A.R. El-Khattabi

Across North Carolina, local governments are being asked to make increasingly complex decisions about housing, transportation, infrastructure, and economic development—often while facing limited staff capacity and constrained resources. Meeting those challenges requires professionals who can turn data into action and help communities plan for an uncertain future.

For Ahmed Rachid (A.R.) El-Khattabi, Environmental Finance Center Research Director at the UNC School of Government, preparing that next generation of professionals begins in the classroom.

Though he’s based at the School of Government, El-Khattabi teaches in UNC-Chapel Hill’s Urban Studies and Planning undergraduate minor, which is part of the College of Arts and Sciences City and Regional Planning department. As an instructor, he helps students understand how cities and communities function—and, more importantly, how thoughtful planning can improve the places where people live, work, and thrive.

Most residents experience the outcomes of local government decisions every day without ever seeing the processes behind them. The neighborhoods they live in, the roads they travel, the parks they enjoy, and the businesses they patronize are all shaped by decisions about land use, transportation, public investment, and long-term growth.

“Most people lack an awareness of how local governments work,” El-Khattabi said. “Planning plays a really important role in bringing information from different disciplines together and informing how decisions are made.”

That interdisciplinary perspective is at the heart of city and regional planning. The profession draws on economics, public policy, environmental science, geography, data analysis, and community engagement to address complex challenges facing communities. Planners evaluate alternative futures, guide development, improve transportation systems, support economic growth, protect natural resources, and help communities balance competing priorities.

Those skills are becoming increasingly important across North Carolina. While some communities are managing rapid population growth and rising development pressures, others are working to address economic disinvestment, aging infrastructure, and housing affordability concerns. The planners entering the workforce today will play a key role in helping communities navigate those realities in the decades ahead.

El-Khattabi brings both academic expertise and practical experience to that mission. After earning his Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2020, he spent several years working at the intersection of research and practice before joining the School of Government in 2023. For the School’s Environmental Finance Center, he works directly with local governments to develop data dashboards, financial sustainability tools, and decision-support systems that help communities make informed choices. That connection to real-world practice shapes his teaching.

In the Urban Studies and Planning minor, El-Khattabi teaches Introduction to Urban Analytics, a course designed to reflect the growing role of data in public decision-making. Students learn how data is collected, managed, analyzed, and translated into actionable recommendations for local governments and planning organizations.

Rather than simply learning concepts in theory, students work directly with real-world datasets and planning challenges. Through hands-on assignments, they analyze information, develop evidence-based interpretations, and connect their findings to policy questions facing communities today.

“We really focus on the data governments can use to make administrative planning decisions,” El-Khattabi said. “We touch on how it relates to transportation and health and other aspects of urban planning.”

The experience gives students exposure to the same types of analytical tools and decision-making frameworks used by local governments every day. It also helps them understand an increasingly important reality of public service: data alone does not solve problems. Effective public decision-making requires the ability to interpret information, communicate findings, and connect analysis to community needs.

As local governments increasingly rely on data to guide everything from infrastructure investments to housing policy, El-Khattabi believes future planners must be prepared to navigate that shift thoughtfully and responsibly.

“The world is moving more and more toward data-based decision-making,” he said. “Local governments are looking for ways to leverage the data they have. The class gives students hands-on experience connecting data with real-world decisions.”

That focus on connecting research, data, and practice reflects a broader mission of the School of Government. By bridging academic knowledge with practical experience, faculty members help students understand not only how local governments operate, but how they can become effective partners in building stronger communities. For North Carolina’s cities, towns, and counties, that investment in future public servants may be as important as any planning tool or dataset.

By Andy Bradshaw, UNC School of Government

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Kathleen DuVal’s award-winning book shows how the sovereignty and influence of Native peoples in North America has remained a constant across a millennium. (Photo by Donn Young)

As a longtime scholar of early American history, Kathleen DuVal knows the past isn’t exactly static.

For DuVal and the students she teaches, America’s early days are a living, breathing thing, with untold stories and perspectives to consider that can illuminate our past and shape our present.

Her latest book, Native Nations: A Millennium in North America, was recently awarded a 2025 Pulitzer Prize, recognized for its “panoramic portrait of Native American nations and communities over a thousand years, a vivid and accessible account of their endurance, ingenuity and achievement in the face of conflict and dispossession.”

The book previously received the prestigious Cundill History Prize, the Bancroft Prize and the Mark Lynton History Prize.

So much of common knowledge about Native Americans begins with the arrival of Europeans and the colonization of many Native tribes, DuVal said. Those stories often center the destruction, displacement and sadness Native Americans experienced.

But who were they before that flash point in history, and how did they survive colonization? This is the story DuVal wants to tell.

“What people often say to me when they learn what I teach and write about is, ‘Oh, it was so sad.’ And it was. But that takes Native peoples out of the story,” said DuVal, the Carl W. Ernst Distinguished Professor of History. “We seek to understand them as making their own choices in the world and having successes and failures — and should not assume that they were always taken over by someone else.”

DuVal wrote the book to extend to wider audiences the vibrant history she teaches in her undergraduate course “Native North America,” where she reaches further back in time and bridges that history to the present day, covering 1,000 years of Native life and culture. Before the arrival of Europeans, Native Americans built urban cities and governments, and later smaller societies, and had agency as the protagonists of their own lives. By pairing archaeological facts about that millennium with oral histories from that time, she invites students to explore Native American history through the rise and fall of urbanized communities, the design of environmentally and economically sustainable ways of life and the movement of tribes across America.

