In the News
Highlights of recent media coverage of NC State, as well as its faculty, staff and administrators. (Links to online stories provided where available.)
Android Botnet Exploits Gingerbread Root Access InformationWeek, Feb. 9, 2012. The mobile malware state of the art continues to improve, as demonstrated by the emergence of a new Android threat that’s been dubbed RootSmart. Dr. Xuxian Jiang, computer science, featured.
North Carolina State Rolls Out Experimental Open Source WiFi Network Campus Technology, Feb. 9, 2012. North Carolina State University’s Centennial Campus has implemented one of the country’s first large-scale, outdoor, experimental wireless networks using open source software. Dr. Rudra Dutta, computer science, featured.
Researchers Get CPUs and GPUs Talking, Boost PC Performance by 20 Percent Engadget, Feb. 8, 2012. How do you fancy a 20 percent boost to your processor’s performance?
Blue May Run For Governor News & Observer, Feb. 8, 2012. State Sen. Dan Blue of Raleigh said Tuesday that he is seriously considering seeking the Democratic nomination for governor. Dr. Andrew Taylor, political science, featured.
Researchers Boost Processor Performance By Getting CPU and GPU to Collaborate Ars Technica, Feb. 7, 2012. Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a technique to take advantage of the “fused architecture” emerging on multicore CPUs that puts central processing units and graphics processing units on the same chip. Dr. Huiyang Zhou, electrical and computer engineering, featured.
Chips With Collaborating CPU and GPU Lead To Faster Processors Gizmag, Feb. 7, 2012. Want to get your computer to run faster? Well, consider its graphics processing unit (GPU) and central processing unit (CPU). Dr. Huiyang Zhou, electrical and computer engineering, featured.
Evolving Android Malware Shows How Evil Apps Will Evade Google’s Scans Forbes, Feb. 6, 2012. Just a few days after Google announced new safeguards against malicious apps in its Android Market, one researcher is already offering a helpful reminder that the mobile malware cat-and-mouse game is just getting started. Dr. Xuxian Jiang, computer science, featured.
CentMesh Aims For First Open-Air Wi-Fi Network News & Observer, Feb. 6, 2012. Final preparations are being made in Raleigh for what will be one of the nation’s first open-air, large-scale experimental Wi-Fi networks. Dr. Dennis Kekas and Dr. Rudra Dutta, computer science, featured.
Centenarian Keeps Her Mind Sharp With Nintendo DS ABC News, Feb. 2, 2012. Nintendo has a new and enthusiastic, if unexpected, spokesperson in 100-year-old Kathleen “Kit” Connell of Thornliebank, Scotland. Dr. Anne McLaughlin, psychology, featured.
Dipole Hunt Stuck In Neutral Nature, Jan. 31, 2012. Discovered 80 years ago this month, the neutron is famous for what it lacks: electric charge. Dr. Paul Huffman, physics, featured.
Cat’s New Knee an Ortho-PET-ic Innovation ABC News, Jan. 28, 2012. A photogenic 20-pound orange tabby was resting comfortably in an intensive care unit today following pioneering replacement of a cancer-weakened knee by veterinary surgeons at North Carolina State University whose work could advance the field of human prosthetics. Dr. Ola Harrysson, engineering, and Dr. Denis Marcellin-Little, veterinary medicine, featured.
Obama Could Benefit In North Carolina With Democratic Gov’s Decision To Not Seek Re-Election Associated Press (Washington Post, etc.), Jan. 27, 2012. The key battleground state of North Carolina is still within President Barack Obama’s grasp, despite Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue’s surprise decision to drop her re-election campaign. Drs. Andrew Taylor and Steven Greene, political science, featured.
North Carolina’s Governor Won’t Run Wall Street Journal, Jan. 27, 2012. North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue said Thursday she wouldn’t seek re-election, an unexpected development that could complicate Democrats’ efforts to hold on to the governor’s mansion and President Barack Obama’s chances of carrying the swing state in November. Dr. Andrew Taylor, political science, featured.
Tubby tabby gets revolutionary new knee joint Associated Press, Jan. 27, 2012. Because Cyrano weighs more than 20 pounds, amputating his cancer-weakened leg was out of the question. Drs Ola Harrysson, engineering, and Denis Marcellin-Little, veterinary medicine, featured.
Dem NC Governor Faced Tough Re-Election Fight Associated Press (Atlanta Journal Constitution, etc.), Jan. 26, 2012. Gov. Beverly Perdue said Thursday she will not seek re-election because she fears a fight with Republicans over public education would become too political. Dr. Steven Greene, political science, featured.
