From wildfires to business plans to algae, undergrads researched in 2024

Penny Gordon-Larsen, UNC's vice chancellor for research, said that undergraduate students are a critical part of the research enterprise. In 2024, their efforts continued to play an important role. 

“A lot of really amazing ideas come from undergrads just dreaming up what's possible,” she said. “And so that's always really energizing.”

UNC offers a variety of pathways for undergraduates to get involved in research, from structured programs to faculty-led initiatives.

Institute for Risk Management

UNC's new Institute for Risk Management and Insurance Innovation is providing undergraduates with opportunities to address challenges in natural disasters and other emerging risks. First-year Dhairya Agarwal, majoring in environmental science and computer science, recently joined the institute after connecting with research director HB Zeff at the UNC Research and Discovery Fair.

Agarwal optimizes wildfire risk and carbon credit buffer pool models to ensure they are more accurate.

“Because wildfires were not really that predictable 10 years ago, and these buffer pools calculations were calculated 10 years ago, we want to make them more accurate so they're able to account for modern day changes,” he said. 

Zeff said that the institute is accessible for students new to research. He said undergraduate researchers just need a computer and a willingness to learn to succeed in his lab. 

“What we do is try to teach the undergrads basic research skills about how to kind of formulate a research question [and] where to go and find data to be able to answer that research question,” he said.

The lab's inclusive approach has attracted nearly 20 undergraduates. For Agarwal, mentorship from Zeff is critical to navigating graduate-level research questions.

“We'll teach you how to build off [of your experience] and go to more complex coding,” Agarwal said. “And so that's really crucial with these complex topics, like graduate level topics. You just have to gradually get there.”

Family Enterprise Center

At the Family Enterprise Center, an institute of Kenan-Flagler Business School, junior Freeda Alvarez is leading a research project to build stronger connections within North Carolina's family business community. As the undergraduate team lead, Alvarez organizes a group of students collecting data on local family-owned businesses to create an accessible database.

“Family businesses can connect, we can connect with them, and just kind of create, foster more of that family business community and how to share it,” Alvarez said.

The project, supported by faculty advisors, includes both data collection and marketing initiatives. Students analyze businesses' public information, such as logos and social media activity, to create detailed profiles.

This notebook database is intended to help local businesses network and access mentorship opportunities.

Research courses

Many students at UNC start their research in a class. First-year Alicia Gebara discovered this path through Biology 102L: Introductory Biology Laboratory with Research, a more applied alternative to Biology 101L: Introductory Biology Laboratory. Gebara enrolled in the class to learn more about wet lab research, a field in which she wanted more experience. 

“I barely read the course description,” Gebara said. “When I walked in on the first day, I saw it said ‘coral-algal symbiosis.’ It was like, okay, so I don't know a single word in this title — coral-algal symbiosis. Like, what is symbiosis?”

At first, she struggled to see the relevance of studying corals. However, as the weeks went on, she engaged with the course.

“Coral supports 25 percent of marine life and the economy for tropical areas. Fishermen depend on the fish that live in coral reefs,” she said.

Taught by Barbara Stegenga, the class focuses on collaborative research and exposes students to writing in the sciences and poster-writing. Gebara and her classmates worked together on experiments that explored ways to help corals adapt to a changing climate.

Stegenga's enthusiasm, Gebara said, made a difference.

“Her excitement is an infection to us,” she said.

According to the UNC Office for Undergraduate Research, enrolling in research-focused classes is one of the best ways for students to get started in research.

And now that Gebara can define coral-algal symbiosis, she plans to continue her involvement in labs next semester, citing her recent biology class as a transformative experience.

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