Adding to the excitement is the airport arrival of 704 Shop, Charlotte’s popular apparel and lifestyle brand founded by UNC Charlotte alumni Chris Moxley ’03, Jerri Shephard ’14 and Scott Wooten. Setting up shop in Concourse B, the new store proudly offers an assortment of UNC Charlotte-branded merchandise as well as official city of Charlotte gear. From trendy apparel to unique accessories, travelers have the opportunity to grab a piece of Charlotte — a perfect memento or unique gift. The trio proudly cut the ribbon to the new store on November 27.

From left to right: Paradies retail partners Terry Wimpy, Sam Willhite, Norm the Niner, Scott Wooten, Jerri Shepard, Chris Moxley and director of athletics Mike Hill cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the 704 Shop at the CLT airport on Nov. 27.

704 Shop co-founder Chris Moxley poses with one of the Charlotte ad placements.

The hanging banners will be complemented with several large backlit displays featuring Charlotte 49er gear, and digital display ads throughout all of the terminals. The placements will be active for at least the next year.

Keep an eye out for all of the placements, and visit the 704 Shop in Concourse B to pick up your piece of Charlotte and proudly display your Niner pride, no matter where you roam.

Adding to the excitement is the airport arrival of 704 Shop, Charlotte’s popular apparel and lifestyle brand founded by UNC Charlotte alumni Chris Moxley ’03, Jerri Shephard ’14 and Scott Wooten. Setting up shop in Concourse B, the new store proudly offers an assortment of UNC Charlotte-branded merchandise as well as official city of Charlotte gear. From trendy apparel to unique accessories, travelers have the opportunity to grab a piece of Charlotte — a perfect memento or unique gift. The trio proudly cut the ribbon to the new store on November 27.

From left to right: Paradies retail partners Terry Wimpy, Sam Willhite, Norm the Niner, Scott Wooten, Jerri Shepard, Chris Moxley and director of athletics Mike Hill cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the 704 Shop at the CLT airport on Nov. 27.

704 Shop co-founder Chris Moxley poses with one of the Charlotte ad placements.

The hanging banners will be complemented with several large backlit displays featuring Charlotte 49er gear, and digital display ads throughout all of the terminals. The placements will be active for at least the next year.

“The aim is to increase our brand presence and create an engaging experience for travelers passing through Charlotte Douglas International Airport. With our banners and the arrival of 704 Shop, we’re proudly displaying UNC Charlotte’s 49er spirit and the diverse offerings that represent the vibrancy of the Queen City.”

Jennifer Ames Stuart, associate vice chancellor of university communications.

Keep an eye out for all of the placements, and visit the 704 Shop in Concourse B to pick up your piece of Charlotte and proudly display your Niner pride, no matter where you roam.

Science educator Nancy Bullard ’18 M.Ed., set out to make science accessible, interesting and entertaining during the pandemic to her virtually learning students. Now a recognizable social media presence, she inspires millions of teachers, caregivers, homeschoolers and others.

By Susan Messina

Three million-plus TikTok followers can’t be wrong. Neither are 300,000 more on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

They’re all tuning in to learn from Nancy Bullard ‘18, M.Ed., as she brings science to life for students, parents, teachers and others through social media in lively, attention-grabbing ways. The best part is they are able to replicate the experiments Bullard demonstrates in their own classrooms, kitchens and garages with their young scientists.

“Science is an exciting subject that allows you to have cool, delightful moments with students as they’re learning something new or seeing an experiment for the first time — usually with something exploding or bubbling over,” said Bullard. “My initial objective for using social media was to showcase easy, engaging and hands-on science during the pandemic, when teachers everywhere were facing challenges none of us had ever encountered.”

A pandemic-inspired idea

A fourth-generation North Carolina public school teacher, Bullard — who learned high school biology in her mother’s classroom — is first and foremost a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools K-5 science lab teacher, a position that is available at about 40 of 102 CMS elementary schools. At Huntingtowne Farms Elementary School, where she’s taught for more than decade, science is part of the school’s “specials rotation.” It is considered a priority subject alongside physical education, music and art.

One way CMS sought to curb the learning challenges that came with pandemic-related school lockdowns was to designate a small group of educators to serve as virtual science teachers for each grade. Bullard was tapped for the district’s third graders.

Teaching students and inspiring teachers

“I was at home filming myself every day for content for the district. At the same time, I noticed during virtual science labs with my regular students that no one was having any fun. In fact, attendance was very low,” said Bullard. “So I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll take some of the videos I’m creating where I’m using things from around my house and make them into short-form TikTok videos and see if that might interest my lab students.’” 

Now, after learning to use TikTok with the skill of a social media influencer, she ranks among the platform’s sensations. Known to her fans as Mrs. B TV, Bullard — who was named a 2022 Charlottean of the Year by Charlotte magazine — hears from new and experienced classroom teachers, homeschoolers, camp directors, parents and grandparents who are eager to try the experiments she shares. 

Additional thoughts from Mrs. B TV:

Science educator Nancy Bullard ’18 M.Ed., set out to make science accessible, interesting and entertaining during the pandemic to her virtually learning students. Now a recognizable social media presence, she inspires millions of teachers, caregivers, homeschoolers and others.

By Susan Messina

A pandemic-inspired idea

A fourth-generation North Carolina public school teacher, Bullard — who learned high school biology in her mother’s classroom — is first and foremost a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools K-5 science lab teacher, a position that is available at about 40 of 102 CMS elementary schools. At Huntingtowne Farms Elementary School, where she’s taught for more than decade, science is part of the school’s “specials rotation.” It is considered a priority subject alongside physical education, music and art.

One way CMS sought to curb the learning challenges that came with pandemic-related school lockdowns was to designate a small group of educators to serve as virtual science teachers for each grade. Bullard was tapped for the district’s third graders.

Teaching students and inspiring teachers

“I was at home filming myself every day for content for the district. At the same time, I noticed during virtual science labs with my regular students that no one was having any fun. In fact, attendance was very low,” said Bullard. “So I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll take some of the videos I’m creating where I’m using things from around my house and make them into short-form TikTok videos and see if that might interest my lab students.’” 

Now, after learning to use TikTok with the skill of a social media influencer, she ranks among the platform’s sensations. Known to her fans as Mrs. B TV, Bullard — who was named a 2022 Charlottean of the Year by Charlotte magazine — hears from new and experienced classroom teachers, homeschoolers, camp directors, parents and grandparents who are eager to try the experiments she shares. 

Additional thoughts from Mrs. B TV:

By Yen Duong

In Hollywood, powerful evil artificial intelligences take over governments, destroy planets and predict our every move. In real life, the problems with AI are often those of their creators — perpetuating and worsening gender and racial biases. To fight these biases and restore public trust in AI, researchers are turning to the public.

“The question is how to create artificial intelligence responsibly and in an ethical manner to address real-world problems,” said Hamed Tabkhi, who is working with community stakeholders and researchers to “co-create and co-design” solutions to public safety with AI. “Public opinion is a priority for our work: what are people’s needs, what are their privacy concerns, what kind of system do we need to design?”