Carbon Nanotubes Bend And Stretch And Still Conduct IEEE Spectrum, Jan. 26, 2012. It seems the most desirable characteristic for electronics at the moment is flexibility, at least as far as nanotechnology research is concerned. Dr. Yong Zhu, mechanical and aerospace engineering, featured.
Elastic Conductors Made From Carbon Nanotubes Gizmag, Jan. 26, 2012. Whether it’s touch-sensitive skin for robots, clothing made from smart fabrics, or devices with bendable displays, stretchable electronics will be playing a large role in a number of emerging technologies. Dr. Yong Zhu, mechanical and aerospace engineering, featured.
Cat Will Undergo Knee Replacement Surgery at NCSU News & Observer, Jan. 26, 2012. Veterinarians and engineers at N.C. State University have collaborated on innovative medical procedures since 2005, when Dr. Denis Marcellin-Little performed the world’s first surgery to give a cat artificial leg implants that fused together with living bone tissue. Drs. Denis Marcellin-Little and Ola Harrysson featured.
Forensic Anthropology Gives Voice To Unidentified Remains Scientific American, Jan. 21, 2012. Bone-hunters and anthropologists typically guard their fossils as priceless specimens. Dr. Ann Ross, anthropology, featured.
How the Financially Disorganized Can Budget and Save CNBC, Jan. 18, 2012. The very idea of making a budget, much less adhering to one, can overwhelm the chronically disorganized. Dr. Carolyn Bird, 4-H youth development and family and consumer sciences, featured.
‘Open Science’ Challenges Journal Traditions With Web Collaboration New York Times, Jan. 16, 2012. For centuries, this is how science has operated – through research done in private, then submitted to medical and science journals to be reviewed by peers and published for the benefit of other researchers and the public at large.
Online Shoppers Are Rooting for the Little Guy New York Times, Jan. 15, 2012. Giant e-commerce companies like Amazon are acting increasingly like their big-box brethren as they extinguish their small competitors with discounted prices, free shipping and easy-to-use apps. Dr. Michael Walden, agricultural and resource economics, featured.
EagleCam Captures Hatchlings in Nest News & Observer, Jan. 14, 2012. Thousands of people watched two eagles hatch in a nest near the top of a tree at Jordan Lake this week. Dr. Ted Simons, biology, featured.
Ways To Empower Kids To Take Charge Of Their Health USA Today, Jan. 11, 2012. Sure, you can stock your fridge with nutritious snacks and offer a good example when it comes to exercise, but recent studies suggest that, just like grown-ups, kids need strong internal motivation (not micromanagement) in order to get fit. Dr. Jason Bocarro, parks, recreation and tourism management, featured.
Fuel Your Moving Body N&O, Jan. 11, 2012. There’s no shortage of information out there about what to eat to maximize the benefits of your workout. Dr. Jackie McClelland, 4-H youth development and family and consumer sciences, featured.
NCSU Spinoff develops online homework service N&O, Jan. 10, 2012. Helping students with their homework, it turns out, can be big business. WebAssign, Centennial Campus, featured.
Jogging is less tiring than brisk walking HuffPo U.K., et al, Jan. 9, 2012. If taking up running is one of your New Year’s resolutions but you haven’t quite managed to get started, you might be pleased to hear that a gentle jog is less tiring than a power walk. Dr. Gregory Sawicki, biomedical engineering, featured.
Prototype System Removes Air Pollutants and Generates Heat for Livestock Barns GizMag, Jan. 5, 2012. If you’ve ever so much as stepped into a chicken or swine barn, you’ll know that they can be very, very smelly places. Dr. Sanjay Shah, biological and agricultural engineering, featured.
NC State Economist Looks Back on 2011 North Carolina News Network, Jan. 2, 2012. Now that 2011 is behind us, how will it be remembered on the economic front? Dr. Michael Walden, agricultural and resource economics, featured.
Old NCSU Chancellor Home to Get New Use News & Observer, Jan. 2, 2012. Gregg Museum of Art and Design director Roger Manley looks forward to the time when he won’t have to email elaborate maps and aerial photos to direct visitors to the museum in the heart of N.C. State University’s campus.
A Year in the Woods of Bodies, Bedrooms and Bathrooms Scientific American, Dec. 30, 2011. I’ve been fascinated by discoveries made on, in and around our bodies, discoveries relevant to us, no matter who we are. Blog post written by Dr. Rob Dunn, biology.
How New Teaching Merits Higher Pay News & Observer, Dec. 26, 2011. Pay our most efficient teachers per pupil and then allow them the option to increase class sizes and/or the number of classes they teach. Op/ed piece written by Dr. Lodge McCammon, NC State curriculum and contemporary media specialist.
Unemployment Rate Drops to 10 Percent Winston-Salem Journal, Dec. 23, 2011. Early holiday hiring by retailers led to the biggest one-month decline in the state’s jobless rate in 1 1/2 years, the N.C. Commerce Department said Tuesday. Dr. Michael Walden, agricultural and resource economics, featured.
