Faculty and Staff Notes

Sullivant Receives Packard Foundation Grant

Seth Sullivant, assistant professor of mathematics, is one of 16 promising scientific researchers selected for a 2009 fellowship for science and engineering from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Each fellow will receive an unrestricted research grant of $875,000 over five years.

Sullvant’s grant will allow him to introduce tools from algebraic geometry, combinatorics and symbolic computation to address fundamentally discrete problems in evolutionary biology, causal inference and disclosure limitation.

Dean Marvin Malecha will will serve on a UN World Habitat Day committee.

Malecha Selected for UN World Habitat Day

Marvin Malecha, dean of the College of Design and president of the American Institute of Architects, has been selected to serve on the honorary committee for the United Nations World Habitat Day. The United Nations designates the first Monday in October every year as World Habitat Day to reflect on the state of human settlements and the basic right to adequate shelter for all.

“We are at a critical juncture in our planet’s history and there is a strong need to examine long-term, sensible approaches to housing and urban development,” Malecha said. “Affordable housing, urban planning and sustainable community development are longstanding AIA priorities and we are proud to be part of an endeavor that is promoting these ideals on a global scale.”

DeSimone Receives NIH Pioneer Award

Dr. Joseph M. DeSimone, William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering, has been awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pioneer Award, one of only 18 such honors handed out this year.

The Pioneer Award supports individual scientists of exceptional creativity who propose pioneering – and possibly transforming – approaches to major challenges in biomedical and behavioral research. Awards are for up to $500,000 per year for five years. A recognized chemist and polymer expert, DeSimone develops groundbreaking solutions in green manufacturing and promising applications in gene therapy, drug delivery and medical devices. He will use the award to develop new methods for delivering promising biological therapeutics, such as proteins, antibodies and nucleic acids, to specific locations in the body in a safe and effective fashion. He is also eminent professor of chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Faculty Work on Kinston Music Trail Concepts

College of Design faculty members developed preliminary concepts for a trail showcasing African American music heritage in Kinston, N.C. Kinston is the hometown of musicians, performers and songwriters such as Little Eva, writer and singer of “The Locomotion,” and Maceo Parker, long time bandleader for James Brown.

To highlight the history, Kofi Boone, assistant professor of landscape architecture, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, associate professor of art + design, and Dr. Celen Pasalar, director of the Downtown Design Studio, worked on a pilot for the North Carolina Arts Council and Kinston Community Council for the Arts. The team developed concepts for interpretive public art and interactive media with support from a Creative Economies Grant. Lessons from the pilot process will be used in an eight-county region.

Alexander in Leadership Role at NC A&T

Dr. Winser E. Alexander, professor of electrical and computer engineering, is serving as interim dean of the College of Engineering at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T). He continues in his current position at NC State.

Alexander was director of graduate programs for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NC State from 1988 to 1997 and from 2001 to 2002. He is also a visiting professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC A&T. Prior to joining the faculty at NC State, Alexander was professor and chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering at NC A&T from 1976 to 1982.

Masnari Honored with Alumni Award

Dr. Nino Masnari, distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering, received an Electrical and Computer Engineering Alumni Society Merit Award from the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan. Masnari, who earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering at Michigan, was one of 17 engineering alumni recognized.

He came to NC State in 1979 as head of the electrical engineering department. In 1988, he became the founding director of the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center on Advanced Electronic Materials Processing and the SEMATECH Center of Excellence on Advanced Single Wafer Processing. He served as dean of engineering for 10 years before returning to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2006. His research interests are in silicon processing technologies and solid-state electronic devices.

Bowers Medal Nominations Open

Arts NC State is accepting nominations for the Bowers Medal of Arts, which recognizes contributions to the arts at the university and in the larger community. The award is named for Henry Bowers, who championed the visual and performing arts as director of the University Student Center.

Nomination letters will be accepted through the month of November. The medal will be presented during the 13th annual gala on May 8, 2010. For past recipients and nomination guidelines, visit the Bowers Medal of Arts page or contact Amy FitzGerald, director of arts development, at 513-3802 or amy_fitzgerald@ncsu.edu.

Join a Campus Sustainability Working Group

The Campus Environmental Sustainability Team (CEST) invites faculty, staff and students to help plan NC State's sustainable future and reduce our carbon footprint by joining a working group.

CEST will develop two documents in the coming year: a strategic plan for campus sustainability and a climate action plan to reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions. Working group members are needed in the following areas:

• Academics and research
• Buildings
• Energy and water
• Land use
• Materials and purchasing
• Transportation
• Waste reduction and recycling

To join a working group, contact Tracy Dixon, director of the University Sustainability Office, at 513-0211 or tracy_dixon@ncsu.edu.