A Decade of Discovery: NC State’s College of Sciences Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary

In honor of the College of Sciences’ 10th anniversary, check out 10 of our most memorable moments.

August 14, 2023 Miriam Antelis 6-min. read

Ms. Wuf tries on her solar glasses on August 21, 2017, for Solar Eclipse Day on the Brickyard. — Through events and outreach, the college builds science literacy in the community. On Aug. 21, 2017, we hosted Solar Eclipse Day on the Brickyard. Even Ms. Wuf grabbed a pair of solar glasses to watch the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.

The College of Sciences opened its doors in 2013 — and we’ve been accomplishing big things ever since. Consisting of academic departments and units covering the biological, physical, chemical, mathematical, statistical and earth system sciences, the college was created to enhance collaborative opportunities for students and faculty. Over the past 10 years, our faculty, students and alumni have landed huge grants, made important strides in research and even gone to space.

In honor of our decade of discovery, check out 10 of our most memorable moments.

We Launched

On July 1, 2013, students shuffled into Jordan Hall, Dabney Hall, SAS Hall, David Clark Labs, Thomas Hall and Riddick Hall for the first official day of classes in the College of Sciences. Drenched from the rain, they welcomed the coffee, doughnuts and T-shirts offered by the college’s leadership. Later that day, Sciences faculty and staff celebrated the occasion with lunch at Mitch’s Tavern on Hillsborough Street.

Students help themselves to new College of Sciences T-shirts, cups and magnets. — Students helped themselves to new College of Sciences T-shirts, cups and magnets.

Dan Solomon, dean of the new College of Sciences, ushers students toward coffee and doughnuts at a July 1, 2013, event in Dabney Hall to celebrate the launch of the new college. — Dan Solomon, then-dean of the new College of Sciences, ushered students toward coffee and doughnuts in Dabney Hall.

Students help themselves to doughnuts and coffee in Riddick Hall. — Students enjoyed doughnuts and coffee at a July 1, 2013, event in Riddick Hall to celebrate the launch of the college.

We Hosted a Star Astrophysicist

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York, brought his star power to campus in 2014. Known for hosting the Fox TV show “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” and for his many talk-show appearances, Tyson stressed the importance of science literacy during his visit. He held a roundtable interview with local media, met with students and gave a lecture at the James B. Hunt Jr. Library.

Neil deGrasse Tyson speaks at NC State in 2014 — Tyson gave a lecture at the James B. Hunt Jr. Library.

Neil deGrasse Tyson interacts with the crowd during his 2014 talk at NC State — Tyson interacted with the crowd during his talk.

Neil deGrasse Tyson greets attendees at his 2014 talk at NC State — Tyson greeted audience members at his talk.

We Built on NC State’s Culture of Cross-disciplinarity

At NC State, we know that cross-disciplinarity is key when it comes to solving society’s complex problems. Through the Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Program (CFEP), the university brings together bright minds from various disciplines to form faculty clusters that work to make breakthroughs in challenges related to health, energy, security and the environment. The College of Sciences boasts the second-most cluster hires of any college at NC State, with Sciences faculty represented in 14 of the university’s 20 CFEP clusters.

Heike Sederoff, professor of plant and microbial biology, and other members of the research team share with members of the administration about their work in the new ORaCEL lab. — Researchers collaborate in the Carbon Electronics cluster’s Organic and Carbon Electronics Labs. The cluster is one of the university’s 20 CFEP clusters.

We Produced Some of the Nation’s Top Students

Our students have landed some of the nation’s top scholarships over the past decade, including three of the university’s four Churchill Scholars. Mia de los Reyes ’16, Nikhil Milind ’21 and Ana Sofia Uzsoy ’21 each won the prestigious scholarship, which funds graduate-level study at the University of Cambridge for 15-17 students. De los Reyes was NC State’s first-ever Churchill Scholar.

Mia de los Reyes ’16 was NC State’s first-ever Churchill Scholar. She used her scholarship to pursue a one-year master’s degree in astronomy.

Churchill Scholar Ana Sofia Uzsoy — Ana Sofia Uzsoy ’21 used her scholarship to study machine learning and machine intelligence.

Nikhil Milind sitting outside, holding his ukulele. — Nikhil Milind ’21 used his scholarship to earn a master’s degree in biological sciences.