NCSU Chancellor’s Home Serves As ‘a Great Venue’ News & Observer, Dec. 21, 2011. Randy Woodson and his wife, Susan, moved into the new N.C. State University chancellor’s home a few weeks ago, but they have already hosted more than 2,000 visits and at least eight official events.
Scammers Target The Elderly During Holiday Season USA Today, Dec. 18, 2011. This is the season for giving. Unfortunately scammers know it and are getting smarter about ways to cash in. Dr. Karen Bullock, social work, featured.
How To Avoid Scams This Holiday Season USA Today, Dec. 18, 2011. Monica Leach and Jodi Hall, researchers at North Carolina State University, offer tips on avoiding consumer frauds. Drs. Monica Leach and Jodi Hall, social work, featured.
NC Warns Older Adults To Be Wary of Holiday Scams Associate Press, Charlotte Observer, et al., Dec. 18, 2011. At a time of year when generosity runs high and donations flow to favorite charities, North Carolina State University researchers are warning people to be wary of a darker side to the season. Dr. Karen Bullock, social work, featured.
Using Microneedles for Real-Time Monitoring of Body Chemistry The Atlantic, Dec. 16, 2011. Researchers from North Carolina State University, Sandia National Laboratories, and the University of California, San Diego, published about a new technology that uses micro needles for real-time detection of chemical changes in the body. Dr. Roger Narayan, biomedical engineering, featured.
Fir Real? Christmas Trees in Crisis as Americans Flock to Fakes WSJ, Dec. 16, 2011. Christmas tree geneticist John Frampton rubs the sprigs of a two-inch seedling, planted two years ago from the seed of a fir cone from the Uludag Mountain region in western Turkey. Dr. John Frampton, forestry and environmental resources, featured.
Durham architect Freelon named to national arts commission N&O, Dec. 13, 2011. Durham architect Phil Freelon has been appointed, by President Obama, to a four-year term on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. Phil Freelon, trustee, featured.
Income Gap Widens Within The Black Community Business Week, et al., Dec. 8, 2011. What happens within the black community when the gap widens between the poor and the affluent? Dr. Blair Kelley, history, featured.
A Key Trick To Bed Bugs’ Persistence: Inbreeding Time, Dec. 7, 2011. If bed bugs seem to be everywhere, it’s probably because they are. Dr. Coby Schal, entomology, featured.
Bed Bugs Use Incest for Colonizing Entire Apartment Buildings BusinessWeek, et al., Dec. 6, 2011. Like any truly bad roommate, a single female bedbug can infest an entire apartment, a study shows. Dr. Coby Schal, entomology, featured.
Making Money By Making Money PRI’s The World, Dec. 5, 2011. Billions of dollars, euros and yen zap around the globe electronically in milliseconds these days. That’s the way that modern economies work. But there’s still a need for cold, hard cash. Dr. Michael Walden, agricultural and resource economics, featured.
Security Researchers Find Privacy Leaks In Fundamental Pre-Installed Android Apps Gizmodo, Dec. 2, 2011. Though phone manufacturers have been distancing themselves from the Carrier IQ furore, there are plenty of other pieces of software that could be tracking you, too. Dr. Xuxian Jiang, computer science, featured.
Researchers Find Big Leaks In Pre-Installed Android Apps Ars Technica, Dec. 1, 2011. Researchers at North Carolina State University have uncovered a variety of vulnerabilities in the standard configurations of popular Android smartphones from Motorola, HTC, and Samsung, finding that they don’t properly protect privileged permissions from untrusted applications. Dr. Xuxian Jiang, computer science, featured.
Ancient Animal Bones Pose a West Indies Mystery LiveScience, Dec. 1, 2011. Bones from five non-native species of animals found on a tiny Caribbean island present a puzzle about the people who lived in the region long before Christopher Columbus arrived. Dr. Scott Fitzpatrick, anthropology, featured.
Bacteria’s Kryptonite? C&EN, Nov. 30, 2011. Disease-causing bacteria become more virulent when they form a slimy biofilm. Researchers have now synthesized a chemical that breaks through the microbial goo. Dr. Christian Melander, chemistry, featured.
NC State Student Wins Grant To Solve Icky Problem News & Observer, et al., Nov. 26, 2011. If ever a machine to suck sludge could be called elegant, it is the one dreamed up by an N.C. State University student to solve one of the most ancient public health dilemmas in the Third World: finding an easy, cheap and sanitary way to remove sludge in cities that don’t have modern sewer systems. Dr. Robert Borden, civil, construction and environmental engineering, featured.
