General News

UNC Charlotte’s B.S. in Fire and Safety Engineering Technology contributed to the university’s rise to the No. 1 online degree ranking across all North Carolina. Ranking UNC Charlotte now at the No. 3 spot in the nation, the “U.S. News & World Report’s” 2025 Best Online Bachelor’s Degrees rankings were released Jan. 21. The Fire and Safety degree, listed among the university’s ten fully online programs, provides a comprehensive curriculum focused on fire behavior, protection systems and principles of research investigation, and is offered both online and on-campus.

Jordan Landis focuses the microscope to get a better view of particulates that are magnified 100x beneath the lens. She is not surprised to find multiple pieces of debris in the 1ml water sample. While these non-biodegradable microplastics are tiny, Landis understands they can hold much larger impacts:  the invisible-to-the-naked-eye sized plastics may negatively impact public health.

The William States Lee College of Engineering congratulates Courtney Smith-Orr on her appointment as assistant dean for student experiences and director of the Office of Student Development and Success, or OSDS. Smith-Orr replaces Cathy Blat, who will retire in February 2025.

Niner Engineer Axel Knoll didn’t fly to Germany so he could learn to brew beer. It just happened to be an unexpected bonus of his recent exchange program. Knoll, along with fellow students Steve Freinstein and Matthew McGrew, enrolled in an exchange program with Germany’s Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, also known as Hochschule Karlsruhe (HKA), to earn course credit, and came home with so much more. 

Two years ago, Niner Engineer Scott Stewart Jr. had a casual conversation with his father. The son jokingly mentioned that his father should join him at UNC Charlotte once he concluded his career in the U.S. Air Force.

UNC Charlotte’s William States Lee College of Engineering welcomes new faculty to help support growing research activity and academic enrollment (Fall 2024 was Charlotte’s largest enrollment ever for first-year engineering students).

These new faculty bring expertise in the expanding fields of advanced manufacturing, connected vehicles, computer architecture, applied optics, materials science, quantum mechanical modeling, construction engineering, environmental engineering focusing on natural hazards and more.

ESPN reports about him. Motorsports veterans race against him. NASCAR celebrates him. 

Designated as “one to watch,” Layne Riggs ’24 just concluded his first career season with back-to-back wins and NASCAR’s Truck Series Rookie of the Year Award, capturing the attention of the U.S. racing community.

Brigid Mullany, professor of mechanical engineering with UNC Charlotte’s William States Lee College of Engineering, has been elected as a 2024 Fellow with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.

The second annual EVRSafe (Electric Vehicle Racing Safety) conference provided the public with the latest in battery technology, safety best practices, powertrain updates and more. Led by William States Lee College of Engineering and the Stand 21 “Racing Goes Safer” Driver Safety Foundation, the event was held on October 22 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Four William States Lee College of Engineering graduate students were honored with International Facility Management Association (IFMA) Foundation Scholarships at the 2024 IFMA World Workplace Conference held Oct. 9-11 in San Antonio, Texas.