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RELATE
Research, Education, Lectures Accessing the Technical Edge
The official newsletter of the Charlotte Research Institute
March 18, 2015
Events:
Dissertation Defense Announcements
iCONE Seminar
Nanoscale Science
Department of Accounting
Department of Biological Sciences
Department of Geography & Earth Sciences
College of Computing and Informatics
Academic Affairs
North Carolina Research Campus
Office of International Programs
Charlotte Venture Challenge Finals
UNC Charlotte Center City
Science & Technology EXPO
The William States Lee College of Engineering
Infrastructure, Design, Environment, and Sustainability (IDEAS) Center
Dissertation Defense Announcements
“Determining the Efficiency of State-level RPS Policies in the U.S.: Examining the Impact of
Federalized Energy and Environmental Policy on Electricity Quality”
Candidate:
Joseph Alleyn Cochran
Sponsoring Chair:
Dr. Peter M. Schwarz
Committee:
Dr. Roslyn Mickelson, Department of Sociology at UNC Charlotte Dr. Amanda (Manda)
Adams, National Science Foundation Dr. Gloria Elliott, Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science at
UNC Charlotte
Defense Date:
March 20, 2015 - 1:00pm
Location:
Friday 228
Degree Program Name: Public Policy
“Preserving Differential Privacy in Complex Data Analysis”
Candidate:
Yue Wang
Sponsoring Chair:
Dr. Xintao Wu
Committee:
Dr. Xintao Wu, Department of Software and Information Systems at UNC Charlotte, Dr.
Yong Ge, Department of Computer Science at UNC Charlotte, Dr. Zbigniew W. Ras, Department of Computer
Science at UNC Charlotte, Dr. Shan Yan, Department of Biological Science at UNC Charlotte, Dr. Yuliang
Zheng, Department of Software and Information Systems at UNC Charlotte
Defense Date:
March 23, 2015 - 2:00pm
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Location:
College of Education Building 010
Degree Program Name: Ph.D. In Computing and Information Systems
“Institutional Dynamics in Corporate Political Linkages: Evidence from China's Emerging
Economy”
Candidate:
Jianhua Ge
Sponsoring Chair:
Dr. Wei Zhao
Committee:
Dr. Franz Kellermanns, Department of Management at UNC Charlotte; Dr. Yang Cao,
Department of Sociology at UNC Charlotte; Dr. Tammy Beck, Department of Management at University of
Nebraska–Lincoln; Dr. Yu Wang, Department of Computer Science at UNC Charlotte
Defense Date:
March 24, 2015 - 10:00am
Location:
Fretwell 480C
Degree Program Name: Organizational Science
“Displacement Scale Based on Speckles”
Candidate:
Mahsa Farsad
Sponsoring Chair:
Dr. Christopher Evans
Committee:
Dr. Christopher Evans, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science,
Dr. Gert Goch, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science, Dr. Faramarz Farahi,
Department of Physics and Optical Science, Dr. Angela Davies, Department of Physics and Optical Science, Dr.
Mohammad Kazemi, Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Defense Date:
March 24, 2015 - 10:00am
Location:
Grigg 131
Degree Program Name: Ph.D. in Optical Science and Engineering
“Selective Heating of Vascular Structures to Create Contrast in Medical Mid-IR Images”
Candidate:
Jason Case
Sponsoring Chair:
Dr. Susan Trammell
Committee:
Dr. Susan Trammell, Department of Physics and Optical Science, Dr. Glenn Boreman,
Department of Physics and Optical Science, Dr. Nathaniel Fried, Department of Physics and Optical Science,
Dr. M. Yasin Raja, Department of Physics and Optical Science, Dr. Russell Keanini, Department of Mechanical
Engineering and Engineering Science, Dr. Didier Dréau, Department of Biological Sciences
Defense Date:
March 24, 2015 - 3:30pm
Location:
Grigg 132
Degree Program Name: Ph.D. in Optical Science and Engineering
“The Way the Cookie Crumbles: Assessing the Resilience of Starter-Home Neighborhoods
through the Great Recession.”
Candidate:
Melissa Anne Currie
Sponsoring Chair:
Dr. Janni Sorensen, Geography and Earth Sciences Department
Committee:
Dr. Heather Smith, Dept. of Geography and Earth Sciences; Dr. Owen Furuseth, Associate
Provost for Metropolitan Studies and Extended Academic Programs; and Dr. Jose Gamez, Architecture and
Urban Design
Defense Date:
March 31, 2015 - 10:00am
Location:
McEniry 441
Degree Program Name: Geography PhD
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"Microspherical photonics: Giant Resonant Light Forces, Spectrally Resolved Optical
Manipulation, and Coupled Modes of Microcavity Arrays"
Candidate:
Yangcheng Li
Under the direction of: Dr. Vasily N. Astratov, Department of Physics and Optical Science
Defense date:
Tuesday, March 31, 2015, 4:30pm, Grigg 132
Degree:
PhD in Optical Science and Engineering
iCONE Seminar
Candidate Series
“Manipulating Nanomagnets with Magnetic Fields, Electric Currents, and Light”
Speaker:
Dr. Randy Dumas, Researcher, Physics Department University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Date: Thursday, March 19 at 9:30am, Open Discussion at 10:30am
Location:
Grigg, 132
In 2009 Randy Dumas earned his PhD in Physics from the University of California, Davis on the topic of reversal
mechanisms in magnetic nanostructures. He was then awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Swedish
Research Council (VR) and subsequently joined the University of Gothenburg and studied graded/tilted
anisotropy thin films and spin torque oscillators. In 2012 he was awarded a VR Young Researcher grant for
~$730,000 allowing him to forge an independent research career in the fields of nanoscale magnetism and
magnetodynamics.
