NC State In the News

The 'Red Means Go' Spirit

University Business

June 2 – Nearly 100 years ago, when North Carolina was still a largely agricultural state, North Carolina State University President Daniel Hill described its mission as developing students who can "skillfully and unhesitatingly lead the industrial progress of our people." His comment speaks to NC State's historical commitment to driving the state’s economic growth...

Small Raleigh, NC, Firm Makes "Architect" Magazine's Top 50 List

PR-USA.net

May 23 – Frank Harmon Architect PA, a Raleigh, NC-based architectural firm headed by Frank Harmon FAIA, is one of the top 50 firms in the nation, according to Architect Magazine's 2009 "Architect 50" ranking...."Most ranking of firms is by dollar volume," observed Frank Harmon, who is also an adjunct professor of architecture at the North Carolina State University College of Design. "The Architect ranking, by contrast, includes design and sustainability, two things we love best."...

Using less pesticide may kill more cockroaches

Reuters Health

May 25 – An innovative cockroach control strategy that keeps pesticide use to a minimum is much more effective than the standard approach – regular, massive sprays of powerful bug-killers – for wiping out the pests, a new study conducted in schools shows. Exposure to cockroach allergens contributes to the development and worsening of asthma in children. Dr. Coby Schal of North Carolina State University in Raleigh and colleagues previously demonstrated that a strategy known as integrated pest management (IPM) works better than indiscriminate, regular spraying to control cockroach infestations and reduce levels of cockroach allergen in apartment buildings. This was a major breakthrough, Schal noted in an interview, because efforts to control the insects have had disappointing results.....

Device has pig hearts pulsing

The News & Observer, Device Space, US News & World Report, Fox News, Yahoo! News

May 28 – The sight of a dripping-fresh, human-sized heart, it turns out, is both repulsive and attractive. Especially when it's suspended in the open among an elaborate array of tubes, pumps and valves. And when it's pulsing as though alive. "There are basically two reactions," Andrew Richards, an N.C. State University graduate student, said of the macabre wheeled contraption he calls the Heart Cart...It's a new intermediary step between concept and live animal testing that can save thousands of dollars, many animals and the months of red tape that it can take to get approvals for testing live pigs, said Gregory D. Buckner, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering who oversaw the project. "It's very likely that in some cases we'll eliminate an entire cycle of animal testing and shorten the research and development," Buckner said. Richards, a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering, developed it under Buckner's supervision. The idea, he said, grew out of frustration with not being able to test a device as quickly as the researchers wanted....

Stimulus scramble is on

The News & Observer

May 28 – NCSU's rapid response -- "It's a little bit of a mad scramble," said Matt Ronning, NCSU's associate vice chancellor for research administration. "Every time there's a [grant proposal request], we go after it with full force. It's an opportunity. We think we'll get a good chunk of change out of it." To that end, NCSU created a "Stimulus Rapid Response Team," a collection of faculty and other research experts who meet each week to discuss funding opportunities and determine where to focus their energy. The stimulus legislation came down quickly, and universities have thrown grant requests together while trying to understand the new federal guidelines. "We're treating it as a short-term opportunity," Ronning said. "You have to move quickly."...

Non-toxic hull coating resists barnacles, may save ship owners millions

First Science

May 28 – North Carolina State University engineers have created a non-toxic "wrinkled" coating for use on ship hulls that resisted buildup of troublesome barnacles during 18 months of seawater tests, a finding that could ultimately save boat owners millions of dollars in cleaning and fuel costs. The research conducted by Dr. Kirill Efimenko, research assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Dr. Jan Genzer, professor in the same department, shows for the first time that surface coatings containing nests of different-sized "wrinkles" are effective in preventing barnacles from firmly latching on to the coatings. "The results are very promising," Efimenko said. "We are dealing with a very complex phenomenon. Living organisms are very adaptable to the environment, so we need to find their weakness. And this hierarchical wrinkled topography seems to do the trick."....

Study shows gay couples want legal rights, regardless of marriage

e! Science News, EurekAlert!, NewKerala.com, First Science, Top News.in, SmasHits.com

June 1 – New research from North Carolina State University shows that gay and lesbian couples are forming long-term, committed relationships, even in the absence of the right to marry. However, couples surveyed for the study overwhelmingly said they would get married if they could in order to secure legal rights – such as retirement and healthcare benefits. "Our study indicates that marriage is both more and less important to gay and lesbian couples in long-term relationships than was perhaps previously understood – more important in terms of the legal rights it conveys, but less important as a symbol of commitment," says study co-author Dr. Sinikka Elliott, an assistant professor of sociology and anthropology at NC State. "This research underscores the need for legal protections and rights for all couples."....

Host species' extinction could make parasites jump onto alternative hosts

SmasHits.com, First Science, Gene Ref, Daily India, Yahoo! India News, Thaindian, NewKerala.com, Sulekha.com, Genetic Engineering News

June 2 – In a new study, scientists have determined that when host species go extinct, their parasites could switch onto alternative hosts which in turn could increase the rate of emerging pathogens for humans, domesticated animals and plants. They examine the concept of coextinction, or the domino effect of extinctions caused by species loss....What we know about coextinctions presents a kind of paradox. The models suggest thousands of coextinctions have already occurred and that hundreds of thousands may be on the horizon. Yet we have observed few such events, Dunn said. So, we're not sure if all of these coextinctions are happening and not being tracked, or if parasites and mutualist species are better able to switch partners than we give them credit for, or something in between. Maybe some of the specialized relationships like between the figs and fig wasps - aren't so specialized, he added....

Hurricane season begins with tropical wave

Breitbart.com: United Press International, Koln Kgin

June 1 – The 2009 Atlantic hurricane season begins Monday with a tropical wave reported over the Carribean Sea and one tropical depression already spent. The season that runs through Nov. 20 is forecast to be "near-normal" or average by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and various academics. NOAA predicts a 70 percent chance of 9 to14 named storms, of which four to seven could become hurricanes. Of those, as many as three could be major, or above a Category 3 on the 5-point Saffir-Simpson scale....Dr. Lian Xie, professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences, and colleagues at North Carolina State University issued a forecast similar to NOAA's. They predicted there would be 11 to 14 named storms, of which 6 to 8 could become hurricanes....

NCSU to help schools with grant

Triangle Business Journal, News & Observer

June 1 – North Carolina State University has received a $1.5 million grant to help teachers across the state improve science and math education. The five-year grant from the National Science Foundation will allow top teachers from the 11 counties represented by the Base Realignment and Closure/Regional Task Force to work with NCSU researchers to learn "new scientific developments, build their leadership skills and develop curricula that support economic development sectors unique to the region such as aerospace, sustainable energy/green technologies and advanced medical technologies."....

Lack of Capital Not a 'Death Sentence' for Start-Ups

Tech Journal South, PhysOrg.com, Genetic Engineering News

June 2 – A new study from North Carolina State University is turning the conventional wisdom about technology start-up companies on its head, showing that ventures with moderate levels of undercapitalization can still be successful and that a great management team is not more important than a top-notch technology product when it comes to securing sufficient amounts of capital...