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Briefs
NCSU master plan threatens forest
James Oblinger
Lake Raleigh WoodsDebate: Effect on voters remains unclear
Abraham Holtzman, political scienceBiz
Ira Weiss, College of Management
LandDesign
to plan Dix redevelopment
Centennial Campus
NC Agri-Cultural
Trails Project Comes To Ashe County
Stacy Tomas, parks, recreation & tourism management
Schools
plan for May referendum
Institute for Transportation Research and Education
Family
fare is main attraction
Animal Science Club
Music
at State Fair helps attract visitors each year
Wolfgang, Grains of Time, Packabelles
'Serious
Games' Showcased at CED's October Tech Forum
R. Michael Young, computer science
Livermore
lab research seeks to restore eyesight
artificial retina research
Livermore
Scientists Join Doe Consortium in Partnering with Private Company to
Develop Artificial Retina
artificial retina research
DOE
Labs, Universities and Second Sight Partner to Speed Development of
'Artificial Retina'
artificial retina research
Tobacco
buyout lacks FDA voice
Blake Brown, agricultural and resource economics
NCSU master plan threatens forest
Oct. 15, 2004
News & Observer
By JOSH SHAFFER
© Copyright 2004
RALEIGH -- Lake Raleigh Woods is filled with some of the city's oldest and tallest trees, gnarled and mysterious like a forest Tolkien would imagine.
The birds that flit around the branches are an ornithologist's delight: downy woodpeckers, white-breasted nuthatches, great horned owls.
Scientists call the 70-acre slice of Centennial Campus one of the most unusual spots in the city, maybe even qualifying as an old-growth forest.
But as it stands, N.C. State University's master plan calls for residential housing to cut through it, much like the condominiums that already stand across Lake Raleigh.
On Saturday, the college will host a daylong conference to share ideas and consider new plans for the rare and hard-to-reach patch of woods. It will end with a hike.
"It wouldn't be surprising at all to me if there weren't 200-year-old trees in there," said Ted Simons, a zoology and forestry professor. "To have a site like that that students could actually walk to is just invaluable."
The forest doesn't get many hikers now and hasn't ever had many visitors.
It stands at the south edge of Lake Raleigh, across from the brick and glass buildings of Centennial Campus, and it is tough to find a road that passes anywhere nearby.
In the late 1930s, a young student named Thomas Quay hiked through the woods, collecting data for his master's thesis on wintertime birds.
"When he was a master's student, Western Boulevard was a dirt road," Simons said. "You didn't have to worry about being hit by a car, because you could hear it coming a mile away."
Most of the land Quay walked has been cleared or covered with asphalt, but those woods remain almost as he left them. Now 90 and a retired professor, he has joined Simons' classes on many excursions.
"It was such a wonderful experience for me to be with those students and see the excitement on their faces as they realized that this man had been out there studying birds 65 years ago," Simons said.
For the woods, Centennial Campus is a noisy and slightly mismatched neighbor.
Called NCSU's "technopolis," the Centennial Campus mixes corporate offices, research facilities, business incubators and condominiums. The fast-growing southern edge of campus is now home to 100 companies.
Recent development includes a $100 million residential project, which features 358 condominiums and townhouses facing the lake, directly across from Lake Raleigh Woods.
There is no imminent threat to the woods, said Larry Nielsen, dean of the College of Natural Resources.
The master plan is still a general outline, subject to change, he said. The south shore is probably decades away from becoming a construction site.
It could end up as an outdoor classroom, a center for ecological research or a series of hiking trails, or it could still have some housing.
But, Nielsen said, "The master plan is the master plan, and until or if it's changed, that's the nature of the plan the campus has for the property."
Saturday's meeting is a chance to find out exactly what is in those woods and how people want the land to be used. As of now, Nielsen said, there isn't even a very good map.
The hills are quite steep in places, and it is easy to startle a deer when walking through.
There should be a report Saturday on the plant and animal life found in Lake Raleigh Woods.
"We're going to be brainstorming," Nielsen said. "One of the interesting things to a lot of people is the forest has been on that land for a long time without being disturbed. So it's a mature forest."
IF YOU GO
A Vision for the Future: The Woods at Lake Raleigh
* 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday
* McKimmon Center
* N.C. State University
Oct. 15, 2004
News & Observer
By BONNIE ROCHMAN
© Copyright 2004
The fair is here, with a new operator, an expanded Midway, more entertainment, a new delicacy -- fried banana pudding -- more rides than ever before and three new hands-on exhibits to charm the children.
So come on down!
The State Fair doesn't fall in October by chance. Traditionally, state fairs are held around harvest time and Field of Dreams, a new exhibit about horticulture in North Carolina, will highlight the abundance of crops in the state.
Field of Dreams lets city kids pretend to cavort on a farm. They can pick cotton, gather grain from a silo and pick apples off a tree. The exhibit is located in the geodesic dome near Dorton Arena, and outside the dome, nearly two dozen honest-to-goodness crops have been planted. Kids take all the stuff they've gathered to a Farmer's Market, where they can hawk it for fair money that can be used to buy something like milk or apples inside the exhibit. There's also a coloring area and a spot where kids can hear stories about farming and agriculture. Geared toward kids 12 and younger, Field of Dreams is free.
"We've been working on this since last year's fair and planting since June," said fair spokeswoman Heather Overton. "Children are just going to love it."
The State Fair Ark will feature cattle, sheep, goats and pigs typically found on farms around the state. It's intended to be a free educational exhibit, and as such, there are signs identifying breeds. People from the state Department of Agriculture and the N.C. State Animal Science Club will be on hand to answer questions.
The Ark's creation ensures that there will be live animals at the fair every day. In the past, on "turnover days" when animals in various livestock competitions were transferred in and out of the fairgrounds, there were times when no animals were around for viewing. Kids got disappointed, and the state responded with the Ark, which will be located in front of the Jim Graham Building.
