North Carolina Wesleyan University (NCWU) is proud to announce the launch of its newest academic initiative: The Deep End Podcast, a platform that brings the innovative research, scholarship, and passion of NCWU faculty straight to listeners’ ears.
Spearheaded by Dr. Joseph Lane, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, The Deep End dives into the creative ways faculty integrate their scholarly work into the classroom experience. Each episode highlights NCWU’s teacher-scholars and offers valuable insights for students, alumni, and fellow educators alike.
“Our goal is to share the intellectual energy happening every day on campus,” said Dr. Lane. “This podcast allows us to celebrate the brilliant work of our faculty and how they make learning relevant and exciting for our students.”
The first three episodes, now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube, feature engaging conversations with:
- Dr. Shane Thompson, discussing ancient cultures and languages
- Drs. Meredith Gringle and Ami Thompson, on public health and biology
- Dr. Doreen Thierauf, exploring English literature in new ways
New episodes will be released throughout the year, with upcoming guests including Dr. Benjamin Hiskes (Psychology), Tyana Ellis (Communication), Dr. Daniel Elias (Environmental Science), and Dr. Emily Weber (Biology/Pre-Medical Sciences advisor).
Dr. Shane Thompson (Religious Studies and Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research) manages the recording schedules and will host some episodes.
The podcast is produced by an undergraduate student, Shafiq Nuijts, NCWU Class of 2026. Shafiq contributes to recording and editing each episode. His leading role in bringing the Deep End to life demonstrates North Carolina Wesleyan’s commitment to offering a Personal, Practical, and Purpose-Driven Education, by giving students hands-on experiences in a variety of fields, including digital content creation.
Listeners can stream The Deep End Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
NCWU Professor is First Appalachian Headwaters Ecologist Resident
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – Dr. Ami Thompson, Assistant Professor of Biology at NC Wesleyan University, will spend 10 weeks this summer as the very first Ecologist Resident hosted by nonprofit, Appalachian Headwaters. Based in Lewisburg, West Virginia, Appalachian Headwaters is a leader in environmental education and reforestation of mined land in central Appalachia.
The organization operates several environmental education projects including Camp Waldo (a summer camp for children), the Appalachian Pollinator Center (focused on education related to native habitat and pollinators) and the Appalachian Beekeeping Collective. During her residency, Dr. Thompson will live on-site near Lewisburg, WV and establish research and training programs that focuses on Appalachian citizen science, climate change and native pollinators. She will build a foundation for more academic resident participation in future years and use the organization’s new Appalachian Pollinator Center as a programmatic home base.
“I’m thrilled to spend my summer with the interns and staff at Appalachian Headwaters. This unique opportunity is a perfect fit for someone like me who has one foot rooted in academic ecology and the other in science education,” stated Dr. Thompson. “We will explore the relationship between native pollinators, like butterflies and bees, and the timing of local flower blooms. Changing climate conditions are altering the time of year when flowers bloom—some species are flowering earlier in the year, some later. The interns and I will explore how this change in bloom timing could impact the insects who pollinate those flowers. Can the pollinators and flowers still find each other when they need food or pollination services? Or will they become mismatched?”
Dr. Thompson studies the ecology of dragonflies and is a world expert on the common green darner. She’s been featured on PBS North Carolina for her exciting dragonfly research. In addition, Dr. Thompson has shared her dragonfly expertise on the NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ “Science Tonight” program and created a series of weekly educational videos for the U.S. Forest Service’s Wings Across the America’s program during the summer of 2021. Formerly a National Park Service ranger, Dr. Thompson has also written guidebooks and education curricula on dragonflies that have been translated into two other languages.
About North Carolina Wesleyan University
North Carolina Wesleyan University (NCWU) is a small, private Methodist-affiliated institution with a liberal arts-based core curriculum that prepares students for professional advancement, life-long learning and responsible participation in their communities. NCWU offers liberal arts, professional and graduate degree programs for traditional, transfer and working-adult students. The skills cultivated by faculty and built into the curriculum include critical thinking and reflection, communication, collaboration, and information technology. North Carolina Wesleyan University delivers education that is personal, practical and purpose-driven. Personal…through mentoring and the connections that are provided. Practical…by helping students develop lifelong skills. Purpose-driven…by helping them fulfill their purpose in life. With students from all over the United States and more than 40 different countries, the University has immense cultural diversity. To learn more, visit ncwu.edu and follow on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram.