“It’s been a puzzle — how did it happen?” she said. “And I think history tells us, yes, people were making these decisions for themselves.”

DuVal, who came to Carolina in 2003 and has taught the survey class on and off for two decades, said the evolution of her work has been inspired by the process of teaching, engaging with her students and taking in their new questions and curiosities.

Her teaching and her scholarship are “completely intertwined.”

“I love teaching and working with UNC students,” she said. “They are so giving and open, and just about every time I teach, I learn more about their ideas. And I chose the particular nations that I focus on, in large part, because of colleagues who are citizens of those tribes, so they could introduce me to sources to make sure I didn’t get things wrong.”

America is constantly changing, and students are more interested than ever in examining the country’s earliest centuries to make sense of how people lived then and now, particularly in her courses “U.S. History to 1865” and “The American Revolution.” Where the 18th century once felt relevant simply for Americans’ beginnings, students can connect that to their lives now, DuVal said.

“American history and Native American history absolutely have everything to do with today and help not only explain how we got here, but also help us understand where we want to be.”

DuVal received a National Humanities Center fellowship to work on her next book — a history of Yorktown, Virginia, and its role in the American Revolution.

By Courtney Jones Mitchell ’01, Carolina Arts & Sciences magazine

The post An honest and holistic history appeared first on College of Arts and Sciences.

Submitted photo

Rashmika Revankar recently graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill this month with nearly every accolade a chemistry undergraduate could hope to earn: a dual major with biology, a 3.99 GPA, multiple departmental awards for research, teaching and service, and a growing reputation as an exceptional young scientist.

Those achievements recently culminated in the university’s prestigious Venable Medal, the highest honor given by the department and one of Carolina’s highest academic honors for graduating seniors. For Revankar, who arrived on campus convinced that she hated chemistry after a difficult high school experience, the recognition revealed a singular desire to succeed through relentless discipline, a meticulous approach to research and a deep commitment to community.

“Taking the chemistry courses here and engaging with the department, I absolutely fell in love,” she said. “I really found my place. The chemistry community is what I’m most grateful for.”

That sense of community is echoed by her mentor, Gary Pielak, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Biophysics, who recommended her for the award and describes her as among the top 10% of more than 70 undergraduates he has trained. Revankar joined his lab in January 2024 and quickly distinguished herself.

“She brings new data to every meeting,” said Pielak. “She does a great job explaining her data, suggesting the next experiment, and she is an outstanding problem solver. Rashmika is like a first- or second-year graduate student.”

Revankar meets with Pielak every Wednesday and works closely with graduate student mentor Grace Nieukirk. That structure, she said, made all the difference.

Gary Pielak, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Biophysics, recommended Revankar for the award and describes her as among the top 10% of more than 70 undergraduates he has trained.

“I had previous research experience where I never even got to meet with my mentor,” she said. “With Gary, I meet with him every single week. There’s so much structure that you feel supported. He truly wants to get to know you and keep pushing you.”

In the lab, Revankar studies AI-designed enzymes, which are proteins engineered to be unusually stable. Her work explores why those enzymes behave the way they do, especially when they defy expectations.

“Every single time I get data on that protein, I have no idea what’s happening,” she said. “It can be frustrating, but I’ve learned how to sit with uncertainty and think about different ways to approach a problem.”

That mindset — embracing ambiguity while staying methodical — has helped her thrive. It also reflects the discipline she brings to a schedule packed with research, academics and service.

“I set up a schedule weekly, and I just have a mindset where I want to get things done,” she said. “Efficiency is key. I’m constantly on the grind, but I use downtime in the lab to get other work done. It’s about building a routine.”

Beyond the lab, Revankar has served nine times as an undergraduate learning assistant, mentored fellow students and contributed to departmental initiatives. She has also extended her impact far beyond campus.

Through a Robert E. Bryant Fellowship, she worked on a project examining environmental and health concerns related to biogas infrastructure and concentrated animal feeding operations in North Carolina. Partnering with community organizations, she helped connect scientific findings to public advocacy.

“It really opened my eyes,” she said. “There’s so much published science about these issues, but there’s a gap between the science and policy. Seeing community members affected firsthand is a completely different experience.”

At the same time, she works about 15 hours a week as a patient care assistant and volunteers in hospice care. “It allows me to take a step back and just sit with patients and talk with them,” she said. “That human connection is really important to me.”

Despite a long list of accolades, including multiple departmental awards for research, teaching and academic excellence, Revankar remains grounded.

“I don’t necessarily think I’m smart,” she said. “I think I’m hardworking. I’m always looking around and seeing other people doing amazing things, and it feels like there’s always more for me to do.”

That humility is part of what has made her a respected peer and mentor. As a teaching assistant, she often shares her own journey with students who arrive intimidated by chemistry. “I came into college dreading it,” she said, “so being able to tell students that and then see them grow to enjoy it is really rewarding.”

Revankar plans to apply to medical school while continuing to explore her passion for chemistry, potentially through graduate study and research.

“I feel like I’ve grown so much as a person. I came in really scared, under a lot of pressure,” she said. “Now I’m leaving having found myself — and a community. I just love the chemistry department so much. The professors, the grad students, my classmates — I’m just so thankful for all of them.”

