Highlights of recent media coverage of NC State, as well as its faculty, staff and administrators. (Links to online stories provided where available.) To see 2008's media highlights, go here.

Rob Dunn considers ‘coextinction’ of Earth’s small species
Earth and Sky radio program, June 29, 2009
"In essence we have this story of the history of the Earth as told through life that’s all around us – this great library of life – and we’re burning books more rapidly than we ever have before, without looking first to see what the books are."  Dr. Rob Dunn, biology, featured.

Tobacco industry experts weigh in on the new law
LA Times, June 29, 2009
"It's very hard to quantify the impact of regulations on the demand for tobacco."  Dr. Blake Brown, ag. and resource economics, featured.

XBRL financial reporting faces hurdles
Reuters, et al, June 23, 2009
"The introduction of a computer code to financial reports was supposed to transform the way investors' could analyze the data. The reality is proving to be a little less exciting."  Dr. Eileen Taylor, management, featured.

Why Less Is More for Startups
Businessweek, June 23, 2009
"If I only had another few million dollars to spend on…That's the refrain I grew accustomed to rattling off when I was getting my tech startups off the ground." Dr. Davd Townsend, management, featured.

Origin of Species: How a T. Rex Femur Sparked a Scientific Smackdown
Wired, June 22, 2009
"Sixty-eight million years ago, on a soggy marsh in what is now a desolate stretch of eastern Montana, a Tyrannosaurus rex died."Dr. Mary Schweitzer, paleontolgy, featured.

ConAgra plant had previous safety violations
WRAL, June 10, 2009
"State and federal regulators last inspected the ConAgra Foods plant in July 2008 and found no problems."  Dr. Viney Aneja, marine, earth and atmospheric sciences, featured.

`Smart grid' - Buzz of the electric power industry
AP, et al, June 6, 2009
"More than a century after Edison invented a reliable light bulb, the nation's electricity distribution system, an aging spider web of power lines, is poised to move into the digital age."  Dr. Alex Huang, electrical and computer engineering, featured.

Pension Fund to Get New Options
N&O, June 4, 2009
"A bill that would give North Carolina's treasurer more options for investing state pension fund money is awaiting Gov. Beverly Perdue's signature to become law."  Dr. Richard Warr, management, featured.

Lack of Funding Doesn’t Have to Lead to Failure: Study 
NY Times, June 2, 2009
"An underfunded startup can still succeed, and having a superstar management team isn’t key to doing so, according to a study published today out of North Carolina State University."  Dr. David Townsend, management, featured.

Bid for Talecris is in Jeopardy
N&O, May 28, 2009
"Antitrust regulators are prepared to block an Australian company's $3.1 billion bid to buy Talecris Biotherapeutics, a move that will probably kill the deal." Dr. Richard Kouri, management, featured.

Device has Pig Hearts Pulsing
N&O, May 28, 2009
"The sight of a dripping-fresh, human-sized heart, it turns out, is both repulsive and attractive."  Dr. Greg Buckner, mechanical and aerospace engineering, featured.

Wal-Mart Withdraws Cantaloupe  
N&O, May 19, 2009
"Wal-Mart Supercenter stores in three states pulled fresh cantaloupes from their shelves this weekend after a Raleigh company said one shipment tested positive for salmonella."  Dr. Ben Chapman, family and consumer sciences, featured.

Food Prices: Myths vs. Reality
NY Times, et al, May 18, 2009
"The government said last week that wholesale prices for food spiked in April— the biggest monthly jump in more than a year."  Dr. Michael Roberts, agricultural and resource economics, featured.

Worrying About Aging Can Make You Old
ABC News, May 1, 2009
"Know someone who's about to turn 50? The mail will soon bring greetings that can strike terror in many a heart: An invitation to join the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). That dreaded condition known as the normal aging process has arrived."  Dr. Thomas Hess, psychology, featured.

Oldest Dinosaur Protein Found -- Blood Vessels, More
National Geographic, et al, May 1, 2009
"The fossilized leg of an 80-million-year-old duck-billed dinosaur has yielded the oldest known proteins preserved in soft tissue—including blood vessels and other connective tissue as well as perhaps blood cell proteins—a new study says."  Dr. Mary Schweitzer, paleontology, featured.

Recession Hits Immigrants Harder
NBC-17, May 1, 2009
"A new report from the Center for Immigration Studies says the recession has hit immigrants harder." Dr. Andrew Behnke, family and consumer sciences, featured.

