work in movies? Learn to code
Turns out the road to Hollywood runs through Chapel Hill. Or at least it did for computer science alumni who have used their programming chops to develop special effects software you’ve probably seen on screen.
Comp-Sci Turns 50: Breaking barriers from graphics to robotics
In 1964, Carolina embraced the nascent field of computer science. The department is still blazing trails a half-century later.
Forging new paths
Frederick P. Brooks Jr. blazed trails as project manager for the revolutionary IBM System/360 family of computers and then as founding chair of Carolina’s computer science department in 1964.
Southport, N.C.
A poem by Mackensie Pless ’15 reflects on the real — not Hollywood — image of Southport, N.C.
College Bookshelf Fall 2014
Books on the edible South, how Jesus became God, the aftermath of 9/11, ancient Roman libraries, mountain poetry and more.
Shirley Temple Up Close: Q&A with John F. Kasson
John F. Kasson outlines the connections between Shirley Temple, FDR and The Great Depression in his new book.
Concussion researcher visits White House
Leading concussion researcher and MacArthur ‘Genius’ Fellow Kevin Guskiewicz participated in a White House Meeting on concussions this summer.