Inside UNC Charlotte -- August 2012

>> Narrator:
The following program is a UNC Charlotte production.
[Music]
>> Stephen Ward:
Welcome inside UNC Charlotte.
In this edition, we see how the University is staking its claim to leadership in energy.
North Carolina's urban research university is playing a major role in the region's emergence
as the new energy capital, as industry and education come together to meet the demands
of the 21st century.
And it's happening here, at the new Energy Production & Infrastructure Center, the EPIC
building.
Then we go across campus to the Harris Alumni Center at Johnson Glen, where we'll chat with
2005 alumna, and Alumni Association board member, Joanna Gammon.
Streamlined Weatherization Improvements for Tomorrow, or SWIFT for short - we'll learn
more about this Department of Energy-funded initiative to weatherize low income homes
in North Carolina.
We take an inside look at our men's soccer team, returning to the pitch after a historic
trip to the national championship.
And we'll take our first look at The Student Insider, a segment produced by students from
NinerTV and NinerOnline.com.
All this, plus another segment produced by our Communications Studies students on Inside
UNC Charlotte.
[Music]
>> Stephen Ward: A new frontier in the energy industry can
be found right here in Charlotte.
Our region is home to industry leaders and leading ideas. Demand for highly-trained energy
professionals intensifies each year. This is where UNC Charlotte comes in with
a new Energy Production and Infrastructure Center, or EPIC.
A look inside reveals that Charlotte, the new energy capital now has EPIC, its new capital
building and much more.
[music]
>> Valentina Cecchi:
I joined UNC Charlotte about two years ago and I came because the school is growing.
Itís a very exciting time and the Energy Production Infrastructure Center is being
born.
[Music]
>> Johan Enslin:
EPIC is a University-Industry partnership to bring together students, faculty members,
researchers and industry to study and evaluate new energy technologies for a sustainable
energy future.
>> Robert Johnson:
Our partnership with industry was critical when you look at Duke Energy, the Shaw Power
Group, Siemens, Westinghouse or URS, Epri, a long list of companies that have all been
very much involved in helping us design the curriculum, getting us financial support for
this $76 million dollar building. The building has been under construction for
about two and a half years.
A facility like that is essential.
I mean to make a research program go, to have the right kind of laboratories for students
to work in, you have to have the right kind of facility.
>> Johan Enslin:
The new building brings together the multidisciplinary aspects of energy.
So, we see in the new building both electrical, mechanical, and environmental engineers and
also civil engineers working together and solving multidisciplinary problems.
>> James Little:
Charlotte is, in our view, the energy capital and has great potential.
Thereís already existing infrastructure here.
Thereís a large source of talent.
One of the nicest surprises weíve found was the Energy Production Infrastructure effort
that was underway specifically here at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Part of the engagement with EPIC besides the steps and the funding is to make sure that
weíre doing our part.
Weíve always felt very strongly that it is not just about doing the business, but you
have to have a source of talent for the future.
>> Valentina Cecchi:
Several Senior Design Projects have been done in power system areas.
The students certainly gain practical, hands on experience because theyíre dealing with
not only designing and modeling the system and simulations, but then they also look at
the hardware and they learn how power electronics work.
Thereís several different laboratories dedicated to power systems.
One important one was mostly funded thanks to Duke Energy and the main equipment is a
real time digital simulator which enables us to do simulations of old power systems
as well as do power hardware in the loop type of tests.
>> Scott Smith:
We began talking to Siemens about EPIC in about 2008 and Siemens helped us define the
qualities that our students needed when they graduate.
The Siemens funding to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte so far totals something
over $4.4 million dollars.
Itís an extremely large gift and it covers things like equipment for the laboratory spaces,
funding for visiting faculty members, scholarships.
Siemens limits their interaction in each country to a few universities that have unique qualities
or capabilities and because of our expertise in manufacturing, the choice of UNC Charlotte
as one of those partners was a natural.
Manufacturing of large scale components like this is important for the region, itís important
for the state, itís important for the country.
Itís a thrill to have a partner like Siemens intimately involved with the University in
advancing the state of the art in this area.
>> Robert Johnson:
Each degree program has an energy concentration and thatís all aimed at allowing these engineers
to be ready to hit the ground running when they enter the work force in the energy field
and so Charlotte has emerged as a major energy center nationally.
>> Johan Enslin:
We are very fortunate out of the EPIC program.
Most of the students have a job while theyíre still in their final years and they typically
have two or three job offers in the energy field.
