Coping when Disaster Strikes

Fri, 20 May 2011 00:00:00 MDT

UNC faculty will travel to Italy this summer as part of an ongoing research project that aims to document how victims of natural disasters cope with the psychological trauma afterward.

Professors Sherilyn Marrow (Communication Studies), Nancy Karlin, (Psychological Sciences) and Joyce Weil (Gerontology) are investigating psychosocial factors (self-confidence, mood, perceived social support and the extent to which individuals believe that they can control events) that affect natural-disaster survivors� resilience � their ability to bounce back mentally in the wake of a hurricane, earthquake or similar event.

The team and 12 students� in Karlin�s Community Psychology course will be in Italy May 25-June 5 to interview and collect data from survivors of a 2009 earthquake in the city of L�Aquila. They�ll also talk to elderly citizens in Rome, where a rumor of an impending cataclysmic earthquake incorrectly created city-wide panic earlier this month.

The study started in 2005 when the researchers decided to collect data from a group of 38 elderly survivors after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.

�My initial inspiration for the research came from a lecture on the topic of resilience in my Family Communication course in fall 2005,� Marrow said, explaining that the class was watching TV coverage of families that were affected by the disaster. �We wondered how these families would ever have a chance to rebound.�

The second opportunity for research and data collection came in 2010, following the earthquake that affected residents of Vina Vieja, Peru.

Survivors from both Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Peru provided the team an opportunity to observe and better understand what victims experience during times of crisis. The different cultures that the survivors came from were also taken into consideration when added to the model of resilience being developed.

Data collected from the Katrina survivors suggested a relationship between resiliency and overall positive mood states after a natural disaster. However, the Peruvian earthquake survivors, who came from a lower socioeconomic status, demonstrated a greater level of mood disturbance and weaker feelings of being able to bounce back.

�The most important variable in resilience is that of emotional support,� Marrow said. �The next phase of our data analyses from both (Italian) sites will be to consider the overall findings and create a system for classifying resilience.�

Ultimately, the team�s published research and presentations will include development of a pamphlet to facilitate the coping process for natural-disaster survivors and aging populations experiencing adversity.

- Fiza Johari

Examples of Other Faculty Endeavors this Summer
Barb Hawthorne (Cultural Anthropology) will spend her summer in New Mexico researching, interviewing and photographing women artists who reside there. �We often see books about male artists or male and female artists, however, hardly any are dedicated to women,� Hawthorne said. Her research will look at both well-known artists and up-and-comers. She hopes to include women from all walks of life.

Bob Brunswig, professor of Anthropology, is coordinating an archaeology field school with community volunteers participating in excavations at Dearfield, the once-flourishing Black agricultural community east of Greeley. The multidisciplinary research program will conduct new field, laboratory, archival and historical document and photographic studies to generate new knowledge and assemble a master archival database on Dearfield�s social, economic, political and environmental history.

Bil Hoyt, professor of Oceanography, is continuing work with the Poudre Learning Center. He�s part of a study using ground-penetrating radar to survey subsurface layers on 45 acres at the Greeley site. �We want to know the variability of depth to bedrock and the nature of the materials so that we can intelligently site about three wells that we plan to dig for educational purposes and research on the site,� Hoyt said.

Stephen Mackessy, professor of Biological Sciences, will continue investigating snake venoms as a source of anti-cancer compounds. Several graduate and undergraduate students will participate on his research team over the summer. More information

Kevin Pugh, associate professor of Educational Psychology, will research how to make learning transformative by using teaching methods that help students see and experience the world in new and exciting ways. He�ll examine the research on the effect a subject matter has on a student�s everyday experience outside the classroom.

Flo Guido, associate professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership, will participate as an artist-in-residence (photographer) at a three-day conference in Luxembourg for student affairs professionals from Europe and the United States. She will be living in medieval abbey for a week and is considering turning her photography into an exhibit upon her return.

James Gall, professor of Educational Technology, will be in Taiwan conducting the research project, �Examining the relationships of videogame preference/experience, personality trait, and attitude toward educational technologies in Taiwanese college students.� The project is funded by the Cultural Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.

Mary Sean O�Halloran, professor of Counseling Psychology, will travel to Thailand in August to conduct two workshops for mental health professionals on eating disorders. One workshop will be for counselors at the International School of Bangkok and the other one at Assumption University will be for area psychologists.

