Matt Smith Archives

East Carolina University senior Meghan Lower talks with members of the Pitt Pirates Robotics Club during a club meeting. Lower serves as a junior mentor for the club’s marketing and safety team. The Pitt Pirates Robotics Club competes internationally against other teams in annual robotics competitions. (Photos by Matt Smith)
Jan 16, 2019
  • Matt Smith

PASSION FOR ROBOTICS

In a football field house full of chatter East Carolina University senior Meghan Lower gathers a group of high school students at local C.M. Eppes Middle School. While the room...

East Carolina University professor Baohong Zhang examines cotton fibers grown in his lab that were modified using gene-editing tools. Zhang’s research into cotton growth and development was recognized this week after he was named a fellow to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Nov 27, 2018
  • Matt Smith

DISTINGUISHED DISTINCTION

In the 1980s and early ’90s, a commercial jingle described cotton as the “fabric of our lives.” Nearly three decades later, cotton truly has been an important fiber for East...

Alyssa Cadavid at Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge
Nov 06, 2018
  • Matt Smith

STUDENT STARTUPS

East Carolina University is launching an innovative new strategy to help revitalize communities in eastern North Carolina, turning to its students to develop and support new enterprises in the region....

In the weeks following Hurricane Florence, East Carolina University sent numerous volunteers to New Bern, N.C., to help residents in their recovery efforts through its community outreach team East Carolina Undaunted. (Photos by Matt Smith)
Oct 17, 2018
  • Matt Smith

RELYING ON COMMUNITY

On a humid October morning in New Bern, Byun Serchom grabs a clothespin and searches for a warm spot on the deck outside of her mobile home. With a flurry...

Oct 15, 2018
  • Matt Smith

NEW OFFICE ANNOUNCED

Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Keith Wheeler has been named the inaugural executive director for East Carolina University’s newly created Office of National Security and Industry Initiatives. Wheeler joins ECU after...

Freshman Michael Hinson and a group of friends collected nearly 40,000 pounds of goods for those affected by Hurricane Florence. (Photo by Cliff Hollis)
Oct 15, 2018
  • Matt Smith

SPRINGING INTO ACTION

At East Carolina University, every Pirate is called to serve. Some just spring into action a little quicker than others during times of emergency, lending a helping hand to their...

East Carolina University faculty members Len Annetta, from left, Matt Militello, Charity Cayton and College of Education Dean Grant Hayes recently announced that the college secured a five-year, $9.8 million grant to study the effects of leadership in K-12 school systems. (Photo by Matt Smith)
Oct 10, 2018
  • Matt Smith

RESEARCH EMPOWERS PRINCIPALS

A group of East Carolina University researchers studying the effects of school leadership has secured a five-year, $9.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The study is led...

Through his summer internship with Uptown Greenville, William Stanton used his mapping skills and geographic information system mapping technology to pinpoint areas where extra parking spaces could be added.
Aug 20, 2018
  • Matt Smith

URBAN PARKING PLANNING

Many Uptown Greenville visitors love the amenities the area has to offer. From dining at a local restaurant or walking through the weekly Umbrella Market in the summer, there’s plenty...

Student Emily Scott interned this summer at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher.
Aug 20, 2018
  • Matt Smith

OLD PASSION RESURFACES

Between hosting interactive exhibits and hand feeding aquatic animals as part of her internship at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, East Carolina University sophomore Emily Scott has one...

Fadi Issa, assistant professor of neurobiology, examines a group of zebrafish in his lab.
Aug 06, 2018
  • Matt Smith

FISHY FINDINGS

An East Carolina University researcher is studying the effects of social behavior on nervous system function and development in a most unlikely place ­– a fish tank. Spearheaded by a...