In Tabkhi’s (literally) million-dollar idea, his AI system helps law enforcement without breaking the trust of people the police are meant to protect. Residents’ crime and policing concerns directly inform the design of an AI system to address neighborhood safety specific to their community, and prevent misunderstanding about law enforcement’s use of the tools.

“We don’t want to inadvertently over-police the neighborhoods we intend to support,” said Tabkhi, who is an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering in the William States Lee College of Engineering at UNC Charlotte. “What we have yet to solve is: What is the right balance? How can we use a responsible AI to better detect criminal activities or anything that will be dangerous to the public but at the same time, respect the privacy of citizens?”

SETTING UP THE NETWORK

In 2016, Tabkhi joined UNC Charlotte’s faculty and created his lab, moving on from his thesis research to computer vision and how computers process images. He immediately established networking prowess by putting together a National Science Foundation proposal with four collaborators from the criminal justice and criminology, electrical and computer engineering, and civil and environmental engineering departments and the Center for Applied Geographic Information Science. The team received $2 million for the inaugural year of the NSF Smart and Connected Communities program.

“I was excited about this program because, in contrast with the traditional way of doing engineering where you’re isolated in your lab, build a technology and hope for the best, the aim is to use technology and AI to address actual problems and social issues,” Tabkhi said. “This program pushes us to explore those areas with real pilots and working systems.

From the very beginning, the team partnered with the city of Charlotte Office of Sustainability to connect with community members. They started with visits to farmers markets, public libraries and community centers to speak with stakeholders and ask them about their public safety concerns — activities that they continue today. 

The team also met with leaders from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department and other area businesses and hospitals. After organizing a summit in 2019 to discuss AI and public safety with various stakeholders, they decided to make a working pilot in the community to get better feedback. They partnered with Central Piedmont Community College, particularly with its criminal justice department chair Jeri Guido ’07.

HOW THE AI WORKS

Tabkhi and his research team at Central Piedmont Community College

“It’s very difficult to generalize anomaly detection because something that might be an anomaly in a hospital isn’t necessarily an anomaly in a shopping mall or a parking lot,” Tabkhi pointed out.

Ultimately, the AI itself will be able to identify anomalies without needing examples. That’s the “intelligence” in artificial intelligence; by watching far more hours of normal behavior than any one human would, it will learn what abnormal behavior looks like. The more unusual part of this project revolves around the community’s concerns.

“What is unique about our work is that we are doing it by removing identifiable information — without using faces, skin color or gender,” Tabkhi said. “We’re doing this to remove biases, assuring fairness in the AI process and its outcomes.”

At their community visits, the team demonstrates what the AI is observing. Any identifying information is cut out as people’s images are transformed into a pixelated avatar. That’s how the AI watches people’s behavior rather than their appearance. The AI also doesn’t choose what to do; it only pings whomever would usually be watching the CCTVs when it detects something that is not normal.

“At the end of the day, AI will not be the decision maker; it’s just another channel of information,” Tabkhi said. “We as humans cannot observe all the cameras at the same time. At the same time, we don’t want to leave all the decision making to the AI, so that’s why we are finding the right balance.”

“We truly believe that with the current acceleration of AI, you really won’t need a graduate degree or a Ph.D. to work in AI,” Tabkhi said, citing UNC Charlotte undergraduate alumni working at Bank of America who are using AI expertise to detect and prevent fraud. “With the proper education, and knowing the principles and how to use AI, students from all levels will be prepared for very competitive careers in the tech industry.”

Researcher Hamed Tabkhi discovers the key to using AI for public safety: involve the community in the design

By Yen Duong

In Hollywood, powerful evil artificial intelligences take over governments, destroy planets and predict our every move. In real life, the problems with AI are often those of their creators — perpetuating and worsening gender and racial biases. To fight these biases and restore public trust in AI, researchers are turning to the public.

“The question is how to create artificial intelligence responsibly and in an ethical manner to address real-world problems,” said Hamed Tabkhi, who is working with community stakeholders and researchers to “co-create and co-design” solutions to public safety with AI. “Public opinion is a priority for our work: what are people’s needs, what are their privacy concerns, what kind of system do we need to design?”

In Tabkhi’s (literally) million-dollar idea, his AI system helps law enforcement without breaking the trust of people the police are meant to protect. Residents’ crime and policing concerns directly inform the design of an AI system to address neighborhood safety specific to their community, and prevent misunderstanding about law enforcement’s use of the tools.

“We don’t want to inadvertently over-police the neighborhoods we intend to support,” said Tabkhi, who is an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering in the William States Lee College of Engineering at UNC Charlotte. “What we have yet to solve is: What is the right balance? How can we use a responsible AI to better detect criminal activities or anything that will be dangerous to the public but at the same time, respect the privacy of citizens?”

SETTING UP THE NETWORK

In 2016, Tabkhi joined UNC Charlotte’s faculty and created his lab, moving on from his thesis research to computer vision and how computers process images. He immediately established networking prowess by putting together a National Science Foundation proposal with four collaborators from the criminal justice and criminology, electrical and computer engineering, and civil and environmental engineering departments and the Center for Applied Geographic Information Science. The team received $2 million for the inaugural year of the NSF Smart and Connected Communities program.

“I was excited about this program because, in contrast with the traditional way of doing engineering where you’re isolated in your lab, build a technology and hope for the best, the aim is to use technology and AI to address actual problems and social issues,” Tabkhi said. “This program pushes us to explore those areas with real pilots and working systems.

From the very beginning, the team partnered with the city of Charlotte Office of Sustainability to connect with community members. They started with visits to farmers markets, public libraries and community centers to speak with stakeholders and ask them about their public safety concerns — activities that they continue today. 

The team also met with leaders from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department and other area businesses and hospitals. After organizing a summit in 2019 to discuss AI and public safety with various stakeholders, they decided to make a working pilot in the community to get better feedback. They partnered with Central Piedmont Community College, particularly with its criminal justice department chair Jeri Guido ’07.

HOW THE AI WORKS

Tabkhi and his research team at Central Piedmont Community College

“It’s very difficult to generalize anomaly detection because something that might be an anomaly in a hospital isn’t necessarily an anomaly in a shopping mall or a parking lot,” Tabkhi pointed out.

Ultimately, the AI itself will be able to identify anomalies without needing examples. That’s the “intelligence” in artificial intelligence; by watching far more hours of normal behavior than any one human would, it will learn what abnormal behavior looks like. The more unusual part of this project revolves around the community’s concerns.

“What is unique about our work is that we are doing it by removing identifiable information — without using faces, skin color or gender,” Tabkhi said. “We’re doing this to remove biases, assuring fairness in the AI process and its outcomes.”

At their community visits, the team demonstrates what the AI is observing. Any identifying information is cut out as people’s images are transformed into a pixelated avatar. That’s how the AI watches people’s behavior rather than their appearance. The AI also doesn’t choose what to do; it only pings whomever would usually be watching the CCTVs when it detects something that is not normal.

