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(02/27/07 5:00am)
The campus community is still "Keepin' It Movin'" a year after the death of a student who prided himself on the motto.
The Keith Shawn Smith Memorial Fund held its second annual benefit show Monday night to honor Smith, a sophomore resident adviser in Stacy Residence Hall who crashed through the dorm's third-floor window Feb. 24, 2006, after racing down the hall with a resident.
About 150 people attended the show, which featured music, dancing and poetry in the Union Auditorium.
"He always kept it moving," said Ashley Smith, the group's vice president and Keith Shawn Smith's friend since fourth grade. "There's no better way to show people moving forth through life than through performing."
About 50 people attended last year's show, which was held two months after the accident that killed Smith and sent then-freshman Tyler Downey to the hospital with critical injuries.
"It's a good thing to know that after a year we're still thinking about him," said Sekou Sidibe, the group's president and another close friend. "And next year, we're still going to keep thinking about him."
Event proceeds will help pay medical and funeral expenses, including Smith's headstone, and a $1,000 UNC scholarship in his honor.
Gloria Smith of Greensboro attended the show memorializing her son, who she said encouraged others to work toward their goals.
"I needed to come out and see what everyone was doing in honor of him," she said. "It's important to keep his dream alive."
She said she was happy to see UNC junior L'Oreal Neal, who dated Keith Shawn Smith since their senior year of high school, perform a step routine with three other Sigma Gamma Rho sorority Inc. members.
"We're just trying to do what we can, not only in his memory but also for her financially as much as we can," Neal said. "He wanted to take care of his mom. To know that she doesn't have to deal with those expenses is big."
Fund organizers also are selling T-shirts and bracelets. And Food Lion shoppers can register their MVP Cards on the grocery store's Web site to donate a portion of their purchases to the memorial fund.
They plan to host a "Get Your Groove on for Keith Shawn" night at Players on April 5 and another party at Blend is awaiting a date.
For Neal, the efforts help her cope. "Sometimes I feel alone in the sadness," she said. "It's good to know that other people remember him."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(08/23/06 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Move over, double majors. Joint-degree programs are the newest dream come true for overachievers.
The UNC-system Board of Governors earlier this month approved a new exchange program that allows UNC students to study at the National University of Singapore for two to four semesters and earn diplomas from both institutions.
Students from NUS can study at UNC with the same benefits.
"We have a deep and long history with NUS and feel confident with partnering with them," said Peter Coclanis, associate provost for international affairs.
The two universities started an exchange program in the late 1990s, but this new program offers the unique opportunity for an undergraduate international joint degree - the only program of its kind in North Carolina, said Bobbi Owen, senior associate dean for undergraduate education.
"This is really taking things in a way to the next level," said Richard Soloway, who helped plan the program when he served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Students majoring in geography, history or political science are eligible for the program. Those majoring in economics or English also will be able to participate if the board approves curriculum proposals.
They are expected to be submitted and approved this fall.
If all goes as planned, students can start the exchange program in fall 2007.
Coclanis said he hopes five to 10 students from each university participate.
"We want to make sure we send kids we think have the interest and the skill to succeed over there," he said.
If the program is fruitful, it might expand to include more majors.
A selection committee composed of University officials will decide which UNC students are accepted into the program, Coclanis said.
NUS is well-respected for its academic approach and will complement UNC's educational opportunities, Coclanis said.
"Basically, it's a very strong university," he said. "We feel like it's a good match in terms of our relative strengths and their relative strengths."
Students will have access to NUS's resources in areas that UNC has not extensively invested in and vice versa, Coclanis said.
"By twinning us with this program, it gives us a greater range for what students can be looking for," said Larry Band, chairman of the geography department.
"It extends the range of what we do and also deepens our strengths in these complementary areas."
John Akin, chairman of the department of economics, said he is looking forward to the partnership because NUS has a good reputation and Asia is the center of international commerce.
"It puts our students right in the middle of the action," he said.
The international edition of Newsweek ranked NUS 36th and UNC 41st in its list of the top 100 global universities.