N.C. State's popular milking booth, where anyone who wants to can learn the art of coaxing milk from a cow, will also take up residence at the Ark. Be prepared for long lines, cautions Overton. "Believe it or not, it seems everyone wants to milk a cow," she said.
Healthy Farms, Healthy Families harps on the importance of eating well and getting those five servings of fruits and veggies a day. Check out a display about sweet potatoes and why they're good for you. Participate in a scavenger hunt. Find out how to nurture a garden in your backyard and how to compost your garbage scraps. Find the exhibit near Gate 11, behind the Kerr Scott Building.
As in years past, two petting zoos -- heavy on the goats -- are expected to draw crowds. They will be located at the Children's Barn near the Heritage Village area and on the expanded Midway.
All the emphasis on pleasing the children is no coincidence. Organizers know it's families who keep coming back year after year. "We aim to be as family-friendly as possible because that's really our target audience," Overton said.
Now for the kid-centered entertainment:
There's more than in any year past. You may see Bouncin' Dan, the Paddleball Man, who boasts that he can hit the little white ball "up and down and all around, under his legs and over his head, every which way but loose. He catches the little white ball in his pockets and even pops it in his mouth."
The Circle C racing pigs are back, with a splashy new twist: a swimming competition. They'll be near Gate 9, performing daily at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 p.m.
"We say they're going to piggypaddle," Overton said.
At Kiddieland Fun Park, located between Kiddieland, where the youngster rides are, and Dorton Arena, there will be a host of colorful kid-friendly entertainment. The Raggs Kids Club Band, giant dog puppets, will sing at 2, 4 and 6 p.m. daily, with a noon show added on Saturdays.
Magic 4 U will produce a magic show at 1, 3 and 5 p.m. daily with an 11 a.m. show on Saturdays as well.
You also can catch Clifford the Big Red Dog, Blues Clues and Teletubbies in person at the UNC-TV booth near the south side of Dorton Arena. Al the Artist will rove daily through the park, penning free caricatures. Carrie McQueen, a stiltwalker, will also meander around.
The Dazzling Mills Family, a gaggle of acrobats, will perform on the north side of Dorton Arena near the waterfall at 2, 4 and 6 p.m., plus noon Saturdays.
The Procrastinators, described as an eclectic instrument show, will produce 10 shows a day all around the fair.
There's plenty of music, too.
On the waterfall stage, Unisoghn cranks up its Motown sound at 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Frankie Faucet and the Drips play '50s music at noon, 3 and 6 p.m.
There will be bluegrass in Heritage Circle at 1, 3 and 5 p.m. daily, as well as 11 a.m. Saturdays. And Doggies of the Wild West will perform tricks at noon, 2 and 4 p.m.
On the expanded Midway, Winn's Thrills of the Universe, a stunt show, performs at 1, 3 and 5 p.m. daily, plus 11 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Florida's Reithoffer Shows, this year's new fair operator, is bringing a record number of rides -- more than 100, with 20 of them in a new, expanded Midway area near the grandstand.
Overton said Reithoffer's safety record is good and will be bolstered by oversight from the state Department of Labor.
Rides are inspected daily. Both the Department of Labor and Reithoffer have their own safety inspectors. A ride has to be in perfect condition in order to open, Overton said.
Food stands are also inspected -- good news for those who fawn over the fried ecstasies of the fair.
Gourmands will want to seek out the fried banana pudding, the hot new edible commodity on the Midway. It's a banana dipped in batter, fried, then slathered with pudding and whipped cream.
If you want to get in free and do something good for hungry people in the state, Thursday is Food Lion Hunger Relief Day during which four cans of food gets you in for nothing. It's the largest single-day food drive in the state each year. Usually about 200,000 pounds of food are collected.
More than two million pounds have been donated over the past 11 years, Overton said.
A few tips:
* As for the least crowded days to go, Overton suggests any weekday. Mondays and Tuesdays are generally the slowest, but Monday is the Clay Aiken concert and Tuesday is Senior Day so the fairgrounds are not likely to be too terribly empty.
* For those who don't feel like schlepping a stroller, there are plenty for rent at Gate 8. And this year, in response to many requests, the fair will offer private nursing facilities for moms and babes. One is located at the back of the Kerr Scott Building and the other is in the front of the Jim Graham Building. (Nothing fancy, but Overton promises clean chairs and a door.)
* Don't bother packing a picnic lunch; coolers aren't allowed. But if you forgot something or you insist on tailgating, you can get your hand stamped for free re-entry.
* Lost Kids can be claimed near the Red Cross services by the Jim Graham Building.
Admission: $6 adults, $2 kids 6-12 and free for kids 5 and under, as well as adults over 65.
Hours: The fair runs today through Oct. 24 at the State Fairgrounds at the corner of Hillsborough Street and Blue Ridge Road. Exhibits open daily at 9 a.m. and close at 9:45 p.m., coinciding with the nightly fireworks show. The Midway is open daily 10 a.m. to midnight.
Web site: www.ncstatefair.org.
Debate: Effect on voters remains unclear
Oct. 15, 2004
Rocky Mount Telegram
By George A. Chidi
© Copyright 2004
With recent electoral polls showing a near tie between U.S. Sen. John Kerry and President Bush, both candidates had a lot riding on the final debate Wednesday night, area experts said.
"I think both handled themselves well," said Allen Johnson, professor emeritus of history at N.C. Wesleyan College. "I didn't think either scored a knockout blow."
Johnson, a former college debater, said both candidates missed opportunities to score points with effective rebuttals, but that the finer points of technical victory would likely be lost on a public hungrier for a good presentation.
"I thought that Kerry was more relaxed and at the end scored some points on humor when he talked about marrying up," he said, referring to Kerry's joke about marrying Theresa Heinz, a multimillionaire.
Kerry's joke drew a laugh from the audience in Tempe, Ariz., which may mean more to some people than the substance of the debate.
"I'm always surprised at the way people react to the debates," Johnson said. "They're not debates, they're parallel press conferences, in which they recite their stump speeches."
