news & events
Recent News
Study shows effects of pesticide exposure span generations (April 22, 2013). NC State researchers studying aquatic organisms called Daphnia have found that exposure to a chemical pesticide has impacts that span multiple generations – causing the so-called “water fleas” to produce more male offspring, and causing reproductive problems in female offspring. NC State News Service
Plant protein shape puzzle solved by molecular 3-D model (March 15, 2013). Researchers from NC State, Dr. Candace Haigler and Dr. Yaroslava Yingling, believe they have solved a puzzle that has vexed science since plants first appeared on Earth. In a groundbreaking paper published online this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers provide the first three-dimensional model of an enzyme that links a simple sugar, glucose, into long-chain cellulose, the basic building block within plant cell walls that gives plants structure. NC State News Service
NCSU's The Abstract features guest blog on thermal transport (March 18, 2013). NCSU's The Abstract features a guest post by Dr. Mark Losego, a research assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering. Losego recently co-authored a News and Views article about nanoscale heat flow in Nature Materials with David Cahill of the University of Illinois. The blog post's title is "The Heat Is On To Understand Thermal Transport between Materials." The Abstract
New antibacterial clothing line for NCSU spinout Spitter Spatter (March 15, 2013). Spitter Spatter, an NC State spinout, launched their first line of antibacterial, stain-resistant children's clothing earlier this month. ExitEvent
Researchers create nanoscale spinning magnetic droplets (March 14, 2013). Researchers have successfully created a magnetic soliton – a nano-sized, spinning droplet that was first theorized 35 years ago. These solitons have implications for the creation of magnetic, spin-based computers. NC State mathematician Dr. Mark Hoefer has created a mathematical model of what such a soliton might look like. NC State News Service
New technique creates stronger, lightweight magnesium alloys (March 13, 2013). Researchers from NC State, including Dr. Yuntian T. Zhu, have developed a new technique for creating stronger, lightweight magnesium alloys that have potential structural applications in the automobile and aerospace industries. Engineers constantly seek strong, lightweight materials for use in cars and planes to improve fuel efficiency. Their goal is to develop structural materials with a high “specific strength,” which is defined as a material’s strength divided by its density. NC State News Service
Researchers solve mystery of what binds two unlikely materials (March 11, 2013). For years, researchers have developed thin films of bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) – which converts heat into electricity or electricity to cooling – on top of gallium arsenide (GaAs) to create cooling devices for electronics. But while they knew it could be done, it was not clear how – because the atomic structures of those unlikely pair of materials do not appear to be compatible. Now researchers from NC State and RTI International have solved the mystery. NC State News Service
Upcoming Events
04/26/13 - NC State NanoDays. NC State NanoDays 2013 will be held on Friday, April 26, 2013 from 2-5 p.m. on NC State's Centennial Campus in Engineering Building 3. This event is open to Science Olympiad participants, teachers, and parents. Educators from UNC-Chapel Hill, Marbles Childrens Museum, the NC Museum of Life and Sciences, and the School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering at UNC-Greensboro will engage you with new developments in science and technology. To sign up for a tour for your students or for more information, email Gina Childers.
Nanotech Reports & Presentations
The NC State Nanotechnology Initiative releases its FY 09-10 Annual Report (pdf) (July 1, 2010). This report highlights the NC State Nano Initiative's efforts in FY 09-10 to foster nanotechnology research, education, and industry outreach activities at the university and in the community.
"Investing in the South’s Nanotech Future" by the NC Dept. of Commerce's Office of Science & Technology (pdf) (July 7, 2010). Drs. John Hardin and Sharlini Sankaran of the NC Dept. of Commerce's Office of Science & Technology published this nanotechnology policy piece through the Southern Growth Policies Board, a non-partisan public policy think tank based in Research Triangle Park that is dedicated to strengthening the South’s economy and creating the highest possible quality of life.
"Recommendations on the Environmentally Responsible Development of Nanotechnology" from the Research Triangle Environmental Health Collaborative (July 1, 2010). The 2009 Summit on Environmentally Responsible Development of Nanotechnology identified critical issues in nano-enabled product development and manufacturing and explored the nanomanufacturing landscape so businesses can overcome barriers to success related to environmental/occupational health concerns. The summit's outcome is a guidance document that highlights these critical issues and provides business and policymakers with recommendations about how to successfully address them.
Emerging Technologies: Trust and Risk. Presentation by Dr. David Berube, NC State Research Professor of Science Communication and Director of the NCSU Public Communication of Science and Technology Project, to the Science, Expertise, and Ethics in Democracy CCI Interdisciplinary Panel at UNC-Greensboro on March 19, 2009. More of the NCSU Nanotoxicology Interdisciplinary Research Team's recent presentations can be accessed here, and the team's large collection of streamed videos can be accessed here.
Nanotechnology: Think Small and Look into the Future… Presentation by Dr. Gregory N. Parsons, NC State Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Director of the NC State Nanotechnology Initiative, to the Sanford Rotary Club on March 17, 2009.
If you would like to add a nanotechnology-related news item or event listing to this page, please send the information to nanotechnology@ncsu.edu.