The Graduate School Bulletin
Research Centers and Institutes
Center for Biotechnology, Genomics and Health Research
3701 MHRA Building
(336) 334-4775
Fax (336) 334-4794
www.uncg.edu/bgh
The mission of the Center for Biotechnology, Genomics and Health Research is to increase knowledge, build capacity, and disseminate information in the health, biomedical, and biotechnological sciences to the Triad community. The Genomedical Connection, a partnership with Duke University’s Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy and the Moses Cone Health System, is a comprehensive program designed to utilize family history and patient information and, if appropriate, genetic testing, for assessing disease risk, offering personalized interventions and treatments, and maintaining good health. The project has developed operations, software, educational programs, counseling practices, and technology with significant potential for enhancing health care and fostering the growth of new health care industries in the Triad region. (www.genomic-medicine.org)
CBGHR also offers technical support for DNA work and genotyping that enables Center researchers and collaborators to investigate possible genetic predispositions for a variety of life-limiting conditions. Presently, research activities with UNCG faculty are investigating potential predispositions for schizophrenia, knee injury, type 2 diabetes, and noise-induced hearing loss. The orientation of this program is consistent with the universal health maintenance goals articulated in NIH's Healthy People 2010 initiative and its Roadmap 2010.
Future plans are directed toward developing diagnostic tools and technologies which facilitate real-time monitoring and early detection of symptoms that indicate disease onset, especially among genetically predisposed individuals.
Center for Business and Economic Research
489 Bryan Building
(336) 334-5464
cber.uncg.edu
CBER performs high-quality applied research in economic policy and business practice, drawing on the expertise of the faculty of the Bryan School of Business and Economics. CBER's goal is to use sound and objective research to serve the Triad community, and to assist in the economic development of our region.
CBER's work includes economic-impact analyses, industry studies, regional economic profiles, feasibility studies, opinion surveys, program assessments, and updates of current economic conditions. CBER produces the Triad Business Index, a monthly report on the regional economy, available at www.triadbusinessindex.com. In addition, CBER researchers write frequent articles in newspapers and magazines and give numerous speeches in the community.
Center for Creative Writing in the Arts
2336 MHRA Building
(336) 334-3775
www.uncg.edu/aas/ccwa
The Center for Creative Writing in the Arts aspires to foster the efforts of those who believe in the power of the crafted word to transform and to improve our lives as individuals and as a society. Building on the University's widely recognized tradition of strength in the field of creative writing, on the legacy of poets and novelists like Randall Jarrell, Peter Taylor, Robert Watson, North Carolina laureates Fred Chappell and Kathryn Stripling Byer, and the many nationally and internationally known authors who have been associated with the University's MFA program in creative writing, the Center offers a forum for collaboration through its commitment to writers and to writing in all its various creative manifestations. With its sponsorship of readings, lectures, workshops, interdisciplinary events and literary publications, the Center promotes a vital writers' network in the Greensboro area, one committed to providing programs of appeal to a variety of audiences. The beginning wordsmith and the established word master, the student and the professional alike will find in the Center a place from which to draw strength, encouragement, and support in producing their work and in finding the opportunity to share it with others.
Center for Drug Design
400 Sullivan Science Building
(336) 334-4257
drugdesign.uncg.edu
The Center for Drug Discovery, a division within the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has the mission to create new knowledge regarding drug discovery, as well as computer-based methods used in drug design, and to disseminate this information to students, scientists, and the public through education, training, and research. New and existing methodologies are applied to design and prepare potential drug candidates. The Center serves as a resource for local pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, helping to foster and maintain strong university-industry relationships and collaborations.
Center for Educational Research and Evaluation
210 Curry Building
(336) 334-5882
www.uncg.edu/erm/ermCERE.html
The Center for Educational Research and Evaluation (CERE) offers educational research, development, and evaluation services to public and private agencies, including school systems, state education agencies, testing organizations, private foundations, and corporations. CERE is capable of delivering a broad range of technical, analytic, and consultative research services and can offer expertise in psychometrics; educational testing; survey research methodology; student, teacher, and administrator assessment; planning, program development, and assessment in higher education, school psychology, special education, and social services; school curriculum development; and evaluation of inter-group relations in organizational settings.