By Dave DeFusco, Department of Chemistry

The post The student who came to Carolina doubting chemistry won its highest honor appeared first on College of Arts and Sciences.

Q: Can you give us a brief synopsis of your book?

A: Hemlock tells the story of Sam, a queer woman who leaves her stable life in New York City to return to the Northwoods of Wisconsin, where her mother disappeared years before. Sam plans to fix up the family cabin for her father and sell it and then return to her life in New York. But that’s not what happens. What’s supposed to be a quick, practical trip soon devolves and things get weird in the woods, the many ghosts of Sam’s past coming back to haunt her. This is a book about addiction, inheritance, womanhood, queerness and transformation; it’s about the tension between life in the city and the natural world, and what calls us home. It’s been called a “queer Midwestern Gothic,” and I absolutely love that description.

Q: How does this fit in with your research interests and passions?

A: This is my second book and first novel, and it feels in a way like an extension of the work I was doing in my first book, an essay collection called Tomboyland. In all my work as a writer, I think I’m always returning to questions of gender, class, place and the body, and all the complicated intersections therein. Both in fiction and essays, I’m interested in writing that digs into these questions, but doesn’t necessarily seek to find any clean answers. I’m very interested in the muddied in-between — bodies, identities, geographies and other spaces that possess a sort of liminal, fluid or indefinite quality, and the kinds of liberation we can find in such spaces. I’m interested in writing that transcends genre and form. I’m also pretty passionate about the Midwest, and in particular the small, sometimes strange, rural corners of Wisconsin, where I was born and raised, and that I still think of as home, and the dichotomies of the rural and urban experience, particularly in terms of queerness and visibility.

Q: What was the original idea that made you think: “There’s a book here?”

A: I was actually alone in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, in my family’s cabin, where I went to finish my first book, Tomboyland. I was there for six weeks, and there was no Wi-Fi and very little cell reception, and I was more alone than I’d ever been. Which was wonderful and productive, and also a little disorienting, especially having come there from New York City, where I’d been living for more than a decade at the time. This was a place I knew very well, that has always felt like home, and that I had never been afraid of. But being there on my own, in this very remote place for so long — and in the springtime, when very few people are around —my mind started playing tricks. I wasn’t sleeping very well. I heard all kinds of cracks and creaks in the woods, and I imagined that anything — animal or man or monster — could be out there. I would write and revise and transcribe all day, and then in the evenings, I would sit on the porch, drink a beer and read a book, and listen to the birds and the trees, and watch the deer — specifically, a doe who came to a feeder in the yard at dawn and dusk each day. One evening, the doe showed up, and I said hello. I imagined her speaking back. And the idea for this book was born.

I love horror and gothic narratives and psychological thrillers and mysteries, so all of these tropes were working their way into my subconscious — namely, the idea of a woman alone in the woods, who may or may not be losing her mind, just as her mother did. I started writing into this story, which I think at its heart is literary fiction, but with these other speculative elements — mythology, folklore, horror, magical realism. As I was writing, I was just trying to have fun, to give myself the space to think and imagine and make something. It really wasn’t until I finished a full first draft that I thought, OK, maybe this could be a book.

Q: What surprised you when researching/writing this book?

A: So much! I’m trained as a nonfiction writer, and writing essays is really how I make sense of myself and the world, and how I live inside it — how I figure out what I think and feel. It’s how I work my way through any idea or question or experience. It turns out that writing fiction is very similar for me. I had so much fun building the world of this book and the characters in it, who just kind of appeared at the edge of the woods in my mind. It was liberating to be able to do whatever I wanted and not be confined by the truth of my own experience. Though, perhaps paradoxically, I think I actually found my way to something in this book that’s even more true, in some ways, than what I’ve found in my essays. The key was having distance between myself and this main character, who is kind of a shadow self. I was able to see some things about my own life and history, and the path I was on, more clearly than I had before, through her. I also learned a lot about trees, and some very cool cross-cultural mythologies and folk legends about shapeshifters and creatures who dwell in the woods.

Q: Where’s your go-to writing spot, and how do you deal with writer’s block?

A: The best place to write for me is my home office, at my little desk, with the window open to the woods and the birds, and a stick of incense burning. I can, if forced, write in a very chill coffee shop, but I really require quiet and stillness and solitude in order to get into any kind of flow. And I’m not totally sure if I believe in writer’s block, but whenever I hit any kind of wall, I like to either take a walk in the woods or play guitar and sing very loudly. I think having another artistic outlet is a wonderful way to stay in your creative body and brain, while stepping away from the writing. The thing I know to be most true about writing — and this I think is the key to developing a real writing practice and writing life — is that writing is a muscle, and you have to use it. Every day, if you can. Showing up to the desk and to the project, as regularly as possible, is the surest way to keep showing up. To be able to dip in and out whenever you have the time, and those feelings of being blocked start to fall away. Just like lifting weights (which I also like to do when I do reach any kind of impasse), the more you do it, the stronger you get. If you take some time away, it’s harder to get back into the routine. My best advice — what I tell my UNC students all the time — is to make a ritual of your writing. Make it part of your routine, define your time, and then protect that time with your life.

Learn more about Melissa Faliveno’s work at www.melissafaliveno.com.

