Faculty and Staff Notes

Nobel Laureate to Deliver Commencement Address

Nobel Prize winner and alumnus Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, a worldwide leader in the study of climate change, will deliver the commencement address on Saturday, Dec. 19, at the RBC Center. The ceremony will begin at 9 a.m.

Chancellor James Woodward will confer honorary degrees to Pachauri and two other distinguished recipients: Dr. Jack Ward Thomas, former head of the U.S. Forest Service and career conservationist, and G. Smedes York, former Raleigh mayor and NC State alumnus.

Pachauri serves as director-general of the Energy and Resources Institute and as director of the Yale Climate and Energy Institute. In 2002, he was elected chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The IPCC, along with former Vice President Al Gore, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. Pachauri has taught at NC State, the Administrative Staff College of India, West Virginia University and Yale. He has also served as visiting fellow at the East-West Center’s Resource Systems Institute and the World Bank, and adviser of energy and sustainable management of natural resources with the United Nations Development Programme.

Burkholder Wins Environmental Service Award

Dr. JoAnn Burkholder, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor and director of the Center for Applied Aquatic Ecology, is the 2009 recipient of the Joint Award for Service to the Environment and Society. The award is given annually by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Natural Resources.

Burkholder, a  professor of plant biology and adjunct professor in marine, earth and atmospheric sciences, has made major discoveries from freshwaters to marine coasts. She was the co-discoverer of Pfiesteria, a toxic fish-killing microbe. That discovery a decade ago led the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide $220 million to help North Carolina farmers in the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary  reduce nutrient pollution to surface waters from agricultural runoff. She also discovered that nitrate pollution can kill Zostera marina, the most important aquatic plant habitat species in brackish waters of the northern hemisphere.

As director of the Center for Applied Aquatic Ecology, Burkholder oversaw the design and implementation of the first series of automated platforms for research and monitoring of the state’s estuaries. She developed the N.C. Floating Classroom Program aboard the RV Humphries,  the UNC system’s only Coast Guard-certified oceanographic ship. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and recipient of  the AAAS Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award, among many others.

Kenan Fellows Program Honored

NC State’s Kenan Fellows Program for Curriculum and Leadership Development  University received the Don Bailey College/University Distinguished Service Award from the North Carolina Science Teachers Association. The award recognizes exceptional service to science education.

“We are honored to be the first education program to receive this award,” said Dr. Valerie Brown-Schild, director of the Kenan Fellows Program. The Kenan Fellows Program is an initiative of the Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology & Science to develop partnerships between researchers and K-12 teachers to create science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curriculum. Public school teachers from diverse disciplines collaborate with a research mentor during the two-year fellowship. The program also promotes teacher leadership and retention. Since the program began in 2000, more than 100 K-12 teachers have been awarded a fellowship and 83 percent of Kenan Fellows have remained in the classroom.

Strnad Honored for Service

The Environmental Educators of North Carolina recently honored Renee Strnad, environmental educator for Extension Forestry, for outstanding service. Strnad was recognized for her efforts to support the group’s annual conference, assisting with conference logistics and providing professional development opportunities.

In addition to being the state coordinator for Project Learning Tree (a multidisciplinary environmental education program for educators and Pre-K to 12 students), Strnad supports 4-H natural resource programs statewide. She is also a liaison between the College of Natural Resources and environmental educators. She works with Wiley Elementary School in Raleigh, where students in grades 3-5 measure trees in classes facilitated by NC State forestry students.

McGahan Named ARVO Fellow

Dr. Christine McGahan, professor of pharmacology and head of the Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine, has been approved for the honor of Gold Fellow in the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology fellows class of 2010.

The title recognizes association members for their individual accomplishments, leadership and contributions. Dr. McGahan has been a member of the association for more than 30 years. She is a recipient of continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1983 and serves on the Department of Health and Human Services National Eye Advisory Council as one of 12 members charged with making policy recommendations. Her CVM research focus involves the biochemistry of the ocular lens and retina.

Register for Spring Performance Leadership Program

Registration is open for the spring 2010 performance leadership program, which begins Jan. 13. Here’s your chance to improve your team building skills. This semester-long program for managers and team leaders provides  hands-on practice through small group activities and role-playing exercises. Participants will review and apply tools for improving cooperation, strengthening teamwork and opening lines of communication. They’ll practice dealing effectively with team conflicts, and learn steps for coaching team members with unsatisfactory performance.