It's Called Swine Flu, but Don't Blame the Pigs  
N&O, WRAL, Winston-Salem Journal, April 28, 2009
"As talk of a swine flu pandemic spread around the globe on Monday, pigs were bearing the brunt of people's anxiety."  Dr. Jay Levine and Dr. Barrett Slenning, vet med, featured.

How Thinking Young can Help to Boost Your Memory 
UK Daily Mail, Fox News, NY Times, et al, April 28, 2009
"It's not good news for those who fear that old age and a failing memory come hand-in-hand."   Dr. Tom Hess, psychology, featured.

Fortune's Tides Turn for Rare Turtle
N&O, McClatchy, et al, April 24, 2009
"So many indignities for one small turtle."  Dr. Craig Harms, vet med, featured.

Schools Panel Is No Threat to the Mayor’s Grip   
NY Times, April 22, 2009
"In a nearly empty high school auditorium one evening last month, parents, teachers and cynics marched to the microphone, turned to the collection of volunteers derisively called the Panel for Educational Puppets, and began to scream."  Dr. Thomas Alsbury, education, featured.

Antibiotics Might get a Boost from Slime-fighting Molecule
N&O, April 22, 2009
"A slime-busting substance developed at N.C. State University could help restore potency to antibiotics that have lost their punch against deadly germs."  Dr. John Cavanagh, biochemistry, featured.

Plug-in Hybrid Cars are Clean but Face Hurdles
Reuters, April 21, 2009
"The United States is pushing the use of plug-in hybrids but these cars, which sip gasoline and are low in greenhouse gas emissions, face cost and infrastructure hurdles that will keep them out of the mainstream for years." Dr. Ewan Pritchard, FREEDM program manager, featured.

Designer To Improve Skimpy Hospital Gowns
ABC News, et al, April 19, 2009
"Federal law prevents hospitals from revealing information on a patient, but hospital gowns occasionally allow a patient to reveal too much of themselves."  Dr. Traci Lamar, textiles, featured.

Political Stakes High as U.S. Congress Returns
Washington Post, April 19, 2009
"Barack Obama's presidency has been a wild ride for the U.S. Congress and lawmakers are bracing for more turbulence when they begin returning on Monday to tackle an array of tough issues from healthcare to energy." Dr. Andy Taylor, political science, featured.

How to Save the Earth from an Asteroid? Tie it up
Reuters, et al, April 16, 2009
"An asteroid is hurtling toward the planet and threatens to destroy life as we know it. What can humankind do, other than cower?"  Dr. David French, aerospace engineering, featured.

Experts: Spot of Mexican Surrender in Texas Found
Fox News, et al, April 16, 2009
"Archaeologists believe they have found the spot where hundreds of Mexican soldiers surrendered to the Texas army after a battle that sealed Texas' independence from Mexico."  Dr. James Crisp, history, featured.

Recession Closes in on Chicken Farmers
LA Times, April 13, 2009
"Four years ago, Andrew Meeks literally bet the farm on chickens. Now he fears he made a losing bet."  Dan Campeau, extension, featured.

Consortium Rejects FDA Claim of BPA's Safety 
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, April 11, 2009
"An international consortium of industry, academic and government scientists has rejected as incomplete and unreliable the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's case that a chemical found in food containers and other household products is safe."  Dr. John Vandenbergh, biology, featured.

Hurricane Forecaster Predicts Average '09 Season
AP, et al, April 9, 2009
"North Carolina researcher says the 2009 hurricane season for the Atlantic and Gulf coasts will be about average and slightly less active than last year."  Dr. Lian Xie, marine, earth and atmospheric sciences, featured.

Tiny Flower Turns Pig Poop into Fuel 
Wired, April 8, 2009
"The tiniest flowering plant could prove well-suited to two very big jobs: cleaning industrial animal pollution and providing clean biofuel".  Dr. Jay Cheng, biological engineering, and Dr. Anne-Marie Stomp, forestry, featured.

Health Watch: Dog Bone Marrow Transplant 
Fox News Atlanta, Apr. 8, 2009
"Every year, thousands of Americans with blood-related cancers undergo bone marrow transplants in hopes of a cure." Dr. Steve Suter, veterinary oncology, featured.

NC's Energy Future 
NBC-17, Apr. 7, 2009
"NC State University wants a portion of the $4.5 billion in federal recovery money set aside to modernize the nation's electric grid."  Dr. Alex Huang and Dr. Mark Johnson, engineering, featured.

New N.C. Senator Steers Toward Middle  
N&O, Apr. 5, 2009
"The Democrats' newest female star senator, Kay Hagan, surged into office last fall, swinging on the coattails of Barack Obama and his progressive message of change."  Dr. Andy Taylor, political science, featured.

