Class I
Gary Bishop
Retired Professor of Computer Science, College of Arts and Sciences
Professor of Computer Science, College of Arts and SciencesDr. Gary Bishop uses computer technology to improve the lives of those with disabilities. Tar Heel Reader, designed by Bishop in collaboration with the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies at UNC, is a collection of easy-to-read books on a variety of topics. Each book is speech-enabled for those with visual impairments and switch accessible for those with physical limitations. Users can also develop their own books, creating an open source library for all readers. More than one million books have been read on the site since it began in May of 2008. Bishop is currently developing other computer software and technologies for web-based interactive educational games for people with disabilities.
“The people I met in the Faculty Engaged Scholars program opened my eyes to the many ways Carolina is impacting the people of the North Carolina and the world.”
For current information on Gary Bishop, visit his faculty page.
Mimi Chapman
Professor and Associate Dean for Doctoral Education, School of Social Work
In 2000 Dr. Mimi Chapman and a colleague from the UNC Department of Public Policy established the Latino Adolescent Migration, Health, and Adaption Project (LAMHA), the first population-based study of mental health, migration and acculturation among first-generation Latino youth living in North Carolina. Expansion of the project involving dissemination of the findings to state level advocates, teachers and service providers. Chapman’s current work, Creating Confianza, is a partnership between Chatham County, the UNC School of Social Work and El Futuro, a mental health clinic serving Latinos. The goal of this partnership is to create a system of care through early intervention and cultural brokerage for new Latino immigrant middle and high school students experiencing mental health difficulties.
For current information on Mimi Chapman, visit her faculty page.
Giselle CorbieKenan Professor, Medicine and Epidemiology, Schools of Medicine and Public Health
Dr. Giselle Corbie is currently involved with several research projects. She developed and is currently testing several methods to increase minority participation in research in North Carolina. Corbie’s Project EAST assesses the novel approach of using a mobile unit to recruit and conduct HIV/AIDS clinical trials in rural communities in North Carolina. Her Project GRACE Consortium employs community based participatory research (CBPR) to partnership development and intervention design in order to eliminate health disparities in African-American communities. Corbie’s project ALMA (Amigas Latinas Motivando el Alma), a collaborative effort with Duke University’s School of Medicine uses lay health advisers to promote emotional health and reduce mental health stressors for Latinas.
For current information on Giselle Corbie, visit her faculty page.
The late Dorothy Holland
Former Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences
Dorothy Holland conducted a large-scale study of grassroots environmental groups in North Carolina. She was also involved with other researchers in a project on local democracy and its difficulties in five sites across North Carolina. Both projects examined how and why people organize in grassroots and nonprofit groups to change their environmental and economic practices. Holland also helped initiate The Center for Integrating Research and Action (CIRA), a collaboration of grassroots groups, nonprofits and faculty at local universities. CIRA addresses poverty reduction, environmental challenges, community economic needs, historical awareness/celebration and other social problems. CIRA has collaborated on a variety of projects including research with communities on food and justice, a community engaged class on environmental justice, a series of community/university dialogues on student internships and service learning, and conferences and initial community/university meetings on cultural tourism.
Jock Lauterer
Retired Lecturer and Director of the Carolina Community Media Project, School of Media and Journalism
Jock Lauterer is the founding director of the Carolina Community Media Project, a statewide public service outreach program aimed at strengthening North Carolina’s 190 smaller community newspapers. Lauterer has conducted free workshops to more than 120 newspapers in 70 counties. The Carolina Community Media Project also has a significant classroom component; Lauterer’s students have produced hundreds of UNC student “Hometown Hero” story/photo packages for local newspapers. His students also established a “bucket brigade” to help the Spring Hope Enterprise survive while its editor-publisher recovered from surgery. Lauterer’s scholarly research has focused on the impact and functions of weekly and small daily newspapers.
Mai Nguyen
Former Associate Professor of City and Regional Planning, College of Arts and Sciences
Current position: Director of the Design Lab at the University of California, San Diego
Dr. Mai Nguyen has geared her research and teaching towards improving the lives of individuals and communities in North Carolina. In 2006, Nguyen was selected as a faculty fellow for the Institute for Emerging Issues (IEI) because her research on Latino immigration to North Carolina is relevant to all of the institute’s policy areas (e.g. education, environment, economic development, health care, etc.). Nguyen has been able to promote her research on Latino immigration to key public policy makers regarding the changing demographics and challenges this population creates for the future of growth and development in the state. Nguyen encourages all of her students to work on individual and group projects that are education and fulfill a community need. Nguyen is currently working with the Northeast Central Durham (NECD) Revitalization Program to inform the mayor and city council about how to prioritize limited city funds to distressed neighborhoods in Durham.
Paul Smokowski
Former Professor, School of Social Work
Current position: Professor of Social Welfare at the University of Kansas
Dr. Paul Smokowski has fashioned his research around acculturation and health behavior in Latino families. In 2004, he received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Health Promotion Research Initiative and created Latino Acculturation and Health Project (LAHP). The LAHP study followed more than 450 Latino immigrant families in North Carolina and U.S.-born Latino families in Arizona over a three-year period to examine changes in acculturation and health behaviors. During the Faculty Engaged Scholars program, Smokowski continued his work on Latino immigrant families by completing the book “Becoming Bi-cultural: Risk, Resilience, and Latino Youth” (NYU Press). He also explored the use of video game technology for childhood inhalant use prevention.
Michael Waltman
Associate Professor of Communication Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Michael Waltman has focused his research on different forms of hate speech and how they are used to accomplish social and political goals. An important aspect of his research articulates the desirable features of effective anti-hate discourse. His work has been in many journals and texts including Communication Studies, Advertising, Criminology and Sociology. Waltman uses publications in his classes as a basis for creating service learning projects for his students’ work with community partners. His students have applied what they learned about hate speech to develop and conduct workshops to a range of groups, including high school students from Fayetteville in response to an incident of racial intimidation, with the Siler City Teen Center and with a Girl Scout troop from a low income neighborhood.
For current information on Michael Waltman, visit his faculty page.