“At the end of the day, AI will not be the decision maker; it’s just another channel of information,” Tabkhi said. “We as humans cannot observe all the cameras at the same time. At the same time, we don’t want to leave all the decision making to the AI, so that’s why we are finding the right balance.”

Wow, what a week! Niner Nation Week: Homecoming 2023 was an absolute blast, and we’re still riding high from all of the Niner pride. From bustling social gatherings and unforgettable reunions to tantalizing tailgates and energetic parties, we hope you had a fantastic time celebrating with fellow Niners.

Check out some of the highlights and photos below!

Remember, it’s not just about the events — it’s about the people. We love our Niner Nation community, and your enthusiasm made this week unforgettable. Thanks to everyone who joined us! Let’s keep the spirit alive until next year’s Homecoming. Share your memories, tag your friends, and relive the fun.

Stay connected, Niners! 🔥💚⛏️

Wow, what a week! Niner Nation Week: Homecoming 2023 was an absolute blast, and we’re still riding high from all of the Niner pride. From bustling social gatherings and unforgettable reunions to tantalizing tailgates and energetic parties, we hope you had a fantastic time celebrating with fellow Niners.

Check out some of the highlights and photos below!

Remember, it’s not just about the events — it’s about the people. We love our Niner Nation community, and your enthusiasm made this week unforgettable. Thanks to everyone who joined us! Let’s keep the spirit alive until next year’s Homecoming. Share your memories, tag your friends, and relive the fun.

Stay connected, Niners! 🔥💚⛏️

By Meg Whalen

Photos by Amy Hart

If there’s one thing the COVID-19 pandemic and a wave of catastrophic forest fires have taught us, it’s that the air you breathe can make you sick. And in a country where the average person spends 90% of their time indoors, good indoor air is especially important.

More than a decade ago, well before coronavirus became a household word, Associate Professor of Architecture Jefferson Ellinger began using his design expertise to improve air quality.

“Part of the mission of being an architect is to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public.”

– Jefferson Ellinger

Certainly, good air is necessary for good health: Dozens of studies demonstrate that the high levels of carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds typically found inside buildings — not to mention molds, bacteria and viruses — impair cognition and raise the risk for a host of diseases. But good air is not necessarily “clean,” and the sophisticated air purifying systems that are becoming increasingly popular, Ellinger said, “remove everything from the air, making it sterile, so then the building surfaces and airstream become populated with human pathogens that are brought in by the building occupants.”

Ideally, the air in an office building would be as healthful as fresh, unpolluted air outside. Working with a team of former colleagues from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Ellinger began to investigate ways to bring the benefits of fresh outdoor air to an enclosed space. Establishing the company Fresh Air Building Systems, they developed AMPS, or Active Modular Phytoremediation System, a plant wall that can be integrated into a building’s HVAC system.

“Introducing plants reintroduces healthy microbiota into the environment, which can reduce the concentration of human pathogens,” said Ellinger. And like trees outdoors, the plants remove carbon dioxide and particulate matter from the air.

After years of research, Ellinger has found that pothos plants are best.

Here’s how the AMPS biofiltration system works.

First, there are the plants. From more than a dozen varieties tested, pothos (also known as devil’s ivy) has emerged as the plant of choice. “It’s a super robust, hardy plant,” said Ellinger, “and good at removing carbon dioxide.”

The plants grow in an engineered growing media that discourages mold spores from forming. “It’s a combination of activated carbon and Growstones (made of recycled glass) and engineered clay,” described Ellinger.

The wall, which Ellinger designs according to the space it will occupy, is a sort of honeycomb structure of Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic on a steel frame. Each plant has its own nook, its own LED “grow light,” and water from an integrated irrigation system.

The AMPS is connected to the HVAC system, and as fans draw air through the plants’ root rhizosphere (the micro-ecosystem surrounding the root ball), microbes on the roots eat contaminants that are in the air.

Ellinger adjusts the plants in the Gresham Smith office.

This summer, Ellinger and his graduate research assistants constructed an AMPS in the Storrs Fabrication Lab on campus and installed it in the new offices of Gresham Smith architecture firm in uptown Charlotte. The project is the newest outcome of a multi-year partnership that Gresham Smith has had with the David R. Ravin School of Architecture’s design computation program, a dual graduate degree program with the Department of Software and Information Systems that Ellinger directs. Since 2019, Gresham Smith has sponsored architectural studios, supporting students’ research. It is an effort to close the gap between academia and design practice, said Sivilay Xayasaene, NCIDQ, CDT, senior interior designer at Gresham Smith.

“Gresham Smith is proud of our ongoing partnership with UNC Charlotte. This partnership is a merging of architecture and data science; we’re bringing machine learning and algorithms into the design development process with the goal of improving our processes, services and work product.”

Xayasaene said the “living wall” will provide fresh air to the office conference room.

“The goal is to use the system to improve indoor air quality, reduce energy consumption and improve building occupants’ health, well-being and productivity. This system not only ensures a healthier workspace but contributes to the overall sustainable design of the office, which is key to our core values.”

– Sivilay Xayasaene

Graduate student Daniel Najarro was part of the Gresham Smith AMPS team, designing mounts for switches and lighting, building the steel frame and helping to install the wall system in the uptown conference room.

Student, Daniel Najarro (left) and Jefferson Ellinger (right)

Coming to UNC Charlotte from UNC Greensboro, where he earned a degree in interior architecture, Najarro said the project has made him think differently about inside space and wellness, knowledge that he will take with him as he pursues a career designing office spaces and perhaps even health care settings.

The AMPS at Gresham Smith and a smaller portable model for campus provide opportunities for further development and research, said Ellinger. With dual degree graduate students Sharaa Norouzi Talkhounche and Subham Sah, he is designing a machine learning system that will optimize the performance of the AMPS. Sensors will monitor carbon dioxide levels and responsively modify when the plants are watered, how long the lights are on and how fast the fans blow to achieve the best air quality in the space.

“Carbon dioxide is a good way to monitor air quality in the system,” Ellinger said. “It’s a good indicator of other pollutants.”

Cynthia Gibas, a professor in the Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics in the College of Computing and Informatics, is hoping to take the research even further. A specialist in microbial genomics, she uses DNA sequencing to identify which organisms are present in the environment and led the University’s COVID-19 wastewater monitoring effort. More recently, she has turned her attention to indoor air quality — how microbes build up in indoor spaces and what that means for human health.

In December 2022, Gibas learned of Ellinger’s AMPS research from a poster presentation by graduate research assistant Subham Sah. She said the installation provides a unique opportunity to test the impact of plants on a room’s microbiome, the “community of microscopic life — bacteria, viruses, fungi — that is everywhere.”

“What’s in the air? What’s on the surfaces? Do we see a change in the microbiome that is associated with the AMPS? Is it filtering something out or is it introducing something in?”

Gibas hopes to apply the advanced sampling, sequencing and computing equipment that her team acquired during their pandemic wastewater research to this new inquiry.

“We really have the expertise to do the microbiome research in house, and we also have the computational analysis and statistics in house, so it’s perfect.”