>> James Little:
We utilize UNC Charlotteís EPIC program as a real employment agency for us.
My vision for EPIC at the University of North Carolina [at Charlotte] is that it really
will be a center of excellence where we not only keep the skills in energy but weíre
able to attract down the road R&D and bring technology investments.
>> Robert Johnson:
Long term, we really envisioned this being a regional center, almost being a one stop
shop.
If we donít have the talent or expertise, weíll know where to get it and weíre going
to partner with many other universities in the Southeast to really support the entire
region.
We just look to the future and want to make it as a successful enterprise as we can so
thereís no doubt that with technology driving a lot of things in the economy, weíre going
to be a key part of it thanks to EPIC.
>> Stephen Ward:
UNC Charlotte recently passed the milestone of 100,000 graduates.
We continue to contemplate the many ways our alumni make impacts around the world and closely
to our alumni home here at the Harris Alumni Center at Johnson Glen.
Inside UNC Charlotteís Katie Suggs spoke recently with one of our graduates, 2005 alumnae
and Alumni Association Board Member, Joanna Gammon.
>> Katie Suggs:
Well Joanna, thank you for sitting down with us today.
>> Joanna Gammon:
Thank you for having me.
>> Katie Suggs:
Youíre very welcome and you are a UNC Charlotte alum, what year?
>> Joanna Gammon:
I am. 2005.
>> Katie Suggs:
And what did you major in?
>> Joanna Gammon:
Business management and my concentration was entrepreneurship.
>> Katie Suggs:
When you were here, you were very engaged with the campus and you were an instrumental
part of the intramural sports.
What were you involved in and how did you get involved?
>> Joanna Gammon:
So, I play soccer.
Iíve played my whole life and coached and went to a meeting one day, met one of my best
friends, Iím still friends with today and we started playing soccer together.
We created an all womenís team and a co-ed team and thatís really where my friendship
started flourishing was on the soccer field here at UNC Charlotte.
>> Katie Suggs:
That has continued for you.
Being engaged and being involved and you now serve on the Alumni Board.
>> Joanna Gammon:
I do.
>> Katie Suggs:
Does your service with the UNC Charlotte Alumni Board tie in with the rest of the Charlotte
community?
>> Joanna Gammon:
Absolutely.
I love how this University embraces diversity and change and getting younger generations
involved.
So, a lot of my board positions within the community, I hold a similar community engagement
membership chair, so Iím connecting the dots and Iím creating opportunity, connecting
people to opportunity and itís a neat thing that this school wants to get tied in as many
avenues as possible so we can help the greater good of this area of Charlotte.
>> Katie Suggs:
There are a whole lot of opportunities that the University is looking at getting involved
in and you have two really that youíre really focused with and can you just tell us a little
more about those?
>> Joanna Gammon:
Sure.
So I sit on the board for United Way Young Leaders and United Way supports over 90 agencies
here in the Mecklenburg area and one of those is the YWCA.
So this fall our alum group is going to get plugged in and do some work with some of the
homeless women there and children that are in their transitional programs.
I think we will probably be serving a dinner or something like that.
Another big organization weíve been plugged in with is Habitat for Humanity and I sit
on that Young Professional Board and this past spring we built a house and probably
had about 20 of the alum come out.
We all wore these awesome green t-shirts that we made and itís called Niners in the Community
and so whenever we go out to volunteer we all put these on just to represent the school
here and what weíre getting ready to do is a huge initiative where we want to eventually
take this out state-wide and then go up the East Coast and eventually national and then
global if possible.
So itís a really neat goal and, you know, itís an aggressive goal but we want to take
these steps year by year and grow it out.
>> Katie Suggs:
Thatís a great goal, but I have to ask, if you have alums out in California or Idaho
how should they get involved with this if they are so inclined to volunteer their time
with Habitat?
>> Joanna Gammon:
Sure.
So, eventually weíll be reaching out to leaders that are still plugged in and involved with
this University and in those cities and states and this will probably be something thatís
a couple years out so they need to kind of start getting plugged in, letís build relationships
now so that when the time makes sense and itís right and we take it national, that
weíll have those leaders in those states there to represent us and itís an awesome
opportunity for our alum to get back involved with our school and to get plugged in to the
community, doing volunteer work, and helping others.
>> Katie Suggs:
So through your events with the community, we are really raising our profile on a national
level and another thing that we have coming is football.
>> Joanna Gammon:
Thatís right.
