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North Carolina State University will break ground on its first student housing project on Centennial Campus.

The groundbreaking ceremony takes place at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1, at the Centennial Campus Oval, located near the cluster of engineering buildings near Partners Way and Oval Drive. Media coverage is invited.

Parking is available in the visitors parking lot located on Partners Way; a map is available here.

Centennial Campus student housing is slated to open in fall 2013 and at build-out will include room for almost 1,200 students – mostly upperclass and graduate students – in apartment-style housing. Scheduled amenities include dining options and a bookstore.

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Engineers at North Carolina State University have developed a new handle for infant car seats (ICSs) that makes it easier for parents to lift the seat out of a car – while retaining a firmer grip on the handle – making it less likely that the seat will be dropped. Continue Reading »

Nobel Prize winner and NC State alumnus Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, a world leader in the study of climate change, will deliver NC State’s commencement address on Saturday, Dec. 17, at the RBC Center in Raleigh. The commencement ceremony will begin at 9 a.m.

During the ceremony, Chancellor Randy Woodson will confer honorary degrees on behalf of NC State to Pachauri and two other distinguished recipients: Robert G. Stanton, former director of the National Park Service and longtime conservation professional, and Rev. Ray A. Buchanan, co-founder and international president of Stop Hunger Now.

Pachauri currently serves as chief executive of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) – which performs original research and disseminates knowledge in the areas of energy, environment, forestry, biotechnology and natural resource conservation – and as chancellor of TERI University. In 2002, Pachauri was elected chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In 2007, Pachauri and his IPCC colleagues, along with former Vice President Al Gore, were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

A noted climate scientist, Pachauri has served on several international and national boards and committees, including the Economic Advisory Council to India’s Prime Minister; the Advisory Board on Energy, which reported directly to India’s Prime Minister; the Advisory Board for the Clinton Climate Initiative; the International Advisory Board for Toyota Motor Corporation, and several others. In 2009, he was appointed the first director of the Yale Climate and Energy Institute. He is also on the board of the Global Humanitarian Forum founded by the former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. In 1999, he was appointed member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies in Japan and continues to hold this appointment. Since 1992, he has been president of the Asian Energy Institute. He was president (1988) and chairman (1989-90) of the International Association for Energy Economics.

Pachauri was conferred with the “Padma Vibhushan,” India’s second highest civilian award, for his services in the field of science and engineering in 2008, after being acknowledged for his immense contributions to the field of environment with the “Padma Bhushan” award in 2001. He was also bestowed the “Officier De La Légion D’Honneur” by the Government of France in 2006. Pachauri was educated at the La Martiniere College in Lucknow and the Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering in Jamalpur, Bihar. He earned his master’s degree in industrial engineering, and Ph.D.s in industrial engineering and economics, at NC State. Pachauri will receive an honorary Doctor of Sciences Degree.

Robert G. Stanton is a senior advisor to the secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Stanton advises Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on environmental, educational, organizational and management challenges and opportunities, and works closely with bureaus and offices in advancing departmental goals. He also represents the secretary and the Interior Department on Presidential Interagency Policy Review committees, boards and commissions. Prior to assuming his current position in 2010, Stanton served as deputy assistant secretary for policy and program management in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget. Stanton was the first director to undergo confirmation hearings before the United States Senate and the first African American to serve as director of the National Park Service, the federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historic properties. Stanton earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas, and did his graduate work at Boston University. He will receive an honorary Doctor of Sciences degree.

Rev. Ray A. Buchanan is co-founder and international president of Stop Hunger Now, an international hunger relief agency that has provided more than $70 million of direct aid and 53 million meals to people in 72 countries. An ordained minister, Buchanan is fueled by the vision of ending hunger in his lifetime. To that end, he has dedicated his life to helping those in the greatest need. He created Stop Hunger Now in 1998 as an entrepreneurial model for providing rapid, cost-effective responses to international crisis situations. Prior to founding Stop Hunger Now, Buchanan had an 18-year career as the founder and co-director of the Society of St. Andrew, a Virginia-based domestic food-relief organization. Buchanan also served in the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam. A native of Texas, Buchanan earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Divinity from Shenandoah University and Conservatory. He will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

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A new initiative from North Carolina State University will address the need for increased awareness of, and participation in, geosciences fields from traditionally underrepresented groups.

NC State has received a five-year, $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to increase diversity in geoscience fields such as geology, marine science and atmospheric sciences. The grant will fund a partnership between NC State and Wake Technical Community College, which has a large geology program and an agreement that allows its students to transfer to NC State and complete a four-year degree.