How candidates appear has been important in the public judgment of debate performance ever since John F. Kennedy famously faced off against Richard Nixon in the first televised debate. Viewers believed Kennedy won, but radio listeners gave it to Nixon.
A self-confessed Kerry man, retired N.C. State professor emeritus of political science Abraham Holtzman conceded the second debate on Friday to Bush after he appeared more relaxed and engaged than his disappointing first debate.
This time, it was Kerry who loosened up, to his advantage, Holtzman said.
"He was speaking in short points, appearing to be more human than a wonk or an intellectual," Johnson said of Kerry. "I think Kerry did well on the minimum wage thing, and on the health thing."
In the end, 19 days from today, the remaining undecided voters may simply vote their gut, he said.
"I do think that there's an emotional intensity in this campaign that wasn't there in the 2000 election," he said. "I don't know what's going to happen."
Schools plan for May referendum
Oct. 15, 2004
Asheboro Courier Tribune
By Kathi Keys
© Copyright 2004
ASHEBORO - Members of the Asheboro City Board of Education now have a planning tool to determine the school system's most immediate facility needs - for a probable May 2005 bond referendum.
Asheboro City Schools' Long-Range Facility Plan, authorized in January, was formally presented to the board Thursday night.
"We have a lot of studying to do in the next few weeks. This will help us make our decision easier," Chairman Chris Yow said of the 137-page document and the multitude of information contained in it.
The plan revealed that three city schools have room for expansion on their campuses - Guy B. Teachey Elementary, North Asheboro Middle and Asheboro High.
Other information showed that four schools are out of student capacity, based on N.C. Department of Public Instruction standards: Balfour and McCrary elementaries, which both have mobile units this school year; North Asheboro and Asheboro High.
By the 2008-09 school year, Asheboro's projected elementary population will exceed school capacity at all five facilities if no elementary space is added and there is no boundary redistricting.
"This is the plan for the next decade," said architect John Sinnett of Smith Sinnett Associates. "This is the information you need to be able to make the decisions on facilities - what, when, where and how."
The plan was developed by Smith Sinnett Associates with the aid of the Operations Research/Education (OR/Ed) Laboratory at the Institute for Transportation Research and Education at N.C. State University.
Mike Miller, OR/Ed research associate, presented an overview of the collection of demographic data related to student enrollment forecasting to help determine future attendance boundaries and where new schools may be needed in the future. Some of the work related to future boundaries and locations of new schools still remains to be done.
Ed Gordon, also of Smith Sinnett, highlighted several portions of the plan and, after the hour-long presentation, told the board, "You need to take it (the plan) home and kick the tires."
Sinnett and Gordon will present the long-range facility plan at a public information session Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Professional Development Center on the AHS campus, at the corner of West Walker Avenue and South Church Street.
The school board has scheduled a work session for Nov. 8 at 5:30 p.m. to further discuss the plan with a deadline of Dec. 1 in determining what projects should be included in the 2005 school bond referendum. The Randolph County Board of Commissioners has decided that voters should determine the funding of future school construction needs through a bond issue.
Superintendent Dr. Diane Frost told the school board Thursday night that a committee of representatives from the county, city schools, Randolph County Schools and Randolph Community College has recommended that a May 3 bond referendum be pursued.
The committee developed a timetable with the Dec. 1 deadline for all three school systems to have their preliminary architect studies completed and project descriptions provided to the county.
A $43.7 million bond referendum is being considered which includes $7.76 million for Asheboro schools.
The projects previously identified include additions at Teachey and NAMS.
Frost added about the plan, "This is an outstanding planning tool."
Oct. 15, 2004
Durham Herald-Sun
By staff report
© Copyright 2004
Researchers at N.C. State can be assured that James Oblinger, the new top wolf at the Raleigh school, knows what it's like to toil away in a quiet lab, on a research question that won't exactly draw a lot of headlines.
Oblinger, whose appointment was approved by the UNC Board of Governors in Chapel Hill last week, has a Ph.D. in food technology, and he's published a long list of articles in somewhat, uh, esoteric research journals.
Titles of the papers include, "Microwave versus water-bath precooking of turkey rolls," "Effect of subjective condition of beef quarters on the microbiology and storage stability of vacuum-packaged clods and ground beef patties," "Microbiological analysis of alligator meat" and the ever-popular, "Effect of salt brining and cooking procedure on tenderness and microbiology of smoked cornish game hens."
LandDesign to plan Dix redevelopment
Oct. 14, 2004
Charlotte Business Journal
By staff report
© Copyright 2004
N.C. officials have chosen LandDesign Inc., a Charlotte-based planning firm, to lead a team of consultants that will draw plans for redeveloping the Dorothea Dix Hospital property in Raleigh.
The state plans to close the Dix facility when a mental hospital in Butner opens in 2007.
LandDesign helped design N.C. State University's Centennial Campus, which is near the 315-acre Dix site.
LandDesign will work with a group of architects, civil engineers, transportation engineers and environmental consultants on the project.
"It's a great opportunity to design a large track of land that is crucial to downtown Raleigh, N.C. State University and the surrounding community," says Rhett Crocker, LandDesign's lead planner on the project.
Crocker says the plan will be completed by April.
Music at State Fair helps attract visitors each year
Oct. 13, 2004
Durham Herald-Sun
By Jim Wise
© Copyright 2004
DURHAM -- If you were thinking you'd catch Raleigh singer Clay Aiken while you were at the N.C. State Fair, think again. His shows have sold out.
Almost as soon as the State Fair folks released their Dorton Arena concert schedule with Aiken listed for Monday night, the tickets were gone. It happened so fast, they added a second show Monday afternoon. Same result.
From the point of view of a Clay Aiken fan who missed the cut, too bad. From the point of view of the State Fair, mission accomplished.
"Clay Aiken is probably bringing so many people to the fair that would never come to the fair otherwise," State Fair publicist Tiffany Budd said earlier this week. "So maybe they'll stay and see what the fair is all about."
