Experts

This list, categorized by subject, is designed to assist reporters and civic organizations in locating faculty and staff experts who are available to discuss a variety of subjects.

Reporters should contact UNC Asheville's News Services Office at 828.251.6526 to arrange for an interview with a campus expert.

Civic organizations who wish to arrange for an expert to speak to their group should contact the speaker directly. If you cannot reach the speaker, if you are unsure whom you would like to invite, or if you have other questions, contact News Services at 828.251.6526.

Anthropology

Art History

• Victorian Painting and Architecture
  Dr. Merritt Moseley, Professor of Literature & Language
  moseley@unca.edu or 828.251.6583
  
  

Asheville & Western North Carolina

• Asheville History
  Dr. Kevan Frazier, Associate Vice Chancellor for University Advancement
  kfrazier@unca.edu or 828.251.6512
• Geology of the Asheville Region
  Dr. Bill Miller, Chair and Professor of Environmental Studies
  jwmiller@unca.edu or 828.232.5182
• History of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
  Southern and Southern Appalachian History
  Dr. Dan Pierce, Chair and Professor of History
  dpierce@unca.edu or 828.232.2996

Communications

• Presentation Skills
  Video Production
  Greg Dillingham, Distance Learning Services Manager
  gregd@unca.edu or 828.251.6333
• Sports Journalism
  Mike Gore, Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs
  mgore@unca.edu or 828.251.6923
• Cross-Cultural Understanding and Communication
  Dr. Heidi Kelley, Professor of Anthropology
  hkelley@unca.edu or 828.251.6980
• The Mass Media in Britain
  Dr. Merritt Moseley, Professor of Literature & Language
  moseley@unca.edu or 828.251.6583
• Creative Publicity and Promotion
  Nancy Williams, Professional Education Programs Coordinator
  nwilliam@unca.edu or 828.250.2353

Crime

• Sexual Victimization (Incidence, Prevention)
  Dr. Melissa Himelein, Professor of Psychology
  himelein@unca.edu or 828.251.6834

Disabilities Studies

• Disability Studies Overview
  Dr. Heidi Kelley, Professor of Anthropology
  hkelley@unca.edu or 828.251.6980

Economics

• Economic Loss Due to Injury, Death or Loss of Property
  Environmental Economics: Policy, Taxes, Surcharges, Regulations
  Inflation
  Fiscal Policy
  International Trade: Protectionism, Free Trade, Tariffs
  Personal Finance: Budgeting and Planning
  The Federal Reserve
  Unemployment
  Dr. Shirley Browning, Professor of Economics
  browning@unca.edu or 828.251.6549

Environment

• Population and the Environment
  Dr. Afaf Omer, Associate Professor of Sociology
  aomer@unca.edu or 828.251.6979
• Water Monitoring
  Lead Exposure and Its Effects
  Dr. Steven Patch, Professor of Mathematics
  patch@unca.edu or 828.232.5194
• Radioactive Waste Disposal: a Really Hot Topic
  Savannah River Site: What Next?
  Dr. Dot Sulock, Mathematics Lecturer
  dsulock@unca.edu or 828.232.5196
• Geology of the Asheville Region
  Mining and Extraction of Metals
  Our Disappearing Beaches
  The Not-So-Solid Earth: Plate Tectonics
  Volcanoes
  Dr. Bill Miller, Chair and Professor of Environmental Studies
  jwmiller@unca.edu or 828.232.5182

Ethics

• Issues in Ethics/Morality
  Dr. Melissa Burchard, Associate Professor of Philosophy
  mburchar@unca.edu or 828.232.2990

Family & Child Development

• Artistic Development
  Children's Art
  Dr. Mark Sidelnick, Associate Professor of Education
  sidelnic@unca.edu or 828.250.2367

