Spring 2014

Jul 11, 2014

The Public’s Work

Citizen scientists working with NC State collect data from the wild world right under their noses (and on their noses, too)

Jul 11, 2014

Connecting the Dots

What are the chemicals we’re exposed to doing to us? How do we develop drugs that are safe? With help from Pfizer, researchers in the biological sciences at NC State have updated their one-of-a-kind public database to find the answers. The Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) links research about chemicals, genes and diseases in an effort to…

Jul 11, 2014

To help students, add it up

Rita and Eric Bigham both went to North Carolina colleges on scholarships. So when the couple had the means to endow a scholarship at Eric’s alma mater, NC State, they jumped at the chance. Then, they learned about adding more to their endowment to elevate it to the Dean’s Scholar level — the signature undergraduate award…

Jul 11, 2014

Dean Dan Solomon looks ahead to year two of the new College

Year one of the college of sciences is over. What did you learn? We knew that bringing together the biological, physical and mathematical sciences made sense, but after seeing the various academic, research and outreach programs begin to fuse, we’re more convinced than ever. Our new Department of Biological Sciences has been a big part…

Jul 11, 2014

The eye team

Bioptigen has an ambitious goal: create systems and software capable of rendering ultra-accurate three-dimensional images of the entire eye. The process is technically daunting, in part because eyes are tremendously complex and highly variable from one person to another. But the benefits of the technology — improved vision for millions of people with various eye…

Jul 11, 2014

Origin Story: Solving the Impossible

The task was formidable — design an energy device that helps power a giant particle collider. The results could reveal more about the origins of the universe. Many veteran physicists said it couldn’t be done. But a group of students in an NC State summer program managed to prove them wrong. “I was blown away,” said…

Jul 11, 2014

Star Power

Neil deGrasse Tyson took the stage and looked out into the lights. Then he kicked off his shoes and emptied his pockets on a nearby podium. “Give me a minute to get comfortable,” he told the audience. “Okay. now we’re ready to rock.” And with that, Tyson was off, delivering a funny and poignant address…

Jul 11, 2014

This Is Your Science

Scores of insect species are in your home right now. Thousands of bacteria and other microbes invisible to the naked eye are crawling all over your body. But few of these creatures are being studied by scientists. Many of them don’t even have names. “I’ve written on how ignorant we are about life for 10…

Jul 11, 2014

Krispy Kreme Challenge

Thousands of runners raced five miles — with a quick break to scarf down a dozen doughnuts — all for the sweet cause of charitable giving. The 10th Annual Krispy Kreme challenge in February raised $200,000 for the North Carolina Children’s Hospital. The event has raised $758,000 since the first run in 2004.

Jul 11, 2014

President Obama visits campus

President Barack Obama visited campus in January to announce that NC State will lead a $140 million advanced manufacturing institute. The institute will develop ways to mass produce wide bandgap semiconductors — technology that has the potential to make electronics smaller, faster and more energy efficient. Obama mentioned the hub in his State of the Union address…