Moreover, the hometown golden boy is far from the only act in West Raleigh over the next 10 days. Though this may be blasphemy to Clay's true believers, he's also far from the only headline act at Dorton Arena. And the nightly lineup at Dorton Arena is far from the whole story on entertainment at this 151-year-old ritual of the Old North State.
"There's more than ever," Budd said.
Motown to bluegrass
For samplers, the Dorton Arena main stage has, besides Aiken, the Four Tops, a venerable Motown act from the '60s; Ralph Stanley, one of the grand old men of bluegrass who hit pop big time through the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"; and a Grand Ole Opry ensemble including Lynn Anderson and T.G. Shepard plus Goober (aka George Lindsey) of Mayberry fame.
Just outside Dorton Arena at the waterfall, music starts at 10:30 a.m. and carries on until about 30 minutes before the arena shows start.
-- Unisoghn, a four-man a cappella outfit from South Carolina that won an Amateur Night at the Apollo in 1996 (and styles itself "the new millennium version of The Temptations meet Boyz II Men") sings Motown, soul, R&B and so on at 10:30, 1:30 and 4:30.
-- Alternating with Unisoghn at noon, 3 and 6, Frankie Faucet and the Drips continue the theme with '50-'60s dance music: Think sock hop, Teen Angels and Myrtle Beach. The five-man Hillsborough combo is a veteran of the Carolinas-Virginia party circuit and three cruise lines.
Moving out across the fairgrounds, the fairgoer may encounter thrice-daily (four times on Saturdays) bluegrass shows at the Heritage Circle near the Village of Yesteryear. (Downhill toward the millpond and the horse barn.)
-- Today through Sunday, the act is Kickin Grass, which won a Best Band in Raleigh contest in 2003. Originally the backup band for the Apple Chill Cloggers, Kickin Grass released a CD last year. After this year's State Fair, Kickin Grass heads west to play a private gig in Nashville before three dates at the Biltmore Estate.
-- Monday through Thursday, the State Fair Bluegrass Boys return to repeat their 2003 engagement. Name notwithstanding, the five boys all hail from the western Piedmont, and play a more traditional brand of bluegrass than the edgier Kickin Grass.
-- Wrapping up at Heritage, the Malpass Family from Goldsboro plays Oct. 22-24. Describing their music as "traditional country," the Malpasses are parents and two teenage sons, musically influenced by Hank Williams, Elvis Presley and the United Methodist Church.
Tradition and troubadours
Tradition reigns too at the far end of the fairgrounds, in a tent behind the Kerr Scott Building just inside the main entrance. The Folk Festival, established in 1948 by musical preservationist Bascom Lamar Lunsford, attracts more than 1,700 singers, dancers, pickers and fiddlers to an annual competition, held on stage at 10 and 2 each day.
For a twist on the tradition, Saturday and Sunday evenings the stage is given over to a cappella choirs from Duke, UNC and N.C. State. Shows are at 7. Singers are Duke University's Rhythm & Blue, today; NCSU's Wolfgang, Saturday; NCSU's Grains of Time, Sunday; UNC's Loreleis, Oct. 23; and NCSU's Packabelles, Oct. 24.
Distinctly untraditional, The Procrastinators trio wanders the fairgrounds making sounds on pots, pans, barstools, buckets and drums. And at the Kiddieland Entertainment Park near Dorton Arena, a Charlotte ensemble called the Raggs Kids' Club Band -- five musicians in dog costumes -- plays rock and variations thereupon.
That's a lot of music for even a 10-day state fair.
"It is a big draw," Budd said. "More and more people find out about the entertainment" and come out, then find there is more to like about the State Fair.
A survey of fair visitors in 2002 actually indicated the concerts low on the favorite-features scale. Food was first, by far, followed at some distance by the midway. But the North Carolina operators -- like state-fair producers all across the country -- have discovered that entertainment on stage is an effective way to bring the crowds.
While fairs in many states -- among them Nebraska, Wisconsin, New York and Minnesota -- are hurting, North Carolina's has steadily risen in attendance over the last 15 years -- from 685,000 in 1988 to 834,000 in 2003. The record, 846,724, was set in 2000.
"As long as the weather cooperates," Budd said, "we have one of the best fairs in the country."
This steady growth has occurred while the State Fair remains fundamentally an agricultural exposition. Yet the fair gets most of its attendance from the increasingly urban counties of Wake and Durham. Clearly, it's not just the swine show and brandied peaches that people come for.
"We're trying to make sure that we have enough at the fair that will appeal to everybody," Duff said. "It's not just about the rides, not just about the food. We are just trying to make the fair a bigger and better event."
Not surprisingly, with the growth in attendance, there has been growth in entertainment at the fair.
"We are consciously doing that," she said. "Not only are we trying to upgrade the entertainment in Dorton Arena, we are trying to get even more variety in the grounds entertainment.
"It's a way to get attention."
At Dorton Arena
All tickets must be purchased at the arena. All shows, except where noted, are at 7:30 p.m.
Today -- Josh Turner
Saturday -- State Fair Cheer and Dance Championship, 10 a.m.
Sunday -- Kimberly Locke
Monday -- Clay Aiken (sold out)
Tuesday -- Bill Anderson, Lynn Anderson, Bill Conlee and T.G. Shepard, with George "Goober" Lindsey, Grand Ole Opry's Legends Fest, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday -- Ralph Stanley, Rhonda Vincent, The Grasscats
Thursday -- The Four Tops
Oct. 22 -- MercyMe (sold out)
Oct. 23 -- Gary Allan
Oct. 24 -- Lonestar
NC Agri-Cultural Trails Project Comes To Ashe County
Oct. 14, 2004
Boone Mountain Times
By staff report
© Copyright 2004
Last year, locals attempted to begin a discussion about creating an agri-cultural trails project in Ashe County; however, the snows came and came and the meetings never got back on track. Now, another meeting has been planned on “How to Start an Agri-Cultural Trails Project for Ashe County” on Thursday, Oct. 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Arts Center in West Jefferson.
