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ammerman5Alice Ammerman, professor of nutrition at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and director of the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, has a dilemma – albeit a delightful one – regarding her schedule for May 7.

“I’m considering getting myself cloned,” she said, laughing.

Four of Ammerman’s five graduating doctoral students will participate in the 9:30 a.m. hooding ceremony that day at the Smith Center. One of her sons will graduate from medical school in Memorial Hall at 10 a.m. She also will be attending the UNC Gillings commencement at 1 p.m. in Carmichael Arena and the reception following, back at the Gillings School. With any luck, she’ll wake up with enough energy on May 8 to see another son accept his undergraduate degree at 9 a.m. in Kenan Stadium.

After reading in Dean Barbara K. Rimer’s blog about the Gillings School’s new Borrow-a-Bike program, Ammerman knew she’d found a workable solution.

She arranged to hood her nutrition students at the start of the 9:30 a.m. ceremony, and with help from facilities director Brent Wishart, she reserved a Gillings bike that would take her at lightning speed from Smith Center to Memorial Hall. The bike’s basket is even big enough to hold her regalia so it won’t get caught in the spokes.

“What you really need on graduation day is that DeLorean from Back to the Future,” Wishart told Ammerman.

“You’re right about that,” she replied, “but it will be a lot easier to find a parking place for the bike!”

By Linda Kastleman, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
Published May 2, 2016