The basketball is in your hands, the score is tied and time's running out. You're about 10 feet away from the basket on the right side of the court, just outside the free-throw lane. Before the clock hits 0:00, check out new research from NC State engineers that shows whether a direct shot or a bank shot has a better chance of scoring your team a postgame victory celebration.
Inside a makeshift garage, a team of NC State students moves hurriedly around a stripped-down SUV, working diligently under the watchful eye of three Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering graduate students. It's a race against the clock - as well as teams from 15 other universities across North America - to retool their ride into an energy-efficient, EcoCAR Challenge award winner.
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.
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.