Gibas and Ellinger plan to seek grant funding to expand the research. Using a free-standing AMPS model developed with colleagues at SHoP architecture firm in New York City, Ellinger and his Fresh Air Building Systems partners have been testing its impact on indoor air quality. The HVAC integrated system at Gresham Smith will allow for more advanced studies.

“We’ve done the research to know that our system is filtering out pollutants,” he said. “Will it lessen the concentration of human pathogens? Could it diversify the building microbiome for a full office footprint?”

Like Gibas, Ellinger is interested ultimately in developing “probiotics” for the build environment.

“I call it yogurt for buildings.”

Meg Whalen is director of communications for the College of Arts + Architecture.

Architecture professor Jefferson Ellinger is testing an innovative solution to bring the benefits of fresh outdoor air to an enclosed space

By Meg Whalen

Photos by Amy Hart

If there’s one thing the COVID-19 pandemic and a wave of catastrophic forest fires have taught us, it’s that the air you breathe can make you sick. And in a country where the average person spends 90% of their time indoors, good indoor air is especially important.

More than a decade ago, well before coronavirus became a household word, Associate Professor of Architecture Jefferson Ellinger began using his design expertise to improve air quality.

“Part of the mission of being an architect is to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public.”

– Jefferson Ellinger

Certainly, good air is necessary for good health: Dozens of studies demonstrate that the high levels of carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds typically found inside buildings — not to mention molds, bacteria and viruses — impair cognition and raise the risk for a host of diseases. But good air is not necessarily “clean,” and the sophisticated air purifying systems that are becoming increasingly popular, Ellinger said, “remove everything from the air, making it sterile, so then the building surfaces and airstream become populated with human pathogens that are brought in by the building occupants.”

Ideally, the air in an office building would be as healthful as fresh, unpolluted air outside. Working with a team of former colleagues from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Ellinger began to investigate ways to bring the benefits of fresh outdoor air to an enclosed space. Establishing the company Fresh Air Building Systems, they developed AMPS, or Active Modular Phytoremediation System, a plant wall that can be integrated into a building’s HVAC system.

“Introducing plants reintroduces healthy microbiota into the environment, which can reduce the concentration of human pathogens,” said Ellinger. And like trees outdoors, the plants remove carbon dioxide and particulate matter from the air.

After years of research, Ellinger has found that pothos plants are best.

Here’s how the AMPS biofiltration system works.

First, there are the plants. From more than a dozen varieties tested, pothos (also known as devil’s ivy) has emerged as the plant of choice. “It’s a super robust, hardy plant,” said Ellinger, “and good at removing carbon dioxide.”

The plants grow in an engineered growing media that discourages mold spores from forming. “It’s a combination of activated carbon and Growstones (made of recycled glass) and engineered clay,” described Ellinger.

The wall, which Ellinger designs according to the space it will occupy, is a sort of honeycomb structure of Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic on a steel frame. Each plant has its own nook, its own LED “grow light,” and water from an integrated irrigation system.

The AMPS is connected to the HVAC system, and as fans draw air through the plants’ root rhizosphere (the micro-ecosystem surrounding the root ball), microbes on the roots eat contaminants that are in the air.

Ellinger adjusts the plants in the Gresham Smith office.

This summer, Ellinger and his graduate research assistants constructed an AMPS in the Storrs Fabrication Lab on campus and installed it in the new offices of Gresham Smith architecture firm in uptown Charlotte. The project is the newest outcome of a multi-year partnership that Gresham Smith has had with the David R. Ravin School of Architecture’s design computation program, a dual graduate degree program with the Department of Software and Information Systems that Ellinger directs. Since 2019, Gresham Smith has sponsored architectural studios, supporting students’ research. It is an effort to close the gap between academia and design practice, said Sivilay Xayasaene, NCIDQ, CDT, senior interior designer at Gresham Smith.

“Gresham Smith is proud of our ongoing partnership with UNC Charlotte. This partnership is a merging of architecture and data science; we’re bringing machine learning and algorithms into the design development process with the goal of improving our processes, services and work product.”

Xayasaene said the “living wall” will provide fresh air to the office conference room.

“The goal is to use the system to improve indoor air quality, reduce energy consumption and improve building occupants’ health, well-being and productivity. This system not only ensures a healthier workspace but contributes to the overall sustainable design of the office, which is key to our core values.”

– Sivilay Xayasaene

Graduate student Daniel Najarro was part of the Gresham Smith AMPS team, designing mounts for switches and lighting, building the steel frame and helping to install the wall system in the uptown conference room.

Student, Daniel Najarro (left) and Jefferson Ellinger (right)

Coming to UNC Charlotte from UNC Greensboro, where he earned a degree in interior architecture, Najarro said the project has made him think differently about inside space and wellness, knowledge that he will take with him as he pursues a career designing office spaces and perhaps even health care settings.

The AMPS at Gresham Smith and a smaller portable model for campus provide opportunities for further development and research, said Ellinger. With dual degree graduate students Sharaa Norouzi Talkhounche and Subham Sah, he is designing a machine learning system that will optimize the performance of the AMPS. Sensors will monitor carbon dioxide levels and responsively modify when the plants are watered, how long the lights are on and how fast the fans blow to achieve the best air quality in the space.

“Carbon dioxide is a good way to monitor air quality in the system,” Ellinger said. “It’s a good indicator of other pollutants.”

Cynthia Gibas, a professor in the Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics in the College of Computing and Informatics, is hoping to take the research even further. A specialist in microbial genomics, she uses DNA sequencing to identify which organisms are present in the environment and led the University’s COVID-19 wastewater monitoring effort. More recently, she has turned her attention to indoor air quality — how microbes build up in indoor spaces and what that means for human health.

In December 2022, Gibas learned of Ellinger’s AMPS research from a poster presentation by graduate research assistant Subham Sah. She said the installation provides a unique opportunity to test the impact of plants on a room’s microbiome, the “community of microscopic life — bacteria, viruses, fungi — that is everywhere.”

“What’s in the air? What’s on the surfaces? Do we see a change in the microbiome that is associated with the AMPS? Is it filtering something out or is it introducing something in?”

Gibas hopes to apply the advanced sampling, sequencing and computing equipment that her team acquired during their pandemic wastewater research to this new inquiry.

“We really have the expertise to do the microbiome research in house, and we also have the computational analysis and statistics in house, so it’s perfect.”

Gibas and Ellinger plan to seek grant funding to expand the research. Using a free-standing AMPS model developed with colleagues at SHoP architecture firm in New York City, Ellinger and his Fresh Air Building Systems partners have been testing its impact on indoor air quality. The HVAC integrated system at Gresham Smith will allow for more advanced studies.

“We’ve done the research to know that our system is filtering out pollutants,” he said. “Will it lessen the concentration of human pathogens? Could it diversify the building microbiome for a full office footprint?”

Like Gibas, Ellinger is interested ultimately in developing “probiotics” for the build environment.

“I call it yogurt for buildings.”

Meg Whalen is director of communications for the College of Arts + Architecture.

