Episodes

Sunday Jan 15, 2023
Freshwater Ecosystems on Campus and Beyond, with Dr. Amber Rock
Sunday Jan 15, 2023
Sunday Jan 15, 2023
We are delighted to share our latest podcast episode, Freshwater Ecosystems on Campus and Beyond with Dr. Amber Rock, from our Department of Biology. This episode showcases Dr. Rock’s research studying water in campus ponds and local waterways, and her work helping students learn about the plants and animals in this ever-changing landscape. Dr. Rock shares how a high school career survey somewhat surprisingly launched her into a career in freshwater ecology, and the joy she finds as she develops leaders and critical thinkers through this work with our students, right in our own backyard.
Find the episode transcript here
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Thursday Dec 15, 2022
“Into the Singing Studio” with Dr. Rebecca Loar
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
We are delighted to share our latest podcast episode “Into the Singing Studio” with Dr. Rebecca Loar. This episode showcases Dr. Loar’s career as a vocalist, and her research into vocal health. We discussed her work with her students in the Department of Music and how we can all take proper care of our voices across our lives.
After degrees in vocal and opera performance from Samford University and the Manhattan School of Music, Dr. Loar earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice Performance with a cognate in Choral Conducting from the University of South Carolina. Her doctoral dissertation was “Singing Voice Specialization, an Essential Bridge Between Two Worlds,” discussing the need for medical arts specialists. An active performing artist, Dr. Loar has performed many opera roles and concert works, and is a former member of the New York Choral Artists where she performed with the New York Philharmonic, the American Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Society of St. Lukes, and the Little Orchestra Society of New York. She has worked under the batons of Maestros Kurt Masur, Leonard Slatkin, Leon Botstien, Pierre Boulez, Seiji Osawa, and more.
Dr. Loar has been teaching voice for over twenty years and is an active vocal adjudicator and clinician throughout the Southeast. Her students perform on Broadway and in national Broadway tours, in summer opera programs and for major cruise lines. Many of her students have entered advanced conservatory graduate programs such as Manhattan School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory and Boston University.
Listen as we learn about the important work Dr. Loar is doing in her teaching studio here at UNCP, which ensures healthy singing for her students as they make music here on campus and across our community.
Find the episode transcript here and join Dr. Loar in the concert she mentions with UNCP Music colleagues Drs. Jaeyoon and Seung Ah Kim on Monday, January 30th, 2023 at 7:30 PM in Moore Hall Auditorium, free admission and no tickets required.
Visit https://www.uncp.edu/departments/music/calendar-events for more UNCP Music events and information.
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Tuesday Nov 15, 2022
Tuesday Nov 15, 2022
We are delighted to share our latest podcast episode “On the Field with the Cows” with Dr. Nicolas Negrin Pereira. A native of Uruguay, a veterinarian, and member of our Department of Biology, Dr. Negrin Pereira teaches various courses in Animal Science, Animal Nutrition, Zoology, and Physiology of Reproduction.
This episode showcases his work with bovine reproductive health, and we learn about his work with students, in the field and in the lab, and the benefits of teaching animal husbandry to the next generation. Dr. Negrin Pereira discusses his beneficial collaborations between UNC Pembroke, UNC Chapel Hill, and NC State University, and shares the story of his fascination with animal reproductive health which began for him as a student. The conversation reminds all of us that UNCP’s proud history of animal science continues in good hands with Dr. Negrin Pereira and his students.
Find the episode transcript here
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Photo Information:
The promised Sertoli cells (pink) stained with the antibody WT1 as a specific cell marker.
The students with the herd: Sydney Allen (Research Student), with Nikki Clayman and Kalani Gaddi from the RISE (Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement) Program.
The poster at Pembroke Undergraduate Research Center by student Kalani Gaddi, with Dr. Negrin Pereira.
Working with the bull is RISE Student Nikki Clayman.

Saturday Oct 15, 2022
Saturday Oct 15, 2022
We are delighted to share our latest podcast episode, featuring UNCP Associate Professor of Art, Dr. Naomi Lifshitz-Grant. This episode showcases Dr. Lifschitz-Grant’s work mentoring aspiring teachers as Coordinator of Graduate and Undergraduate Art Education, and discusses the local inspiration she finds as a painter.
Dr. Lifschitz-Grant earned her Master of Arts and Doctor of Art Education degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University. A veteran art educator, Dr. Lifschitz-Grant taught for eighteen years in public and private schools in New York City; Birmingham, Alabama; and in Italy, at the preschool, elementary, middle, and high school levels. Before joining UNCP, she taught at Columbia University, Bank Street College of Education, UNC Charlotte, and Appalachian State University. Her research explores how community-based arts can serve to implement change, particularly in urban, under-served school programs.
Dr. Lifschitz-Grant is a practicing artist who has been awarded a number of fellowships and attended artist-in-residency programs at The MacDowell Colony, Vermont Studio Center, A.I.R. Vallauris, Brisons Veor, Centre D’Art, Arad Arts Project, and the Chautauqua Institute, and has exhibited her work internationally, with solo exhibitions in New York City at AIR and 55 Mercer Gallery.
Find the episode transcript here
We hope you enjoy this episode, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter@uncpcas and Instagram@uncpcas to stay connected with our work and programs.