Writers Love to Watch  
N&O, Apr. 5, 2009
"Allan Gurganus is an artistic polygamist."  Jill McCorkle, english, featured.

Reeling as Jobs Dry Up  
N&O, Apr. 5, 2009
"I remember the lean times when the local plant closed, and my father, 40, lost a job he had held since he was a teenager."  Dr. Mike Walden, economics, featured.

Students Devise Low-cost TB Test 
N&O, Apr. 5, 2009
"Many students have idealistic notions about making the world a better place. But three N.C. State University seniors have a plan." Dr. Stephen Walsh, engineering, and Dr. Tom Miller, distance ed and learning technology, featured.

Mussel and Printer In Time Saves Nine 
Scientific American, Apr. 2, 2009
"The common method of closing a surgical incision is simply to stitch the patient up."  Dr. Jay Narayan, engineering, featured.

Pooch Gets Hi-Tech Prosthetic 
CBS News, NY Post, Fox, et al, Apr. 1, 2009
"Prosthetic limbs have long been used to help humans who have lost a limb live a normal life. Now man's best friend is getting a leg up from prosthetics."  Dr. Denis Marcelli-Little, orthopedics, and Dr. Ola Harrysson, engineering, featured.

Some Termites Skip the Sex, Make Babies Anyway  
Scientific American, Mar. 27, 2009
"Spring is in the air, but that doesn't have all termites looking for love."  Dr. Ed Vargo, entomology, featured.

Sled Dogs Could Hold Key to Diabetes, Obesity  
USA Today, Mar. 25, 2009
"Sled dogs competing in the Iditarod, which ended Tuesday, are among the most energy-efficient creatures on Earth, with a capacity to run hundreds of miles day after day without showing the normal signs of fatigue."  Dr. Shannon Pratt, animal science, featured.

Sweet Sorghum Could Be Ingredient In NC Ethanol Production
NBC17, Mar. 24, 2009
"Matthew Veal, an assistant professor at North Carolina State University, is leading the research into using sweet sorghum for ethanol production in North Carolina."  Dr. Matthew Veal, bio and ag engineering, featured.

Inspectors Found Rats, Insects, Other Problems in Food Plants  
WRAL, Mar. 24, 2009
"Since August, inspectors with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture's Food and Drug Protection Division have sent letters to 35 grocery stores, bakeries and food plants directing them to correct both minor and serious issues involving food products."  Ben Chapman, food safety extension, featured.

United They'll Stand 
Wall Street Journal, Mar. 23, 2009
"Maybe it's time for companies to rethink their relationships with suppliers."  Dr. Robert Handfeld, management, featured.

Obama Faces Democrat Discord on Spending Plans  
Washington Post, Mar. 15, 2009
"Republicans are not the only ones in the U.S. Congress squawking about President Barack Obama's record $3.55 trillion budget plan."   Dr. Andy Taylor, political science, featured.

Medicine, Engineering Put Dog on Four Legs  
N&O, NBC-17, News 14, Mar. 11, 2009
"Even the guys whose scalpels and engineering wizardry had turned a three-legged dog into a four-legged one had to stare."  Dr. Denis Marcellin-Little, orthopedic surgery, and Dr. Ola Harrysson, industrial and systems engineering, featured.

Scientists Learning to Target Bacteria Where They Live 
Washington Post, Mar. 9, 2009
"In the arms race between humans and bacteria, the ability to form "biofilms" -- large aggregations of microbes embedded in a slimy matrix -- has been one of the weapons the organisms use to defeat the immune system, antibiotic drugs and other threats."  Dr. Christian Melander, chemistry, and Dr. John Cavanagh, biochemistry, featured.

Parody Mocks Nortel Chiefs  
N&O, Mar. 6, 2009
"As if Nortel Networks hasn't taken enough pummeling on Wall Street. Now the embattled telecom company is being spoofed on YouTube as a tyranny of dunces."  Dr. Mitzi Montoya, business management, featured.

The Union Label  
Indy Week, Mar. 5, 2009
"As the stock market crashed, the country woke up to a decade's worth of destructive speculation in the financial markets."  Dr. David Zonderman, history, featured.

NCSU Picks Up $1 Million NSF Grant  
N&O, Mar. 5, 2009
"N.C. State University has received a grant worth nearly $1 million to help draw more minority students into its science, engineering, technology and mathematics doctoral programs." Dr. Tony Mitchell, engineering, featured.