Alumni-owned restaurants, pubs and coffee shops across the city are celebrating Niner Nation Week with incredible (and delicious!) specialty items and deals. Features include the Niner Burger from Red Rocks Cafe, custom beers from D9, Vaulted Oak, Petty Thieves and Cabarrus Brewing, along with the Charlotte 49er Milkshake from Ninety’s Dessert Bar, Waterbean Coffee’s 49er Victory Refresher and more. Put on your Niner gear for a discount while supporting these alumni-owned establishments from Oct. 9 – 15!

Brunch Cocktails

THE NORMAL LIFE LAGER AT PETTY THIEVES BREWING

Raise a glass to the ‘NORMal Life’ with a crisp lager from Petty Thieves Brewing, and enjoy a 10% discount on a taste that’s anything but ordinary.

THE 49ER VICTORY REFRESHER AT WATERBEAN COFFEE

Celebrate victories big and small with the 49er Victory Refresher at Waterbean Coffee, a delightful fruity beverage that’s as refreshing as a triumph itself. Only 49 cents for anyone wearing Niner Gear!

NINER NATION CELEBRATORY BREW AT HEIST BREWERY

Raise a glass of Heist Brewery’s Niner Nation Celebratory Brew, a beer that embodies the spirit of the 49ers with every sip, celebrating both tradition and innovation in a single pint glass.

Brunch Cocktails

THE NORMAL LIFE LAGER AT PETTY THIEVES BREWING

Raise a glass to the ‘NORMal Life’ with a crisp lager from Petty Thieves Brewing, and enjoy a 10% discount on a taste that’s anything but ordinary.

THE 49ER VICTORY REFRESHER AT WATERBEAN COFFEE

Celebrate victories big and small with the 49er Victory Refresher at Waterbean Coffee, a delightful fruity beverage that’s as refreshing as a triumph itself. Only 49 cents for anyone wearing Niner Gear!

NINER NATION CELEBRATORY BREW AT HEIST BREWERY

Raise a glass of Heist Brewery’s Niner Nation Celebratory Brew, a beer that embodies the spirit of the 49ers with every sip, celebrating both tradition and innovation in a single pint glass.

TAILGATING TITAN

Rob Dibble ’95 and the Normbulance bring the party to life.

By Jenny Matz

Photos by Ryan Honeyman

Rob Dibble ’95 is a die-hard 49er fan, and it shows. In the spirited world of tailgating, this guy is king. His infectious enthusiasm and passion for the Charlotte 49ers have made him a local legend, primarily due to a unique creation — “The Normbulance,” a tricked out former ambulance designed for the ultimate tailgate experience.

During the week, the tailgate titan is founder and CEO of ACE Learning and Consulting, a training and development organization for managers and employers. Dibble frequently partners with UNC Charlotte’s School of Professional Studies and major corporations like Barrings Financial, Continental Tire and Bosch Tools. But on weekends, Dibble exudes Niner pride — ride along as we hear how the Normbulance came to be.

The Normbulance is a tailgating staple to the left of Gate 2.

A Belmont, North Carolina native, Dibble is no stranger to Charlotte. When considering colleges, he looked beyond the region, visiting UNC Wilmington and Appalachian State. After several campus tours, he realized UNC Charlotte offered exactly what he sought. He found his niche amongst Charlotte’s modern campus and vibrant student life, paired with the amenities of a metropolitan city. Yet, he was far enough from home to feel like he was starting a new chapter.

Dibble moved into Holshouser Hall his freshman year and quickly gained a tight circle of friends. He immersed himself in campus life, frequenting basketball and soccer games — when he wasn’t completing his degree in religious studies. While Dibble and his buddies actively supported athletics, they missed the football experience other state universities offered — and saw an opportunity.

One thing you quickly learn about Dibble is that he makes things happen. When he made up his mind to support bringing football to UNC Charlotte, he was all in.

Adding varsity football was a frequent discussion topic throughout Charlotte’s history, but it never gained momentum. In 2006, Jim Duncan ‘91 gathered 15 fans to kick off the Charlotte 49er Football Initiative (CFI) to realize the dream of Division 1 Charlotte football. Dibble, who was among this group, credits the power of the message board for the initiative’s success. This predecessor to today’s social media platforms enabled CFI backers to garner support and bring key players to the table.

Dibble believes the most critical component achieved was connecting alumni and students to identify the real and perceived barriers to overcome. CFI helped students organize and consider solutions to larger issues such as finances and achieving broader student support — both challenging obstacles. But through strategic information sharing and by creating a compelling vision, students rallied and in 2007, they voted overwhelmingly to bring football to campus. The UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees authorized a Football Feasibility Committee, and in 2008, following extensive study and public forums, the committee voted unanimously to recommend the addition of 49er football by fall 2013.

Dibble welcomes any and everyone to join the party.

Elated by the decision, Dibble vowed to create a memorable experience for each and every game. He wanted a unique tailgating vehicle, and when a friend jokingly suggested an ambulance, Dibble knew they struck gold. With a vision of bringing fans together and creating unforgettable experiences, he purchased an old ambulance and transformed it into the iconic “Normbulance.” The vehicle’s name is a nod to the 49ers’ mascot, Norm the Niner, and it encapsulates the spirit of Niner Nation.

The Normbulance quickly became a game-day central hub for tailgaters. Decked in green and white, it stands out in a sea of tailgating setups. The exterior showcases the 49ers’ colors and logo, making it a beacon for fans seeking the ultimate pre-game party. Dibble parks at Gate 2 outside Richardson Stadium for every home game offering food, drinks and community.

Dibble’s dedication to creating a fantastic experience for fellow 49ers is evident in every detail. The vehicle is equipped with flat-screen TVs, allowing fans to catch all the pre-game action. A custom bar, seating, a barbecue grill and a well-stocked community cooler ensure that nobody goes hungry or thirsty. More than vehicle, it’s a mobile party. Before every game, there is a toast, with Dibble delivering every season’s first.

He’s regularly joined by a loyal circle, including friends Jimmy Touchstone ’93 and Rodney Graves ’97 who provide Green + Goldschlager shots, from a pickaxe, no less, for merriment and Gold Rush Ribs for staying power. Ricky Foster ’07 hosts “Pick Six,” a Plinko-like game that involves participants dropping a small football amongst pins to determine the shot to be consumed.

Beyond its impressive tailgating features, the Normbulance is a symbol of community and unity among UNC Charlotte fans. It’s not just a place to eat and drink before the game; it’s a place to bond with fellow fans, share stories and celebrate the team’s successes.

Dibble’s warm and inviting personality is behind creating this sense of community. He’s always there to welcome new faces and make them feel like part of the 49ers family. And speaking of family, Dibble is regularly joined by his wife Faith Dibble ’07 and daughters Trinity and Finley (pictured left).

As dedicated alumni, Dibble and Graves frequently support many University endeavors such as school supply drives, Alumni Association initiatives, Niner University Elementary and more. Plus, they represent UNC Charlotte at major city events like Charlotte’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Coca-Cola 600 and Open Streets 704 (pictured right).

