Sarah Praskievicz, Ph.D. was an incredible advocate for her field and her students. Her research took her to all seven continents. The associate professor of geography, environment, and sustainability died at her home on Aug. 11.
Taste What’s on the menu at the Spartan Catering Showcase
Posted on August 18, 2025
Spartan Catering invites faculty and staff to the Fall 2025 Showcase on Thursday, Sept. 4, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. It will be held at the UNCG Alumni House.
Enjoy complimentary tastings from the new fall menu, meet the culinary team, and discover fresh ideas for your next campus event. From affordable prices to great service and dishes made with love, Spartan Catering is here to make your gatherings unforgettable.
Anyone interested in attending is asked to RSVP. Learn more about Spartan Catering, including a promotional discount code for the start of the semester. For more information, call 336.334.5195.
“JSNN is a great place with many international students,” says Ayoub. “The school became an absorber for my initial culture shock. There’s such a strong sense of community here.”
She wasted no time fully embracing the JSNN community – from engaging in research in Dennis LaJeunesse’s lab to participating in scientific outreach and communication efforts to training fellow students in microscopy (and even meeting her now husband, a fellow JSNN student).
From Pakistan to Greensboro, third-year doctoral candidate Ayoub is finding her scientific place here.
Interdisciplinary, Promising Research
Ayoub earned her master’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad, Pakistan. While there, she heard about LaJeunesse’s lab and how it studies the genomic changes in microbial communities in interaction with different nanomaterials.
“It caught my attention because it was interdisciplinary, and this research direction felt like a natural extension of my background,” says Ayoub. “I also liked Dr. LaJeunesse’s supportive and approachable nature and could envision myself growing under his mentorship.”
Once on campus, this young scientist felt the freedom to pursue her research ideas. She studies Candida albicans, a normal pathogen in the mouth, gut and vagina that typically does not cause disease. Yet under certain circumstances, it can prove fatal for patients with lower immunity, like those with HIV and cancer patients.
“I am studying genetic changes in Candida after growing on a cicada wing because it is naturally patterned and has structure,” says Ayoub, who is seeking to understand what kind of natural topologies impact C. albicans and whether they make the fungi more or less pathogenic.
“So far, my research demonstrates this is a promising approach, one making it less pathogenic and virulent,” Ayoub says. She believes her conclusions can be used later in translational research.
Importance of Outreach
Scientific outreach and communication have always been important to Ayoub. And her actions prove it.
She’s served as a JSNN departmental outreach ambassador as well as participating in the Materials Research Society (MRS) as an executive board member and community coordinator.
“I helped plan events, direct outreach activities, and engage communities with approaches such as nanotechnology or materials-based scientific research,” says Ayoub.
She was also instrumental in the launch of the Collaborative Research and Engagement for Sustainable Technologies (CREST) program initiated by MRS.
As part of this initiative, Ayoub would help coordinate high school, undergraduate, and graduate events to dive deeper into the students’ understanding of sustainability, “from a Starbucks stop to an electric vehicle purchase.”
“We would communicate how nanotechnology serves different fields – from water and paper to plastic and textiles – and can make them more sustainable for the Earth,” she says.
“This experience offered me a front row seat for how research priorities are shaped, not just by scientific needs but also in terms of public perceptions and national agendas,”
– Omiya Ayoub
Science Outside the Lab
The Science Outside the Lab program in Washington, D.C. welcomed a delegation of 12 students this summer from across the nation to experience science beyond research. Ayoub was one of them.
She called it “refreshing” to learn about science in terms of policy, funding, and regulations and to meet people from federal agencies, congressional offices, and think tanks. As she moved throughout D.C., she interacted with the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and NASA as well as the House of Representatives and the Senate.
“This experience offered me a front row seat for how research priorities are shaped, not just by scientific needs but also in terms of public perceptions and national agendas,” she says.
These honest conversations about navigating science in shifting federal landscapes made Ayoub more aware of “how fragile and powerful” scientific infrastructure can be and, therefore, how important it is for scientists to communicate about science.
Ayoub was also selected to become a core facilities assistant for JSNN, specializing in Atomic Force Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy.
In this position, she serves as a bridge between faculty and core facility managers and JSNN students and helps standardize protocols. She shows students how to use the microscopes, troubleshoot operations, and optimize data across samples.
“I have trained more than 10 students,” says Ayoub. “It is empowering to grow into a more well-rounded scientist, and I enjoy the mentoring, training, and evaluating this role affords.”
A Future in Science
Ayoub’s multi-faceted experience will take her far following graduation in 2026.
“I would ideally like to be in translational or clinical research, landing a post-doctoral or industrial position,” she says, “or possibly write scientific reports for policymakers or secure placement in a federal agency.”
Regardless of where she lands, it’s evident she’ll be prepared, thanks to her “collaborative and interdisciplinary” JSNN experience.
UNCG Equips Students For the WorkForce, One Internship at A Time
Posted on July 31, 2025
By the time Mary-Helen Kolousek graduated from UNC Greensboro with a degree in marketing and business administration in 2023, she understood the power of an internship.
She spent every summer during college as an intern in a different workplace. Some of those jobs were remote positions; others were in-person. One was in a smaller, niche organization while another was for a larger corporation. Some job requirements were more self-directed. Others were clearly defined. But all gave Kolousek real-world career experience, examples she could reference in interviews, and a better idea of the perfect job for her.
“I realized that I love being able to see that hands-on impact when you are able to help a student build their skills to get internships and watch them thrive,” she says.