The Agri-Cultural Trails Project is an opportunity to feature new and existing agricultural and art interests in Ashe County. The goal of the project will be to:
*Enhance the growing consumer interest in agri-tourism,
*Help build a new “cash crop” for Ashe County,
*Reflect a flavor of home grown, handmade products, events and sites unique to Ashe County, and
*Promote a sense of history and heritage.
In other words, the project would help to share with others “what makes living in Ashe County a unique experience.”
Those attending the meeting will help by identifying sites, events and interests that might be on the trail(s) through Ashe County. Featured on the program will be Maryanne Friend, director of marketing and cultural tourism, North Carolina Arts Council and Stacy Tomas, Tourism Extension Specialist, North Carolina State University.
The Agri-Cultural Trails Project is a cooperative effort between North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Ashe County Chamber of Commerce and Ashe County Arts Council.
For more information, call 336-219-2650, North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Ashe County Center.
Oct. 8, 2004
Triangle Business Journal
By staff report
© Copyright 2004
Ira Weiss, the new dean at North Carolina State University's College of Management, will formally introduce himself to the Triangle's business community on Oct. 13 at a throwdown organized by the Entrepreneurship Education Initiative.
The guest list for the event, which will be held at North Ridge Country Club, includes Stephen Sasser, CEO of Peopleclick, Ron Kupferman, CEO and chairman of Global Software Inc., Vivek Wadwha, founder of Relativity Technologies, and Chris Corchiani, former Wolfpack point guard who is now assisting on home mortgages.
TeraGrid Swings Into High Gear
Oct. 14, 2004
Enterprise IT Planet, CT
By Paul Shread
© Copyright 2004
The TeraGrid, the National Science Foundation's effort to build a distributed national cyberinfrastructure, has now entered full production mode, offering services to the nation's science and engineering community.
TeraGrid's unified user support infrastructure and software environment let users access storage and information resources as well as more than a dozen major computing systems through a single allocation, either as standalone resources or as components of a distributed application using grid software capabilities.
"Through the TeraGrid partnership, we have built a distributed system of unprecedented scale," said Charlie Catlett, TeraGrid project executive director and a senior fellow at the Computation Institute at Argonne National Laboratory. "This milestone is a testament to the expertise, innovation, hard work and dedication of all the TeraGrid partners. The partnership among these sites is itself an extremely valuable resource, and one that will continue to yield benefits as the TeraGrid moves into its operational phase."
Through its nine resource partner sites, the TeraGrid offers advanced computational, visualization, instrumentation, and data resources.
Argonne National Laboratory provides users with high-resolution rendering and remote visualization capabilities via a 1 teraflop IBM Linux cluster with parallel visualization hardware.
The Center for Advanced Computing Research (CACR) at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) provides online access to very large scientific data collections in astronomy and high energy physics, and application expertise in these fields, geophysics, and neutron science.
Indiana University and Purdue University together contribute more than 6 teraflops of computing capability, 400 terabytes of data storage capacity, visualization resources, access to life science data sets from Indiana University's Indiana Genomics Initiative, and a connection to the Purdue Terrestrial Observatory.
The National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) offers 10 teraflops of capability computing through its Mercury IBM Linux cluster, which consists of 1,776 Itanium 2 processors, the largest computational resource of the TeraGrid. The system at NCSA also includes 600 terabytes of secondary storage and 2 petabytes of archival storage capacity. Also, the new SGI Altix SMP system with 1,024 Itanium 2 processors will become part of the TeraGrid.
With the completion of the new Atlanta TeraGrid hub and a 10-gigabit-per-second TeraGrid connection to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), users of ORNL's neutron science facilities, such as the High Flux Isotope Reactor and the Spallation Neutron Source, will be able to utilize TeraGrid resources and services for the storage, distribution, analysis, and simulation of their experiments and data.
The Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC), a lead computing site, provides computational power to researchers via its 3,000-processor HP AlphaServer system, TCS-1, which offers 6 teraflops of capability coupled uniquely to a 21-node visualization system. PSC also provides a 128-processor, 512-gigabyte shared-memory HP Marvel system, a 150-terabyte disk cache, and a mass-store system with a capacity of 2.4 petabytes.
The San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) leads the TeraGrid data and knowledge management effort by deploying a data-intensive IBM Linux cluster based on Intel Itanium family processors, with a peak performance of just over 4 teraflops and 540 terabytes of network disk storage. Also, a portion of SDSC's DataStar IBM 10-teraflop supercomputer is assigned to the TeraGrid. A tape archive that supports IBM HPSS and Sun Sam-QFS has a storage capacity of 6 petabytes and currently stores a petabyte of data. A next-generation Sun Microsystems high-end server helps provide data services.
The Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) offers users high-end computers capable of 6.2 teraflops, a terascale visualization system, a 2.8-petabyte mass storage system, and access to geoscience and biological morphology data collections.
Through these nine sites, the TeraGrid provides 40 teraflops of computing power with petabyte-scale data storage and operates over a 40 gigabit-per-second network.
Over the next several years, the collaborative TeraGrid team will enhance and expand the services offered to scientific users. Future features will include improved meta-scheduling and co-scheduling services, a global file system to facilitate the use of data at distributed sites, and "Science Gateways," including Web-based portals that provide a user-friendly interface to the TeraGrid's services and meet the unique needs of specific research communities.
For more information on the TeraGrid, visit teragrid.org.
MCNC Offers Grid Services to Entrepreneurs
MCNC's Grid Computing and Networking Services program will provide advanced computing and data center services at no charge to start-up companies at the Technology Incubator on the Centennial Campus at N.C. State University as part of a new Start-Up Grid initiative.
The Start-Up Grid pilot program is designed to provide a novel set of resources to help fledgling companies grow, creating new companies and jobs throughout North Carolina. The program will leverage the state's existing resources in a new collaborative effort to spur economic development.
