NC State Feature Stories

Recent Research Stories — Page 10

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.

Building a Better Battery

Amid corporate restructuring plans, car czars and a waning economy, the struggling automotive industry is tasked with providing more efficient and economical options for car buyers. While foreign markets have been quick to move into hybrid and electric vehicle space, the United States has been slower to adapt. That's where NC State comes in.

A Passion for Education

In May, Todd Klaenhammer was named the recipient of the O. Max Gardner Award, given annually to the UNC system professor who has made the “greatest contribution to the welfare of the human race.” A member of the National Academy of Sciences, the quality of Klaenhammer’s work in the lab is above comparison – rivaled only by the passion he displays in educating students in NC State’s College of Agriculture & Life Sciences.

More ‘Star Trek’ than ‘Snuggie’

Alien creatures are the least of NASA's worries when it comes to moon travel. There are several potential threats to future missions - with space radiation at the top of the list. Now, a group of students at North Carolina State University has developed a "blanket" of sorts that covers lunar outposts - the astronauts' living quarters - to provide astronauts protection against radiation while also generating and storing powe

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