Nanoscale Science
"Immunological Properties of Engineered Nanomaterials and Challenges in their Preclinical
Characterization”
Speaker:
Date:
Location:
Dr. Marina Dobrovolskaia, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research
Thursday, March 19, 2015 at 3:30pm
Burson, 115
Department of Accounting
“The Strategic Timing of Management Forecasts.”
When:
Where:
Friday, March 20, 2015 from 10:30am – 12:00pm
Friday Building, Room 212
Please feel free to join us as Dr. Doyle presents his working paper, “The Strategic Timing of
Management Forecasts.” The paper is a co-authored work with Matthew Magilke of Claremont
McKenna College.
Dr. Doyle’s research interests include financial statement analysis, valuation, the predictability of
accounting information, informational efficiency of capital markets, debt contracting, and earnings
quality. He has published in top-tier research journals such as the Journal of Accounting and
Economics, Journal of Accounting Research, The Accounting Review, and Review of Accounting
Studies.
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If you are interested in meeting with Dr. Doyle during his visit or have further questions about the
Accounting Research Series, please contact Dr. Keejae Hong (khong@uncc.edu) or Dr. Kristin Roland
(K.Roland@uncc.edu).
Department of Biological Sciences
"Do we need to understand microbial community assembly to predict ecosystem function?"
Speaker:
Date:
Location:
Diana Nemergut, Associate Professor, Duke University Department of Biology
March 20, 2015 - 12:00pm - 1:00pm
COED, 010
"Harnessing Natural Variation for Gene Discovery in Plant Specialized Metabolism"
Speaker:
Date:
Location:
Sirius Xu Li, Assistant Professor, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, NCSU
March 27, 2015 - 12:00pm - 1:00pm
COED, 010
For more Biological Sciences events, visit their website.
Department of Geography & Earth Sciences
Speaker Series
Speaker:
Date:
Location:
Cuizhen (Susan) Wang - University of South Carolina
March 27, 2015 - 12:30pm - 1:30pm
McEniry, 116
Speaker:
Date:
Location:
Gregory Hancock, College of William and Mary
April 17, 2015 - 12:30pm - 1:30pm
McEniry, 116
College of Computing and Informatics
2015 College of Computing and Informatics Distinguished Lecture Series
Speaker:
Date:
Location:
Rick Stevens, Department of Computer Science at The University of Chicago; and Associate
Director of Computing, Environment and Life Sciences Laboratory Argonne National Laboratory
April 10, 2015 - 3:00pm
Woodward 106
Speaker:
Date:
Location:
Oussama Khatib, Professor, Computer Science Department, Stanford University
April 17, 2015 - 3:00pm
Woodward 106
Speaker:
Michael Dulin, Senior Scientist, Genomics & Molecular Epidemiology British Columbia Centre for
Disease Control
April 24, 2015 - 3:00 PM
Woodward, 106
Date:
Location:
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For more Computing and Informatics events, click here.
Academic Affairs
Dismantling Racism Workshop
UNC Charlotte invites you to participate in a powerful two-day anti-racist workshop.
Dismantling Racism is a two-day workshop provided by Race Matters for Juvenile Justice & the Racial Equity
Institute. Dismantling Racism builds the capacity of educators, health practitioners, judicial officers, elected
officials, law enforcement officers, child welfare advocates, and other community leaders who are interested
in understanding and eliminating racial inequities, disparities, and disproportionality across multiple systems
including education, health, and justice.
Dates: March 24-25, April 14-15, June 10-11, or July 15-16 9am – 5pm
Light breakfast and lunch provided (2 day attendance mandatory)
Location: Hope Haven Conference Center, 3815 N. Tryon St.
Learn more, click here
If you are having problems accessing the Google Docs registration page from the link on the
flyer, please follow these instructions.
NOTE: This should only apply to individuals who are attempting to register from a non-UNC
Charlotte computer.
Sign in to Google Apps using your UNC Charlotte username and password.
You can then proceed to the url.
Registration will close on Sunday, March 15th.
Workshop registration fees paid for by the Chancellor’s Diversity Challenge Grant.
North Carolina Research Campus
Science Café
Sponsored by CASN, Charlotte Area Science Network “Collaboration for Science”
“The Science of Sports”
Charlotte Area Science Network’s Science Café includes networking and the presentation. For more
information, contact Clare Faggart.