"It's a comparable school and we have confidence in them," Coclanis said.
This program will serve as a pilot for future expansion - possibly adding faculty exchange and joint research efforts to the mix.
University officials said they also are interested in offering more international joint-degree programs.
UNC's globalization efforts are preparing the University and its students for what is ahead, Soloway said.
"I think the reality is that not only now but increasingly in the future, students are going to be very much involved with global enterprises," he said. "The great universities of the next generation are going to be global institutions."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
All about Singapore
(04/25/06 4:00am)
About a five-minute drive from campus lies a recreational facility kept secret like a hidden treasure.
An abundance of trees conceals the rural landscape of the UNC-Chapel Hill Faculty-Staff Recreation Association from the bustling interstate about a half-mile away.
And that is how it was meant to be - an intimate refuge for its members.
"It provides me a wonderful place to clear my head and get my heart rate up and bask in the sun," said Steve Reznick, a psychology professor and president of the board of directors of The Farm - as the facility has been affectionately nicknamed for its past purpose.
Amidst the 28 acres of forestry and pastures near the Friday Center, there once stood an old farmhouse.
Since 1967, the association has leased the land free of charge from the University. The association used the land to build a recreational facility for UNC faculty, staff and, more recently, alumni.
"The thing that is really special about The Farm is that it is a very family-friendly environment," Reznick said.
"When you drive into the driveway, the look and the feel of the place is something out of decades ago. The Farm has preserved its ambiance as a little, peaceful, secluded, underdeveloped property."
The old farmhouse was a safety hazard, so the association decided to demolish it.
In 2005, after two years of jumping over legal hurdles, Farm officials obtained the proper permit to start building a new $500,000 facility to replace the farmhouse.
The new building, which officially was unveiled Saturday, houses showers, administrative offices, a fully-stocked tennis shop, a fitness room with new equipment and a classroom for yoga, Pilates and aerobics classes.
Manager Ben Allred said he is confident The Farm will maintain its nostalgic nature, even with the renovation.
"It's still the grounds of an old tobacco field," he said. "It just provides a much better place for our members to be."
And the facility still offers the amenities it did before - including three swimming pools, 16 tennis courts, shaded picnic tables, a basketball court, playground and clubhouse often used to host parties.
Farm officials said they hope the renovation will accommodate members better and help attract new members.
About 650 families are members of the farm, Allred said.
While only eight staff members work year-round, summer employment increases to more than 100, he said, partly because of day camps the facility runs.
"We do our best to help the local economy," Allred said.
Membership requires a one-time initial fee of $600 plus quarterly dues of $140 for the first person and $25 for each additional family member.
The Farm is a nonprofit organization that relies solely on its membership and program fees. It does not receive funding from the University.
Many visitors find The Farm captivating, Reznick said. "It's kind of a place that a lot of people love so much they want to stay."
Seth Pomerantz, a former camp counselor and lifeguard at The Farm, is just one example. He will start his position as recreational director and assistant manager in June.
"People come out here to be part of a bigger family rather than a country club," Pomerantz said. "It's all about family and being comfortable."
For more information about the farm, visit www.unc.edu/uncfarm/ or call 962-FARM.
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(04/11/06 4:00am)
Many of UNC's graduate schools ranked among the top 10 in the April 10 issue of U.S. News & World Report - an accomplishment that is nothing new for the University.
But that's not to say students and campus administrators take those rankings for granted.
The School of Information and Library Science's master's degree program retained its top ranking, tying for No. 1 with the library science program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
U.S. News last ranked accredited library and information master's programs in 1999.
"Everybody aims to beat you when you're No. 1," Jos
(04/11/06 4:00am)
Despite this year's University housing crunch, the opening of new rooms could leave some residence halls with unused space.
As a result, on-campus housing contracting was extended to students living off campus this year.
By the 8 a.m. deadline Monday, more than 1,500 students recontracted for the same room - an increase of about 360 students compared to last year - and almost 1,400 students went through the open process to switch rooms, said Rick Bradley, assistant director of housing.
