NC State Feature Stories

Recent Research Stories — Page 10

Before They Bite

The weather is heating up, and it's time for mosquitoes to reassume their position as some of the most high-maintenance, least-friendly outdoor party crashers around. But have no fear, Dr. Marian McCord and a team of students are on the case, looking to permanently ground the flying blood banks in ways that won't harm you - or your invited guests.

High-Speed Learning

Armed with big dreams for tiny, ladybug-inspired vehicles to those that recall the sleek lines of Japanese drift cars, middle- and high-school students from around the region raced their way through NC State's first Sustainable Transportation Education Program (STEP), held outside the McKimmon Center.

Flying High

When the world's most fuel-efficient commercial airliner was introduced late last year, it was only fitting that an NC State alumnus was on hand to celebrate alongside industry leaders. Zachery Jones ('08), said his accomplishments in the workplace can be directly attributed to the educational opportunities he found at NC State.

Safety Sweep

When industrial design graduate student Kathryn Asad won first place in a student traffic safety contest at the New York International Auto Show, judges asked her not to mention the name of her school. It turns out they were embarrassed that students from one university - NC State - swept nearly every award in the competition.

Fueling His Passion

Tim Turner is a baby boomer on a crusade, trying to refine a process that can turn animal fat and waste grease into hydrocarbon fuels. He developed the process three years ago with three NC State professors. Although Turner could be mistaken for a professor himself, he's actually a 57-year-old graduate student embarking on a career in the green economy.

The Science of Santa

Santa skeptics have long considered St. Nick’s ability to deliver toys to the world’s good girls and boys in the course of one night a scientific impossibility. But new research shows that Santa is able to make his appointed rounds through the pioneering use of cutting-edge science and technology, explains NC State professor Dr. Larry Silverberg.

Research on the Half Shell

NC State researchers and partners will lend a hand with a project to revitalize oyster beds along the Pamlico Sound and create jobs in an industry that has suffered during the recent economic downturn.

Nothing But Net

Pay attention, Shaq: Two NC State engineers have figured out the best way to shoot a free throw - a frequently underappreciated skill that gets more important as the game clock winds down. For the rest of us, it's an opportunity to learn how to leave the bricks on the Brickyard and delve into the physics of a successful free throw.

Jimmy V’s Legacy Continues Cancer Fight

It may not look like it, but NC State graduate student Ashley Tucker is advancing cancer research as she drops worms into containers with varying concentrations of five experimental compounds. If Dr. John Cavanagh and Nick Valvano are correct, her work also could be crucial to creating a new generation of cancer researchers.

Greener Ways to Greener Lawns

During the record-setting 2007-08 drought in North Carolina, when the governor called water conservation everyone’s patriotic duty, a brown lawn was a badge of honor instead of a neighborhood blight. But even before the drought began, NC State researchers were studying ways to use less water in outdoor irrigation, which could make green yards honorable during future dry spells.

About NC State Feature Stories

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