>> Katie Suggs:
And how do you see that changing our campus and our profile on a local or national level?
>> Joanna Gammon:
Sure.
Football is huge and I think our first game is I want to say, August of next year.
So our association has teamed up with the Athletic Foundation and we have different
ways that you can get involved from the front end and you can donate by having a tile thatís
behind me with your name on it or the bricks that are out front and our alumni group is
also contributing to seats so we can have a section that will be able to bring guests
to the games, people that roll off our board will be able to come back so itís a neat
way to contribute on the front end and kind of have your name on a plaque and have your
name on the seat to say 'I helped start football here at UNC Charlotte.' Itís a great honor
that our board is really taking this initiative to help grow this out for the school.
>> Katie Suggs:
Joanna, thank you for joining us today.
>> Joanna Gammon:
Thank you Katie. I really appreciate it.
[Music]
>> Stephen Ward:
The Streamlined Weatherization Improvements for Tomorrow Project, or SWIFT for short.
Letís take a look inside this Department of Energy-funded initiative to weatherize
low-income homes in North Carolina, led by UNC Charlotte professors Thomas Gentry and
Rob Cox, SWIFT may well become a national model for making homes more energy efficient.
>> Robert Cox:
The weatherization assistance program, which is called the WAP, has been around about 30-35
years, and as you might guess over that time, thereís been a lot of changes in housing
and the technology that goes into housing.
So, the US Department of Energy put out an RFP for a program called WIP, which is Weatherization
Innovation Pilot Program, and have organizations develop a new weatherization program which
is what weíve submitted our SWIFT program, which stands for Streamlined Weatherization
Improvements for Tomorrow, thereís a lot of acronyms involved in this industry.
We were one of the 16 grantees chosen to be funded for this project and the only academic
institution to receive funding for this.
Ours tends to be fairly heavy in terms of the research.
Weíre focusing on both the technology and in education for the homeowners.
Our goal is to weatherize 800 low income houses throughout North Carolina.
Those are actually served more as basically our laboratory in terms of developing the
program and evaluating the program so thereís the community service component actually doing
the work but in terms of the research itís what weíre doing in those houses that weíre
looking at.
The educational component has got a couple different facets to it.
Weíre installing real-time power monitors in the house so that the homeowner can actually
see how theyíre using energy in the house.
We have two basic types of partners.
We have the leverage partners and the reason why we have them is that DOE strongly requested
that for every federal dollar that we spend on the project that we leverage 3 dollars
in funds or in-kind services.
So the leverage partners include Loweís Home Improvement Center who has given us a substantial
discount on the materials, North Carolina Housing Finance Agency which is providing
forgivable loans to the homeowners, and Habitat for Humanity, theyíre providing volunteer
labor, access to homeowners to some of their staff time.
They are a big part of the project.
So, those are our leverage partners.
They were providing devices at a discount.
And then we have our small business partners which are the contractors that are in this
project.
There are a couple favorite parts of the projects; working with the homeowners is great.
Every once in a while it gets frustrating with all of the bureaucracy and everything
else you go through and you kind of question, why am I doing this?
Then you sit down and work with the homeowners and itís like wow this is really kind of
a great experience because they genuinely are appreciative.
And then the research side of it.
Itís a lot of fun to just be able to come up with an idea and then play with it and
see how it really does have opportunities to improve peopleís lives.
>> Melissa West:
In these Habitat neighborhoods all of the homes are kind of clustered together.
So we went through door to door basically trying to get people involved and get the
word out that this project was going on and we were just walking through the neighborhood
and a homeowner came out of her house, I think they were actually leaving to go somewhere,
it was a Saturday, so they were leaving to go somewhere and she kind of came running
out wanting to know what was going on and got really excited so she would be at our
community meetings and you know she was just really excited about it.
We need people like that in the neighborhood to kind of to help us to spread the word to
their community leaders is kind of how we're looking at them so theyíre kind of our liaison
between the University and the neighborhoods themselves.
The most interesting part of this project to me is kind of where our lifestyle choices
meet technology and how itís really a balance of the two.
Weíre educating these homeowners on how to effectively or efficiently use this technology
in their home that will help them conserve energy and lower their energy bills every
month.
>> Robert Cox:
So a lot of my past research focuses on energy monitoring and how energy data can be used
to be able to detect problems in systems and to be able to figure out where energy efficiency
is a problem and a lot of our previous work has been focused on military customers or
commercial buildings, some residential cases.
