August 2013

Aug 14, 2013

My Color Patch Is Shinier Than His

Evolutionary biologists have long suspected that intense competition for mates may speed up the formation of new species, but it has been difficult to find evidence of this effect. In a new paper, NC State biologist Carlos Botero, co-author Nathalie Seddon and colleagues report that bird populations accumulate differences in their physical appearance more quickly if… 

Aug 14, 2013

Research Shows Precisely Which Strategies Help Players Win Team-Oriented Video Games

Computer science researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a technique to determine which strategies give players an edge at winning in multi-player (action) real-time strategy (ARTS) games, such as Defense of the Ancients (DotA), Warcraft III and Starcraft II. The technique offers extremely precise information about how a player’s actions affect a team’s… 

Aug 13, 2013

Scottypalooza!

Scotty McCreery takes the stage (briefly) at Packapalooza Aug. 24 for what promises to be the most memorable collaboration of the year. Find out who's been invited to share the bill. 

Aug 13, 2013

‘Change Your State’ for Good

Join students in a campaign to live a more sustainable life this fall. Of course there's an app for that. 

Aug 13, 2013

Lommel to Lead Ag Research Service

Steven Lommel has been named associate dean and director for the N.C. Agricultural Research Service. 

Aug 12, 2013

Trust and Towns in Transition

Near the Blue Ridge Parkway, three North Carolina towns have grown rapidly as jobs shifted from mining and timber to hospitality and tourism. In Macon County, natural resource-based jobs plummeted from 10 percent to almost zero in the last 35 years. Meanwhile, service-industry employment in the Franklin area topped 30 percent. It’s the kind of… 

Aug 9, 2013

Researchers to Study Link Between Early Stress, GI Tract Disease

Chronic gastrointestinal disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) have been linked to high stress levels early in life. A North Carolina State University researcher is leading a study that looks at how these early stress events may change the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, leading to increased susceptibility to these diseases later in life. Adam Moeser,… 

Aug 8, 2013

Writing the Book on How to Use ‘Big Data’

NC State students wrote the book on analyzing “big data” – sifting useful information out of the sea of business, personal and other data available online and elsewhere. Or at least they’ve written a book about mining that big data. Nagiza Samatova, a professor of computer science at NC State, and four Ph.D. students are co-editors of… 

Aug 7, 2013

Giving Breaks Records, Again

Donors light a fire under NC State's fundraising efforts, stepping up in a big way despite a tough economy to break giving records for the third consecutive year. 

Aug 7, 2013

Self-Healing Solar Cells ‘Channel’ Natural Processes

To understand how solar cells heal themselves, look no further than the nearest tree leaf or the back of your hand. The “branching” vascular channels that circulate life-sustaining nutrients throughout leaves and hands serve as the inspiration for solar cells that can restore themselves efficiently and inexpensively. In a new paper, North Carolina State University… 

Aug 7, 2013

Writing the Book on ‘Big Data’

Computer science professor Nagiza Samatova and her students wanted a better introductory book on a particular approach to data mining. So, they wrote one. 

Aug 6, 2013

Black Coffee

Check out a gallery from this summer's production of Agatha Christie's Black Coffee, presented by ARTS NC State. 

Aug 6, 2013

Battery Design Gets Boost From Aligned Carbon Nanotubes

Researchers at North Carolina State University have created a new flexible nano-scaffold for rechargeable lithium ion batteries that could help make cell phone and electric car batteries last longer. The research, published online in Advanced Materials, shows the potential of manufactured sheets of aligned carbon nanotubes coated with silicon, a material with a much higher… 

Aug 6, 2013

New Technique Allows Closer Study of How Radiation Damages Materials

A team of researchers led by North Carolina State University has developed a technique that provides real-time images of how magnesium changes at the atomic scale when exposed to radiation. The technique may give researchers new insights into how radiation weakens the integrity of radiation-tolerant materials, such as those used in space exploration and in… 

Aug 5, 2013

New Buildings Easy on the Environment

Two of NC State's newest buildings earned high ratings for energy savings from the U.S. Green Building Council.