“Students who complete paid internships make $20,000 more in their starting salary. I love reminding students of this statistic.”
– Mary-Helen Kolousek ’23
The Spartan Career Readiness Advantage
Kolousek’s work gives her a unique perspective on UNCG’s ability to effectively match students with internships. She notes that career-fair attendance and connections with local companies are strong at UNCG.
“You can see that students have been coached well,” she adds, referring to the professional attire, résumés, and questions students ask at career events.
This campus culture gives UNCG students an advantage when entering the workforce. Research by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) claims that students who complete paid internships make $20,000 more in starting salaries than those without.
“Internships are more than résumé builders — they’re essential experiences that help students explore interests, test career paths, and apply classroom learning in real-world settings,” says CPD Associate Director Jasmine Williams.“We want every student to have these opportunities because they build confidence, clarify goals, and often open doors to full-time roles.”
Student Success Beyond Crossing the Stage
According to NACE, eight out of 10 employers say that internships provide the best return on investment as a recruiting strategy. Matching students with employers is the ultimate measure of success for UNCG, which means that academic departments prioritize internships in all Schools on campus.
Between 2022 and 2024, CPD counted 134 full-time jobs offered to UNCG students by their internship employer. This includes major employers such as Volvo, Bank of America, Cone Health, and North Carolina school systems.
She remembers comparing internship experiences with peers: “My friends from other colleges were just told to go get an internship. They didn’t have a class like mine with Professor Wood that prepped us for interning and required us to obtain internships for class credit. I’m glad UNCG offers that because it sets you up for success.” Five years after her graduation, Mena is still finding success as a full-time Kontoor designer.
Whether students get help within their departments like Mena did in the Bryan School of Business and Economics or at CPD, UNCG works overtime to launch students’ careers.
8 out of 10 employers say internships provide the best return on investment as a recruiting strategy.
Renowned Career Prep Organization Partners with UNCG
This fall, third- and fourth-year Spartans will be among 75 undergrads invited to attend a workforce readiness bootcamp hosted by The Washington Center (TWC). TWC is a leader in career preparation development and intern placement at its Washington, D.C. headquarters — with many UNCG students participating in recent years. Now they are taking their game on the road to Greensboro for their first-ever workshop on a college campus.
The UNCG Career Launch Bootcamp will give Spartans an advantage in job searching and early career success. Students will build skills to promote themselves, find jobs, and stand out in interviews. They will also make connections with future employers via panel discussions and networking events attended by the University’s corporate partners and alumni.
Similar experiences at TWC cost $1,200 per student, but this event will be free for UNCG students. As organizer of the bootcamp event, CPD encourages all students to observe National Intern Day on July 31 by marking their calendars for Oct. 24-26 and looking out for the registration to open as the fall semester begins.
In the meantime, be inspired by the following students who are working impressive internships this summer, and take advantage of UNCG’s standout career-prep resources to maximize your earning potential. It’s never too early to test your skills in the workplace.
Interest Meetings Explain Spartans Give Opportunities
Posted on August 11, 2025
Spartans Give is UNCG’s official crowdfunding platform for the UNCG community — student groups, faculty, staff, and UNCG affiliated partners — to raise funds for projects, events, equipment, and other needs. As we gear up for the new academic year, Advancement is hosting several interest meetings to share details about the application process, participation requirements, and how to get involved.
Session 1: Tuesday, Aug. 19 at 10 a.m. Session 2: Monday, Aug. 25 at 11 a.m. Session 3: Thursday, Aug. 28 at 10 a.m.
If you are not able to attend one of the sessions listed, please contact Arjanai Miller at admille7@uncg.edu to schedule a one-one-one consultation.
Spartans are Back for U.S. Amateur Golf Championship
Posted on August 11, 2025
Keenan Royalty and Dax Isbell qualified to play in San Francisco this week. It is the second consecutive year that current UNCG student-athletes have represented at this championship.
The words trigger anticipation, nerves, perhaps a few tears shed by incoming UNC Greensboro students and their families. But the key emotion driving the weekend of August 1-3 was excitement as they filled their dorm rooms at UNCG with the comforts of home.
During Stop, Drop, and Roll, a UNCG tradition to make the transition to college life a little easier, students roll up to their residence hall to drop off belongings before they formally move in. They use that time to familiarize themselves with the spaces they will call home for the next few years. Along the way, they might meet friendly residential advisors, or housing and residential life staff members, who can tell them about all that campus living has to offer.
And while they piled moving boxes out of cars and onto trolleys, the UNCG community was there with support. Students might have even gotten a hand from mascot Spiro or left with a UNCG T-shirt as a welcome gift.
Whether a first year or a transfer, UNCG eagerly awaits to see what new adventures its new students will embark on, and what talents and enthusiasm they will bring to Greensboro’s Hometown University.
Dr. Noah Lenstra’s “Let’s Move in Libraries” initiative is inspiring libraries in America and around the world to boost healthy living in their communities. The work of the associate professor in UNCG’s School of Education is part of a growing library health movement.
UNCG welcomes back faculty and staff with its traditional luncheon, a spirited celebration of all the hard work that manifests each year.
The luncheon for the 2025-26 academic year will be held Aug. 12 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
It begins with encouragement from Spiro and the cheer team. On the way up to Fountain View Dining for an all-you-can-eat buffet, faculty and staff can also browse the tables of different departments and units. They’ll be passing out swag and information on events and opportunities this year.