As long as there are Charlotte 49ers football games, you can bet the Normbulance will be there, ready to welcome fans and keep the party going. So, the next time you find yourself at Richardson Stadium, be sure to stop by the place where the party never stops and where the spirit of the 49ers is alive and well.

Rob Dibble ’95 and the Normbulance bring the party to life.

By Jenny Matz

Photos by Ryan Honeyman

Rob Dibble ’95 is a die-hard 49er fan, and it shows. In the spirited world of tailgating, this guy is king. His infectious enthusiasm and passion for the Charlotte 49ers have made him a local legend, primarily due to a unique creation — “The Normbulance,” a tricked out former ambulance designed for the ultimate tailgate experience.

During the week, the tailgate titan is founder and CEO of ACE Learning and Consulting, a training and development organization for managers and employers. Dibble frequently partners with UNC Charlotte’s School of Professional Studies and major corporations like Barrings Financial, Continental Tire and Bosch Tools. But on weekends, Dibble exudes Niner pride — ride along as we hear how the Normbulance came to be.

The Normbulance is a tailgating staple to the left of Gate 2.

A Belmont, North Carolina native, Dibble is no stranger to Charlotte. When considering colleges, he looked beyond the region, visiting UNC Wilmington and Appalachian State. After several campus tours, he realized UNC Charlotte offered exactly what he sought. He found his niche amongst Charlotte’s modern campus and vibrant student life, paired with the amenities of a metropolitan city. Yet, he was far enough from home to feel like he was starting a new chapter.

Dibble moved into Holshouser Hall his freshman year and quickly gained a tight circle of friends. He immersed himself in campus life, frequenting basketball and soccer games — when he wasn’t completing his degree in religious studies. While Dibble and his buddies actively supported athletics, they missed the football experience other state universities offered — and saw an opportunity.

One thing you quickly learn about Dibble is that he makes things happen. When he made up his mind to support bringing football to UNC Charlotte, he was all in.

Adding varsity football was a frequent discussion topic throughout Charlotte’s history, but it never gained momentum. In 2006, Jim Duncan ‘91 gathered 15 fans to kick off the Charlotte 49er Football Initiative (CFI) to realize the dream of Division 1 Charlotte football. Dibble, who was among this group, credits the power of the message board for the initiative’s success. This predecessor to today’s social media platforms enabled CFI backers to garner support and bring key players to the table.

Dibble believes the most critical component achieved was connecting alumni and students to identify the real and perceived barriers to overcome. CFI helped students organize and consider solutions to larger issues such as finances and achieving broader student support — both challenging obstacles. But through strategic information sharing and by creating a compelling vision, students rallied and in 2007, they voted overwhelmingly to bring football to campus. The UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees authorized a Football Feasibility Committee, and in 2008, following extensive study and public forums, the committee voted unanimously to recommend the addition of 49er football by fall 2013.

Dibble welcomes any and everyone to join the party.

Elated by the decision, Dibble vowed to create a memorable experience for each and every game. He wanted a unique tailgating vehicle, and when a friend jokingly suggested an ambulance, Dibble knew they struck gold. With a vision of bringing fans together and creating unforgettable experiences, he purchased an old ambulance and transformed it into the iconic “Normbulance.” The vehicle’s name is a nod to the 49ers’ mascot, Norm the Niner, and it encapsulates the spirit of Niner Nation.

The Normbulance quickly became a game-day central hub for tailgaters. Decked in green and white, it stands out in a sea of tailgating setups. The exterior showcases the 49ers’ colors and logo, making it a beacon for fans seeking the ultimate pre-game party. Dibble parks at Gate 2 outside Richardson Stadium for every home game offering food, drinks and community.

Dibble’s dedication to creating a fantastic experience for fellow 49ers is evident in every detail. The vehicle is equipped with flat-screen TVs, allowing fans to catch all the pre-game action. A custom bar, seating, a barbecue grill and a well-stocked community cooler ensure that nobody goes hungry or thirsty. More than vehicle, it’s a mobile party. Before every game, there is a toast, with Dibble delivering every season’s first.

He’s regularly joined by a loyal circle, including friends Jimmy Touchstone ’93 and Rodney Graves ’97 who provide Green + Goldschlager shots, from a pickaxe, no less, for merriment and Gold Rush Ribs for staying power. Ricky Foster ’07 hosts “Pick Six,” a Plinko-like game that involves participants dropping a small football amongst pins to determine the shot to be consumed.

Beyond its impressive tailgating features, the Normbulance is a symbol of community and unity among UNC Charlotte fans. It’s not just a place to eat and drink before the game; it’s a place to bond with fellow fans, share stories and celebrate the team’s successes.

Dibble’s warm and inviting personality is behind creating this sense of community. He’s always there to welcome new faces and make them feel like part of the 49ers family. And speaking of family, Dibble is regularly joined by his wife Faith Dibble ’07 and daughters Trinity and Finley (pictured left).

As dedicated alumni, Dibble and Graves frequently support many University endeavors such as school supply drives, Alumni Association initiatives, Niner University Elementary and more. Plus, they represent UNC Charlotte at major city events like Charlotte’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Coca-Cola 600 and Open Streets 704 (pictured right).

As long as there are Charlotte 49ers football games, you can bet the Normbulance will be there, ready to welcome fans and keep the party going. So, the next time you find yourself at Richardson Stadium, be sure to stop by the place where the party never stops and where the spirit of the 49ers is alive and well.

By Lynn Roberson

Working weekends as an emergency medical technician while an undergraduate at UNC Charlotte, Andrew Brotherton ’22 learned that quick, accurate diagnosis of heart attacks saves lives and improves patient outcomes. He also realized that emergency responders — and patients — would benefit from diagnostic tools on ambulances and fire trucks. 

“There is no worse feeling than having someone’s life in your hands and not being able to help,” Brotherton said. 

Now, he is working to invent a new tool for exactly that purpose as a doctoral student in chemistry at Northwestern University. His research is funded by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship awarded while he was at Charlotte. 

“With the biosensor I am developing,” Brotherton said, “an EMT could prick a patient’s finger, get the patient’s blood and test their troponin levels, which is an indication of a heart attack that you can’t see with an electrocardiogram. Troponin is an enzyme that heart muscle cells excrete when someone is having a heart attack.”

REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCE INSPIRES RESEARCH

In addition to his adrenaline-pumping experiences as an EMT with the Lincoln County Emergency Medical Services near Charlotte, Brotherton applies knowledge acquired as an undergraduate researcher in the lab of chemist Michael Walter and from others at Charlotte. Brotherton, a Honors College student, graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and minors in biology and mathematics in spring 2022.

“It’s been wonderful watching Andrew grow and develop as an independent and curious researcher in the lab, through his drive and love of chemistry,” Walter said. “He’s not only driven to accomplish his own academic and research goals, but he’s passionate about teaching and helping others. In my lab, he quickly jumped in and was an author on an extremely high-impact research publication. It’s rewarding to see how his time here laid a solid foundation for him to thrive at a leading research university.” 

