Michael Lananna

2 weeks ago | hussman.unc.edu | Michael Lananna

Carolina is a world-class research university where great ideas turn into outcomes that improve the quality of life for all people. Our work also fuels North Carolina’s economy, supporting businesses, meeting community needs and caring for our citizens. We train future leaders with hands-on learning experiential opportunities in labs and field sites across the state and globe. In a study led by UNC Hussman’s Eva Zhao, culturally tailored chatbots delivered hurricane information to the public.

1 month ago | unc.edu | Michael Lananna

While there’s no mathematical formula to explain destiny, that’s how Carolina researcher Pedro Sáenz describes his journey from northern Spain to UNC-Chapel Hill. Sáenz grew up in La Rioja, Spain, in Viguera — a village of fewer than 400. His father was a farmer, his mother a factory worker. Neither graduated from high school. Sáenz spent his youth doing physical labor and tending to cows. “My life was about using a pitchfork and stacking hay bales and sacks of grain,” Sáenz said.

2 months ago | unc.edu | Michael Lananna |Joshua McCormack

Hours after the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans on Feb. 9 to win the 2025 Super Bowl, two Carolina students were roaming the field. Soaking in the moment at Caesars Superdome, Anna Laible and Maya Waid took a few pictures on the field together, then Laible scooped up a handful of confetti to bring home — a small memento from a life-changing week in New Orleans.

Feb 12, 2025 | unc.edu | Michael Lananna

When captive loggerhead sea turtles anticipate food, they do a little dance. The turtles raise their heads out of water, open their mouths, flap their flippers and spin in circles. Not only is this “turtle dancing behavior” cute, it was also the key to unlocking a significant scientific discovery by researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill. The prestigious international science journal Nature published the study Feb. 12.

Jan 24, 2025 | unc.edu | Michael Lananna

How do we quickly and effectively communicate to the public during times of crisis? For Carolina assistant professor Eva Zhao, that question is central to her research in the Hussman School of Journalism and Media. Zhao focuses on computational strategic communication and how emerging technologies can be used for crisis communication — particularly to diverse cultural groups. In 2024, her research led her to a promising new solution: generative AI chatbots.