- Compiled by Brittany Sarconi

The Joy of Rafting

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 MDT

UNC Professor Joe Elkins, a wilderness EMT expert who serves as a whitewater rafting guide during the summer, offers tips for staying safe when venturing out into the rapids.

Above-average snowpack in the mountains coupled with rising temperatures has rafting enthusiasts amped about expected river conditions this season. Elkins, who conquered the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon over 16 days last summer, begins his fourth summer as a professionally trained guide working with a rafting company along the Poudre River. He�s as excited as anyone to get onto the water.

�It�s going to be one of biggest whitewater years in recent memory,� he said. �We�ll experience something that we�re not likely see again in a really long time.�

Before setting out for a fun-filled river adventure, the certified Whitewater Rescue Technician advises proper planning and the following safety precautions that can make a life-saving difference.

Flotation devices
Use a personal flotation device (PFD, commonly referred to as a life vest) approved by the U.S. Coast Guard. Inner tubes, pool toys and inflatable kayaks from department stores are unacceptable. Elkins notes that there have been some deaths associated with inner tubing on fast-moving rivers over the years.

Dress appropriately
The ambient temperature may be in the 80s, but the water temperature may be in the 30s or 40s. �It�s easy to get hypothermic in minutes of exposure,� Elkins said. On the river, he layers up with a neoprene wetsuit on top of Gore-Tex long underwear, boots, and a fleece hat under his helmet. �I�m dressed more for skiing,� he said.

Go with licensed guides
They�re skilled and know how to read the water. They�ve also completed professional training, know how to navigate the river and can respond appropriately when the unexpected happens. �It�s not a time to be out there without someone who knows what they�re doing,� Elkins said.

Don�t wade, jump or swim in the river � even if you have a life vest.
Swift-moving water can carry you away.

Don�t wade, jump or swim in the river, Part II.
�Strainers� are clogged spots in the river that form from floating debris, such as tangled tree branches and loose logs, that accumulates. The entanglements are often concealed below fast-moving water that can make the river murky. Elkins knows how hard it is to get out of a strainer � a training requirement of a swift-water class he took for whitewater rescue certification. The former Army Scout calls it one of the hardest things he�s ever done.

More about Elkins

Elkins recently earned a grant from the Provost Fund for Scholarship and Professional Development to complete wilderness EMT training at the National Outdoor Leadership School in July and August. He�s certified by the Wilderness Medical Institute as a wilderness first responder and by Rescue 3 International as a Whitewater Rescue Technician. The professor of Earth Sciences will begin teaching a class this fall around an interdisciplinary theme of natural disasters. The class will incorporate geology, lab work and CPR/first aid this year and add meteorology and media portrayal of natural disasters in the coming years. Over spring break each year, Elkins takes students in his Physical Geology class for fieldwork along diverse terrain in Texas and New Mexico. At Bowling Green State University, he earned the Geological Society of America�s top teaching award for developing a nine-week fieldwork program using an interdisciplinary approach to teaching geology, Native American cultures and environmental studies.

Journeys to Graduation

Fri, 6 May 2011 00:00:00 MDT

Students� paths to earn their UNC degree take many different twists and turns. Four students walking in UNC�s spring 2011 undergraduate commencement ceremonies share their unique journeys.

Whitney Henry: Driven to Get Her Life Back
Whitney Henry�s life was rolling along at 15 years old. She was ahead on credits and on track for early graduation. She made the cheerleading team, even though she didn�t expect to. And she was close to getting her driver�s license.

Then came a July day at Fossil Ridge High School cheerleading camp in Fort Collins. A freshman girl launched into the air and Henry was among the girls in spotting formation. Continue reading

Nicole Vincelette: Fighting through Cancer, Twice
Nicole Vincelette has worked really hard the past four years, but she says it�s been worth it. With a Biological Sciences degree in hand from UNC, she�s headed next to Rochester, Minn., to begin research in the Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics track of the Mayo Clinic�s graduate program, one of the best programs in the country.

The road that led Vincelette to where she is today is one she never expected. She was diagnosed with and recovered from Hodgkin�s lymphoma when she was 5. When she was 17, her father was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and a series of successive moves to six different states with her four younger siblings and her mother resulted.