In applications in the residential space for energy monitoring itís been a hard time for
a lot of companies whoíve tried to get into that really because it focuses on niche customers
who donít see a lot of value in it.
One of the things that weíre really trying to do through this project is to figure out
how we give homeowners the information they need to make smarter energy decisions.
For the low income customers itís a huge deal and thatís one of the things thatís
been very positive about this program, so weíre trying to use the research that weíve
done to be able to figure out how to best interact with these homeowners.
As we look at it we can focus on passive methods for improving the house and we do that by
air sealing and insulating and things like that, basics.
Then what we want to do is be able to go that last mile and figure out how we extract more
savings.
The easiest way to do that would be to make a smart house, but thatís expensive, so the
alternative is to install the energy monitor and be able to give people the right information
to make good decisions in that case weíre trying to make a smart house by making a smart
homeowner and thatís one of the big things weíre trying to do through this project.
>> Stephen Ward:
Itís been months since the NCAA menís soccer championship, but the 49ers' run remains a
hot topic on campus.
As the team prepares for its return, letís pay a visit that includes some reflection
on that memorable last season.
>> Kevin Langan:
In January 2010, we sat down at the start and we said "all right weíre no longer going
to lose a pony shootout in knockout soccer."
The previous three times we went out in playoff soccer we lost a pony shootout in games that
arguably, we were the better team, had the better chance, and should have won.
>> David Scott:
Going to UCONN in the quarter final is really one of the colleges of college soccer a place
like that.
And going down in the second half, coming back scoring a goal to equalize near the end
of regulation and then winning in PKs, Charles Rodriguezís penalty kick that won it, I mean
itís one of those things that just silences the stadium like that.
I thought that was a singular moment.
>> Kevin Langan:
All of that training we had for six months came in to fruition and then we beat them
in front of 6,000 hostile fans and off we went to the Final Four.
[Music]
>> David Scott:
Sure I think it caught the City of Charlotteís imagination.
I think that a lot of attention came from it.
UNC Charlotte got some publicity that it might not have gotten otherwise on a national stage
in a sport that people still arenít quite, you know, paying a lot of attention to, but
I think the people of Charlotte really enjoyed it and I think it will only help going forward.
>> Isaac Caughran:
It gave you goose bumps the minute you walked on the field and goose bumps all throughout
the game and even in the celebrations after and condolences it just wouldnít stop.
There were so many fans I think it was like 7-1 versus Tar Heels' fans.
Just for me, obviously we wanted to win, we wanted to be successful, but to see that weíre
changing the University like that and getting people to wear the green, getting people to
back Charlotte, the whole community around us and thatís something thatís even bigger
than winning the game or winning the championship, and that's what we'd like to see.
>> Owen Darby:
Itís hard to put it into words unless youíre from like North Carolina, because I mean just
to see the sort of the pride in the city that we really sort of brought out in the people.
>> David Scott:
A lot of that is getting the kids together and not only having the skills and the talent
but forming a bond; they know theyíre from the same area and so having that chemistry,
that plays as much a part as anything in what Charlotte did last year also.
>> Kevin Langan:
We had a taste of it last year, a great taste of it.
We fell a little bit short.
So I think theyíre motivated and eager to go even one step further.
>> Owen Darby:
Iíve told a lot of people that sometimes the worst place to come in is second, but
at the same time I think thatís probably the best motivation you could ever have.
>> David Scott:
You know itíll be a different scene.
Itíll be a whole different dynamic this year.
A new coach, Kevin has been with the program but you know itís going to be different there.
There will be a lot of expectations.
Thereís going to be the dynamic of being the one that people are shooting for now.
The A-10 and non-conference also so theyíre going to have to get used to that a little
bit.
>> Owen Darby:
Weíre just confident that we know weíre going to do this and weíre going to lift
multiple trophies this year.
Iím really excited about having the A-10 tournament here again.
Iím going to definitely lift a trophy in Charlotte my senior year.
>> Stephen Ward:
The 49ers begin their regular season Saturday, August 25th at 7:00 PM when they host Denver
at Transamerica Field.
Charlotte will also host this yearís Atlantic 10 Conference Menís Soccer Championship,
November 8th through the 11th.
>> Stephen Ward:
Up next we have two student-produced segments.
The first is the Student Insider; itís a segment produced by students from Niner TV
and nineronline.com.
In this episode weíll take a look at the top five events students will want to check
out on campus this year; then stay tuned as our communication studies class introduces
you to the local band The Business People.