Speaker:
Patrick J. Moyer, Ph.D., Director of Athletics, Cannon School
Date:
Wednesday, March 25, 2015 at 5:00 - 6:00pm
Location:
UNC Charlotte Center City, 320 E. 9th Street
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Office of International Programs
International Film Series:
The campus community is invited to one or all of five films looking at health, the environment, and culture as
part of a film series sponsored by International Studies and a grant from the Chancellor’s Diversity Fund.
The Milagro Beanfield War
Date:
March 24, 2015 - 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Location:
Student Union Theater
Contact:
Office of International Programs at international@uncc.edu
About the film: In Milagro, a small town in the American Southwest, Ladd Devine plans to build a major new
resort development. While activist Ruby Archuleta and lawyer/newspaper editor Charlie Bloom realize that this
will result in the eventual displacement of the local Hispanic farmers, they cannot arouse much opposition
because of the short term opportunities offered by construction jobs. But when Joe Mondragon illegally diverts
water to irrigate his bean field, the local people support him because of their resentment of water use laws that
favor the rich like Devine.
When the Governor sends in ruthless troubleshooter Kyril Montana to settle things quickly before the lucrative
development is cancelled, a small war threatens to erupt.
Yesterday
Date:
Location:
Contact:
April 21, 2015 - 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Student Union Theater
Office of International Programs
About the film: After falling ill, Yesterday learns that she is HIV positive. With her husband in denial and young
daughter to tend to, Yesterday's one goal is to live long enough to see her child go to school.
10th Annual UNC Charlotte recognition of International Women's Day (IWD)
Date:
Location:
Thursday, March 26, in room 340 of the Student Union from 3:30-5:00pm
Student Union
Join OIP as we celebrate the 10th Annual UNC Charlotte recognition of International Women's Day (IWD) on
Thursday, March 26, in room 340 of the Student Union from 3:30-5:00pm.
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the campus IWD celebration, the 2015 program will include a
presentation from keynote speaker Sharon Reed, the Founder of Global Girls Project and a UN Women 2014
Global Community Champion for Women’s Economic Empowerment.
IWD is recognized by the United Nations on March 8 and is celebrated in countries around the world. The goal
of this celebration is to honor women’s achievements and inspire leadership and development related to
women’s issues.
UNC Charlotte’s annual recognition of IWD is co-sponsored by the Office of International Programs and the
Multicultural Resource Center with partnership from various academic units. The event is open to all on campus.
For more information, visit the website, email OIP or call 704-687-7755.
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Phi Beta Delta’s Global Perspective Series
"Education Considering Disability and Disadvantage/Inclusion: The Effects of the 2006 UN-Convention on the
Rights of People with Disabilities"
Speaker:
Dr. Kerstin Merz-Atalik, Ludwigsburg University of Education
Date:
Thursday, March 19, 2015 from 12:30pm-1:30pm
Location:
Atkins Library, Halton Reading Room
After signing the UN-Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities in 2006, the German government and
the 16 German Federal States are realizing that changing the separatistic school-system into an inclusive
educational system is a significant challenge for almost all educational institutions. Currently, more than 5% of
German school-aged children attend designated Special Schools which are divided into nine different schools
with focus on the Special Needs and which separate pupils into three main tracks based on their academic
outcomes after the 4th grade.
Dr. Merz-Atalik’s presentation on these topics is part of the Global Perspective Series presented by the honor
society for international scholars, Phi Beta Delta, in collaboration with the Office of International Programs and
the College of Education.
Charlotte Venture Challenge Finals
The 2015 Southeast Venture Conference will take place at Le Méridien Charlotte, NC, 555 South McDowell
Street, North Tower • Charlotte, NC 28204 | 704-372-9610
The dates are March 31st thru April 1st.
You can see the agenda and other items of possible interest by clicking here.
UNC Charlotte Center City
“Using Digital Resources to Unlock Neighborhood History”
Introducing Digital Charlotte: an event to celebrate and explore new digital library projects dedicated to
preserving and sharing the history and culture of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.
A Presentation by Tom Hanchett, Staff Historian at the Levine Museum of the New South. Lecture Hall
Date:
Location:
March 30, 2015 at 6:30pm
UNC Charlotte Center City Campus 320 E. 9th Street
Science & Technology EXPO
Main Event: Sunday, April 26th, 12-4 pm in the UNC Charlotte Union Plaza
Join faculty, staff, and students as they present exhibits, discussions, and films in the weeks leading up to the
main event.
April 10 - 26th in various locations.
Visit the website to learn more.
The William States Lee College of Engineering
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Senior Design Spring Expo
Date:
April 30, 2015 - 11:00am - 2:30pm
Location:
Barnhardt Student Activity Center (SAC)
Open to the Public
Infrastructure, Design, Environment, and Sustainability (IDEAS) Center
BioEnergy Symposium
The UNC Charlotte IDEAS Center is pleased to announce the fourth annual BioEnergy Symposium on May 14th,
2015. This year's symposium has a focus on Beneficial Byproducts of Bioenergy.
If you have questions or need assistance please contact:
Karyn Williamson-Coria at 704-687-1932 or by email at kwill235@uncc.edu
For more information about the BioEnergy Symposium click here.