Dr. John Fountain, professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences; Dr. Jose Picart, special assistant to the provost for outreach and engagement; and Dr. Dave Shafer, assistant dean of the graduate school, will lead the project, which will focus on those Wake Tech students from underrepresented groups who are enrolled in geology courses or are participating in the Wake Tech honors program.

Identified students will be offered extra research experiences at NC State, as well as enhanced educational support and mentoring, in hopes they will continue as geoscience majors and find employment in those fields.

“The geosciences offer a variety of options for anyone interested in pursuing scientific research, as well as job opportunities in areas where scientists are currently in high demand, such as climate and alternative energy research,” Fountain says. “We hope that when students see what’s available to them in the geosciences they will choose to pursue this path.”

“This is also an excellent way to open up the field of science as a career path to populations that traditionally may be unaware of this option,” Picart adds. “It’s truly a mutually beneficial relationship – providing a stream of excited new scientists with opportunities for discovery and ensuring that the geosciences will continue to thrive.”

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The North Carolina State University Board of Trustees this morning approved a proposal to increase resident undergraduate tuition by $330 for the 2012-13 academic year. The increase, part of a tuition and fee package designed to help offset nearly $125 million in state funding reductions to the university over the last five years, now will go to the UNC Board of Governors for consideration.

The trustees also approved a proposal to allow the university to implement a one-time “catch-up” tuition increase that, if approved by the Board of Governors, would be implemented over the next five years.

“Given the state’s economic situation and significant reduction in funding, NC State leadership believes these increases present the best path forward to preserve the quality of a NC State education and degree,” said Barbara Mulkey, chair of the NC State Board of Trustees. “However, even with the increases, NC State would remain a top national value, providing a world-class education at a cost well below the average tuition of peer institutions.”

Following the Board of Governors’ policy and guidelines, NC State trustees approved the following proposed Campus Initiated Tuition Increases (CITI) for next year.

• A $330 or 6.4 percent increase for resident undergraduate students, bringing full time annual tuition to $5,483.

• A $660 or 3.7 percent increase for nonresident undergraduate students, bringing full time annual tuition to $18,648.

• A $660 or 11.1 percent increase for resident graduate students, bringing full time annual tuition to $6,618.

• A $660 or 3.7 percent increase for nonresident graduate students, bringing full time annual tuition to $18,666.

The $11.6 million in revenue generated by the tuition increases would be used to: enhance the student experience through quality and accessibility improvements; fund faculty promotional increases; and support need-based financial aid and graduate-student support.

The trustees also approved a proposed $84.45 annual increase to student fees, which will help fund student health services, student center activities, athletic operations and recreational sports.

The trustees’ approval for allowing the catch-up tuition increase is a result of ongoing discussions by General Administration and the Board of Governors about the possibility of allowing a one-time tuition increase that would bring tuition at North Carolina public universities more in line with the upper end of the lower quarter of peer institutions. UNC System institutions are mandated to keep their tuition within the bottom quarter of peer colleges and universities.

If approved by the Board of Governors, the catch-up tuition at NC State is anticipated to be $1,168 implemented over five years, resulting in an approximate additional $234 increase per year. Funds from this increase at NC State would be used to add new faculty positions over four years, reduce class sizes and increase the number of class sections, support faculty and staff raises, and focus resources on advising and student support.

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North Carolina State University will welcome back alumni and celebrate Homecoming with a parade on Hillsborough Street from 6 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18, followed by a pep rally and comedy show at Reynolds Coliseum from 7 to 11 p.m.

Media coverage of both events is invited. The parade begins at Hillsborough Street and Dan Allen Drive and ends at the Belltower. Chancellor Randy Woodson and his wife, Susan, are the parade’s grand marshals.

The pep rally and “Pack Howl” comedy show by the Wayans Brothers follow the parade.

More information on Homecoming Week events can be found here.

Homecoming wraps up with NC State’s football game against Clemson University at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19, at Carter-Finley Stadium.

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Everyone knows that climate affects our water supply, but new research from North Carolina State University gives scientists and water-resource managers an unprecedented level of detail on how climate and precipitation influence groundwater and surface water levels in the Southeast. Continue Reading »

Researchers from North Carolina State University are developing a three-dimensional (3D) central processing unit (CPU) – the brains of the computer – with the goal of boosting energy efficiency by 15 to 25 percent. The work is being done under a $1.5 million grant from the Intel Corporation. Continue Reading »