Fine Arts

• Gothic and/or Romanesque Cathedrals
  Dr. Merritt Moseley, Professor of Literature & Language
  moseley@unca.edu or 828.251.6583
• Lifelong Learning and Art
  Dr. Mark Sidelnick, Associate Professor of Education
  sidelnic@unca.edu or 828.250.2367

Gender Studies

• Gender Issues/Feminism
  Sexual Orientation/Sexual Identity
  Dr. Melissa Burchard, Associate Professor of Philosophy
  mburchar@unca.edu or 828.232.2990
• Anthropological Perspectives on Gender
  Dr. Heidi Kelley, Professor of Anthropology
  hkelley@unca.edu or 828.251.6980
• Gender Issues in Fairy Tales
  Dr. Jeanne McGlinn, Professor of Education
  jmcglinn@unca.edu or 828.251.6960 Gender in Western and Nonwestern Societies
• Complex and Multiple Gender Identities
  Dr. John Wood, Associate Professor of Sociology
  jwood@unca.edu or 828.251.6977

Health Issues

• Alzheimer's Disease
  Tommy Hays, Asheville Graduate Center Director and Great Smokies Writing Program Director
  thays@unca.edu or 828.250.2351 Infertility, Including PCOS
  Dr. Melissa Himelein, Professor of Psychology
  himelein@unca.edu or 828.251.6834
• Vegetarian and Vegan Nutrition
  Nutrition and Chronic Disease Prevention and Treatment
  Healthy Eating for Life for Children
  Dr. Amy Lanou, Assistant Professor of Health and Wellness
  alanou@unca.edu or 828.250.2317
  
  

Higher Education

• Teaching the Humanities
  Dr. Merritt Moseley, Professor of Literature & Language
  moseley@unca.edu or 828.251.6583
• Instructional Technology
  Greg Dillingham, Distance Learning Services Manager
  gregd@unca.edu or 828.251.6333  Service-Learning: Joining Volunteerism with College Studies
• Spanish Language Instruction and Service Learning
  Dr. Alice Weldon, Professor of Foreign Languages
  aweldon@unca.edu or 828.251.6285

History

• African American History
  U.S. Civil Rights Movement
  U.S. Women's History
  Sarah Judson, Associate Professor of History
  sjudson@unca.edu or 828.251.6297
• Ancient World and Greece
  Sophie Mills, Chair and Professor of Classics
  smills@unca.edu or 828.251.6296 The Victorians
  Dr. Merritt Moseley, Professor of Literature & Language
  moseley@unca.edu or 828.251.6583
• History of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
  Southern and Southern Appalachian History
  History of Stock Car Racing
  Dr. Dan Pierce, Chair and Professor of History
  dpierce@unca.edu or 828.232.2996
• Recent Western or World Civilizations Since 1500
  Dr. Bill Spellman, Executive Director of COPLAC
  spellman@unca.edu or 828.350-4590
• Hitler and the Jews: The Holocaust
  Hitler's Rise and the Nature of Nazism
  Pearl Harbor: Anatomy of a Disaster
  Dr. Ted Uldricks, Professor of History
  uldricks@unca.edu or 828.251.6620

Human Rights

• Human Rights
  Dr. Mark Gibney, Professor of Political Science
  mgibney@unca.edu or 828.250.3870

Information Technology

• Artificial Intelligence
  Women in Computer Science
  Processing Human Language on a Computer
  Computational Linguistics
  Dr. Rebecca Bruce, Professor of Computer Science
  rbruce@unca.edu or 828.232.2275
• Digital Multi-Media Technology
  Distance Education
  Greg Dillingham, Distance Learning Services Manager
  gregd@unca.edu or 828.251.6333 

