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Magazine cover of the spring '24 issue features an artsy face in profile with different-colored gears coming out of the head. It is an AI-generated image. Headlines include:

Embracing AI at UNC: Artificial intelligence has been around for decades, but it is now more accessible and powerful than ever. While AI presents copious challenges, we explore in this cover story how UNC students and researchers are embracing it in their work. ALSO INSIDE: Art writ large for music, a humanist at heart and Jenny Han talks Carolina.

Download Spring 2024 PDF

Stories

Showing 15 of 26 stories. Page 1 of 2.
Sidney Wilkerson-Hill is wearing a blue lab coat and smiling at the camera with chemistry lab equipment in the background.

Captivated by chemistry Faculty Up Close, Tar Heels Up Close

Organic chemist Sidney Wilkerson-Hill is using a Sloan Research Fellowship to develop new small-molecule pesticides to combat mosquitoes that cause malaria.


Lloyd Kramer stands in front of slides with art paintings on them as he teaches a Modern European History class. (photo by Donn Young)

A heart for the humanities Features

The Carolina history professor has spent nearly four decades sharing the enduring value of the humanities with audiences inside and outside the classroom.


Jenny Han stands, with hands on hips, smiling at the camera.

XO, Jenny Han Alumni Up Close, Tar Heels Up Close

Fans love the bestselling YA author’s novels and TV shows. Do they know her heart bleeds Carolina blue?


Headshot of Caroline Hoover

Fighting for rural health care access Student Up Close, Tar Heels Up Close

From Appalachia to the Research Triangle, Caroline Hoover is striving to improve rural health care access, particularly birth and pregnancy services.


Headshot of Betsy Olson in front of her computer, whose screen reads "Report on Caregiving Youth in the U.S."

Exploring the special challenges of youth caregivers Faculty Up Close, Tar Heels Up Close

Betsy Olson raises the profile of the overlooked and vulnerable by cultivating a culture of collaboration through a geography lens.


Jim White stands with Jed Atkins

New faces, new programs at Carolina Letter from the Dean

Dean Jim White shares news about new leaders and areas of study in his letter from the dean in the spring 2024 issue.


Zack Hall crosses his arms and stands in front of rows of mainframes and computers

Mentors, matter Student Up Close, Tar Heels Up Close

Ph.D. student Zack Hall has made an impact at Carolina through his research of subatomic particles and by supporting undergraduate physicists.


Abigail Knight (left) and Sidney Wilkerson-Hill standing outside a nondescript UNC building

Sloan fellowships awarded to two Carolina chemists The Scoop

Abigail Knight and Sidney Wilkerson-Hill, assistant professors in the department of chemistry in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences, have been awarded 2024 Sloan Research Fellowships, among the most prestigious awards given to early-career scientists.


Astronaut Zena Cardman in full gear inside a space shuttle

Astronaut Zena Cardman to deliver Spring Commencement address The Scoop

The NASA astronaut and Tar Heel will address the Class of 2024 ahead of her first space flight later this year.


Xenia Weakly strikes a pose in the middle of a crowded street in Akihabara, Japan.

My semester in Japan Finale

UNC senior and Phillips Ambassador Xenia Weakly documents her transformative semester in Japan. She learned through her study abroad experience that it is “all the more essential for us to learn about those who are different from ourselves.”


Members of the book club stand lined up side by side outside in a field, facing the camera.

Lives guided by great books The Scoop

The new Weldon Thornton Memorial Teaching Award and Society will affirm the central place of the humanities in the arts and sciences tradition that has long defined a Carolina education.


Scott Nurkin stands, arms crossed, in front of the Elizabeth Cotten mural.

If these walls could sing Features

Scott Nurkin celebrates North Carolina’s contributions to the American songbook by painting murals of legendary musicians in their hometowns.


Charles Milton Shaffer Jr. with his family (names in photo caption) in front of a bronze statue of a baseball player.

Gift to support philanthropy fellow is a fitting legacy for devoted Tar Heel The Scoop

The Charles M. Shaffer Jr. Distinguished Fellow in Philanthropy Fund, established in honor of a late Carolina alumnus and philanthropist, will support the work of the Philosophy, Politics and Economics Program in pursuit of giving back.


An open book with a small flower sitting in the center sits beside a white coffee cup on a table. Spring trees are in the background.

Cozy up to a good read: More books from College faculty and alumni Chapter & Verse

In addition to our Chapter & Verse feature poem, enjoy more books by faculty and alumni in the spring 2024 issue.


An American flag flies in front of South Building

Carolina Asia Center trains Fort Liberty soldiers The Scoop

UNC faculty provide soldiers meaningful expertise in Asian language, culture and history.