They ended up in California, where after earning her associates degree, Vincelette worked as a firefighter for several years. She then spent 45 days hitchhiking throughout Alaska before deciding she wanted to and earn a bachelor�s degree.

Vincelette moved to Greeley in time to start school in the spring of 2007, but then was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Determined to finish her education, Vincelette took only one semester to complete treatment and was back in school in spring 2008, despite the autoimmune disorder she developed from the cancer treatments.

She is proud to have finally accomplished what she set out to do four years ago.

�My goal was to finish my education,� Vincelette said. �That goal never changed; the route that got me here, although unexpected, has made me realize just how much I have to offer to the scientific community.�

Janelle Johnson: A Global Path to an International Job
Janelle Johnson, who�s receiving a bachelor�s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies � Elementary Education, was born in Turkey and grew up like any other Turkish child. Her family moved back to the United States when she was in fourth grade, and the bilingual Johnson finished her K-12 education in Longmont. She never lost the language, though, and traveled to Turkey almost every summer to visit old friends.

She became an English as a Second Language tutor during her sophomore year at UNC, and has continued tutoring through her senior year. She studied abroad during her junior year, the same year her parents moved back to Turkey. Although unplanned, she wouldn�t have had it any other way; re-visiting Turkey gave her the opportunity to experience the culture as an adult. She noticed little pieces of everyday life In Turkey that, as a child, she had been oblivious to.

For example, Middle Eastern traditions in how people greet and get to know each other are different than in the U.S. Everything has meaning. For example, in Middle East it isn�t uncommon to invite someone newly met over for a cup of tea. The first cup of tea serves as an act of hospitality; all guests receive this offering. A second cup of tea symbolizes growing friendship; by the third cup of tea, a person has practically become part of the family.

Johnson�s life experiences will give her the opportunity to use her language skills for international work after graduation. She�ll work for an international student recruitment program recruiting Turkish students to UNC�s Center for International Education programs.

Tracey Lancaster: Monkeying Around in the Yucatan
Tracey Lancaster chose to attend UNC to pursue an interest in theater, but after graduating with a bachelor�s degree in Anthropology, she�ll travel to Mexico�s Yucatan Peninsula for a five-month study on spider monkeys.

Lancaster didn�t take any theater classes her freshman year and before she knew it, an introductory physical anthropology class had her interested in paleoanthropology. During a three-week visit to a paleoanthropology research program in the Yucatan last summer, she met the head researcher and arranged an internship that will begin in January.

The internship in Punta Laguna, a small Mayan village in a government-established nature reserve along the Gulf Coast, will involve studying the social networks of spider monkeys and how they differ from those of other primates.

Lancaster is looking forward to gaining field experience in an area that is different from her undergraduate emphasis and that will benefit her when she begins graduate school to study biological anthropology.

Jessica Rice: More Volunteerism in Her Future
Jessica Rice, who�ll receive a Theatre Arts - Design Technology degree, will spend a month in Thailand this summer volunteering in rural communities

Rice will be part of International Student Volunteers, a non-profit organization that sends students around the world through a unique volunteer and adventure program. Half of the trip is spent volunteering; the other half is spent traveling around the country.

Student volunteers have a variety of projects to complete within two weeks. Projects vary from country to country. Volunteers in Thailand will work on preserving wildlife through the care and rehabilitation of rescued monkeys and elephants.

They�ll also help develop eco-tourism practices within communities, teach English to orphaned or underprivileged children and build playgrounds and schools in underdeveloped communities.

Rice has previously done volunteer work in Mexico, where she helped build three houses for families previously living in cardboard shacks. She says the physical labor will most likely be the same as her previous projects, but is looking forward to working in a completely different country and culture.

- Katie Owston

More information about commencment and the spring 2011 graduating class

Oceanography Professor Receives UNC�s Top Faculty Honor

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 00:00:00 MDT

UNC Professor of Oceanography Bill Hoyt of the College of Natural and Health Sciences was selected as the recipient of the 2011 M. Lucille Harrison Award, the university�s top faculty honor. The annual award recognizes a faculty member with a distinguished career in teaching, professional activity and service.

