Normal
The University is currently operating under normal conditions
Looking back
at summer
Published Aug. 25, 2025
The sun is setting on summer, as new and returning Tar Heels have arrived to Chapel Hill for the fall semester. While campus might be quieter during summertime, Carolina students, faculty, staff and alumni study, serve, work and research year-round.
Look back at what Tar Heels accomplished this summer — on campus, around the state and across the nation and world.
On campus
SURF fellow feels at home in sport science lab
A Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship helps senior Mia Laws continue her ACL research.
New pre-college program lets teens explore majors
Through Explore@UNC, high school students spend a week on the Carolina campus diving into two academic subjects.
‘Radical Clay’ ceramics are more than vessels
See this “female-centric” collection of sculptural works by 36 Japanese artists at the Ackland Art Museum through Aug. 31.
See Carolina scenes from ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’
Tar Heels will notice some familiar views when watching the newest season of the hit Amazon Prime Video series.
Extreme weather research vital to saving lives
When a grant for doctoral candidate Hunter Quintal’s studies disappeared, The Graduate School stepped in with bridge funding.
Fútbol at Kenan
For the third summer in a row, Carolina hosted a professional soccer match. This time national teams squared off in June, with Mexico defeating Turkey, 1-0, in an international friendly that brought out fans of both countries.
Campus houses Uproar Festival art
The three-week outdoor art exhibition featured installations in Hillsborough, Carrboro and Chapel Hill, including five at Carolina.
He went from FDOC to first job in a year
Reece Hawk, 19, made the most of his one year at Carolina (including 18 credit hours this summer), where he landed an accounting job.
How to serve was their first Carolina lesson
Sixteen new Tar Heels closed out summer by volunteering on and around campus through the Service-Learning Initiative.
WinSPIRE hosts summer STEM research for high schoolers
Led by Tar Heel volunteers, the group brought students to campus for six weeks of labs and a career fair.
Hussman associate professor blogs about triple bypass
Gary Kayye hopes sharing his story of surviving a health scare will help others.
Project Uplift explores Carolina
Rising high school seniors learned about college life and the many opportunities at Carolina through Project Uplift, a summer enrichment and college access program designed to promote and increase access to higher education.
Carolina gave him the tools for connection
After a summer internship, Kessler scholar and a cappella singer Landon Day is ready to kick off his senior year with purpose.
Twice-yearly HIV prevention injection approved by FDA
UNC School of Medicine’s Dr. Joe Eron led a clinical trial on the new medication, which could help stem the global epidemic.
Did quarantine change the way we speak?
During a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, senior Robert Gaines investigated a potential effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nationwide and worldwide
Zena Cardman ’10 ’14 is out of this world. The double Tar Heel is the mission commander for the SpaceX Crew-11 mission, which reached the International Space Station Aug. 2.
Learn about the mission and watch Cardman’s Spring Commencement speech from 2024.
A Tar Heel education can take you across the world. Carolina’s study abroad courses allow students to taste a new culture over the summer.
Read about students’ lessons and adventures in South Korea, Italy and Spain.
Hannah Smith had a good reason for showing up a week later for her senior year at Carolina. She had work to do and press conferences to run at the Little League World Series.
The NCAA’s spring sports season extends into summer, and the Tar Heels dominated. On Memorial Day, the women’s lacrosse team completed a 22-0 season with its fourth national title, and the Diamond Heels also won the ACC baseball tournament.
Summer is prime time for the Shibumi Shade, the innovative canopy that protects beach-goers from the sun. Did you know three Tar Heel alumni are behind the latest beach fixture?
Summer accolades
Carolina ranked No. 3 best value public by Princeton Review
UNC-Chapel Hill rose one spot on the annual list and was recognized as No. 1 in financial aid and No. 2 best value without aid among publics.
UNC Hussman wins 7th straight national journalism championship
The Hearst Journalism Awards Program is often referred to as the “Pulitzers of college journalism.”
5 early-career faculty win 2025 Hettleman Prizes
The $8,000 prize recognizes groundbreaking, innovative research and future career promise.
Employees honored for state service milestones
An Office of Human Resources webpage celebrates those who marked special anniversaries with Carolina and the state.
Tar Heels fourth in final Learfield Directors’ Cup standings
It’s Carolina's best national finish in the last 16 seasons and ranks second among ACC institutions.
Across campus
Eshelman students flourish at summer internships↗
Hear from third-year pharmacy students about their summer experiences.
Hussman students network with ’top innovators and thinkers’ in France↗
Four scholars and professor Dana McMahan attended the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
Meet the 2025 SECU Public Fellows interns↗
The Carolina Center for Public Service program gave 19 Carolina undergraduates funding for summertime work with community organizations statewide
Law school's service tradition continues↗
For 16 straight years, UNC School of Law has kicked off orientation week with community service rather than case studies.
Student innovators receive direction, support through Summer Accelerators↗
The Launch Chapel Hill-Innovate Carolina partnership connects Tar Heels with mentors, resources and co-working spaces to support their startups.
Data science scholars apply coursework in professional settings↗
From cleaning data to monitoring sensors and creating models, these students gained valuable experiences during internships at startups, large companies and government agencies.
You may also like...
7 things you may have missed this summer
Catch up on Carolina’s new openings, rankings and more as the semester begins.
Meet our newest Tar Heels
The Tar Heel family is growing larger as UNC-Chapel Hill welcomes our biggest class yet. From aspiring pharmacists, lawyers and doctors to devoted family members, military veterans and climate researchers, each Tar Heel brings to Chapel Hill their own unique experiences, talents and passions.
Welcome home, Tar Heels
This week, Carolina welcomed home its largest class yet and welcomed back thousands of other Tar Heels for the fall semester.