NC State in the News

NC State experts are featured every day in some of the top media outlets. Here are some of the top hits from the past week:

New Target Eyed For Colon Cancer

U.S. News & World Report

Aug. 19 – Drugs that target a cell surface molecule called ERBB3 could offer a more effective way to treat colon cancer, a new study suggests. Currently, drugs that target the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are used to treat a number of cancers, but these drugs haven't proven very effective against colon cancer. ERBB3 is closely related to EGFR. Drugs aimed at ERBB3 may be much more effective than EGFR inhibitors at treating colon cancer.

"If you genetically remove ERBB3, as you would if you were pharmacologically targeting it, then the mice rarely develop colon cancer," lead author David Threadgill, adjunct professor in the department of genetics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a professor in the genetics department at North Carolina State University, said in a news release...

Job Tips for White Men Edge Women, Minorities

News 14 Carolina

Aug. 17 – A new N.C. State study shows white males have an advantage over women in minorities in getting informal tips about job opportunities. Researchers surveyed a representative sample of 3,000 people across the U.S. and found white men get, on average, more job information that white women and minorities. The disparity becomes even greater for higher level management jobs.

"Any way that women and racial minorities can gain better access to information, by learning more about networking opportunities or things like this, or basically providing some sort of opportunities to gain better access to this sort of information is really what would be most needed," Steve McDonald, with N.C. State, said...

Respect, but not love, for hackers

Charlotte Observer, The News & Observer, TMCnet.com

Aug. 16 – Ask Jeff Crume, and he'll tell you that the typical computer hacker is often nothing more than your classic loser. Crume can't hide his professional contempt for the punk who acts out his power fantasies as a way of nursing low self-esteem...He's often back in the classroom as a guest lecturer at his alma mater, N.C. State University. "His presentations are a sobering dose of reality, a blend of how hackers think and operate," said Ken Tate, director of development for NC State's computer science department. Tate said Crume is very convincing at showing "how really ineffective our current security technologies are in deterring those who want to steal your identity or information."...

N.C. is a state in transition

Charlotte Observer, The News & Observer

Aug. 16 – North Carolina lawmakers voted this year to give up to $12.5 million a year in tax breaks for Apple so the computer giant will build a data center in Western North Carolina. The vote sparked arguments about corporate handouts, but lawmakers said Apple offers the sort of new-economy jobs that are critical to North Carolina..."We are, on many levels, a state in transition," said Michael Walden, an economist at N.C. State University...When legislators try to push North Carolina to reflect the new possibilities, they often find themselves pulled back by old realities. "Rural legislators go back to their districts and see people employed in the pulp mill or the textile mill," Walden said. "They see that a lot of those cutting-edge jobs are not going to go there."...

Scientist warns against global rush into biofuel cultivation

Ghana Business News

Aug. 18 – A U.S. scientist, Thomas R. Sinclair has warned countries that are rushing into cultivating biofuels in their efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels to take into consideration the multiple limits to plant production on earth....Professor Sinclair who is a visiting professor in agronomy at the University of Florida and an adjunct professor in crop science at North Carolina State University was also raised on a farm in Indiana. He writes "in a justified rush to cut fossil fuel consumption, some nations are embracing biofuels as a petroleum alternative at the gas pump. Using sugarcane, Brazil already produces 24.5 billion liters of ethanol a year to fuel car and truck engines."...

Convention-goers spruce up local animal shelters

American Veterinary Medical Association

Aug. 18 – Horses, cats, dogs, and other animals in three Seattle-area shelters are the beneficiaries of hundreds of hours of volunteer labor by convention attendees. On July 10 and 11, dozens of attendees participated in the American Veterinary Medical Foundation's second Our Oath in Action voluntourism project. The project combines volunteerism and tourism to put the veterinarian's oath into action while offering convention-goers a closer look at the community...."I felt like there was no better way to get to know a city than to get down and be helpful," said Kelly Johnson, a veterinary student at North Carolina State University....