Beginning with access to advanced networking, high-speed Internet, data center and grid computing services at no charge during the first year for the initial phases of development of new companies, MCNC and Centennial Campus leaders are developing the Start-Up Grid's broad array of resources for entrepreneurs.
The N.C. State University Technology Incubator will provide office space at a competitive rate and supporting services to start-up companies, including coordination of economic development activities from various university departments and the business community.
MCNC will provide high-speed Internet service to start-up companies in the incubator through its North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN). In addition, NCREN will enable companies to use the computing resources of the N.C. Statewide Grid being developed by MCNC, including free access to MCNC's Enterprise Grid high-performance computing and data services. Through the grid, the companies can also have a Web site and provide digital services to their partners and customers.
The non-profit MCNC was established by the state in 1980 to be a catalyst for technology-based economic development and job creation in North Carolina.
'Serious Games' Showcased at CED's October Tech Forum
Oct. 14, 2004
Business Wire; TMCnet
By staff report
© Copyright 2004
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. --(Business Wire)-- Oct. 14, 2004 -- The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) is presenting its next Technology Forum on October 20, 2004, at Peak 10 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The program has been titled Game Night and will showcase 'serious games' that are extending interactive entertainment technology beyond computer and video games to serve the education and training needs of businesses and government organizations.
CED's Tech Forums allow entrepreneurs from technology-driven industries to explore and exchange ideas on the themes, issues and trends driving the diverse information technology sector. Game Night will showcase how area simulation learning, training and 3D game companies are blending collaborative PC game technology, rich 3D multimedia and instructional design to teach individuals to perform complex tasks, operate equipment and make quick decisions.
Tech Forum panelists include:
-- Frank Boosman, chief marketing officer, 3Dsolve Inc. (co-chair of October Tech Forum), http://www.3dsolve.com
-- R. Michael Young, assistant professor, Department of Computer Science, North Carolina State University (co-chair of October Tech Forum), http://liquidnarrative.csc.ncsu.edu
-- Graham Rhodes, principal scientist, Applied Research Associates, http://www.ara.com/SED.htm
-- Sam Field, director, technology assisted learning division, Research Triangle Institute, http://www.rti.org
-- Dorothy Strickland, president, Virtual Reality Aids (do2Learn), http://www.do2learn.com
"Serious Games are serious business, especially here in the Research Triangle Area," said Boosman. "We have a unique convergence of leading-edge organizations here, from academia to core technology developers and application creators. This event is an opportunity to bring this community together for the first time and discuss how we can make the Research Triangle region synonymous with this important new industry."
Following the panel discussion, attendees will have an opportunity to tour Peak 10's state-of-the-art data center and view demos from local organizations who are making breakthroughs in 'serious gaming' technology. Demo companies include: 3Dsolve Inc., North Carolina State University, Applied Research Associates, Research Triangle Institute, do2Learn, Octagon Entertainment and Discovery Machine.
Pre-registration for the October Technology Forum closes on Monday, October 18, 2004. For general registration details, visit CED's calendar (www.cednc.org/calendar) or contact Zack Mansfield (zmansfield@cednc.org or (919) 549-7500 ext. 119).
About CED
The Council for Entrepreneurial Development, located in Research Triangle Park, NC, is a private, non-profit organization formed in 1984 to stimulate the creation and growth of high-impact companies in the greater Research Triangle region. CED provides education, mentoring and capital formation resources to new and existing high-growth entrepreneurs through annual conferences, seminars, workshops and monthly programs on entrepreneurial management and finance. CED, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2004, is the largest entrepreneurial support organization in the nation with more than 3,500 members representing 1,000 entrepreneurial companies, financiers and professional firms. www.cednc.org
About Peak 10
Peak 10 is the Southeast's leading data center services provider offering a full range of hosting, storage, security and business continuity solutions. Customers such as RDU Airport, Global Knowledge, Ameristeel, LendingTree, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Siemens rely on Peak 10 to keep business critical applications up and running around-the-clock. The company owns and operates four enterprise-class data centers that deliver a higher standard of infrastructure, security and performance to businesses nationwide. Peak 10 has data centers in Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C., as well as Jacksonville and Tampa, Fla. Additional information about Peak 10 is available at www.peak10.com.
Livermore lab research seeks to restore eyesight
Oct. 15, 2004
Contra Costa Times, CA
By Betsy Mason
© Copyright 2004
Research done at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory is one step closer to helping the blind see again.
Livermore lab is one of five Energy Department labs and three universities working on an artificial retina that can restore partial vision to people who lost their sight later in life.
This week, the research institutions signed an agreement with Second Sight Medical Products Inc., a private company in Sylmar to bring the technology to the market.
The device takes images recorded by a tiny video camera in a pair of eyeglasses, processes them with a microcomputer worn on a belt and converts them into an electrical pattern. The pattern is then applied directly to the retina through a thin film containing electrodes to stimulate neurons in the eye.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the USC Doheny Eye Institute are leading the effort. Oak Ridge's research includes development of better electrodes and the study of the long-term stability of the device once it is implanted.
Livermore engineers are developing the thin film implant using a type of silicone rubber that looks and feels like plastic food wrap. The material is particularly suited to the task because it is strong, yet flexible so that the electrodes can sit on the surface of the retina without damaging the delicate tissue.
The technology will not be able to fully restore sight, but may be good enough to allow patients to read.
The first patient to test the implant in 2002 was able to see large letters and distinguish between a cup, a plate and a knife after being blind for more than 50 years.
Millions suffering from the leading causes of blindness could benefit from the technology, including those with macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa and loss of photoreceptor function.
Project partners also include Sandia, Los Alamos and Argonne national laboratories, UC Santa Cruz, the University of Southern California and North Carolina State University.