Hoyt joined the faculty of UNC�s Earth Sciences department in fall 1981 while he was finishing his Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Delaware. During his first year of teaching at UNC, which then offered courses on a quarter system, he had seven different class preparations involving about 800 students.

Since then, he�s taught six different courses in oceanography and 10 different geology and earth science courses. He�s also taught one-time field geology and oceanography courses in 15 off-campus locations that have included Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Belize. Plus, he�s taught or co-taught numerous Honors Program courses and Life of the Mind interdisciplinary courses.

He also served as director of the School of Chemistry, Earth Sciences and Physics from 2005-2008 and as chair of the Earth Sciences program from 1999-2005.

Hoyt�s evaluations by students and peers have consistently been excellent, according to NHS colleagues Paul Nutter and Cynthia Galovich, who co-nominated Hoyt for the Harrison Award.

�It is quite obvious that faculty colleagues respect Dr. Hoyt�s professionalism, and that students value his teaching and guidance,� they said in their nomination letter. �His actions and demeanor are inspirational and his efforts in furtherance of UNC�s mission on multiple levels have been exceptional.�

They also noted that students� evaluations of his teaching cite his extensive knowledge, enthusiasm and genuine interest in their learning.

In her letter supporting Hoyt�s nomination for the award, UNC alumna Jennifer Bailey paid tribute to his expertise in the classroom when she wrote, �His lectures were so enjoyable that I would find myself telling other people in my life all about what we have learned in class each day.�

Hoyt�s belief that practical field experiences that use the tools of the trade are essential to students� education is evident in the 20-foot long barge he designed and built as a research vessel for aquatic studies on Colorado lakes and reservoirs. Funded by a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the barge is still going strong after 20 years, and has served as the platform from which approximately 2,000 UNC students have conducted biological, chemical, physical and geological studies.

Although still active in marine geology research, his focus since 1991 has been on earth systems and providing professional development for K-12 science teachers through $5.5 million in grants from funding sources that have included the Natural Science Foundation, NOAA, EPA and NASA.

Hoyt has been an officer for many state, regional and national professional organizations, and currently serves as secretary of the Poudre Learning Center and chair of the Friends of Union Colony Schools.

In a letter supporting Hoyt�s nomination for UNC�s top faculty award, Ray Tschillard, director of the PLC, summarized Hoyt�s impact on his profession and the many people he�s influenced over the years.

�� in my 35 years as a professional Science educator, he is one of the top professors I have had the honor to work alongside,� Tschillard wrote. �There is no doubt; Bill is an extraordinary educator, but even a better person to all that come in contact with him.�

Hoyt will be presented with the Harrison award during UNC�s undergraduate commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 7, at Nottingham Field.

- Fiza Johari

Bringing Education to Life, Hoyt Style
Hoyt�s science background was evident when he provided five sensory-appealing tips on how to support UNC�s slogan: �Bringing education to life.�

1. Sight - Have a vision of where you are going and what your goals are.

2. Hearing - Listen to your surroundings and the people around you.

3. Smell - Recognize a pitfall when you approach one and make sure to avoid it.

4. Taste - Experience life and all the richness that comes with it.

5. Touch - Aim to make a difference, not only for yourself but also for others.

Of Note
For more about the M. Lucile Harrison Award, including a list of past recipients, visit the Provost�s website.

Making Learning Fun

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 00:00:00 MDT

Students in the capstone class of the President�s Leadership Program at the University of Northern Colorado chose a unique project to demonstrate how technology can be used as a relevant teaching aid for today�s students in a variety of courses.

Without any previous experience, the PLP students used free software to design an interactive video game that uses a smart phone�s GPS technology to incorporate place-based education and teach players about water rights.

The game the PLP students developed is a kidnapping mystery of a UNC professor. Players are navigated around campus and Greeley to help find the professor, all the while learning about water rights.

�This makes learning about a seemingly boring subject fun and interactive,� said Kellsie Endres, a PLP senior.

A game�s interactivity is achieved when the mobile device�s GPS determines a player�s location and provides pre-set cues that then activate other aspects of the game.

The player follows the cues given to fulfill requirements needed to complete quests and eventually finish the game. Games can be developed on any computer with an Internet connection using free ARIS drag-and-drop software that simulates an augmented reality for interactive storytelling.