We Took Over Hunt Library

In 2017, the college held its premier public science and outreach event, State of the Sciences, at the James B. Hunt Jr. Library for the first time. Featuring interactive activities throughout the library’s five floors, the event brought together the NC State and wider community to discover the different ways science plays an important — and fun — role in our everyday lives. State of the Sciences returned to Hunt in 2018 and 2023.

A child watches footage of a chemical reaction at Hunt Library during the 2017 State of the Sciences event.

Paleontologist Lindsay Zanno uses sample fossils to teach State of the Sciences attendees about dinosaurs — Paleontologist Lindsay Zanno used sample fossils to teach State of the Sciences attendees about dinosaurs.

A man dressed up as Isaac Newton gives a science demonstration at the 2017 State of the Sciences event — Th event featured a kid-friendly science demonstration by “Isaac Newton” and “Albert Einstein.”

We’re Headed for the Moon

Three-time NC State alumna Christina Koch reaches for the stars — and the moon. In 2013, Koch, who earned a bachelor’s in physics from the College of Sciences in 2001, was selected as a NASA astronaut. On March 14, 2019, she launched to the International Space Station and went on to set the record for the longest stay in space — 328 days — by a female astronaut. She also took part in the first all-female spacewalk. In November 2024, she’ll become the first woman to fly to and around the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis II project.

Christina Koch is helped out of a landing capsule on Earth — NASA astronaut Christina Koch is helped out of the Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft just minutes after she and her fellow astronauts landed their Soyuz MS-13 capsule in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on Feb. 6, 2020. *Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)*

We’re Integrating the Sciences

Where Harrelson Hall — once referred to as “one of the most unsatisfactory academic buildings imaginable” — once stood, we’re constructing a 153,000-square-foot hub of scientific innovation and collaboration. With three core labs and plenty of spaces for teaching and research, the Integrative Sciences Building (ISB) will unite the sciences at NC State. The building will bring together chemists, biologists, physicists, mathematicians and engineers to tackle society’s greatest challenges and prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow.

Other improvements in the area will include renovations to the adjacent Brickyard and Dabney Hall.

A rendering of the exterior of the Integrative Sciences Building — A rendering of ISB’s exterior.

A rendering an Integrative Sciences Building research lab — A rendering an ISB research lab.

A rendering of an interior collaboration level in the Integrative Sciences Building — A rendering of an ISB collaboration space.

We’re Spearheading Important Research for the People of Our State

Our faculty live out the college’s mission to catalyze research and innovation that improve our world and collective understanding. As part of the GenX Exposure Study led by Professor Jane Hoppin, faculty across NC State and other universities are measuring the effects of exposure to GenX and related PFAS in drinking water. The study, which seeks to understand the impact of PFAS on thyroid function, started in November 2017 in Wilmington, N.C. In 2020, new funding from the NC State Superfund Center allowed the researchers to expand the study to include over 1,000 people from the Cape Fear River Basin, which serves as the drinking water source for various communities.

NC State Professor Jane Hoppin — University Faculty Scholar Jane Hoppin, a professor of biological sciences, is the principal investigator of the GenX Exposure Study.

We’re Tackling Big Health Issues

Throughout her career as an epidemiologist, Cathrine Hoyo, a Goodnight Innovation Distinguished Chair and a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, has noticed rising rates of liver cancer in North Carolina, especially among diverse populations. In 2021, she received a $17 million grant, the largest in the college’s history, from the National Institutes of Health to study the reasons behind this trend. The grant funds a multi-institutional effort that follows 16,000 people in North Carolina and Georgia for up to five years, with the end goal of determining how environmental contaminants impact liver health in diverse populations.

A research associate prepares samples for analysis. — John Palumbo, a research associate in Hoyo’s lab, prepares samples for analysis.

A closeup of wristband on a person's hand — A wristband will capture compounds to analyze what study subjects are exposed to.

We Received a Landmark Gift

Alumnus John McRary traces his success back to the three physics degrees he earned from NC State. Six decades later, he gave to his alma mater through a $10 million estate gift to the College of Sciences Foundation. The largest estate gift in the history of the college, McRary’s donation will create a $6.5 million endowment to support graduate students in physics and a $3.5 million endowment to support graduate students in mathematics.

Follow @NCStateSciences to keep up with the latest achievements, events and research at the College of Sciences.

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