Center for Educational Studies and Development
202 and 214 Ferguson Building
(336) 334-3400
(336) 224-3401
The Center for Educational Studies and Development (CESD) serves as the School of Education's direct link for community outreach to audiences throughout the Piedmont Triad region. Through student-centered initiatives, the Center provides field experiences for pre-service teachers through annual events for children and families. CESD hosts two annual events: the Piedmont Young Writers' Conference, a one-day celebration for area third through eighth grade students, and the Children's Festival and Health Celebration, a free, public event that showcases more than 100 educational and health-focused activities for children and promotes youth services available in the Triad community.
CESD remains central to the School of Education's mission by supporting faculty initiatives, developing outreach programs for school personnel, and providing educational "field" experiences to pre-service teachers who provide learning enrichment activities to K-12th grade students.
Center for Geographic Information Science and Health
112A Graham Building
(336) 334-5422
cgis.uncg.edu
The Center for Geographic Information Science provides a unique research environment for understanding spatial issues through the utilization of concepts and applications in Geographic Information Science (GIScience) while giving students an arena for active learning and discovery. An exemplary research environment is strongly promoted, creating an atmosphere where students have opportunities to acquire valuable, unique and marketable skills.
Center for the Health of Vulnerable Populations
233 McIver Building
(336) 334-3701
nursing.uncg.edu/Research/CHVP
The mission of the Center for the Health of Vulnerable Populations (CHVP) is to improve the knowledge of health disparities and vulnerable populations through research, collaboration and education. This includes initiatives to alleviate those disparities, thus improving the health, access, quality of care and quality of life of vulnerable populations. Strategies are designed to address the NIH Roadmap, Healthy People 2010, and Healthy Carolinians 2010 through partnerships with community stakeholders.
To fulfill the mission, the Center 1) promotes and enhances research on aging, culture, disease processes, ethnicity, health care delivery, disparities, health education, health policy and health risks and behaviors; 2) fosters collaborative research within the School, across the University and state, and involving community and international partners; 3) disseminates research information to teachers, researchers, business leaders, health care providers, policy makers, the public and the international community; and 4) develops new knowledge that contributes to better health, fewer health disparities and improved health care for vulnerable populations.
The CHVP activities include research training, research studies, grantsmanship, and community partnerships.
Center for Innovation in Interior Architecture
102 Gatewood Studio Arts Building
(336) 334-5320
www.uncg.edu/hes/research-centers-architecture.html
The Center for Innovation in Interior Architecture provides a nexus for a diverse group of people, ideas, and disciplines for the purpose of developing and applying new products, processes, technologies, and materials to interior environments.
CIIA provides a mechanism of support for Department of Interior Architecture faculty research by cultivating partnerships with design industry and practice in North Carolina and beyond, and by fostering an atmosphere of innovation and collaboration among faculty, students, and industry partners. Interior architecture students have opportunities to work on research and development projects with faculty and industry partners, as well as participate in internships.
Center for Legislative Studies
213 Graham Building
(336) 334-4360
Fax (336) 334-4315
The Center for Legislative Studies (formerly the Parliamentary Documents Center for Central Europe) focuses on research and education in the organization and functioning of legislative institutions in democratic and transitional political systems around the world. CLS actively participates in conferences and workshops on national and sub-national legislatures, leading to books and articles on legislatures, elections, and political parties. CLS faculty participate in workshops and training programs for members and staff of legislatures both in the United States and around the world and are engaged in research on a range of topics on the functioning of legislative institutions. Graduate students, both American and international, are trained in legislative analysis through participation in faculty research projects and in the acquisition and maintenance of center documents and working materials.
Center for New North Carolinians
413 S. Edgeworth Street
(336) 334-5411
cnnc.uncg.edu
The Center for New North Carolinians is authorized by the UNC Board of Governors to be a resource to the state university system through outreach education, research, training, and interpretation related to the immigrant populations of North Carolina. CNNC seeks to build bridges among immigrant populations and existing communities by providing outreach and educational programming, research and evaluation, information services, technical support, and immigrant and refugee leadership development. Under the School of Human Environmental Sciences, the Center offers AmeriCorps ACCESS to help refugee and immigrant communities gain better access to human services, build bridges of understanding with neighbors and become economically self-sufficient. Under this umbrella, Interpreter ACCESS Project (IAP) trains interpreters and operates a fee-for-services interpretation service, Immigrant Health ACCESS Project (IHAP) bridges the gap between healthcare providers and immigrant communities by working as lay health advisors, and Thriving at Three provides parenting education and referral services to Latino families with children ages 0-3. The CNNC is a United Way agency.
