Research Magazine

An international collaboration between UNCW’s RAIN Lab and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is helping scientists better understand weather patterns by translating complex satellite signals into accurate global rainfall maps. This is critical for improving hurricane and storm tracking and strengthening international disaster preparedness. The RAIN Lab is among a select group of laboratories worldwide supported by both NASA and JAXA in advancing global satellite precipitation research.

Tao Yang, assistant professor in the Department of Management, co-authored publications in both Nature and PNAS Nexus, the fully open-access sibling journal to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The Nature article describes an investigation of the degree to which research findings in the social and behavioral sciences are contingent on analysts’ choices, highlighting implications for the robustness and transparency of single-path analytical approaches. The large-scale study featured in PNAS Nexus offers critical insights to policymakers and practitioners aiming to galvanize the public behind collective action and advocacy on climate change with affordable and scalable interventions.

Associate Professor Danielle Daidone and Assistant Professor Ryan Lidster, faculty in the Department of World Languages and Cultures, are expanding their linguistics research on how people perceive and learn new sounds in second languages. Supported by a grant from the Polish government’s Excellence Initiative University Research Program, the pair is collaborating with international partners on studies of Polish and Ukrainian speech perception and second-language learning. The work will further test Lidster and Daidone’s alternative statistical technique and theoretical model of second-language speech perception.

A UNCW-led experimental art space is Wilmington's Cargo District is giving students hands-on experience in curating, exhibiting and promoting contemporary art. Founded by Assistant Professor Madison Creech, Department of Art and Art History, the Fried Fruit Art Space serves as a living classroom where students engage directly with visiting artists and help shape experimental exhibitions, gaining practical skills in gallery operations and creative production.

An interdisciplinary program focused on child health research received UNCW’s first UNC System Undergraduate Research Program Award. In collaboration with East Carolina University, the initiative builds research skills through mentorship while addressing children’s health and academic success. The UNCW team includes faculty Hannah Priest Catalano (PI), Amelia Huelsksamp and Jes Cardenas.