7 Tips for a Safe (and Non-Explosive) Turkey Day LiveScience, Nov. 21, 2011. Few people cook a massive feast complete with a roast turkey more than once or twice a year — and that fact means that Thanksgiving’s warmth and camaraderie can just as soon turn into a tale of undercooked bird and food-borne illness. Dr. Ben Chapman, family and consumer sciences, featured.
The Physics of Christmas The Economist, Nov. 18, 2011. With the festive season fast approaching, here’s a question that has perennially puzzled the eight-year-old in all of us: How does Santa Claus manage to deliver presents to billions of children across the globe during the course of a single night? Dr. Larry Silverberg, mechanical and aerospace engineering, featured.
NC State Wins $1.5 Million Research Grant From Intel News & Observer, Nov. 15, 2011. N.C. State University has received one of its largest corporate grants to finance a private research project for Silicon Valley computing giant Intel. Dr. Paul Franzon, electrical and computer engineering, featured.
Public-University Leaders Plan for More Hard Times Ahead Chronicle of Higher Education, Nov. 14, 2011. At a gathering here of leaders of public and land-grant universities, the talk is of navigating the “new normal.” Chancellor Randy Woodson featured.
Project Seeks Your Tiny Squatters Scientific American, Nov. 14, 2011. Think of the weirdest creatures you’ve even seen in a sci-fi film. Now think of this: there are far stranger, albeit smaller, critters living in your own home. Dr. Rob Dunn, biology, featured.
A Word In Defense Of The Witnesses Scientific American, Nov. 13, 2011. You and I – and every single other decent person on the planet who has heard about the Penn State abuse allegations – are having the same revenge fantasy. Dr. Jeff Braden, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, featured.
2D Patterns Self-Assemble Into 3D Objects Wired UK, Nov. 11, 2011. Researchers at North Carolina State University have come up with a way to make two-dimensional patterns self-assemble into three-dimensional objects by simply shining light on them. Dr. Michael Dickey, chemical and biomolecular engineering, featured.
Light Creates Instant Origami New Scientist, Nov. 11, 2011. Too lazy to learn origami? Now you can sit back and let heat do the work, thanks to a new technique developed by Michael Dickey and his team at North Carolina State University that uses a material that can fold up on its own. Dr. Michael Dickey, chemical and biomolecular engineering, featured.
Bugs of Death May Help Solve Murder Cases LiveScience, MSNBC, etc., Nov. 11, 2011. When investigators exhumed the body of 33-year-old Jonathan Blackwell, they found something they didn’t expect: insect larva on his remains. Dr. Wes Watson, entomology, featured.
Mercury, Mining and Empire State of Things, Nov. 10, 2011. The roots of today’s global economy can be traced all the way back to Peru in 1569. Nick Hopkins, history, featured.
Why We Lie About Using Food Thermometers NPR, Nov. 10, 2011. Come Thanksgiving, cooks tend to go rummaging in the drawer to dig out the food thermometer; it may be the day we feel most compelled to deploy the slender little probe to keep the killer microbes at bay. Dr. Ben Chapman, family and consumer sciences, featured.
Voters Revolt Against Ideological Contest News & Observer Nov. 9, 2011. Wake County voters Tuesday said they had enough bitter partisan wrangling and opted for more unity and stability in the leadership of North Carolina’s largest school district. Dr. Steven Greene, political science, featured.
NC State Wants To Know About Your Home Wild Life Charlotte Observer, et al. Nov. 6, 2011. Creatures. They’re everywhere: in your hot water heater, under your bed, even in your bellybutton. Dr. Rob Dunn, biology, featured.
Can An Engineer from N.C. State Rebuild Libya As Prime Minister? News& Observer, et al. Nov. 3, 2011. Despite not being a politician or public figure el-Keib still had a certain presence, said John Grainger, a professor emeritus at NCSU who oversaw el-Keib’s work on his theses and acted as his academic mentor. Dr. John Grainger, electrical and computer engineering, featured.
NC State Device Monitors Floods, Droughts WUNC Nov. 2, 2011. North Carolina has seen its fair share of both flooding and drought over the past several years. One of the problems has been getting accurate information, especially in rural areas. Dr. Francois Birgand, biological and agricultural engineering, featured.
Libya’s New PM Balances Demands of Ex-Rebels, West Time, et al. Nov. 1, 2011. He holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University and joined the teaching staff of the University of Alabama in 1985, according to a biography posted by a former employer, the Petroleum Institute in the United Arab Emirates. Dr. Abdurrahim el-Keim, alumnus, featured.
E.coli Has No Place At the Fair News & Observer, Nov. 1, 2011. The source of the current illnesses is unknown and, like many outbreaks, may never be pinpointed. Ben Chapman, family and consumer sciences, featured.