Livermore Scientists Join Doe Consortium in Partnering with Private Company to Develop Artificial Retina
Oct. 14, 2004
Business Wire
By staff report
© Copyright 2004
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 14, 2004--A Department of Energy consortium of national laboratories including Livermore and universities today signed an agreement with Second Sight Medical Products Inc. to jointly develop technology that could restore sight to those who have lost vision later in life.
The Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) allows Second Sight Medical Products Inc. of Sylmar, Calif. to obtain a limited exclusive license for inventions developed during the DOE Retinal Prosthesis Project.
"The Department of Energy has led the way to many scientific breakthroughs, especially when several scientific disciplines combined to make a whole greater than the sum of the parts," Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said. "This project is one such example where biology, physics and engineering have joined forces to deliver a capability that will enable blind people to see. This agreement between the DOE laboratories and the private sector will facilitate transfer of many aspects of DOE technology to a clinical device that has the potential of restoring sight to millions of blind individuals.
An artificial retina could restore vision to millions of people suffering from eye diseases such as macular degeneration (the leading cause of blindness in people over 60), retinitis pigmentosa (the leading cause of blindness in people under 50), or those who are legally blind due to the loss of photoreceptor function.
Lawrence Livermore partnered with four other national laboratories, three universities and Second Sight on the project.
Engineers from LLNL's Center for Micro- and Nanotechnology specifically are developing a flexible silicone implant (microelectrode array) that sits on the surface of the retina. The electrode array can contact delicate retinal tissue without damaging it.
The implantable retinal prosthesis is based on a system that converts a video camera signal into a stimulation pattern that is applied directly to the intra-ocular retinal surface. This is referred to as an epiretinal implant -- the device is in contact with the surface of the retina. Visual signals are captured by a small video camera in the eyeglasses of the blind person and processed through a microcomputer worn on a belt.
Although the device will not restore full vision, it is expected to provide enough optical resolution for patients to read and recognize fine shapes.
LLNL's pioneering use of polydimethlsiloxane, or PDMS, allowed the microelectrode array to conform to the curved shape of the retina.
"PDMS has the look and feel of thin plastic food wrap," said Livermore's principal investigator, Courtney Davidson. "Yet it's biocompatible, making it a good candidate material for long-term implants."
Partners in the project include Oak Ridge, Argonne, Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories, the University of California, Santa Cruz, the University of Southern California Doheny Eye Institute and North Carolina State University.
Project leader Dr. Mark Humayun of USC has shown that electrical stimulation of the viable retinal cells can result in visual perception. These findings helped spark the worldwide effort to develop a retinal prosthesis device.
The first patient to receive a prototype implant in 2002 was able to see large letters and to differentiate between a cup, a plate and a knife after being blind for more than 50 years. To date, six volunteers have received implants of a micro-electronic device that rests on the surface of the retina to perform the function of normal photoreceptive cells.
The artificial retina technology was featured today at the department's "What's Next Expo," an event designed to showcase the newest, most innovative, cutting-edge scientific and technological advances to interest young people in pursuing careers in math and science.
Second Sight was founded in 1998 to create a retinal prosthesis to provide sight to patients blinded from outer retinal degenerations.
Founded in 1952, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a national security laboratory, with a mission to ensure national security and apply science and technology to the important issues of our time. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Tobacco buyout lacks FDA voice
Oct. 14, 2004
Scripps Howard News Service; Knoxville News Sentinel, TN; San Angelo Standard-Times
By BARBARA BARRETT
© Copyright 2004
For many public health advocates, the $10.1 billion tobacco buyout awaiting President Bush's signature was the one that got away.
Until a few days ago, activists had a bill that included some regulation of the tobacco industry by the federal Food and Drug Administration. Instead, FDA oversight was stripped last week during closed-door negotiations between the Senate and House of Representatives.
Gone were provisions to restrict tobacco marketing, ban candy-flavored cigarettes and give the FDA authority to strengthen warnings on packages. Gone, too, were requirements for companies to list ingredients and disclose scientific information on their products to the FDA.
The FDA has no authority to require changes in the chemical makeup of cigarettes. The scuttled oversight provision would have provided that ability, advocates said.
"It's a sad day for public health," said Paul G. Billings, vice president for national policy and advocacy for the American Lung Association in Washington. "We had an opportunity to make change. It was squandered by the U.S. Congress."
Tobacco-related illnesses kill 440,000 people a year in the United States, according to anti-smoking advocacy groups.
The buyout that passed Congress on Monday was a historic moment for tobacco farmers. It will wipe out the depression-era quota program that regulated how much tobacco can be grown in the United States and artificially propped up tobacco prices.
Growers and quota owners will get cash from tobacco companies in return for the quota they owned or the leaf they grew in 2002. Farmers hope to sell more of their newly inexpensive leaf to tobacco companies, which now buy largely from overseas growers.
The buyout wasn't considered possible until it was attached to a massive corporate tax bill moving through Congress. But few supporters thought the buyout could get past the Senate without the FDA oversight provision.
That changed last week when House and Senate leaders went into a conference committee, hashing out final details of the corporate tax bill. When they emerged, the FDA provision was gone.
The issue of FDA oversight is especially touchy in North Carolina, where anti-smoking activists are careful to say their public health battle is not with tobacco farmers, but rather the manufacturers of cigarettes.
"Tobacco farmers in North Carolina are good, hard-working people trying to make a living," said Sally Herndon Malek, head of the Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch in the state's Division of Public Health. "Most of them have lost loved ones (to tobacco-related illnesses)."
On Tuesday, she and advocates from across the state gathered at a state conference in Durham to teach local anti-smoking organizations how to change tobacco policy in their communities.
"We're about changing social norms, and it's about having to work with the culture and history of tobacco in North Carolina," Malek said. "I think, in many ways, North Carolina is at a crossroads."
The state is home to farmers and tobacco companies, including R.J. Reynolds of Winston-Salem.
R.J. Reynolds opposed the most recent FDA provision because it sealed Philip Morris' dominance, said spokesman David Howard. The company would agree to regulations that would still allow it to market its products to adult smokers, he said, but would oppose anything that forces the company to release proprietary information about its cigarette blends.