Thursday Sep 15, 2022
“Hydrogeologists and the Science of Groundwater” with Dr. Madan Maharjan
Thursday Sep 15, 2022
Thursday Sep 15, 2022
We are delighted to share our latest podcast episode “Hydrogeologists and the Science of Groundwater” with UNCP Assistant Professor of Geology, Dr. Madan Maharjan. This episode showcases Dr. Maharjan’s research in the field of Hydrogeology, which studies the movement of groundwater across our landscape. We discussed his work monitoring well water on campus and across Robeson County, and how water interacts with our environment over time.
Dr. Maharjan is a native of Nepal, and has been teaching at UNCP for three years. His research interests are in surface and groundwater interactions, heat transport, and variations in water quality and quantity. A graduate of Tribhuvan University in Nepal, Dr. Maharjan earned his Master of Science in Hydrogeology at Kent State University, and his Ph. D in Hydrogeology from West Virginia University. He is primary author of several publications and presentations, and the recipient of multiple grants supporting water research, including the current work with Robeson County discussed in this episode.
Listen as we learn about the important work Dr. Maharjan and his students are doing to ensure that safe, clean water is available to the campus and across the county.
Find the episode transcript here
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Monday Aug 15, 2022
Upon Her Shoulders: Centering Stories of Native Women
Monday Aug 15, 2022
Monday Aug 15, 2022
In this episode we caught up with Dr. Mary Ann Jacobs (Lumbee), Professor and Chair of the Department of American Indian Studies at UNC Pembroke, to discuss her new book, Upon Her Shoulders: Southeastern Native Women Share Their Stories of Justice, Spirit, and Community. This book was a joint project together with Dr. Cherry Beasley (Lumbee), longtime faculty and Chair in the UNCP Nursing Program and former Interim Dean of UNCP’s College of Health Sciences, and Ulrike Wiethaus, Professor of Religion and American Ethnic Studies at Wake Forest University. Dr. Jacobs shares the story of their collaboration, the importance of preserving stories of Native women, how she incorporates these lessons in the classroom, and reads selections from the book.
Proceeds from the sales are donated to the American Indian Women of Proud Nations organization, and you will find the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Upon-Her-Shoulders-Southeastern-Community/dp/1949467805
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Read the episode transcript here

Friday Jul 01, 2022
Friday Jul 01, 2022
We are delighted to share our latest podcast episode with UNCP Professor of Religious Studies, Dr. Mordechai Inbari. This episode showcases Dr. Inbari’s research into the views of young American evangelical Christians, work partially funded through a College of Arts and Sciences Research Grant.
Born and raised in Israel, Dr. Inbari earned his Ph.D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. For the last 15 years, Dr. Inbari has been living with his family in the United States, mainly in North Carolina. His forthcoming book, Christian Zionism of the Twenty-First Century: Evangelical Public Opinion on Israel, with Kirill Bumin , is expected in 2023 with Oxford University Press. Dr. Inbari’s other books are The Making of Modern Jewish Identity: Ideological Change and Religious Conversion (Routledge, 2019), Jewish Radical Ultra-Orthodoxy Confronts Modernity, Zionism and Women’s Equality (Cambridge, 2016), Messianic Religious Zionism Confronts Israeli Territorial Compromises (Cambridge, 2012), and Jewish Fundamentalism and the Temple Mount (SUNY, 2008).
This episode discusses new research led by Dr. Inbari and his team, which has resulted in valuable information about changing trends in the support for Israel by young American evangelicals, and how this support is often generational. Enjoy!
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Read the episode transcript here

Friday Jun 24, 2022
The Evolution of Comics
Friday Jun 24, 2022
Friday Jun 24, 2022
We are delighted to share with you our most recent podcast episode, "The Evolution of Comics". This episode has something for everyone from the comic book novice to the connoisseur. We are joined by three UNCP faculty members who each have their own professional connection to the world of comics. Dr. Terence Dollard is a Professor in our Mass Communication department as well as the creator of a show called Comic Culture that is showcased on the UNC-TV North Carolina Channel. Dr. Kevin Freeman is an Associate Professor in the Political Science and Public Administration program and is former president of a publisher called Action Lab Comics. Finally, Dr. Robert Epps is the Martha Beach Endowed Professor in our Art Department, and he also works as a freelance color artist.
In today’s episode, we cover everything from the process of creating a comic to marvel to cosplay. The first half of the episode serves as an excellent education piece for those who may not be as familiar with the world of comics whereas the second half references content and culture changes that will be especially meaningful to those who are well-versed in the comic world. Enjoy!
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Monday May 03, 2021
Monday May 03, 2021
In this podcast we discuss some of the advantages of reading and writing collectively. Jessica Collogan, our Dean of the Library, and Dr. Elise Dixon, an Assistant Professor and our Writing Center Director, provide best practices for starting book clubs and writing groups. In addition, we discuss how technology has changed the way we consume and produce the written word.
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Thursday Oct 29, 2020
Performing Arts in 2020
Thursday Oct 29, 2020
Thursday Oct 29, 2020
The Performing Arts have been dramatically impacted by COVID-19 in the year 2020. Many theaters have "gone dark" and any performances that do occur are allowed minimal attendance. As a result, our artistic and creative leaders have been forced to adapt and improvise to create meaningful performances and productions in completely new ways. We welcome Sarah Busman, Adjunct flute instructor and principal flute in the Fayetteville Symphony, James Bass, Executive Director of Givens Performing Arts Center (GPAC), and Jonathan Drahos, Professor and Director of the UNCP Theatre program to discuss their initiatives in reimagining the performing arts in 2020.
Check out the GPAC website for the Ghost Light and forthcoming Macbeth productions discussed in the episode.
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