The PLP students showcased their work on April 18 as part of the ARIS Global Game Jam 2011. Teams from a dozen different regions around the world took part in the conference, using video chat to communicate about the games they were going to create during the three-day game jam.

The game jams taught new users how to create a game from scratch and allowed experienced users to hone their creativity to develop a new game.

The President�s Leadership Program is a selective scholarship-based leadership program that trains students in leadership theory and practice. For more information on PLP, visit http://www.unco.edu/hsl/PLP/index.asp

- Brittany Sarconi

How to Create Your Own Interactive Game

1. Create an account on the ARIS editor.

2. Choose a location for the game to be positioned.

3. Incorporate objects. There are three types of objects in the game:

-Plaques: contain media and text to help navigate the student players. It has a fixed position in the game world and can only be viewed within a certain range which is determined by the GPS technology.

-Items: can also contain media and text. An item can be picked up, dropped or destroyed depending on the settings made by the creator of the game.

-Non-player Character: a character the player may encounter in the game. NPC are used to create virtual dialogue in the game.

4. Create requirements. Requirements are what make the game work. These are small phrases that mean a certain action will not take place until the requirement has been fulfilled.

For further questions about game development, email aris.unc@gmail.com.

Campus Cruising

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:00:00 MDT

The University of Northern Colorado Student Senate is taking an innovative approach to alternative transportation on campus with the help of the Campus Recreation Center.

UNC students, faculty and staff can check out �Blue Cruisers,� unisex bicycles painted blue and gold and sporting UNC logos, at no cost by presenting their UNC ID cards at the recreation center.

The bikes and their maintenance are paid for with fees approved by students as part of last year�s Quality of Life initiative, proposed and supported by the Student Senate.

�The program does three things,� said Ryan Shucard, Student Senate representative and an employee at the recreation center. �It gives students a viable option to get around campus, it promotes a healthier lifestyle and it�s an alternative for parking on campus.�

Fifty bikes are available and five repair stations with basic tools have been installed around campus: one at the University Center and two on either side of campus.

Helmets and locks are provided at checkout with every bike.

The bikes can be rented for seven days and a new bike can be rented at the time of return, depending on availability. Routine maintenance is performed on each incoming bike before it�s available for renting again.

�I�ve been checking out the bikes every week for most of the semester,� said sophomore Maddie Kolvick, �Without the bike, I wouldn�t be able to get to my classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.�

Daniel Lawrence, coordinator of the rec center�s Outdoor Pursuits program, said all 50 bikes are constantly being rented out.

Scott Schuttenberg, director of Campus Recreation, and his staff researched bike programs from across the U.S., even visiting the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs to get a hands-on feel for its program.

Both Shucard and Schuttenberg said this is only the beginning and they plan on enhancing the program in the future by adding more bikes and improving the program based on student suggestions.

Student�s feedback is strongly encouraged to help shape the future of the program.

The Quality of Life Act also provided funding for the Counseling Center, expanded the Bear Bus service and instituted the Outdoor Pursuits program.

�There has been talk about these improvements for years, and it feels great to finally put them into action,� Shucard said.

- Brittany Sarconi

Brain Research at UNC Draws National Attention

Fri, 8 Apr 2011 00:00:00 MDT

While Colorado and other states are taking measures to help sport coaches recognize concussions in young athletes, research on traumatic brain injuries being conducted at the University of Northern Colorado is informing how helmets might better protect the athletes from injury in the first place.

UNC Mathematical Sciences Professor Igor Szczyrba and fellow researchers are working with football helmet manufacturer Riddell and computer chip maker Intel to use helmet sensor-collected data and mathematics/computer modeling to predict the kinds of hits that cause injury.

�The idea behind our research is to use mathematics and computers to model how the brain matter or brain tissue behaves during accidents,� Szczyrba said. �The skull need not be broken to sustain an injury. Actually, the most dangerous ones are those that you cannot diagnose immediately.�

Szczyrba described the brain as �a physical medium - like a jello,� housed within the skull, with no void space and incompressible because it�s made up of 80 percent water. When different portions of the brain move violently from a sudden and drastic increase or decrease in momentum, a critical strain on veins and neurons can result.