International Studies

• Peace Corps
  Randy Booker, Chair and Professor of Physics
  booker@unca.edu or 828.251.6269
• International Trade: Protectionism, Free Trade, Tariffs
  Dr. Shirley Browning, Professor of Economics
  browning@unca.edu or 828.251.6549
• Immigration Law and Policy
  International Law
  Dr. Mark Gibney, Professor of Political Science
  mgibney@unca.edu or 828.250.3870
• Chinese in Taiwan, Republic of China
  Alex Huang, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences
  ahuang@unca.edu or 828.232.5157
• Galicia: A Spanish Matriarchy?
  Peoples and Cultures of Southern Europe
  Regionalism in Europe
  Dr. Heidi Kelley, Professor of Anthropology
  hkelley@unca.edu or 828.251.6980
• British Culture
  Modern Britain
  Dr. Sophie Mills, Chair and Professor of Classics
  smills@unca.edu or 828.251.6296 Britain: The Lands and Their People
• British Politics
  Higher Education in Britain
  How America Looks from Abroad
  The Mass Media in Britain
  Dr. Merritt Moseley, Professor of Literature & Language
  moseley@unca.edu or 828.251.6583
• African-Americans and U.S. Politics
  Colonial Politics in Africa
  Regional Politics in Africa: Central Africa
  Regional Politics in Africa: Southern Africa
  Regional Politics in Africa: East Africa
  Regional Politics in Africa: West Africa
  Reparations, Africans and African-Americans
  Dr. Dwight Mullen, Political Science Professor
  dbmullen@unca.edu or 828.251.6816
• African Societies and Cultures
  Immigration and Migrant Cultures
  The Middle East
  Dr. Afaf Omer, Associate Professor of Sociology
  aomer@unca.edu or 828.251.6979
• Global Migration
  India and Pakistan
  Dr. Bill Spellman, Executive Director of COPLAC
  spellman@unca.edu or 828.350-4590
• The Women of Latin America
  Bolivia
  U.S.-Mexico Border issues
  Maquiladoras, Zapatistas
  Dr. Alice Weldon, Professor of Foreign Languages
  aweldon@unca.edu or 828.251.6285
• Neocolonialism and Change in Africa
  Dr. John Wood, Associate Professor of Sociology
  jwood@unca.edu or 828.251.6977

Languages

• Conversational Chinese
  Alex Huang, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences
  ahuang@unca.edu or 828.232.5157
• Spanish Language Instruction and Service Learning
  Dr. Alice Weldon, Professor of Foreign Languages
  aweldon@unca.edu or 828.251.6285

Literature

• Creative Writing
  Midrash and Contemporary Poetry
  The Art of Reading Poetry
  The Creative Process
  The Holocaust in Literature
  The Jewish Presence in American Poetry
  Rick Chess, Professor of Literature and Director of the Center for Jewish Studies
  rchess@unca.edu or 828.251.6576
• African American Literature
  African Literature
  Journaling
  Teaching Writing
  Dr. Dee James, Professor of Literature & Language
  djames@unca.edu or 828.251.6581
• Gender Issues in Fairy Tales
  Latest Trends in Children's Literature
  Literature Circles Adolescent Literature
  Teaching Shakespeare's Plays
  Multicultural Children's Literature
  Dr. Jeanne McGlinn, Professor of Education
  jmcglinn@unca.edu or 828.251.6960
• 19th and 20th Century Fiction Writers
  American Humorists
  Anglo-American Cultural Contrasts
  Dickens, His Life and Work
  The Nature of Myth
  Dr. Merritt Moseley, Professor of Literature & Language
  moseley@unca.edu or 828.251.6583
• Understanding Latin America through Literature
  Dr. Alice Weldon, Professor of Foreign Languages
  aweldon@unca.edu or 828.251.6285

Mathematics

• Asheville Initiative for Mathematics
  Dr. Sam Kaplan, Professor of Mathematics
  skaplan@unca.edu or 828.232.5192
• Fractal Geometry
  Computation with Mathematics
  Mark McClure, Associate Professor of Mathematics
  mcmcclur@unca.edu or 828.232.5197

Personal Growth

• Evaulating Projects
  Knowledge Management
  Fearless Change
  Mary Lynn Manns, Associate Professor of Management and Accountancy
  manns@unca.edu or 828.251.6858
• Productive Meetings
  Study Skills
  Nancy Williams, Coordinator of Professional Education Programs
  nwilliam@unca.edu or 828.250.2353