Students will be notified of their housing assignments via e-mail by the end of April, Bradley said.
More than 900 students will be awaiting word on their applications for Ram Village, a new apartment complex on South Campus.
"The opening of Ram Village provides a housing type that has been in demand by students on campus," said Larry Hicks, director of housing and residential education.
"We're expanding opportunities on campus, but we're also wanting to expand opportunities for all classes across campus."
The housing recontracting process changed this year to use applications rather than a real-time system.
Students filled out an online application and submitted up to six housing preferences, at least two of which had to be on South Campus.
As applications were received, they were divided by class and automatically assigned a random number to determine priority.
"It's been significantly smoother," Bradley said. "There have been very few problems this year."
On-campus housing will be able to accommodate the needs of about 8,200 students next year, including Ram Village's 920-student capacity, Bradley said. Of those available spots, 3,200 have been reserved for incoming freshmen.
The 8,200 spots available represent an increase of 1,400 spots since 2001. In fall 2007, Morrison Residence Hall will reopen to increase on-campus housing capacity to 9,100 available spaces.
About 1,200 on-campus rooms were reserved for athletes, resident assistants, students in theme housing and resident computer consultants.
Bradley noted the improvement of the process compared to last year, when students encountered technical glitches that forced housing officials to restart the process.
The complications were a major factor fueling the decision to alter the process for this year.
"We had several years of trying to run the process in real-time, and we had several years of problems with it," Bradley said.
This year, when problems did arise, they could be solved without hindering students' chances for preferred on-campus housing.
The percentage of North Campus rooms reserved for freshmen and sophomores next year increased to 45 percent.
Hicks said the 5 percent increase, combined with the opening of Ram Village, should help to alleviate the "sophomore squeeze," in which students have few options left at registration time.
Freshman Jordan Rogers, who lives in Hinton James Residence Hall, marked Ruffin Residence Hall as his first choice for next year because it is closer to the heart of campus.
"I had my South Campus experience," he said.
Freshman Elizabeth Pfeifer, who lives in Craige Residence Hall, said she believes the system employed this year is an improvement.
"I think the lottery system is just more fair - unless I get Craige," she said with a laugh.
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/23/06 5:00am)
A juggling act between school and work forced 43-year-old Dusti Barthlow to take 10 years to earn a four-year degree.
The Cary resident did not finish college immediately after she graduated from high school, choosing to drop out of Fayetteville Community College after her parents divorced. When she went back to community college in 1996, she wanted a degree - and a better job.
"That's why I went back to school," Barthlow said. "I was peaked out as far as money for what I could get without a degree."
It was not easy. She has fronted most of the bills herself, and at times she has had to work two jobs - one waiting tables, one at a dentist's office - to get by.
But this May - 21 years after the age at which most people graduate - she will receive a diploma in sociology, which she hopes will help her land a job in the pharmaceutical sales field.
Barthlow is not unique in her journey to earn a degree later in life, or in her struggle to complete it. About one-quarter of the more than 800 students who transfer to UNC each year are at least 24 years old.
Other adult students become full degree-seeking students after transferring to UNC from the Friday Center for Continuing Education, where they take classes part time. Since fall 2000, 355 students - mostly adults - have entered the University through the Friday Center. Thirty-six transferred last semester.
These students are admitted through an agreement between the head of the department or school the student wants to enter and the Friday Center, said Steve Farmer, director of undergraduate admissions.
Catherine Crow, 34, enrolled at the University through the Friday Center in spring 2001. Two years later, she applied as a transfer student to enroll full time.
"I wish I could have gone to school right out of high school, but I wasn't ready for it," she said. "I missed the whole college experience of living on campus."
Crow, like Barthlow, endured the challenges of balancing study time and work. When she started as a full-time student, Crow went to school while holding down a full-time job as an administrative assistant for a medical insurance company.
She later switched to part-time work, which eased her stress.
"I made school my priority," she said.