Questions? Contact Tina Bennefield, program manager, at 515-9576 or Carina Lockley, program coordinator, at 515-4280. For details, cost and registration, go online.

Eat Smart Program Coming in 2010

This spring, NC State will offer Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less with do-it-yourself tips to eating healthier in 2010. The 15-week course will be offered many different days across campus for your convenience. Registration costs $30, with $25 to be refunded to those who attend at least 10 sessions. You can sign up online.

If you work in Pitt or Guilford County and would like to bring the program to your work site, contact Surabhi.Aggarwal@dhhs.nc.gov. If you are in another county, contact your local family and consumer science agent and/or health promotion coordinator to find out if they are able to teach a class. Contacts for these professionals can be found at http://www.EatSmartMoveMoreNC.com.

To get you through the holidays, here are some tips for 12 Days of Wellness:

•  Day 12: Take 12 flights of stairs
•  Day 11: Park 11 spaces away from your usual parking spot to get in those extra steps.
•  Day 10: Take a 10-minute walk with a co-worker every day during your break.
•  Day 9:   Save $9 a week by skipping the vending and drink machine and replacing treats with healthy snacks from home.
•  Day 8:   Drink eight glasses (8 ounces) of water a day.
•  Day 7:   Find a local gym that is offering a free seven-day trial membership.
•  Day 6:   Make sure you get at least six hours of good sleep each night.
•  Day 5:   Grab five co-workers and enter the Jingle Bell Jog on Friday, Dec. 11.
•  Day 4:   Take four minutes to complete an online health assessment at http://www.shpnc.org.
•  Day 3:   Exercise three days a week for at least 30 minutes.
•  Day 2:   Have two servings of vegetables as part of your dinner tonight.
•  Day 1:   Register for Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less.

Booking with the Pack Accepting Donations

Booking with the Pack, sponsored by the Academic Support Program for student athletes, is holding a campus book drive through Wednesday, Dec. 16. Collection bins for new and gently used books for all ages are located in residence halls across campus.

Booking with the Pack promotes literacy by giving away books to ignite a passion for reading and learning. This year’s goal is to put 25,000 books in the hands of children and adults from all walks of life.

After the book drive, student athletes will catalog and distribute books to organizations dedicated to serving the community as well as others in need of books. For additional information, contact program facilitator Phil Moses at 515-4500 or graduate assistant Jennifer MacNab at 513-1062. More information is online at http://www.ncsu.edu/aspsa/AboutUs.Booking.html.

Teddy Bear Drive Under Way

Feel free to bring a teddy bear to work this month. Volunteers are collecting bears for children who are hospitalized over the holidays. Extras will be kept on hand to comfort children who are admitted to the hospital or facing a painful procedure. Though Thursday, Dec. 17, you can drop off a bear at one of these locations:

    * Cashier’s Office, 2005 Harris Hall
    * McKimmon Center, main office
    * Communication Services, Butler Building lobby
    * Textiles Building on Centennial Campus, Room 3408
    * IES, Suite 1600 of Research IV on Centennial Campus

Faculty/Staff Ticket Discounts Available

Take advantage of reduced prices for men’s basketball tickets during Faculty/Staff Appreciation Days. Attend a nonconference game for $10 or an ACC contest for $15 on these home dates:

• Elon: 7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 17
• Virginia Tech: 9 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 10
• Maryland: 9 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 17

Purchase tickets online at http://www.gopack.com/promo, using STAFF as the promotional code. Or avoid the service fee by paying in person with cash at the ticket office (university ID required).

W-2 Smackdown Standings

You can help NC State make tax time greener. To save paper and time, sign up for an electronic W-2 earnings form. In response to security concerns from employees, now only the last four digits of your social security number are required. And yes, the IRS will accept a copy of the form from your home printer.

To see where your unit ranks in the standings, visit the payroll page. Each Friday through Dec. 18, payroll will update the standings. Units with the highest percentages will be recognized. Questions? Send an e-mail to hr_payroll@ncsu.edu or call Joanie Aitken at 513-3548.