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Matt Shipman

Feb 6, 2012

Historical Blogging

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Lauren Williams, a communication intern in NC State’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Think our ancestors didn’t blog? Think again. Although the term blogging and our electronic way of doing it are relatively new, the idea of disseminating information via informal writing is certainly not. As part… 

Feb 3, 2012

Norovirus: What It Is, How We’re Fighting It

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Lee-Ann Jaykus, a professor in NC State’s Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, and lead investigator of a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to study human noroviruses. If you have spent a day or two… 

Jan 30, 2012

What’s A Genotype? What’s A Phenotype? And Why Do I Care?

Genetics research is interesting stuff, and news stories about exciting new findings seem to crop up almost daily. But many people simply don’t have the vocabulary to understand what’s going on. “What is a genotype anyway?” you might ask. “What’s a phenotype? And why should I care?” Good questions! Let’s talk about this a little… 

Jan 24, 2012

A Guided Tour Of The Bone Lab – Or, Forensic Anthro 101

Last week, NC State hosted the ScienceOnline2012 conference, bringing together a wide variety of people with an interest in communicating about science. During the conference, I had the opportunity to lead a small group of attendees on a tour of the forensic anthropology labs at NC State. The folks on the tour really enjoyed it, so I… 

Jan 24, 2012

Researchers Devise New Means For Creating Elastic Conductors

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new method for creating elastic conductors made of carbon nanotubes, which will contribute to large-scale production of the material for use in a new generation of elastic electronic devices. 

Jan 18, 2012

NC State Announces Fall Dean’s List Students

North Carolina State University Chancellor Randy Woodson announced that 7,348 undergraduate students earned Dean’s List honors at NC State during the fall 2011 semester. 

Jan 13, 2012

The Big (Moving) Picture

Why do some science stories fire the public’s imagination, while others go unnoticed? We welcome your input on this question because, frankly, we are often surprised when one piece of research takes off and another goes nowhere. However, we have seen one common thread among some of our biggest science stories: video. With that in… 

Jan 12, 2012

New Tech Removes Air Pollutants, May Reduce Energy Use In Animal Ag Facilities

Researchers from North Carolina State University and West Virginia University have developed a new technology that can reduce air pollutant emissions from some chicken and swine barns, and also reduce their energy use by recovering and possibly generating heat. 

Jan 9, 2012

NC State Experts Can Discuss Key National Election Issues

North Carolina State University experts can provide clear insights into the pending general election and a host of key issues that will face the presidential contenders. These experts can provide perspective and advance understanding of issues including campaign strategy, the economy, the military and foreign policy. 

Jan 5, 2012

Smart Grid: Coordinating Efforts For the Road Ahead

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Aranya Chakrabortty, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State. The concept of a “smart grid” for power utilities is drawing significant interest from researchers, practitioners and governments around the globe. The benefits of making the grid smart would be immense, including improved security, reliability,… 

Jan 3, 2012

Data defender

In 2011, NC State researcher Xuxian Jiang and his team of students discovered at least 20 types of malware affecting smartphones that use the Android operating system. 

Dec 22, 2011

How Does Santa Do It?

It takes more than magic to get Santa into millions of homes on Christmas Eve. NC State professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering Dr. Larry Silverberg details the science behind St. Nicholas. 

Dec 19, 2011

Events Preceding the Helvetican Renaissance (Part V – Conclusion)

Editor’s Note: Readers of The Abstract are generally interested in research, science and technology. People that fall into that camp are often also devotees of science fiction. So, in a throw back to the serialized storytelling of the golden age of sci-fi, we decided to serialize some science fiction by one of our favorite authors… 

Dec 16, 2011

Trivial Pursuits: The Abstract’s 2011 Quiz

The Abstract staff will be taking off for a couple of weeks to prepare for 2012. In an attempt to amuse and entertain ourselves you, we’ve pulled together a quick quiz on some of the research we’ve written about over the past year. See how you do! Questions: 1). Until recently, researchers thought Greece was… 

Dec 16, 2011

From Superbugs To Supernovas: Research Highlights From 2011

From research in antibiotic use and superbugs, which could help us address a global medical challenge, to a supernova finding that solved a millennia-old stellar mystery, 2011 was an exciting year for research at North Carolina State University. As we prepare for 2012, we’re taking a look back at some of the interesting research stories…