Crow said that her age usually is not an issue, but that things can get uncomfortable when the class studies an event she remembers vividly, but which happened before some of her classmates were born.
Crow was in eighth grade when the Challenger space shuttle exploded. Her freshman classmates were not yet alive.
The time adult transfer students take to complete their degrees varies greatly, said Tim Sanford, associate director for credit programs at the Friday Center.
It all depends on the number of credits a transfer student has. The amount of hours that do transfer is often less than expected, and the students take longer to graduate.
Many of the courses Barthlow took at her previous institution, Wake Technical Community College, did not fulfill requirements at UNC.
"It was supposed to be easier since I had a two-year degree, but I found out that I had to take a lot of stuff over," she said.
Admissions decisions for transfer students can be especially trying, Farmer said, because each has varying credentials and qualities to contribute to the University.
"It can be much harder to compare transfer students to one another in the pool," he said.
SAT scores and grade point averages hold more value for 18-year-old applicants. Adult transfer students, on the other hand, have already entered the realms of higher education and the real world, making their applications tougher to weigh.
Admitting adult students plays into the University's ongoing mission to serve the state.
Most adult transfer students - 83 percent of those admitted in fall 2005 - are N.C. residents.
"It's very important because these adult transfer students have in many cases worked for several years and . have helped support this university as taxpayers," said Robert Porter, who has taught many adult transfer students - including Crow - in his history and African- and Afro-American studies courses.
Transfer students - and adult transfers in particular - enhance the student body by bringing diverse backgrounds to an already heterogeneous mixture, Farmer said.
"In my experience of talking to transfers, there is a lot more variety of life experience and academic experience than there is among first-year students," he said.
Adult students, Porter said, are more mature and better appreciate the opportunity to learn in a classroom. They are more passionate about learning for the sake of learning, he said.
"I've been impressed with both Cathie Crow and other adult students because of their eagerness to learn and their genuine interest in the course material," he said.
Erica Clarkson, a 22-year-old senior sociology major, will have taken four classes with Barthlow by the end of this semester.
"It's good to have someone safe in the class who you can recognize," Clarkson said. "It doesn't really have anything to do with her not being the age of a typical college student."
She said Barthlow's story has taught her that nothing is impossible.
"It's never too late to get your education." Clarkson said. "It's never too late to get what you really want."
Barthlow and Crow both expect to graduate in May.
"To actually go here and graduate from here is a dream come true," said Barthlow, whose lifelong goal has been to attend UNC.
"I do think I'd make a great cheerleader, even though I'm 43," she added, noting her high school experience on a squad.
"I think I could get out there and yell for my Tar Heels," she said with a laugh. "But I don't think I'd look as good in the uniform."
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/22/06 5:00am)
It was a decision that would affect the rest of his life.
Aaron Leibowitz was a freshman at UNC-Chapel Hill who hailed from Brewster, N.Y., an hour north of New York City. He enjoyed his time in Chapel Hill, where he made friends like most students.
But he knew he had a guaranteed transfer slot waiting for him at Cornell University through a program at the Ivy League school. And he knew he would have the opportunity to study his chosen field - industrial and labor relations - more closely than he could at Chapel Hill.
When it came time for Leibowitz to decide whether he should leave UNC-CH, the prospects of an Ivy League diploma won out.
"I just could not turn it down," he said.
He was just one of many UNC-CH students to make the switch.
About 6 percent of the freshmen entering the University in 1997 and 1998 transferred to another four-year institution, according to a study of retention and graduation rates published in 2004 by UNC-CH's retention study group.
Of those interviewed, 72.9 percent said they felt insignificant, lost or out of place - a problem students can face at any school.
Other problems cited were more specific to the University.
More than 57 percent of students surveyed said UNC-CH seemed too large and impersonal. Almost as many said they wanted to move closer to home. And almost half said they were disappointed in both the quality of teaching and academic advice at Chapel Hill.
The reasons for leaving are as varied as the reasons for coming. But in the end, most students who transfer to other universities simply conclude that they are not Tar Heel bred.