Read more books by College authors, and nominate a book we should feature by emailing college-news@unc.edu.

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The Carolina Playmakers about to embark on a statewide tour in 1925. In the 1970s, PlayMakers Repertory Company adopted a variation of the name as a tribute to the earlier group. (Courtesy of the North Carolina Collection, Wilson Library)

UNC A to Z, the revised edition, is jam-packed with 375 entries and 100 photographs, covering everything from the history of the Old Well to the campus response to COVID-19.

Why are Carolina’s sports teams known as Tar Heels? What was RTVMP? Which school is known as “the heart of the academic experience?”

The answers to these questions and more can be found in the revised edition of UNC A to Z: What Every Tar Heel Needs to Know about the First State University (UNC Press, 2025). The fact-filled, alphabetized compendium of Carolina history offers a diverse mix of topics for every Carolina fan.

The first edition was published five years ago. A lot has happened since then, including a global pandemic, said the book’s co-authors Nicholas Graham (SILS ’98) and Cecelia Moore (Ph.D. history ’13). Graham is the University archivist, and Moore is the retired University historian.

COVID-19, in fact, gets its own entry, along with a photograph of students lining up for testing in the Student Union.

“We are writing about the University, which is constantly changing,” Graham said. “It was also an opportunity to thinkabout, what did we not cover before? What should be revised? Buildings have been renamed; new schools have been established.”

There are 25 new mini-histories and more photos, too. One of Moore’s favorites, Ultimate Frisbee, kicks off the “U” section. Carolina is home to national-championship-winning teams for men (known as Darkside) and women (known as Pleiades).

“It is a great example of Carolina’s dominance in club sports,” Moore said.

Other new entries include the Carolina Covenant (celebrating its 20th anniversary) and the Commencement Bible (until 1972, every UNC-Chapel Hill graduate received one).

The College of Arts and Sciences, the largest academic unit on campus, was hard to describe in a concise mention, Graham said. But the place known as “the heart of the academic experience, where all undergraduates begin their Carolina education,” also gets multiple entries. Readers can learn about Honors Carolina, PlayMakers Repertory Company, the NROTC Naval Armory, the department of chemistry, RTVMP (the now-defunct department of radio, television and motion pictures) and more.

One of Moore’s favorite photos is of the Cardboard Club, which reached its heyday in the 1950s and ’60s. Students made creative displays out of squares of painted cardboard that they held up at football games to make composite pictures. It was eventually disbanded because of club members throwing their cards into the stands.

“No matter how well you think you know Carolina, there are going to be entries that surprise you,” Graham added. 

Moore and Graham said it was fun to collaborate again on the book. She enjoyed working in the quiet of her home office, and he tackled editing while watching his daughter ice skate at the Orange County Sportsplex.

“We have equal enthusiasm for the project, and we can talk to each other about pretty arcane campus history!” Graham said.

Moore added: “Our own interests also diverged enough that we could trade off on writing about different subjects.”

Sometimes what may seem like a simple question can be the hardest to answer, like the exact moment when Carolina athletic teams began officially using the Tar Heels nickname. (You’ll have to read the book entry to find out more).

Ultimately, the co-authors hope UNC A to Z will serve as a launching pad for new projects — inspiring other researchers, writers and fans to interpret Carolina history.

“The book is a mix of factual tidbits and the fun things that describe the culture of this place, like Ramses and Gimghoul Castle,” Moore said. “What is our story? It’s about what makes Carolina unique.”

By Kim Weaver Spurr ’88

The post The total Tar Heel dictionary appeared first on College of Arts and Sciences.

Jackson Bittick is a PhD student in the Department of Philosophy within the UNC College of Arts and Sciences. (photo by Alyssa LaFaro/UNC Research)

Jackson Bittick is rarely satisfied with immediate answers to the questions he asks.

“I was that annoying kid asking ‘why’ all the time,” he says with a laugh. “My parents were very patient and did their best to demonstrate how some things we do have good reasons for, but others don’t. Some things are justified; others just are the way they are.”

That instinct to keep asking “why” led Bittick to the field of philosophy. These days, the UNC-Chapel Hill Ph.D. student wants to know why we love our friends and our romantic partners. The view he’s developing, called the “appreciation constraint,” suggests that we love others beyond their qualities. We love them for deep, justifiable reasons grounded in who they are.

It sounds like a simple idea. But when philosophers try to explain love, that kind of reasoning often gets lost. Much of the existing literature suggests that morally good character traits alone give people reason to love one another — an idea Bittick believes is too simple to capture how love actually works.

“Love is so ubiquitous,” Bittick says. “Everyone you meet has someone that they love, but no one seems to agree on what that means. Philosophy is a wonderful tool for investigating that phenomenon.”

From politics to forgiveness

Bittick knew he wanted to be a philosopher after taking his first college-level philosophy class. His attention was rapt as his professor walked students through a problem in “Plato’s Republic,” a foundational text in the field.

“Philosophy felt so natural, and I didn’t really understand why until later in life,” he says. “I really liked talking about politics with my dad.”

His father is a political science professor, and Bittick spent much of his childhood in deep, wide-ranging conversations with him — often about politics, values, and how societies ought to function.

“After taking that class, I thought, This is just what I do all the time with the people I love at home, so I want to do that.”