When Brotherton first came to Charlotte in 2018, his sights were set on medical school. He had completed an EMT course and joined the EMS in Lincoln County because it was interesting and relevant to his interests. As he became familiar with the challenges he and fellow medical responders faced and dove into lab research as a sophomore, his interests shifted. 

“The lab is where the real magic happens for me,” he said. “As a physician, you can see only so many patients per day. But if I am able to develop the biosensor, my work will make a wider impact. It has the potential to affect EMTs worldwide. I want the research I do to be used.”

MILITARY SERVICE IGNITES AN INTEREST IN CHEMISTRY

After graduating from Bandys High School in 2014, Brotherton served four years in the U.S. Army as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist and a paratrooper in support of the 82nd Airborne, followed by almost four years with the North Carolina National Guard while at Charlotte. While never deployed overseas, he had illuminating experiences, such as clearing spaces in advance of top-level elected officials. 

“My first real exposure to chemistry was through courses in industrial and homemade explosives, and chemical, biological and nuclear weapons,” he said. “The EOD field was interesting and a great experience, but I found myself asking deeper questions about how the molecular world works.” 

Later, as an EMT, he gained an appreciation for helping people who faced incredibly challenging and stressful experiences. 

“A lot of people go through their entire lives never dealing with high-stress situations that intensify your appreciation for life,” he said. “I love my research. And, as an EMT, I’ve developed an appreciation for what I have in life and an awareness that our time on earth is not that long. You want to do something you’re proud of.” 

Lynn Roberson is director of communications for the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

Andrew Brotherton’s quest to save lives drives his Ph.D. pursuit

By Lynn Roberson

Working weekends as an emergency medical technician while an undergraduate at UNC Charlotte, Andrew Brotherton ’22 learned that quick, accurate diagnosis of heart attacks saves lives and improves patient outcomes. He also realized that emergency responders — and patients — would benefit from diagnostic tools on ambulances and fire trucks. 

“There is no worse feeling than having someone’s life in your hands and not being able to help,” Brotherton said. 

Now, he is working to invent a new tool for exactly that purpose as a doctoral student in chemistry at Northwestern University. His research is funded by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship awarded while he was at Charlotte. 

“With the biosensor I am developing,” Brotherton said, “an EMT could prick a patient’s finger, get the patient’s blood and test their troponin levels, which is an indication of a heart attack that you can’t see with an electrocardiogram. Troponin is an enzyme that heart muscle cells excrete when someone is having a heart attack.”

If the biomarker test shows that cardiac-specific troponin has leaked into the bloodstream, emergency responders could give more detailed and immediate data to doctors, provide targeted treatment and potentially route patients directly to cardiac units or hospitals with more specialized services. 

Currently, such blood tests are not routinely used in the field for many reasons including a need to send the blood samples to labs for analysis. The main tool available to medical responders for suspected heart attacks is the electrocardiogram machine, which measures and records electrical signals traveling through the heart, looking for blockages or other causes. 

Brotherton is investigating the use of self-assembled monolayers as biosensors. Monolayers are one-molecule-thick layers of material that bond to a surface in an ordered way through either physical or chemical forces. His aim, broadly, is to discover new properties and create new or more efficient techniques to detect disease and advance treatments to save lives.

REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCE INSPIRES RESEARCH

In addition to his adrenaline-pumping experiences as an EMT with the Lincoln County Emergency Medical Services near Charlotte, Brotherton applies knowledge acquired as an undergraduate researcher in the lab of chemist Michael Walter and from others at Charlotte. Brotherton, a Honors College student, graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and minors in biology and mathematics in spring 2022.

“It’s been wonderful watching Andrew grow and develop as an independent and curious researcher in the lab, through his drive and love of chemistry,” Walter said. “He’s not only driven to accomplish his own academic and research goals, but he’s passionate about teaching and helping others. In my lab, he quickly jumped in and was an author on an extremely high-impact research publication. It’s rewarding to see how his time here laid a solid foundation for him to thrive at a leading research university.” 

When Brotherton first came to Charlotte in 2018, his sights were set on medical school. He had completed an EMT course and joined the EMS in Lincoln County because it was interesting and relevant to his interests. As he became familiar with the challenges he and fellow medical responders faced and dove into lab research as a sophomore, his interests shifted. 

“The lab is where the real magic happens for me,” he said. “As a physician, you can see only so many patients per day. But if I am able to develop the biosensor, my work will make a wider impact. It has the potential to affect EMTs worldwide. I want the research I do to be used.”

MILITARY SERVICE IGNITES AN INTEREST IN CHEMISTRY

After graduating from Bandys High School in 2014, Brotherton served four years in the U.S. Army as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist and a paratrooper in support of the 82nd Airborne, followed by almost four years with the North Carolina National Guard while at Charlotte. While never deployed overseas, he had illuminating experiences, such as clearing spaces in advance of top-level elected officials. 

“My first real exposure to chemistry was through courses in industrial and homemade explosives, and chemical, biological and nuclear weapons,” he said. “The EOD field was interesting and a great experience, but I found myself asking deeper questions about how the molecular world works.” 

Later, as an EMT, he gained an appreciation for helping people who faced incredibly challenging and stressful experiences. 

“A lot of people go through their entire lives never dealing with high-stress situations that intensify your appreciation for life,” he said. “I love my research. And, as an EMT, I’ve developed an appreciation for what I have in life and an awareness that our time on earth is not that long. You want to do something you’re proud of.” 

Lynn Roberson is director of communications for the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

Story and photos By Lynn Roberson

“With this work, we’re able to help make space for people to tell their stories and correct the incorrect stories we hear.”

– Camille Richardson

PRESERVING LINCOLN COUNTY’S ROSENWALD SCHOOL

Now, as a UNC Charlotte master’s student in anthropology, Richardson is listening, while centering a master’s thesis in archaeological and historical research with the Mount Vernon Rosenwald School near Charlotte. Rosenwald Schools were built almost a century ago to educate African American children in rural communities and are regarded as the most important effort to advance Black education in the early 20th century. While 5,000 were built, the National Trust for Historic Preservation estimates only about 500 survive today. 

The Lincoln County school opened its doors in 1925 on the site of a previous school for African American children. A nonprofit organization formed in 2015 to restore the school as a community center. Wanting help in documenting more of the school’s past, the nonprofit’s leaders connected with UNC Charlotte bioarchaeologist Sara Juengst. 

Juengst, Richardson and other Charlotte students, alumni and faculty have literally dug into history on the site. They have painstakingly scraped, inch-by-inch, through layers of red clay dirt in strategic spots around the school and brought the artifacts to a Charlotte anthropology lab to clean, catalog and research. 

“In the archaeological record, children aren’t really written about too often,” Richardson said. We don’t hear about their experiences and the impact social or other factors have on them, particularly African American children. Work like this can give us a view into items they were using and what their lives looked like when they were at the school.”