�An injured brain can heal and even adapt, but it might not be back to 100 percent,� Szczyrba said, stressing the importance of being aware of the devastating reality of traumatic brain injuries and their possible repercussions.

Szczyrba said his hope is that the research will reduce head injuries through the use of better helmets in a variety of sports and outdoor activities, while potentially helping doctors in designing treatment methods.

He noted that according to National Institute of Health statistics, millions are affected by traumatic brain injuries every year that result in huge costs on society, financially and physically.

�I think that the Colorado Senate Bill 40 is a good thing. It forces people to look at traumatic brain injuries more seriously, especially since young people are involved in sports, enforcing more check-ups when there is a suspicion of a concussion for example,� Szczyrba said.

The recently passed bill, designed to help protect young athletes by requiring their coaches to annually take a free online concussion recognition course, becomes law on Jan. 1, 2012.

Of Note
Other brain research currently underway at UNC includes:

A program project by UNC Psychological Sciences Professor Theodore Bashore has three components designed to better understand the effects of traumatic brain injury on neurocognitive functioning. Bashore�s research was awarded more than $150,000 by the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Science.

Mark Thomas, a Biological Sciences professor at UNC, was recently awarded a $60,000 grant from The Brain and Behavior Research Fund of the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression for his research on the relationship between schizophrenia and levels of dopamine, which regulate behavior and cognitive functions in the brain.

- Fiza Johari

The Write Way to Parent

Fri, 1 Apr 2011 00:00:00 MDT

During the past 25 years, Lynn Dean, a second-year doctoral student at the University of Northern Colorado, has written more than 500 parenting articles for 100 publications in 40 states around the U.S.

Her stories have been published in books like Chicken Soup for the Father and Daughter Soul and Chicken School for the New Mom�s Soul, and she�s written articles for magazines like ParentLife, Single Parent Family, Rocky Mountain Parent Magazine and others.

Dean is currently working on her doctorate degree in Educational Psychology. She also teaches Human Growth and Development, and Educational Psychology classes for UNC undergrads preparing to become elementary school teachers.

Dean didn�t plan on becoming a prolific writer of articles about parenting. She moved to Colorado after getting married and worked as a budget analyst. After having her first child, though, she decided she wanted to be an at-home mom.

�I got a lot of flack for being an at-home mom from my colleagues, who thought I was a traitor to the cause,� Dean said. �But it wasn�t something I had planned.�

When Dean was pregnant with her second child, she started reading a weekly column titled �Moppet Memos� in a Fort Collins newspapaer. One day the column was replaced with an advertisement looking for someone new to write the column.

Dean and another person were chosen as the new authors of �Moppet Memos;� she co-wrote the column from 1987 to 1996.

�It was nice to have another identity besides being a mom, and I enjoyed writing,� Dean said. �When the column ended, I thought of myself as a writer.�

She began marketing her previously written columns to regional publications around the country, eventually writing for a number of different columns in cities across the U.S. In 1996, Dean wrote to the publisher of Rocky Mountain Parent Magazine and she�s been writing for it ever since.

�As my kids have grown, I�ve become more confident as a parent,� Dean said. �The more I studied my kids, the more I enjoyed writing about being a parent�and I still love to write for parents.�

- Katie Owston

Lynn Dean�s Top 10 Parenting Tips (for kids of all ages)
� Don�t take it personally.

� Trust your instincts.

� Love each kid individually; give each child what they need � life isn�t always fair.

� Don�t be afraid to say no � define the boundaries.

� Let your kids explore, and make mistakes, in a safe environment.

� You are going to embarrass your kids � it�s inevitable!

� There is a reason why certain phrases stand the test of time; it�s OK to say the thing you swore you�d never say.

� As children grow older, your role in their lives will change � and that�s OK.

� You are more than a parent; you are a person, too. Develop your own interests and hobbies early.

� Kiss �em while you got �em.

Of Note
Although Dean won�t be able to attend UNC Research Day next week - she�s going to Washington, D.C., to present and discuss her research on career exploration and self regulation in high school students - there�ll be plenty of other undergraduate and graduate research presented at the April 7 event that�s become the mainstay of UNC�s Academic Excellence Week.