>> Colby Hopkins:
Hi, Iím Colby Hopkins here with your Student Insider.
Each month on Student Insider we bring you student opinions and insight on all things
49er.
This month we bring you the top five events on campus that you shouldnít miss.
Letís check it out.
There are so many events happening all around campus throughout the year.
Most students donít have time to attend everything.
So weíre here to break down the top five campus events that are essential to being
a 49er.
Letís kick things off with the first event of the year and an event that every freshman
should attend on campus.
Thatís right, it's Rec-Fest.
Rec-Fest takes place right here at the beginning of every fall semester on our new rec fields.
Students can come look at our booths from all of our sports clubs, get free food from
local vendors, check out the mechanical bull and the dunking booth.
Itís a great time outside and a great way to kick off the new year.
For the next great event that you canít miss on campus, youíre going to want to be lined
up right here this October with your ticket in hand because Basketball Madness is our
next event.
Athletics are a big part of any university experience and Basketball Madness is no exception.
This giant rally is a chance for students to get excited about the upcoming basketball
season and be part of the crazy mass of students known as Section 104.
Our next event is one that is fairly new and unique to UNCCís campus.
Itís Niners vs. Zombies.
This event which now takes places in the Fall and the Spring is a battle between two sides.
The Niners, carrying Nerf Guns and softballs and the Zombies who can tag a Niner at any
point to turn him into a Zombie.
This event takes place all throughout campus on multiple days and it is a great chance
for the student body to bond over an intense game.
Our fourth event is one that takes place right here at the end of every semester; it is of
course the UNCC Flash Rave.
After exams students, pile en masse to celebrate the end of the semester.
It is a fun tradition and a chance for students to let off some steam after exams.
The last event on this list is a special one, because, well, it hasnít even happened yet.
Thatís right, itís 49er football.
2013 will be the start of one of our newest and most exciting traditions.
On Saturdays, students can come out and enjoy a great game of football and celebrate being
a 49er.
[Music]
>> Jack Schulte:
Hi, Iím Jack Schulte.
>> Will Schoonmaker:
Iím Will Schoonmaker.
>> Nic Robinson:
And Iím Nic Robinson and weíre The Business People.
[Music]
>> Will Schoonmaker:
Well, the band started with Nicolas over here and myself and we went to go see a band called
Silversun Pickups with an opener that we loved dearly named Sugar Glyder.
We had decided after that show that we were going to wear suits and start a band together.
We took a few classes in high school.
One of the classes was actually where we finally decided that we were going to choose a drummer
and become a three piece.
>> Jack Schulte:
For starters, we would like to take over Charlotte.
Just as a place to start, we want to play at all the major gigs and really get a heavy
fan base here.
>> Nic Robinson:
But another one, we really do want to be a band that goes down in history.
Thereís no reason to be in a band if you donít want to be remembered.
Shameless self-promotion is something that weíve been really getting to know.
The Strokes, guitarist Nick Lindsey, no Albert Hammond, Jr. said that thatís how they got
big in New York.
So it worked for them, why not work for us.
>> Jack Schulte:
We definitely rock out at our shows.
Everyone Iíve talked to said that they loved watching us play as much as they loved hearing
us play.
>> Will Schoonmaker:
Number one biggest obstacle would be Anthony living in South Carolina; that is the biggest
obstacle in my opinion.
>> Nic Robinson:
And I mean itís not really an obstacle, but we have a lot of different tastes of music,
so it makes it challenging to write something together, but what we do put together is very
eclectic.
>> Jack Schulte:
If you love it enough, stick with it and play music, I mean thatís what itís all about.
Itís about the music.
>> Will Schoonmaker:
You got to make a plan A but you also have to have a plan B, which everyone in the band
has a plan B except for myself.
Plan A is The Business People.
[Music]
>> Nic Robinson:
After that, right now we donít have any shows lined up but at the end of the summer, we
will definitely be playing in All Together Music Festival downtown in NoDa.
So pay attention for that.
>> Jack Schulte:
Weíre hoping that will give us a lot more recognition and more people will call us for
shows.
>> Nic Robinson:
Find us on Facebook.
Itís The Business People facebook.com/thebusinesspeople.
>> Jack Schulte:
Also check out our EP on iTunes.
[Music]
>> Stephen Ward:
Thanks for joining us.
Once again, you can see more on the University's website, and all of our segments are on YouTube.
In the meantime, we'll look forward to seeing you again next time, right here, Inside UNC
Charlotte.
[Music]