Research conducted at the Carolina Population Center explores both local and international issues with ongoing studies in 85 countries. Current projects in the United States include analyzing how family structure and employment dynamics affect child outcomes; exploring the correlation between physical activity, obesity, and urban built environments; and assessing the long-term health of adolescents and causes of health-related behaviors. Abroad, center researchers are addressing the effects of health, nutrition, and other factors on education, work, and wages of youth in the Philippines, modeling land cover change in relation to population change in Thailand, and analyzing responses to rapid social and economic change in Russia and China.

Links:
Carolina Population Center - http://www.cpc.unc.edu/

Part of the UNC School of Medicine, and a partner with the U.S. EPA’s Human Studies Division, the Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology explores the relationship between air pollution and human health. Volunteer subjects, including healthy people and those with lung diseases such as asthma or chronic bronchitis, participate in a range of research studies administered by the center. Results lead to new policies, such as the 8-hour ozone standard promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency. By better understanding the negative health effects of air pollution, researchers hope to discover new medications and dietary practices to reduce the impacts.

Links:
Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology - http://www.med.unc.edu/cemalb
UNC School of Medicine - http://www.med.unc.edu/
U.S. EPA’s Human Studies Division - http://www.epa.gov/oaintrnt/facilities/rtp_chapel.htm

The mission of the new Center for Integrating Research and Action is to “promote social change leading to the existence of just and sustainable communities and institutions and to the expansion of participatory democracy.” This is done by supporting collaboration between community leaders and University researchers.

Links:
Center for Integrating Research and Action - http://cira.unc.edu/

Since its launch in 2007, the CSE Knowledge Bank has grown to include more than 70 sustainability-related articles written by faculty and students. This free resource features award-winning cases like "Procter and Gamble's PUR Water Purifier: The Hunt for a Sustainable Business Model" and "Measuring Environmental Footprint: A Financial Services Industry Case Study." More than one thousand readers subscribe to the service.

Links:
Center for Sustainable Enterprise - http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/cse/index.cfm

The UNC Center for the Study of Natural Hazards and Disasters (Hazards Center) conducts innovative research on natural hazards and disasters and translates the knowledge developed to practice.  Researchers located at Carolina and at the Center's partner institutions around the country study the natural phenomena of hazards - such as hurricanes, coastal erosion, climate change, and earthquakes - as well as the impacts these events have on human settlements.  The information can then be used to inform policy and craft strategies designed to reduce vulnerability and enhance resilience. 

The linkages between hazard resiliency and community sustainability are evident in areas that have been hardest hit by recent disasters.  Communities that can withstand the impacts of hazard events are better equipped to bounce back quickly, and to maintain or even improve their overall economic stability, population security and environmental integrity by reducing disruption to business and government, limiting damage to infrastructure and housing, and minimizing disturbances to social structures.

The picture to the right is of flooded neighborhoods and highways in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. It was taken by Jocelyn Augustino.

Links:
Center for the Study of Natural Hazards and Disasters - http://hazardscenter.unc.edu/

Research and service is at the heart of the Department of City and Regional Planning’s graduate education program. Students participate actively in community-based planning workshops and join faculty in a variety of local and regional research projects.

The Carolina Transportation Program studies how transportation planning and land use patterns impact health, the environment, energy, and economic development. Current research projects explore who uses public transportation and why, the environmental and health effects of travel behaviors, and energy use reduction through innovative community design.

The Center for Community Capital analyzes ways to bring economic opportunity to underserved citizens and communities. Findings related to the value of home ownership, housing finance policy, and the effects of home ownership on civic involvement will contribute to the development of sustainable business practices in the wake of the recent national economic downturn.

The Center for Urban and Regional Studies brings together researchers from across campus to improve living conditions through economic development, environmental protection, and sustainable community development. Research provides state and national leaders with the resources to make informed urban planning and policy decisions.

Links:
Department of City and Regional Planning - http://www.planning.unc.edu/
Carolina Transportation Program - http://ctp.unc.edu/
Center for Community Capital - http://www.ccc.unc.edu/
Center for Urban and Regional Studies - http://curs.unc.edu/
 

The mission of the Gillings School of Global Public Health is to improve public health, promote individual well-being, and eliminate health disparities across North Carolina and around the world. Research both discovers solutions and translates findings into effective practices and sound policy recommendations. Innovation labs at the school anticipate future public health challenges, conduct high-impact research and demonstration projects, and accelerate sustainable solutions.

The Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility is an interdepartmental program hosted by the school and funded in part by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Since 2001, the center has invested $1.3 million to support pilot projects, which led to research projects yielding over 28 times that amount of external funding—$36.9 million. Services and technical support provided by the center enable research on the toxicity of hazardous chemicals and environmental pollutants.

Links:
Gillings School of Global Public Health - http://www.sph.unc.edu/
Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility - http://cehs.sph.unc.edu/

For over 40 years, UNC’s Highway Safety Research Center (HSRC) has conducted interdisciplinary research aimed at reducing deaths, injuries, and related societal costs of roadway crashes. Researching effective models for pedestrian-friendly development is a focus of the HSRC.

Links:
Highway Safety Research Center - http://www.hsrc.unc.edu/index.cfm

The Institute for Advanced Materials, Nanoscience and Technology (IAM) is a multidisciplinary research institute that brings together the physical sciences, emerging new sciences, and society to address complex problems in areas such as human health and energy. IAM hosts the Analytical and Nanofabrication Laboratory, a shared instrument and resource facility established in 2006 to serve UNC and the Triangle area with instrumentation and equipment that is too expensive for any one institution to purchase individually.

Research conducted through IAM is on the cutting edge of scientific discovery, and UNC is ranked among the top universities nationally for research in nano- and microtechnology. Research areas have included nanofluidic sensors, cancer research, bio-inspired materials, and the innovative design of fuel cell membranes.  Most recently, promising research on organic, bio-inspired, and liquid-based photovoltaics is being tested in the laboratory, which recently won a $13.6 million National Science Foundation grant to study soft materials.  Picture thanks to Lars Sahl.

Links:
Institute for Advanced Materials, Nanoscience and Technology - http://www.advancedmaterials.unc.edu/
Chapel Hill Analytical and Nanofabrication Laboratory - http://chanl.unc.edu/

The Institute for the Environment serves as a hub for multidisciplinary, environmental research. Faculty and staff in the institute’s four research centers partner with others at UNC to find comprehensive solutions to pressing environmental problems.

The Center for Environmental Modeling for Policy Development creates and applies advanced environmental software and models. Transforming complicated data sets into summary trends helps policy makers render informed decisions on issues that affect human health, air pollution, and climate change.

The Center for Sustainable Community Design evaluates strategies to mitigate the environmental effects of rapid population increases and resulting development patterns. Researchers address coastal hazard mitigation, wildlife conservation, and the impact of development on socially vulnerable communities.

The Center for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economic Development explores energy issues facing the state, the nation, and the world. Researchers examine the rationale and consequences of various energy choices and the feasibility of renewable and nuclear energy sources.

The Center for Watershed Science and Management researches issues related to water quality and availability. Innovative market mechanisms are evaluated to address interbasin transfers and water allocation formulas, approaches to improving water quality, and compensatory stream and wetland migration.

The Carolina Environmental Synthesis Program is a new initiative of the institute that unites students with faculty to conduct complex environmental research on solutions to real problems affecting North Carolina. The first project since its 2009 launch focuses on protecting drinking water supplies from stormwater runoff. Research and field work for this project is conducted primarily at Jordan Lake and Falls Lake, both located in the Triangle.

Links:
Institute for the Environment - http://www.ie.unc.edu/
Center for Environmental Modeling for Policy Development - http://www.ie.unc.edu/cempd/
Center for Sustainable Community Design - http://www.ie.unc.edu/cscd/
Center for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economic Development - http://www.ie.unc.edu/cseeed/index.cfm
Center for Watershed Science and Management - http://www.ie.unc.edu/research/watershed_science.cfm
 

Located in Morehead City, the Institute of Marine Sciences conducts a wide range of research and provides students with practical field experience. Researchers investigate coastal ecology and human impacts, microbial ecology and human health, species diversity and ecosystem functioning, and environmental modeling.

Links:
Institute of Marine Sciences - http://marine.unc.edu/

In 2008, the Solar Energy Research Center was launched by the chemistry department. In 2009, the center became one of 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Over five years, $17.5 million will support 30 postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. Research will focus on solar fuels catalysis, development of hybrid materials, organic photovoltaics, and advanced spectroscopy and theory. The center is the only EFRC-funded center in North Carolina and one of 16 that received Recovery Act funds for job creation.

Collaboration drives innovation at this center. There are more than 17 participating faculty from multiple campus departments at UNC who work in partnership with researchers at Duke University, N.C. Central University, N.C. State University, and the University of Florida.

Links:
Solar Energy Research Center - http://www.serc.unc.edu/