After declaring his major, Bittick began studying moral philosophy, which focuses on questions of right and wrong, justice, and virtue. One question in particular held his attention: Why do people forgive each other? As he explored that topic, he began to wonder if loving someone made it easier to forgive them.

The professor he was working with at the time suggested he read a paper called “Love as a Moral Emotion” by philosopher J. David Velleman. In the paper, Velleman argues that love is not just about wanting things — like wanting to be with someone, help them, or make them happy — but about truly seeing and recognizing the value of another person. To love someone, he suggests, is to become more open and attentive to who they are, rather than focusing on what they can do for you.

For Bittick, the idea stuck.

“Since then, love has been simmering in the back of my mind as something worthy of philosophical engagement,” he shares. “That’s the fun of philosophy: You can read a bunch of stuff that doesn’t move you, and then you read one paper and can’t let go. You catch the bug and can’t stop asking why.”

Why love is complicated

When Bittick came to UNC-Chapel Hill to pursue his Ph.D. in philosophy, he started a reading group about love. When he began learning about existing theories, he felt unsatisfied.

The dominant view in the philosophy of love is the qualities view, which suggests that we love people because of their good qualities — like kindness, intelligence, and humor. On its face, the idea makes intuitive sense. But according to Bittick, it runs into serious problems when applied to real relationships.

Imagine you’ve been dating someone for two years, and a big reason you love them is because they are kind. Then you meet a stranger who seems even kinder. According to the qualities view, you should leave your partner for this new person. You’re probably thinking, What? That’s crazy. Exactly — because that’s not how love actually feels or functions. This is known as the trading-up problem. If love is based solely on qualities, it seems we should always switch who we love to whoever has stronger versions of those qualities.

A second problem emerges over time. Imagine that you love someone who is kind specifically to children. As the years pass, they become kind to all people. Even though most would argue this is a change for the better, it’s a shift in thinking — they are no longer kind in the way you loved them before. The constancy problem suggests that love should fade whenever a person’s qualities change in this way.

Enter Bittick’s idea: the appreciation constraint.

In this view, a quality gives you a reason to love someone only if it comes from motivations you can genuinely appreciate. It helps explain why love doesn’t usually shift just because someone else seems better on paper, and why love can survive the ordinary changes that come with time. Love changes only when the reasons behind a person’s qualities shift in ways the lover can no longer appreciate.

In this view, love isn’t a constant comparison of who scores highest on a list of traits. Nor do changes in those traits justify withdrawing love. Instead, love is a sustained response to another person’s reasons for being who they are.

Artificial romance

As questions about love move beyond human relationships and into digital spaces, Bittick sees a new opportunity to apply the appreciation constraint.

To assess whether it holds up in a rapidly changing world, he is studying how people form relationships with AI. In a 2025 study on how students use AI in schools, the Center for Democracy and Technology reported that 42% of high school students use AI for friendship and 19% for romantic partnership.

Companies are quickly catering to this demand. Replika claims to offer AI that provides emotional support and companionship — and has more than 40 million users worldwide. Nomi goes even further, advertising that its AI companion has “memory and a soul.” These are just two of many. Between 2022 and 2025, the number of AI companion apps surged by 700%.

“All of this is happening very quickly, and I want to provide some deeper explanations for why it’s not a good idea,” Bittick says.

He argues that the appreciation constraint suggests humans don’t have reasons to love AI. The core of the idea, he says, is that the things we need to know about each other to have reasons for loving someone’s qualities are inaccessible in AI — the kinds of reasons we rely on in human relationships don’t clearly apply to artificial systems.

Imagine that you start to have feelings for an AI app because it makes you laugh. Over time, that positive association might make it feel as though the system is getting to know you, even understanding your sense of humor. But is that enough? Does that give you a reason to love it? Is the humor a reflection of something meaningful about the AI — or simply the result of a system designed to produce responses you find engaging?

These are the types of questions Bittick is asking.

“We don’t really know why the AI says what it says,” Bittick shares. “We have some theories. We can look at the internal mechanisms to see where certain associations are made. But we don’t know precisely why it gives one response over another.”

Without that understanding, Bittick suggests, it becomes difficult to say what — if anything — we’re really responding to when we feel attached to an AI. And if love depends on appreciating the reasons behind who someone is and why they act the way they do, the question remains: Can that kind of appreciation exist in the first place when the “someone” isn’t human?

“Love is such an ordinary thing, but it’s incredibly complex when you try to explain it,” he says. “What it is to love someone is to see what moves them and be emotionally vulnerable to them because of it. Even if it looks like we can do that with AI, it’s missing something essential underneath.”

Jackson Bittick is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Philosophy within the UNC College of Arts and Sciences.

Story and photo by Alyssa LaFaro, UNC Research

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“I’ll never stop writing and producing my own music, and I’m looking for others who feel the same way. The fourth song on the album, ‘Melodies,’ is about realizing my life will always revolve around music. I don’t know where my life will lead, but I’m confident music will accompany me on the journey.” (Submitted photo)

Senior Cogan McMichaels recently released his debut album, Play Pretend.

Though this is his debut album, the music major and business administration minor is no stranger to creating music. Having released over 20 singles and an EP already, Cogan considers this album the next big step in his musical journey. Being raised by a musician and an artist, creativity and music have always been a large part of his life, though he didn’t enter his undergraduate years at Carolina as a music major. Instead, this decision came in his sophomore year after realizing that this passion for music was more than just a hobby.