FOR THE RECORD: FORMER SCHOOL ATTENDEES TELL THEIR STORIES

Richardson has interviewed school alumni, recording their remembrances for research purposes and to share with the restoration champions as oral histories. At first glance, the artifacts could appear insignificant. A longer look, coupled with observations by the school’s alumni, reveal their substance.

Even pieces of broken soda bottles, with faded lettering from brand names, conjured memories for school alumni. They told the Charlotte student researchers that the soda bottles could not have been theirs because they were too poor to bring soda for lunch. Some soda brands were considered by some to be off limits to African Americans, meaning storekeepers sold them only to white people, they recalled. 

The team found crushed metal ends of pencils with desiccated erasers. A broken marble and a smashed car made of clay hinted at children’s imaginative games. Nails, shards of window glass and clay bricks likely made on site revealed construction practices. 

“It’s because these items are not what might be considered important artifacts that they have significance,” Juengst said. “These are the types of items nobody thinks about. That’s the reality of everyday life. To some extent, it’s the mundane nature of our finds that make them more interesting and significant.”

While digging, Rosenwald alumnus David Patterson described games children played, lessons they learned and chores they completed, such as keeping the stove stoked on cold winter days to heat the two-room school. Patterson and other alumni guided the team on where to dig, remembering where they most often played and the location of the pit where they buried their trash. 

The work underway is intended to illuminate the school’s history and contribute to efforts to bring some sort of historical designation for the school, which is owned by Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church.

“We would like to renovate this building completely and restore it to its original condition,” said Ola Mae Foster, a leader in the effort. “We think it’s going to be a rebirth for the community.” 

Joe Patterson, another Rosenwald alumnus, would welcome the revival. “From the time I was growing up here, the community has lost over 40 families,” he said. “They left for different reasons. This is part of the past that we could make connections to.

REBUILDING COMMUNITIES

Richardson’s interest in the Rosenwald School effort was natural as it links with a focus on disparities in education and housing. Richardson works as the program and development fellow with Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte, a nonprofit focused on neighborhood-based home repairs. 

“Camille’s upbeat attitude, person-first approach and genuine care for the homeowners we serve has been evident since they stepped foot into our office,” said Kim Savage ’20, ’21 MPA, development and communications manager for Rebuilding Together. “Camille has made it much easier for our clients to access our services and has comforted many of them through the home repair process.” 

For Juengst, the Mount Vernon partnership offers a way for students to gain archaeological experience. Her research usually is conducted in South America, and she strives to have opportunities for students to join her on those trips to gain research experience. 

“Tons of students cannot travel to South America for six weeks or for three months over the summer,” she said. “They may not have the money or even the desire. I believe you shouldn’t have to go abroad to do archaeology, so I’ve had my eyes open for a local project. This project is appealing because it has future opportunities for students who are interested in community building, grant writing or other aspects of this work.”

Lynn Roberson is director of communications for the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

Story and photos By Lynn Roberson

“With this work, we’re able to help make space for people to tell their stories and correct the incorrect stories we hear.”

– Camille Richardson

PRESERVING LINCOLN COUNTY’S ROSENWALD SCHOOL

Now, as a UNC Charlotte master’s student in anthropology, Richardson is listening, while centering a master’s thesis in archaeological and historical research with the Mount Vernon Rosenwald School near Charlotte. Rosenwald Schools were built almost a century ago to educate African American children in rural communities and are regarded as the most important effort to advance Black education in the early 20th century. While 5,000 were built, the National Trust for Historic Preservation estimates only about 500 survive today. 

The Lincoln County school opened its doors in 1925 on the site of a previous school for African American children. A nonprofit organization formed in 2015 to restore the school as a community center. Wanting help in documenting more of the school’s past, the nonprofit’s leaders connected with UNC Charlotte bioarchaeologist Sara Juengst. 

Juengst, Richardson and other Charlotte students, alumni and faculty have literally dug into history on the site. They have painstakingly scraped, inch-by-inch, through layers of red clay dirt in strategic spots around the school and brought the artifacts to a Charlotte anthropology lab to clean, catalog and research. 

“In the archaeological record, children aren’t really written about too often,” Richardson said. We don’t hear about their experiences and the impact social or other factors have on them, particularly African American children. Work like this can give us a view into items they were using and what their lives looked like when they were at the school.”

FOR THE RECORD: FORMER SCHOOL ATTENDEES TELL THEIR STORIES

Richardson has interviewed school alumni, recording their remembrances for research purposes and to share with the restoration champions as oral histories. At first glance, the artifacts could appear insignificant. A longer look, coupled with observations by the school’s alumni, reveal their substance.

Even pieces of broken soda bottles, with faded lettering from brand names, conjured memories for school alumni. They told the Charlotte student researchers that the soda bottles could not have been theirs because they were too poor to bring soda for lunch. Some soda brands were considered by some to be off limits to African Americans, meaning storekeepers sold them only to white people, they recalled. 

The team found crushed metal ends of pencils with desiccated erasers. A broken marble and a smashed car made of clay hinted at children’s imaginative games. Nails, shards of window glass and clay bricks likely made on site revealed construction practices. 

“It’s because these items are not what might be considered important artifacts that they have significance,” Juengst said. “These are the types of items nobody thinks about. That’s the reality of everyday life. To some extent, it’s the mundane nature of our finds that make them more interesting and significant.”

While digging, Rosenwald alumnus David Patterson described games children played, lessons they learned and chores they completed, such as keeping the stove stoked on cold winter days to heat the two-room school. Patterson and other alumni guided the team on where to dig, remembering where they most often played and the location of the pit where they buried their trash. 

The work underway is intended to illuminate the school’s history and contribute to efforts to bring some sort of historical designation for the school, which is owned by Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church.

“We would like to renovate this building completely and restore it to its original condition,” said Ola Mae Foster, a leader in the effort. “We think it’s going to be a rebirth for the community.” 

Joe Patterson, another Rosenwald alumnus, would welcome the revival. “From the time I was growing up here, the community has lost over 40 families,” he said. “They left for different reasons. This is part of the past that we could make connections to.

REBUILDING COMMUNITIES

Richardson’s interest in the Rosenwald School effort was natural as it links with a focus on disparities in education and housing. Richardson works as the program and development fellow with Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte, a nonprofit focused on neighborhood-based home repairs. 

“Camille’s upbeat attitude, person-first approach and genuine care for the homeowners we serve has been evident since they stepped foot into our office,” said Kim Savage ’20, ’21 MPA, development and communications manager for Rebuilding Together. “Camille has made it much easier for our clients to access our services and has comforted many of them through the home repair process.” 

For Juengst, the Mount Vernon partnership offers a way for students to gain archaeological experience. Her research usually is conducted in South America, and she strives to have opportunities for students to join her on those trips to gain research experience. 

“Tons of students cannot travel to South America for six weeks or for three months over the summer,” she said. “They may not have the money or even the desire. I believe you shouldn’t have to go abroad to do archaeology, so I’ve had my eyes open for a local project. This project is appealing because it has future opportunities for students who are interested in community building, grant writing or other aspects of this work.”

Lynn Roberson is director of communications for the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.