"When asked what Carolina might have done to prevent them from transferring," the retention study states, "the most frequent response was 'nothing.'"
Improving academics
But that does not mean the University is not trying.
Campus officials have a list of factors that can help predict whether a student will transfer. They are symptoms of students' larger problems and include getting low first-year grades, having a weak high-school curriculum, taking part-time loads, being an out-of-state student and keeping away from campus social hubs, such as Greek organizations.
Of those problems, UNC-CH has taken the most steps to fight low student academic performance. Many of the other problems are outside the reach of administrators.
"I think it's an important indicator that the University puts an important emphasis on ensuring the undergraduate program is not just academically sound, but that students can take full advantage of it and be successful," said Jerry Lucido, vice provost for admissions and enrollment management.
Students interviewed in the study said the No. 1 way the University can improve retention is to reduce class sizes. During the 2005-06 school year, 28.7 percent of classes had 30 or more students - down only slightly from the 30.5 percent figure in 1999-2000.
"The small-school feel with the benefits of a large university is something I feel Cornell does well," said Leibowitz, who joined Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity while at UNC-CH to help forge closer relationships with other students.
"There is definitely no small-school feel to anything Chapel Hill."
The College of Arts and Sciences is working to keep class sizes small, said Lynn Williford, director of the Office of Institutional Research and head of the retention study.
Compared to its peer institutions, UNC-CH was No. 1 in 2004 for offering the fewest courses with an enrollment of 50 or more and ranked second for offering the most classes with fewer than 20 students.
But it is more difficult to keep classes small in light of annual budget cuts from the state legislature - inevitably resulting in certain course sections getting the ax.
And for some students, class size is not really the problem. For them, it is class stresses.
Alicja Erazo left UNC-CH to start her sophomore year at UNC-Charlotte in her hometown.
Erazo said her parents pressured her to go to Chapel Hill because of its stronger academic reputation.
"Deep down, I had no desire to go to Carolina," she said. "I just didn't feel like it was where I was supposed to be."
Erazo said she missed home and felt overwhelmed by the freshman workload at Chapel Hill.
To help ease concerns like these, campus officials want to expand the Summer Bridge program, which pays for 50 to 60 incoming in-state students to take their first math and English classes at UNC-CH.
And Friday, the Faculty Council will vote on a plan that would put students who fall below a cumulative 2.0 grade point average - the minimum needed to graduate - on academic probation and require them to meet with an adviser. Now, freshmen must fall below a 1.5 GPA - with the minimum level increasing each year - before they get a formal warning.
The plan also would increase the drop period from six to eight weeks, a shift that would take effect this fall.
"We're hoping by dealing with this earlier in a student's career, we can make a positive difference," said Peter Gordon, chairman of the council's educational policy committee.
On the road again
All the help in the world, though, would not prevent some students from leaving Chapel Hill.
More than half the students surveyed in the retention study said moving closer to family or a significant other was one reason they transferred.
About 86 percent of in-state UNC-CH students who transferred went to another institution in North Carolina, and 63 percent transferred to an institution near their high school, the study found. Three-quarters of out-of-state students who transferred left for an institution in the same state as their high school or in a bordering state.
Other students, such as Erazo, see their financial aid packages decrease, and transfer to a school that costs less.
Still others find UNC-CH's social potential lacking. Franklin Street, for example, was unable to satiate Erazo's hunger for city life. She said she appreciates the more urban atmosphere Charlotte offers.
"At Charlotte, it's easier to have a balance of school and fun," she said. "(UNC-CH) is a great institution, but it wasn't right for me."
Leibowitz, for his part, heavily debated leaving Chapel Hill for Cornell, which is in Ithaca, N.Y., and comparable in size to Chapel Hill. He had strong bonds through his fraternity, and unlike many students who transfer, he was not homesick.
After researching Cornell, though, Leibowitz decided its atmosphere would better suit him.
He said he continues to maintain relationships with his UNC-CH friends. Leibowitz came back to campus in January.