The music department caught up with Cogan to learn more about his musical journey and his new album.

Q: How long have you been composing music?
A: I have been composing music for as long as I can remember, inspired by my musician father (Matthew McMichaels of The Mayflies USA) and artist mother (Carrie Alter). Songwriting, specifically, became a key fixture in my life when I was about thirteen years old, shortly after I was struck by lightning. No one ever believes that, but it’s true! I recall sitting in my dad’s somewhat-soundproof pickup truck that summer, recording vocals through a weathered pair of Apple earbuds into Garageband on my phone. When some neighbors moved away, they gave our family a Lester spinet piano that eventually called my name. I soon found myself at the piano bench every day; and though I never took lessons, my experimental approach led to some level of proficiency. The COVID-19 lockdown turned music into a permanent fixture in my life. I released my first song professionally in December of 2020, and the pandemic-induced solitude meant I had plenty of time to hone my artistic vision, production skills, and pen. To date, I’ve put out 24 singles and one EP. Play Pretend is the next big step.

Cogan McMichaels performs on guitar for the MUSC 381 student showcase in Fall 2024. (Submitted photo)

Q: How has your time in the music department helped shape your compositions?
A: I entered UNC as an English major, though I was intent on majoring in business. In my first semester, I took MUSC 120: “Foundations in Music,” taught by Dr. Mark Katz, to fulfill a General Education requirement. Dr. Katz told us stories of his travels, and that when he hears music in public, he follows it. The sentiment stuck with me. I had the opportunity to study abroad in Ireland that spring, and “following the music” led to many wonderful encounters. I purchased my first guitar in Dublin — a Gibson J-45 that cleared out my savings account — and it became a great alternative to studying for my Ireland-centric macroeconomics course.

When fall registration opened, my girlfriend at the time suggested I take MUSC 381: “Inside the Song: Analysis of Songcraft.” I was reluctant, as it apparently involved a public performance component, and to even join the class, I’d have to demonstrate competency with an instrument and/or experience writing songs. But I bit the bullet and sent an email to Dr. Jocelyn Neal, who teaches the course. I went into the fall semester knowing very little about music theory (I’d failed the AP Music Theory exam in high school), and with no experience performing my songs in front of a crowd. MUSC 381 solved both of those problems. Dr. Neal opened my eyes to form, chord patterns, scale degrees, lyric structure, and so much more.

I went into winter break obsessed with everything I’d learned, writing songs using the Nashville Number System, and newly confident in some musical terminology. That same semester, on the night of my 20th birthday, I had an epiphany: while studying for a statistics class required for admission to Kenan-Flagler Business School, I realized that the challenge of learning to identify scale degrees on the fly was more appealing to me than applying the chain rule — so I decided that I would major in Music. In the spring of my sophomore year, I took another class with Dr. Neal, deliberately skipping the co-requisite so I could take another class of hers later.

I’d be remiss to not mention Professor Pablo Vega’s audio production courses. Professor Vega taught me most of what I know about recording live instruments. In his classes, I had the opportunity to record grand pianos, guitars, and vocals using a variety of microphones and techniques, and his recording principles changed the way I approach capturing sound. “Get it right at the source” comes to mind. I’ve also participated in UNC’s Gamelan Nyai Saraswati Ensemble, as well as Kerwin Young’s Hip-Hop Ensemble. These two experiences were quite different, which is why I opted for them. I want hands-on experience with as many facets of music-making as possible, as I believe it will make me a better artist. With that said, the UNC music department has been an incredible resource for my artistic growth, and I look forward to using all it has to offer in my senior year.

Q: What inspired this new album?
A: When I was in seventh grade, I told myself my debut album would be called Play Pretend. I was on a self-help kick at the time, reading books like Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. That was eight years ago, but the album maintains a theme similar to the one I promised to my younger self. Play Pretend explores love and achieving one’s dreams, with the album’s title existing as a command of sorts.

Q: What was the composition and recording process like for the album?

“Songwriting, specifically, became a key fixture in my life when I was about thirteen years old, shortly after I was struck by lightning,” Cogan reminisced. “No one ever believes that, but it’s true!” (Submitted photo)

A: I created Play Pretend over the span of two and a half years. It started with “Digging The Hole,” which I wrote and partially recorded while studying abroad in Ireland. Ian Jones, a fellow UNC student, plays the trumpet part on this track, which we recorded in our flat in Limerick, Ireland. I knew the song needed an Irish trad-style fiddle solo, but as hard as I tried, I couldn’t find someone to play the part before I headed back to Chapel Hill. In the fall of 2025, I put up flyers in hopes of finding a fiddler to play the part. Levi Wexler (also a UNC student) got in touch, and in a single afternoon, in my bedroom on McCauley Street, laid down everything I needed for the solo.

The nature of recording Play Pretend suits its theme; I recorded each song over several years in a variety of spaces, taking action rather than waiting idly for the perfect moment. I did some recording in Joyner Residence Hall while my roommate was in class, and I recorded the instrumental track for “So Free” while catsitting for Chris Stamey (The dB’s), using his piano and acoustic guitars. The vocals for that song weren’t recorded for another six months, and that session took place in a practice room in the basement of Hill Hall.

