Graduate Students celebrating research on Graduate Education Day
Two doctoral students, Caroline West, bioinformatics and Kayla Lenz, mechanical engineering, proudly represented UNC Charlotte at the 2026 Graduate Education Day in Raleigh on May 19. The annual event allows graduate students from across the state to showcase research benefiting North Carolina and thank elected officials for their continued support of higher education.
Approximately 40 graduate students from universities across North Carolina gathered to meet with legislators and exhibit their research, emphasizing the vital role graduate education plays in developing workforce skills, driving economic impact and enhancing quality of life across the state. Associate provost and graduate dean William Tolone and associate dean Katherine Hall-Hertel accompanied the students, along with university representatives Joe Bost and Patrick Lucitt.
With guidance from Lucitt, Charlotte’s director of external relations and partnerships, West and Lenz shared their research with 12 legislators. West showcased her work on how understanding the basic science of fungus can accelerate the development of medications to fight deadly fungal diseases. Lenz shared her research on the biomedical applications of nanomaterials, with a special interest in nanomedicine, women’s health, polymer chemistry, and health diagnostic tools. Both illustrate how Charlotte’s graduate students directly tackle critical regional and global challenges.
Raleigh, NC.
The Charlotte attendees also met with Senator Mujtaba A. Mohammed, ’08, and Representative Terry M. Brown Jr., ’09, both Charlotte alumni.
“Graduate Education Day shows how UNC Charlotte turns public support into real-world results for North Carolina,” said associate dean Katherine Hall-Hertel. “West and Lenz showed how our graduate students do more than just study problems – they solve them.”
“Graduate Education Day showcases how Charlotte expands learning beyond the classroom,” said dean Bill Tolone. “West and Lenz exemplify the leadership and innovation we foster in our graduate programs. By presenting research solutions to state legislators, they demonstrated how our students are shaping a better future both locally and globally.”