"I love visiting," he said.
"But as far as my academic career goes, I definitely don't regret my decision."
Contact the News Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/21/06 5:00am)
Shawntiel Ditchman enjoyed her time at Hopewell High School in Charlotte. She enjoyed it so much that her grades suffered - so much that she did not bother applying to UNC-Chapel Hill.
Ditchman began her studies at UNC-Charlotte, knowing that she would apply to transfer to UNC-CH once she improved her r
(02/13/06 5:00am)
Two men selling spa promotional packages in campus residence halls were escorted off campus by police Thursday night.
Julian Choma, 20, and Jamie Pedwell, 19, of Mercury Advertising reportedly entered at least four residence halls and were issued trespass warnings for unauthorized solicitation on campus, according to University police reports.
Several women living in Parker, Carmichael and Hinton James residence halls alerted police and filed reports.
Freshman Meghan Clarke - one of three students to notify the police -and her roommate, freshman Jenn Flaherty, said someone knocked on their Parker Residence Hall door Thursday and entered after receiving permission.
A salesman entered and closed the door behind him, Clarke and Flaherty said. He then encouraged them to buy a promotional package for Nirvana Spa and Salon on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, they said. After about 30 minutes, Flaherty said, she gave the man false credit card and personal information.
"It was the only way we got him to leave," she said. "I felt captive in my own room."
The second-floor resident adviser of Parker Residence Hall, Lauren Carpenter, sent an e-mail to floor residents in response to solicitation complaints alerting students and suggesting they keep their doors locked.
Susan Rhody, Parker community director, sent an e-mail to residents of Parker, Avery and Teague residence halls Thursday night.
Campus housing does not permit solicitation - except by recognized student groups with prior written permission - and "anyone in the hall who is not the guest of a resident is trespassing," the e-mail said.
Mike Ambrof, president of Mercury Group, called the situation "more of a misunderstanding than anything." He said company managers told him the two salesmen were invited by students back to their residence halls to offer their friends the promotion.
Ambrof said the salesmen likely realized their quick success and proceeded to sell the promotions to other students in the dorms.
"By no means did these guys crawl through a window or what have you," he said. "They're representing a local business and trying to offer a pretty good deal to students, and they get pretty excited about it."
Mia Gonzalez said she was visiting friends in the fifth-floor hallway of Carmichael Residence Hall when she was approached by two men. After 30 minutes to 40 minutes of conversation, she and her friends signed up for the promotion.
"They didn't pressure us at all because we didn't need to be pressured," she said.
Michelle Kelly, owner of Nirvana, said the business cut the promotion short because of the incidents.
No further action will be taken, according to police reports, and Mercury officials said the incident has been taken care of.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/24/06 5:00am)
Alumnus John Morehead III wanted to find a gift for the University in the 1930s that would spark curiosity about science.
After discussing the possibility of building a planetarium, he met with a Harvard University astronomer who had declared North Carolinians to be "the most astronomically ignorant people in all America."
Morehead challenged the astronomer, saying that if he revised the statement to read, "Of all people in America, North Carolinians are the most ignorant of astronomical matters," they would work together to build the planetarium.
The astronomer obliged, and the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center opened in 1949.
The planetarium continues to fulfill Morehead's mission today, looking to use the center's resources to better serve people across the state.
When the Panchromatic Robotic Optical Monitoring and Polarimetry Telescopes come online next year, UNC-Chapel Hill students will not be the only ones able to wield them to study the night sky.
PROMPT is part of UNC-CH's greater effort to reach out to North Carolina and promote a more competitive student population. The telescopes will provide high school and undergraduate students at other universities access to the telescopes free of charge on a limited basis.
The telescopes are in development stages along the slopes of Cerro Tololo, Chile.
"It just ties in so perfectly with the history of the University," Provost Robert Shelton said.
About 10 percent of PROMPT telescope user time is allocated to the Morehead Planetarium's programs with state high school students through Project Observe, which stands for Observation-Based Student Experience in Research Via Exploration.
