When the University of North Carolina first opened its doors to students in 1795, it did so pledging to serve North Carolinians through academic excellence and attention to the needs of the public. This legacy of service continues today, with many of our best students doing work that directly benefits our state and its people.

The annual Impact Awards, supported by the Graduate Education Advancement Board, are one way we recognize the valuable work our students undertake. By recognizing the contributions of students whose research particularly benefits North Carolina, we encourage even more of our students to connect with our state’s communities.

Many Impact Award winners go on to serve as graduate student ambassadors, educating people across the state on the important research they are doing. The newly launched Graduate Student Ambassadors and Speakers Bureau sends these students into communities, strengthening our connections to the people we serve. Speaking at libraries, schools and civic organizations, students share how their work is improving the lives of North Carolinians.

Sarah Carr is one member of the Speakers Bureau featured in this issue of The Fountain. She hopes that her work with blue crab populations will help the state’s fisheries manage crab populations more effectively, thus protecting this valuable economic resource for future generations.

Many other students are doing work that will benefit people around the globe as well as here at home. Mark Ellis’ work with middle school mathematics teachers will help teachers across the country better convey mathematics skills to their students. Political science student Amy Davis hopes that her research on how to create stable economic institutions in developing countries will raise standards of living in those countries.

Whether their service benefits North Carolinians or people around the world, graduate students’ work connects us to communities near and far. Read on to find out more about the impressive strides our students are making to improve our world.

-Linda Dykstra

© 2002, The Graduate School, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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