Both oral and poster presentations will take place in the University Center. Oral presentations are 9 a.m.�4 p.m. and include topics such as "Hybrid Cluture and the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands," "Democracy through Globalization and Mobile Reform" and "Transparent Technology: Using Smartphones to Interview Sensitive Subjects."

Poster presentations last run 10 a.m.�2:30 p.m. Topics will include "The Social, Economic, and Emotional Burdens of Hoarding," "Rockies Fans� Perceptions of Game Valuation" and "The Great Recession: Economic Downturn and the Consumer Behavior of Professional Sports Fans."

For the complete list of Research Day�s oral and poster presentations on April 7, visit the Research Day website.

To see a list of other events for Academic Excellence Week, visit

the event�s website.

Twins Team Up to Help Cancer Survivors

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:00:00 MDT

UNC students and twin sisters Nicole and Ashley Larson didn�t let setbacks in their family life while growing up in Greeley stop them from realizing their dreams of attending college, and of helping other people.

In fact, those setbacks brought them even closer together than most twins inherently are. Through good times and bad times, they always knew that they could depend on each other. That sense of trust serves them well in a variety of situations, including when they�re organizing a major event like the March 26 Spring Swing dance event to benefit UNC�s Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehabilitation Institute.

Their father was no longer a part of their lives when their mother died of a drug overdose when the sisters were 13. Fortunately, an aunt and uncle also living in Greeley were glad to take them in, so their lives weren�t disrupted further.

But then the aunt and uncle divorced, and the girls� future seemed uncertain again until arrangements were made for them to live with their aunt.

The girls � determined to not let the twists of fate overwhelm them � threw themselves into sports at Greeley West High School � track, cross-country and volleyball � and into living healthy lifestyles � running in recreational 5K races, bicycling and healthful foods.

When they were seniors, the Larson sisters� penchant for running in 5K races and a desire to do something to help others led them to organize their own 5K race to benefit the cancer treatment unit at Children�s Hospital in Denver. With no experience other than as runners, the pair pulled off the race and raised more than $1,500.

Earlier this year, Nicole, a junior double majoring in Sport and Exercise Science, and Psychology, started thinking it was time to organize another fundraiser to help the less fortunate out. Over a short period of time, an idea came to her.

�I realized that cancer was affecting the lives of several people in my life,� Nicole said. �The wives of a couple of my professors, a friend, a family member, and then it hit me that we could raise money for university�s cancer rehabilitation center and honor cancer survivors at the same time.�

Ashley, a Nursing major, was all for it. They mentioned their plan to a few classmates and before they knew it, they had a team of 20 classmates and friends eager to help them. An idea to hold a relatively low-key dance turned into a night of free swing dance classes, dancing to Big Band music provided by the UNC jazz band followed by dancing to contemporary country, rap and hip hop music played by a DJ, complimentary hors d��uvres donated by a local eatery and a cash bar, and a ceremony recognizing cancer survivors.

�It just sort of snowballed as people came up with ideas and offered to act on them,� Nicole said. �It was definitely a team effort.�

Even before the Spring Swing had been held, the Larsons were already thinking about their next fundraiser. They hope to organize another benefit-for-cancer 5K run this fall that will allow at least the fastest runners to finish to the cheers of the crowd in Nottingham Stadium during halftime of a Bears football game.

�Finishing a race in front of that many cheering people would be pretty inspiring,� Nicole said. �So would honoring cancer survivors, which is also part of the plan.�

- Gary Dutmers

About the Spring Swing

About the RMCRI

Miracle Worker: Update

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 MDT

In a March 16 Skype interview with The Pulse Network, UNC student Rachel Rose Jackson, the subject of a Feb. 4 Spotlight feature and runner-up in the national Students in Service Awards, provides details of how during a 2009 study abroad trip to Ghana, she co-founded a nonprofit organization that provides ongoing relief and support to women and children living on the streets of the city of Accra.

View the 10-minute video.

Read the Feb. 4 Spotlight.

Featured Stories for UNC

Coping when Disaster Strikes

The Joy of Rafting

Journeys to Graduation

Oceanography Professor Receives UNC�s Top Faculty Honor

Making Learning Fun

Campus Cruising

Brain Research at UNC Draws National Attention

The Write Way to Parent

Twins Team Up to Help Cancer Survivors

Miracle Worker: Update