Doctor Gives Dogs with Cancer a New Lease on Life  
Reuters, et al, Mar. 2, 2009
"Cody was dying of lymphoma and would probably not have made it to his 8th birthday had his family not taken him to one of the only hospitals that offers the bone marrow transplant he needed."  Dr. Steve Suter, veterinary oncology, featured.

Peanut Recall’s Ripples Feel Like a Tidal Wave for Some Companies 
NY Times, Feb. 25, 2009 
"Big food companies were not the only ones troubled by the peanut recall."  Ben Chapman, food safety extension, featured.

Strawberry-Banana-Anthrax-Vaccine (gasp) Protein-Yogurt Shake, Anyone? 
Pop-Sci, Feb. 25, 2009
"Researchers at North Carolina State University have found a surprising potential weapon against the conjectural "biological terrorism" of the imminent future." Dr. Todd Klaenhammer, food, bioprocessing and nutrition sciences, featured.

Budget Cuts Could Hurt Crop Research Efforts   
WRAL, Feb. 22, 2009 
"North Carolina's population is growing while farmland is shrinking."   Dr. Barclay Poling, horticultural science, featured.

More Dads Influence Daughters’ Career Paths  
NY Times, et al, Feb. 23, 2009
"Fathers appear to be playing a bigger role in their daughters’ career choices compared to men of previous generations."   Dr. Melinda Morrill, economics, featured.

Pension Shortfalls Put Pressure on Strained University Budgets  
Chronicle, Feb. 13, 2009
"With the stock market in decline, college pension plans are losing money, and administrators are scrambling to cover the shortfall."  Dr. Robert Clark, economics, featured.

Drivers' Confusion is Clear at I-40/Wade  
N&O, Feb. 10, 2009
"Glittery glass and crisscross skid marks decorate the Interstate 40 fork at Wade Avenue -- remnants of repeated, risky maneuvers that all start with the same panicked realization: 'Oops! I'm in the wrong lane!'"  Dr. Joe Hummer, engineering, featured.

Companies Must Come Clean on Food Safety  
N&O, Feb. 9, 2009
"Since last September more than 520 cases of salmonella typhimurium have been linked to products from Peanut Corporation of America."  Ben Chapman, food safety, featured.

Tequila Growers Hurting as Industry Turns to Big Farms  
Discovery News, et al, Feb. 9, 2009
"For many people, drinking tequila is a good way to forget life's worries -- at least for a while."   Dr. Sarah Bowen, sociology, featured.

Catching Crabs  
The Scientist, Feb. 2, 2009
"It was late last September when 73-year-old farmer Archie Page pulled a six-inch blue crab out of his pond in Swansboro, NC."  Dr. Dave Eggleston, marine, earth and atmospheric sciences, featured.

Organizing Public Employees  
N&O, Jan. 30, 2009
"With the accession of Barack Obama to the presidency and strong, union-friendly Democratic majorities in Congress, the political winds favor enactment of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would legalize the "card check" for union organizing in firms."  Dr. Rick Kearney, public and international affairs, featured.

Canine Bone Marrow Transplant Last Hope For Maverick     
MSNBC, et al, Jan. 26, 2009
"On Friday, a six-year-old Weimaraner will become the third dog to receive a bone marrow transplant at the NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine, currently the only facility in the world offering the procedure."  Dr. Steven Suter, veterinary oncology, featured.

U.S. Diplomat in Bolivia Walks Out on Morales Speech   
Bloomberg, Jan. 22, 2009
"The senior American diplomat in Bolivia walked out of a speech by President Evo Morales today after the Bolivian leader accused the U.S. Embassy in La Paz of trying to undermine his government."  Dr. Nicholas Robins, history, featured.

The DNA Behind the Poem 
Chronicle of Higher Ed, Scientific American, National Geographic, et al, Jan. 14, 2009
"It was a case of invention by necessity."  Dr. Timothy Stinson, english, featured.

Tequila Boom Creates Environmental Hangover in Mexico  
National Geographic, Jan. 14, 2009
"Tequila's surge in popularity over the past 15 years has been a boon for industry, "but is triggering a significant hangover of social and environmental problems" in the region of Mexico where the liquor is produced, North Carolina State University said in a news statement today."  Dr. Sarah Bowen, sociology, featured.

Guide Tries to Help Students Decide What to Cite 
Chronicle, Jan. 13, 2009
"Students don’t research like they used to. And they have a hard time evaluating the credibility of information they find, both in print and online."  Dr. Susan Miller-Cochran, english, featured.