Center for Research Excellence in Nanobiosciences
203 Eberhart Building
(336) 334-9787
The Center of Research Excellence in Nanobiosciences (CREN) was established with a mission to develop innovative and commercially viable nanobiotechnology products. CREN goals are to develop novel classes of nanomaterials with superior physical and biological properties that can be functionalized for innovative biotechnologies; to recruit, mentor and educate a diverse population of outstanding students at the undergraduate and graduate levels in nano-biotechnology; and to secure patents and transfer technologies that has commercial potential.
CREN research work focuses on four primary areas in nanobiosciences which include (a) synthesis and functionalization of novel classes of nanomaterials that can be employed in the development of new bio or environmental related technologies (b) development of innovative diagnostics that utilizes active nanosystems (c) characterization of the toxicity and environmental impact of nanoparticles and (d) computational modeling that complement the experimental and development activities within the center.
Center for Women's Health and Wellness (CWHW)
Mail: 401 HHP Building
Room: 126 HHP Building
(336) 334-4736
www.uncg.edu/hhp/cwhw
The mission of the Center for Women's Health and Wellness is to advance the health and wellness of all women and girls through collaborative research and educational programs. The Center places strong emphasis on the promotion of positive health, quality of life, and sense of well-being for girls and women of all ages and from all backgrounds and communities. To fulfill the mission, the Center seeks to (1) create an interdisciplinary collaborative research and scholarship program around women's health and wellness by building synergy around women's health and wellness, providing research support to faculty, and securing public, private, and corporate funds to support women's health research and scholarship, and (2) connect research to practice by promoting communication among practitioners, consumers, and researchers around women's health and wellness, building research collaborations among researchers, practitioners, and consumers, and disseminating research to scientific, practice, and consumer audiences.
Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships
330 S. Greene St., Suite 200
(336) 217-9730
Fax (336) 317-9750
www.uncg.edu/csr/
The Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships (CYFCP) is dedicated to building the capacity of families, service providers, researchers, teachers, and communities to promote the social, emotional, and cognitive well-being of children. In partnership with colleagues from across the University and the community, the Center:
- carries out basic, applied, and action research;
- translates research into effective programs and practice;
- infuses community perspectives into university research and teaching;
- facilitates strategic problem-solving processes; and
- promotes programs, practices, and policies that are likely to yield positive outcomes for children and their families.
With funding from federal, state, local, and foundation grants, the Center's current initiatives focus on family-centered, system of care approaches to mental health service delivery and training of service providers, youth violence prevention and intervention, community health, early childhood mental health and readiness, and community-based evaluation.
Family Research Center
536 Highland Ave.
(336) 334-3601
www.uncg.edu/frc/
The Family Research Center was founded to contribute to the understanding of positive family relationships and the role of families in children's development. The goals of the Center are to foster collaborative research on families and children and to create a supportive atmosphere for interdisciplinary programs of research on families. The Center also works to communicate the results of research to the wider community to enhance families' lives and inform the decisions of policy makers.
The Center is housed in its own building and contains equipment to support faculty and graduate student research. Space is provided for observational research with families, meeting and planning, computer facilities, and data analysis, and the Center provides administrative support for collaborative research proposals and projects. The Center also helps to organize conferences and workshops for faculty and students involved in research on children and families.
McDowell Research Center for Global Information Technology Management
441 Bryan Building
(336) 334-3052
www.uncg.edu/bae/mrc
MRC's mission is to support and stimulate the application of information technology in organizations worldwide, with an emphasis on the Piedmont Triad region, North Carolina, and the United States. Research projects will focus on contemporary issues facing companies worldwide. Simultaneously, the Center will contribute to the IT-related industry clusters in the Triad region, thereby aiding in the economic development and business environment of affected firms. MRC will offer programs targeted to both for-profit and non-profit organizations.
Goals of MRC are to conduct and distribute timely and relevant research in information technology that has practical applications and supports the needs of business, to be a primary resource for students and organizations for information technology education and training, and in the process, to provide information and resources to organizations in the planning, application, and management of information technology. Information technology in health care, its adoption and implementation, and global issues are current focus areas of the Center.