With the exception of a few, the album’s piano parts were captured in the Hill Hall practice rooms. I’d go in around 10 p.m., haul my microphones, stands, audio interface, laptop, and headphones, and stay until all the other students had left and it was quiet. Then I’d record until 2 or 3 a.m., until I got the right takes or startled a member of the cleaning staff. Many of the vocal parts were recorded in my McCauley Street bedroom, some on an entry-level Studio Projects C1 condenser microphone, and others using a classic Neumann U87 from 1985.

That is to say, creating Play Pretend was by no means straightforward, but it’s finally here and a testament to the message it embodies.

By The Department of Music

Listen to Play Pretend on Spotify

The post Senior Cogan McMichaels releases debut album appeared first on College of Arts and Sciences.

Left, from top: Brad Barlow, Igor Andreoni and Jonathan Carney. Right: Artist’s impression of the white dwarf binary ASKAP J1745-5051. The smaller, dense white dwarf star is accreting material from the larger, but less dense red dwarf star. The interaction of their magnetic fields and the heat from the material accretion creates signals in radio and X-ray light frequencies. (Submitted photos. Artist rendering by Carl Knox (OzGrav/Swinburne) and Dr. Joshua Preston Pritchard (CSIRO))

A small, dense dead star caught tearing material from a companion star has helped astronomers solve one of the universe’s most perplexing mysteries — and researchers from the UNC College of Arts and Sciences played a key role in uncovering the answer.

Working as part of an international collaboration, Carolina astronomers Igor Andreoni, Brad Barlow and Jonathan Carney helped identify the source of a mysterious class of cosmic signals known as long-period radio transients. The findings, published in Nature Astronomy, provide some of the strongest evidence yet for the origin of these unusual bursts of radio waves, which can repeat over periods ranging from minutes to hours and have puzzled astronomers since their discovery.

The breakthrough began when researchers led by graduate student Kovi Rose at the University of Sydney used the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope to detect powerful bursts of radio waves repeating every 1.4 hours. The observations with multiple telescopes suggested the signals were coming from a binary star system containing a white dwarf, a dense stellar remnant roughly the size of Earth but with a mass comparable to the Sun, and a low-mass red dwarf companion.

To test the idea, the Carolina team quickly secured observing time on the 4.1-meter Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) Telescope in Chile.

“The SOAR observations were essential to the success of this project,” said Andreoni, assistant professor in the department of physics and astronomy at UNC-Chapel Hill. “Our data revealed that we were looking at two stars orbiting each other and we could measure the rotation period.”

Late-night observations conducted by Andreoni, Barlow and Carney revealed telltale signatures in the system’s light that confirmed the presence of a magnetic cataclysmic variable — a binary system in which a white dwarf pulls material from a companion star. As that material spirals toward the white dwarf, it heats to extreme temperatures, producing distinctive optical and X-ray emissions.

“The atmosphere in the observing room that night was electric,” said Barlow, associate professor in the department of physics and astronomy at UNC-Chapel Hill. “As soon as the spectrum came up on the screen, those unmistakable emission lines told us we had something special on our hands. It’s not often you get to play a role in discoveries of this magnitude.”

The system, designated ASKAP J1745−5051, consists of a white dwarf and a red dwarf star with about one-tenth the Sun’s mass. The stars orbit each other so closely that they complete a full orbit in just over an hour. While material is stripped from the red dwarf and collected onto the white dwarf, interactions between the stars’ powerful magnetic fields generate regular radio bursts that can be detected across vast distances in space.

“The resolution and sensitivity of the SOAR telescope instrumentation were key,” said Carney, a graduate student in the department of physics and astronomy at UNC-Chapel Hill. “The observations were made possible in part by the Goodman spectrograph, a Carolina-designed instrument mounted on the SOAR Telescope in Chile. UNC originally initiated the SOAR Telescope project in 1987 to expand access to the southern sky for students and researchers.”

The discovery may finally explain the origin of some long-period radio transients. When astronomers first detected these signals, many suspected they came from unusually slow-spinning neutron stars known as pulsars. Existing theories suggest neutron stars rotating this slowly should not be capable of producing such emissions. The new findings strengthen an alternative explanation: that some of these mysterious signals are generated by interacting binary star systems involving white dwarfs.

Researchers say ASKAP J1745−5051 could serve as a crucial guide for interpreting future discoveries. Much like the Rosetta Stone helped scholars decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, this system may provide astronomers with a reference point for determining whether newly discovered long-period radio transients originate from pulsars, white dwarf binaries or other exotic objects.

Beyond solving a longstanding astronomical puzzle, the system offers scientists a rare opportunity to study extreme magnetic fields, high-energy plasma and the behavior of matter under conditions that cannot be reproduced in laboratories.

By Gabriella Neyman, University Communications and Marketing

The post Cracking a cosmic radio mystery appeared first on College of Arts and Sciences.

“I hope students take away a more intense appreciation for the conceptual challenges and fun that are involved with attempting field experiments,” said Joel Fodrie, director of the Institute of Marine Sciences and professor in the Earth, marine and environmental sciences department. (Submitted photos)

Not all Tar Heels head home for the summer. Many students are taking Maymester or summer session classes. The Well caught up with two faculty members in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences to talk about summer classes they’re teaching, one here in Chapel Hill and one at the coast.