Psychology

• Health Psychology
  Dr. Melissa Himelein, Professor of Psychology
  himelein@unca.edu or 828.251.6834
• Freud: An Introduction for the Beginner
  Dr. Merritt Moseley, Professor of Literature & Language
  moseley@unca.edu or 828.251.6583

Religion

• Jewish Studies
  Rick Chess, Professor of Literature and Director of the Center for Jewish Studies
  rchess@unca.edu or 828.251.6576
• Islam and Islamic Societies; Women in Islam
  Dr. Afaf Omer, Associate Professor of Sociology
  aomer@unca.edu or 828.251.6979

Research

• Statistics - Especially Applied to Environmental or Scientific Issues
  Dr. Steven Patch, Professor of Mathematics
  patch@unca.edu or 828.232.5194 

Sciences

• Astronomy; Physics; Lasers
  Randy Booker, Chair and Professor of Physics
  booker@unca.edu or 828.251.6269
• Hurricanes; Global Climate; Tornados
  Chris Hennon, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences
  chennon@unca.edu or 828.232.5159The Weather Machine
  Alex Huang, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences
  ahuang@unca.edu or 828.232.5157Rainfall
• Winter Weather in Western North Carolina
  Doug Miller, Chair and Professor of Atmospheric Sciences
  dmiller@unca.edu or 828.232.5158The Physics of Sound
• Astronomy
  Dr. Michael Ruiz, Professor of Physics
  ruiz@unca.edu or 828.232.2281

Secondary Education

• Gender Issues in Fairy Tales
  Literature Circles Adolescent Literature
  New Models for Staff Development in Multiculturalism
  Use of Storytelling in the Elementary Classroom
  Dr. Jeanne McGlinn, Professor of Education
  jmcglinn@unca.edu or 828.251.6960
• Children's Art
  Dr. Mark Sidelnick, Associate Professor of Education
  sidelnic@unca.edu or 828.250.2367

Sports

• College Athletics
  Mike Gore, Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs
  mgore@unca.edu or 828.251.6923

U.S. Politics

• Constitutional Law; Immigration Law and Policy; Human Rights
  Dr. Mark Gibney, Professor of Political Science
  mgibney@unca.edu or 828.250.3870
• Politics in the United States
  Local Politcs and Politicians
  Local and National Elections
  Dr. Bill Sabo, Professor of Political Science
  sabo@unca.edu or 828.251.6984
• U.S.-Mexico Border issues
  Dr. Alice Weldon, Professor of Foreign Languages
  aweldon@unca.edu or 828.251.6285

Weather

• Hurricanes
  Chris Hennon, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences
  chennon@unca.edu or 828.232.5159
• Global Climate
  Hurricanes, Thunderstorms and Tornadoes
  The Weather Machine
  Alex Huang, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences
  ahuang@unca.edu or 828.232.5157Rainfall
• Winter Weather in Western North Carolina
  Doug Miller, Chair and Professor of Atmospheric Sciences
  dmiller@unca.edu or 828.232.5158

Women's Studies

• Feminism and Third World Women
  Women in Islam
  Women's Human Rights
  Dr. Afaf Omer, Associate Professor of Sociology
  aomer@unca.edu or 828.251.6979
• Body Image in Women
  Dr. Melissa Himelein, Professor of Psychology
  himelein@unca.edu or 828.251.6834
• U.S. Women's History
  Sarah Judson, Associate Professor of History
  sjudson@unca.edu or 828.251.6297
• Women in Computer Science
  Dr. Rebecca Bruce, Associate Professor of Computer Science
  rbruce@unca.edu or 828.232.2275
• Women of Latin America
  Dr. Alice Weldon, Professor of Foreign Languages
  aweldon@unca.edu or 828.251.6285