MRC plans to develop a world-class Research Consortium of international experts from both within and outside of the United States. The role of the consortium is to support the Center by advising, providing resources, furnishing information, and conducting research related to their expertise and geographic regions.
Music Research Institute
(336) 334-3589
www.uncg.edu/mus/mri/
The mission of the Music Research Institute within the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance is to conduct research that advances the understanding of music and to share new knowledge for the good of society.
Toward that end, more than 40 research projects have been initiated in six areas: biomusic, neuroimaging, music-related hearing loss, music education, music performance, and ethnomusicology-ecocriticism. This cluster of topics, integrated into an overarching institute, provides for a rich array of multi- and interdisciplinary research involving many scholars from within the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance across the university, and from local, regional, national, and international research communities.
North Carolina Entrepreneurship Center
418 Bryan Building
(336) 256-8649
entrepreneur.uncg.edu
The North Carolina Entrepreneurship Center (NCEC) is a campus-wide, cross-disciplinary center that has community engagement as its primary mission, with instruction and research as secondary missions.
Our mission is to help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses, and to serve as a catalyst for the creation of sustainable and globally competitive enterprises in the Piedmont Triad, North Carolina, and beyond.
NCEC offers a range of outreach, instructional, and research opportunities including development grants to faculty wishing to create new courses; support for student and faculty research on entrepreneurship; and entrepreneurship education for students and faculty. NCEC also offers extra-curricular entrepreneurial opportunities including student internships; course projects and incubator start-up experiences; public forums to educate the campus and community about entrepreneurship; lectures by visiting experts in various types of entrepreneurship; and workshops, symposia, and panels.
The SERVE Center at UNCG
Dixon Building, Gateway University Research Park
5900 Summitt Avenue
(336) 315-7400 or (800) 755-3277
www.serve.org
The SERVE Center's mission is to foster empowered, information-rich pre-kindergarten to grade 12 educational systems by finding and translating the best current knowledge, generating new knowledge, and partnering with stakeholders to identify and apply best evidence to practice. It generates theory-grounded research, provides cutting-edge technical assistance, and disseminates high-quality information relevant to educational stakeholders' needs. Its activities are national in scope but tailor-made to the needs of local and regional clients. States and districts regularly turn to SERVE for assistance in finding research to: guide decision making, use data more effectively, and conduct evaluations of programs. SERVE also provides customized evaluation and technical assistance services through contracts with states, districts, schools, and other clients. The center has provided services in migrant education, smaller learning communities, high school redesign, teacher growth and assessment, professional learning teams, reading and literacy, program and project evaluation, 21st Century Learning Communities, and technology applications in education.
Since 1990, the SERVE Center has operated one of ten US Department of Education-funded Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs). Its current five-year contract for operating the REL-Southeast is funded at $37 million and includes two large-scale randomized control trials evaluating education interventions in Alabama and Mississippi. In addition to the REL-Southeast, the SERVE Center also operates the National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE), providing the research, resources, and information that enable communities to address the educational needs of children experiencing homelessness. It also operates and administers the North Carolina Homeless Education Program.
The SERVE Center's approach to its work is both rigorous and flexible, deploying a combination of both tried-and-true and innovative tools to rapidly assess needs and meet them efficiently. Its toolkit includes experimental, correlational, and other methodological designs and an ever-expanding repertoire of interventions and processes that support policymakers and practitioners in raising student achievement.
SERVE Center is the largest sponsored research center at the university and has a staff of over 50 people.
UNCG Center for Research Excellence in Bioactive Food Components
6500 Laureate Way, Suite 4226
Kannapolis, NC 28081
(704) 250-5810
www.uncg.edu/ntr/ncrc
Scientists at The UNCG Center for Research Excellence in Bioactive Food Components are conducting studies to identify and evaluate bioactive components from food, plants, and traditional Chinese medicines for the prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders such as diabetes, obesity, and cancer. This research entails chemical and metabolic profiling of bioactive components from a whole biological systems (metabolomics) approach. Other research examines cellular and molecular mechanisms of bioactive components, in order to address fundamental research questions that enhance our basic understanding of the contribution of bioactive components to human health and wellness, healthy aging, and disease prevention. The UNCG Center is housed in the UNC Nutrition Research Building at the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) in Kannapolis, NC, about 70 miles southwest of Greensboro. The Center is a satellite to the UNCG Department of Nutrition, School of Human Environmental Sciences on the UNCG main campus.