"We have the ability to inspire young people," said Dan Reichart, a physics and astronomy professor who initiated PROMPT in 2002 to study gamma-ray bursts.
"There is a deficit of scientifically literate students in the country. Astronomy is one way to attract people to science," Reichard said.
Astronomy is the "gateway drug" to other sciences, he joked.
Through an application process, 30 earth and environmental science teachers from the state will be selected during the 2005-06 school year to participate in Observe, with plans for future expansion.
"It's hands-on astronomy, which is hard to do in the average North Carolina science classroom," said Jesse Richuso, educational program assistant at Morehead Planetarium, adding that it is a way to combat low science test scores and to enhance the science curriculum.
Rob Greenberg, an earth and environmental sciences instructor at Chapel Hill High School, was among the first teachers to show interest in the program.
Greenberg is the only teacher to have a guaranteed position in the program, Richuso said. This spring, Greenberg will help Morehead officials test out the program.
Next year his students will be able to direct the telescopes from the classroom via Skynet - a prioritized queue scheduling system that works through the Internet.
Students send a command through Skynet for the telescopes to take pictures, and PROMPT follows the orders when researchers are not using the telescopes.
"It's much better than learning out of a book," Greenberg said.
Skynet's creator, UNC-CH alumnus Adam Crain, said he feels like he missed out during his secondary education experience.
"I'm kind of jealous I didn't have that opportunity as a high school student," Crain said of the program. "They get to participate in something that's live."
Another 20 percent of telescope user time is designated for non-UNC-CH undergraduate students, mostly from elsewhere in the state.
"This is a way for them to get high-quality data from a professional observatory, and they can gain experience with the research process by working with the astronomer at their institution," Reichart said.
Professors at each participating institution are able to design their own curricula.
"It gives us access to a part of the sky we otherwise would not have any access to," said Dan Caton, observatory director at Appalachian State University - one of 11 PROMPT collaboration institutions.
As a professor of physics and astronomy, Caton said he will integrate the program into his observational techniques astronomy course and use the telescopes for personal research.
Steve Danford, head of the department of physics and astronomy at UNC-Greensboro - another PROMPT collaborator - will use the telescopes for similar purposes. Danford said he hopes to enlist upper-level physics majors to participate in research.
For a project that aims to learn more about the night sky, Reichart said, PROMPT's future looks bright.
"This is a great opportunity to expand this robotic telescope network. In the future, this thing's going to grow from six telescopes to a robotical global network."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/12/06 5:00am)
As the nation turns to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings today for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, members of the UNC community have their own role in the national spotlight.
(09/23/05 4:00am)
A deluge of e-mail viruses found its way into the inboxes of University students, faculty and staff since Wednesday afternoon - and more infected e-mails are on the way.
(09/21/05 4:00am)
To find out where to do great good, one first must find where there is great need, said Dr. Mark Grabowsky, senior technical adviser to the American Red Cross, at a lecture Tuesday night.
(09/16/05 4:00am)
Because Chinese students will not be home with their families Sunday to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival - often considered the eastern Thanksgiving - they are bringing the celebration to UNC.
(09/14/05 4:00am)
For Clare Harpham, a senior from Tulane University, adjusting to life at UNC is not an automatic transition.
(08/31/05 4:00am)
After spending 24 years working to improve efficiency and employee morale at the University’s counseling program, John Edgerly is headed for retirement.
(04/28/05 4:00am)
A dedication ceremony for the new $20 million School of Nursing addition this morning will mark a continuing step in environmentally responsible initiatives.
(04/27/05 4:00am)
After getting the ball rolling on child care reform earlier this year, University officials say a consolidated effort is needed to provide better resources to students with children.
(04/22/05 4:00am)
Two oval stone structures mysteriously lie dormant and dusty behind a taped-off construction zone in front of the Student Union.
(04/15/05 4:00am)
For years, students have joked about the name of the residence hall farthest from classes — named after Hinton James, the University’s first official student, who walked all the way to Chapel Hill from Wilmington.