Alumni

“Go 49ers! [We] put 49ers in victory lane. I’m so proud of that! Thank you to everybody at UNC Charlotte,” shared Layne Riggs ‘24 in an interview with FOX, following his win at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 24.

UNC Charlotte’s partnership with NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Riggs reached a new level when the Niner Engineer captured an emotional victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200.

Chideraa Ndubuisi ’25 MPH is driven to improve human health. Through research — and an unquenchable appetite for learning everything he can about medicine, public health and environmental systems — he is exploring, analyzing and drawing conclusions about the levels of microplastics and halogenated organics, particularly brominated flame retardants, in municipal wastewater treatment processes.

In the Blue Ridge Mountain town of Lansing, North Carolina, a 10-foot wall of water surged through downtown in September 2024 when the banks of Big Horse Creek overflowed, destroying nearly every business on the main street. Beyond town, hundreds of Ashe County residents were cut off from food, essential supplies and medical care as the bridges that connected their homes to county roads and highways washed away. Over the past year, the paths of three Niner engineers — a determined alumna, a dedicated researcher and a motivated student — have converged, each working alongside family and friends, colleagues and classmates, to help rebuild the bridges of Ashe County.

Charlotte engineering alumna Jennifer Pagán is tackling clean water locally, globally.

This May, UNC Charlotte is putting the pedal down. And the racing world is taking notice. Because at Charlotte, racing innovation isn’t just studied — it’s built hands-on every day.

Hurricane Helene victims in western North Carolina desperately need access back to their community. UNC Charlotte students and Ashe County volunteers are partnering together to provide them that access.

Sydney Prince ’22 is a nominee for the 2024 Women in Motorsports North America SHEro Award. Prince is the newly promoted lead engineer on the NASCAR Cup Series No. 84, driven by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Jimmie Johnson.

The Charlotte Business Journal has dropped its 2024 Power 100 List which includes Niner Engineer Dalton Espaillat ‘07, founder and CEO of Raydal Hospitality.

This weekend, NBC Sports spotlighted Sydney Prince ‘22 as being the only female engineer on the pit box at many Cup races, a critical and storied place to be during NASCAR races.

The UNC Charlotte Alumni Association bestowed its 2024 Alumni Awards to six outstanding individuals for their service to their professions, communities and the University Friday, March 1, at the UNC Charlotte Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. 

The honorees included two Niner Engineers who continue to forge the future for students, the university and the broader community.