LEADERS IN THE MAKING: RESEARCH-FOCUSED STUDENTS GAIN FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE IN THEIR FUTURE CAREERS.

• Position: RESEARCH: NORTH CAROLINA: THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE

At the University of North Carolina Asheville, students across more than 30 majors take their learning outside of the classroom and into the real world through undergraduate research projects, closely mentored by faculty who are experts in their fields. With about 3,300 students, UNC Asheville is known for its dynamic, leadership-focused, relationship-driven education. As the original home of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), the site of the first National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), UNC Asheville continues to set a high bar with research projects that address pressing issues, merge technology and social commentary, and support the local economy.

CHEMISTRY STUDENTS DRIVE RESEARCH FOR DEVELOPING A CUTTING-EDGE ANTIBIOTIC

GlaxoSmithKline Distinguished Professor in Molecular and Chemical Biology Amanda Wolfe and Assistant Professor of Chemistry Ryan Steed are combining their research specialties of Medicinal Chemistry and Biomolecular Chemistry, respectively, to develop a new antibiotic that treats Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a form of bacteria that is currently antibiotic treatment-resistant.

Their initial research, conducted entirely with UNC Asheville undergraduate research students, has been promising. "This new antibiotic would be able to eliminate drug-resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa because it works in a novel way," explains Wolfe regarding the new antibiotic that her student-driven team is developing.

The project, which recently received a National Institutes of Health Academic Research Enhancement Award of over $380,000 to support six students with stipends to continue developing their research over the next three summers (2022-2024), was piloted in an upper-level laboratory course with chemistry undergraduates collecting data over multiple semesters. "This aspect is pretty unique and demonstrates the applied and cutting-edge education-focused research that we provide our chemistry majors at UNC Asheville." Adds Steed, "The student involvement and impact that our undergraduates experience aligns UNC Asheville in the prestigious company of other elite research-active undergraduate institutions."

NEW MEDIA STUDENTS WITH "EPIC" OPPORTUNITIES

UNC Asheville Assistant Professor of New Media Victoria Bradbury integrates gaming skills and technology at the service of art and social commentary.

With the assistance of student research assistants, including a music technology major who designed the score...