Together, the industry and farmers have an economic effect on the state of nearly $6 billion, said Blake Brown, an agricultural economics professor at North Carolina State University.
Still, advocates in North Carolina were working in recent months to influence the state's congressional delegation on the buyout's details. They sent hundreds of e-mails and phone calls to the state's congressional delegation about the FDA regulations, said Lynette Tolson, North Carolina director of advocacy with the American Heart Association.
Democrats generally supported FDA oversight; Republicans didn't unless it was required to get the buyout through, she said.
DOE Labs, Universities and Second Sight Partner to Speed Development of 'Artificial Retina'
Oct. 14, 2004
US Newswire; EurekAlert, DC; Medical News Today
By Jeff Sherwood
© Copyright 2004
CHICAGO, Oct. 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- In an effort to speed the design and development of an artificial retina that could potentially help millions of people blinded by retinal diseases, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham announced today that five Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories, a private company and three universities have signed agreements to form a research partnership.
The goal of the agreements signed today is to advance the science, technology and clinical success of the field of artificial sight using the facilities and resources of DOE's national laboratories.
At today's announcement in Chicago, the first patient to receive a prototype implant in 2002 described what it was like being able to "see" large letters and to differentiate between a cup, a plate and a knife after being blind for over 50 years. To date, six volunteers have received implants of a micro-electronic device that rests on the surface of the retina to perform the function of normal photoreceptive cells. The artificial retina technology was featured at the department's "What's Next Expo," an event designed to showcase the newest, most innovative, cutting-edge scientific and technological advances to interest young people in pursuing careers in math and science.
"The Department of Energy has led the way to many scientific breakthroughs, especially when several scientific disciplines combined to make a whole greater than the sum of the parts," Secretary Abraham said. "This project is one such example where biology, physics, and engineering have joined forces to deliver a capability that will enable blind people to see. This agreement between the DOE laboratories and the private sector will facilitate transfer of many aspects of DOE technology to a clinical device that has the potential of restoring sight to millions of blind individuals."
The agreements allow Second Sight Medical Products Inc. based in Sylmar, Calif., to obtain a limited exclusive license for inventions developed during the artificial retina project. Under the research agreements, the institutions will jointly share intellectual property rights and royalties from their research. This will speed progress by freeing the researchers to share details of their work with their collaborators.
The artificial retina could help those blinded by age-related macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa where neural wiring from the eye to brain is intact, but the eyes lack photoreceptor activity. The artificial retina is a device that captures visual signals and sends them to the brain in the form of electrical impulses. The device is a miniature disc that contains an electrode array that can be implanted in the back of the eye to replace a damaged retina. Visual signals are captured by a small video camera in the eyeglasses of the blind person and processed through a microcomputer worn on a belt. The signals are transmitted to the electrode array in the eye. The array stimulates optical nerves, which then carry a signal to the brain. The first prototype implants contain 16 electrodes. The next prototype, with 50-100 electrodes, is in preclinical trials. The project's "next generation" device would have 1,000 electrodes and hopefully would allow the user to see images.
The Department of Energy-supported project is a collaboration of DOE national laboratories, universities and the private sector:
-- Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Southern California Doheny Eye Institute are leading the multi- laboratory effort. Oak Ridge's research includes developing better electrodes and fabrication techniques and studying the long-term stability of the device once it is implanted.
-- Argonne National Laboratory scientists, in collaboration with Second Sight, are using their patented ultrananocrystalline diamond technology to make the implant biocompatible with the surrounding ocular tissue.
-- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is developing a thin, flexible implant that can conform to the curved shape of the retina.
-- A Los Alamos National Laboratory team is developing advanced optical imaging techniques. They are providing a better understanding of how the prosthesis works, by mapping the interaction between the brain and retina.
-- Sandia National Laboratories researchers are developing advanced electrodes using MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) research.
-- The University of Southern California Doheny Eye Institute provides medical direction of the project and performs clinical testing of the implants.
-- North Carolina State University is performing electrical and thermal modeling of the device to help determine how much energy can be used to stimulate the remaining non-diseased cells.
-- University of California, Santa Cruz work includes wireless communication technology to provide the link between the camera and the implant.
-- Second Sight created the prototype device that is currently in testing. Second Sight will integrate DOE technology into product designs that will eventually move on to clinical trials.
Using the unique resources of the DOE national laboratories in materials sciences, microfabrication, microelectrode construction, photochemistry and computer modeling, the project's goal is to construct the device, capable of restoring vision, with materials that will last for the lifetime of a blind person. Although images will initially be captured by a camera housed in an eyeglass frame, researchers hope eventually to develop a completely implanted system for this purpose. DOE's effort is focused on developing high-grade microelectrodes and testing their long term biological effects, developing electrode and platform materials that are pliable and will last a lifetime within the eye, constructing a completely wireless device for clinical use and performing the computational modeling of long- term retinal stimulation.
The Energy Department's Office of Science plans to fund the artificial retina project at $20 million over the next three years. The department funds the project as part of its medical applications technology program. DOE and its predecessor agencies have been in the forefront of imaging sciences including clinical imaging in nuclear medicine and imaging atoms at synchrotron light sources. The National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation are also supporting the project.
Additional information on the artificial retina project is available at http://www.science.doe.gov and from the participating institutions' press offices:
Argonne National Lab, Catherine Foster, 630-252-5580
Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Anne Stark, 925-422-9799
Los Alamos National Lab, Todd Hanson, 505-665-2085
North Carolina State University, Mick Kulikowski, 919-515-3470
Oak Ridge National Lab, Ron Walli, 865-576-0226
Sandia National Laboratories, Neal Singer, 505-845-7078
Second Sight, Robert Greenberg, 818-833-5000
University of California, Santa Cruz, Tim Stephens, 831-459-4352
University of Southern California, Jon Weiner, 323-442-2830