ENGL 409: Lyrics and Lyricists

Students in the ENGL 409 course have the opportunity to perform an original song at the Cat’s Cradle at their end of term showcase. (Submitted photo)

Taught by adjunct professor Kelly Pratt in the English and comparative literature department

Q: What is the focus of ENGL 409?

A: This course is a workshop, a collaborative exploration of the forms and processes of lyric writing for popular songs, requiring numerous lyric drafts written to existing musical models.

Q: What do students learn?

A: Students will learn about the history of songwriting, study lyrics from legendary songwriters and compose lyrics in collaborative groups and on their own. We will refine many skills needed to compose effective lyrics including authenticity, sensory writing, metaphor, repetition, rhyme schemes and limiting clichés. Near the end of the term, we get together to record songs that were written for the class and, in some terms, play a show at the Cat’s Cradle.

Q: What is your favorite part?

A: I love seeing students with no musical or lyrical experience compose a truly great song. Also, watching students grasp the meaning of a particularly difficult lyric or watching students work together to improve each other’s writing. Previous students have often surprised themselves when they realize they have a talent for lyric writing despite having no experience.

Q: What do you hope students take away?

A: I hope students come away with a greater appreciation for lyrics, an aptitude for lyrical analysis and the ability to craft original and effective lyrics on their own. And. of course, have fun!

EMES 89: Shark Ecology and Conservation

Taught by Joel Fodrie, director of the Institute of Marine Sciences and professor in the Earth, marine and environmental sciences department

Students in EMES 89 examine a collected samples from their shark survey cruise offered through the Institute of Marine Sciences. (Submitted photo)

Q: What is the focus of EMES 89?

A: This course is based at the Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City. It provides a foundational introduction regarding the biology, ecology and conservation science of sharks. We also look at “ecosystem roles” of sharks within coastal marine habitats such as salt marshes, oyster reefs, seagrass meadows and beaches. Although focused on sharks, this seminar also highlights the interdisciplinary links among marine life sciences, coastal ocean processes and management.

Q: What do students learn?

A: We give several lectures to introduce students to basic concepts related to shark biology and ecology, but we base this course at IMS to take full advantage of the outdoor, natural laboratory. Students have hands-on experiences like shark dissections, participation in IMS’ long-term shark survey, with multiple all-day trips out into the coastal ocean and behind-the-scenes looks at the conservation efforts of North Carolina Aquariums.

Q: What is your favorite part?

A: Getting students out on the water to learn in a very hands-on manner. Since this is a first-year seminar, this course is also the first research-intensive experience these new students will have, both in terms of exploring the peer-reviewed scientific literature as well as participating in the IMS’ long-term shark survey cruises.

Q: What do you hope students take away?

A: I hope students take away a more intense appreciation for the conceptual challenges and fun that are involved with attempting field experiments or studies in the marine realm. Finally, I hope students exit this course more willing and confident to participate in discussions related to how we may choose to value and manage coastal ecosystems in the decades ahead.

Read more about Summer Courses at Carolina.

By Caroline Daly, University Communications and Marketing

The post Sharks and songs keep Tar Heels busy this summer appeared first on College of Arts and Sciences.

The research of Jason Surratt, Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professor of Environmental Sciences and Engineering in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and a professor of chemistry in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences, is primarily focused on understanding how organic compounds that are emitted into the atmosphere get transformed as other air toxins. Emissions come from many sources, including natural organic compounds, wildfires, cars and manufacturing processes, and can change atmospheric composition in ways that have significant impact on public health and climate.

Supported by a new grant from the National Science Foundation, his lab will soon begin studying whether the compounds created by harmful algal blooms — a known water pollutant — react further in the atmosphere to create fine particulate matter that also pollutes the air. Carolina Stories asked Surratt about his research.

Q: What are the known health risks posed by harmful algal blooms, and what questions will this research answer?

A: We know that when a water source becomes heavily polluted with nutrients from urbanization or agricultural activity it facilitates the production of these species of algae that can then make the water unsafe by consuming a lot of the oxygen in the water. This can lead to mass fish deaths and render drinking water unsafe to drink. We also know that as algae are actively doing this intense photosynthesis in the water, they are creating volatile organic compounds that leech out into the atmosphere.

What we don’t know is whether the compounds released by harmful algal blooms can then transform into other organic compounds and fine particulate matter. The initial studies seem to suggest they can.

Our big question is, do the volatile organic compounds emitted by harmful algal blooms react further in the atmosphere to create things like PM2.5, or fine particulate matter? PM2.5 is a significant air pollutant, with tiny airborne particles smaller than the width of a human hair, and has been linked to health issues such as asthma, heart disease and even lung cancer

We will be tackling this question both in the lab and out in the field. First, we’ll conduct smog chamber experiments where we can mimic atmospheric reactions and record measurements. Then, we’ll spend six weeks at Ohio’s Grand Lake St. Marys, which has experienced sustained harmful algal bloom activity every summer for the past several years. Collecting air measurements in an area with significant harmful algal bloom activity will give us important insights into how big of a problem this may be in a real environment.

If we find that harmful algal blooms are leading to PM2.5 production, that could help prompt health studies to better understand related health threats. In the future, this work could also inform health advisories, for instance warning people to stay inside or to evacuate an area during a bloom event that could lead to inhalable PM2.5.

Interview by Audrey Smith, Carolina Stories

The post Jason Surratt on potential air pollution from harmful algal blooms appeared first on College of Arts and Sciences.