Matt Shipman

Aug 19, 2013

History of Labor Day and How Workers Are Faring in Post-Recession Recovery

How are workers faring this Labor Day as the United States continues its slow recovery from the “Great Recession”? Labor historian and North Carolina State University professor Dr. David Zonderman can provide historical perspective on this and other questions on the labor movement in the United States. Reporters can contact Zonderman directly at 919/513-2222 or…

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 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…

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

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

Understanding Interface Properties of Graphene Paves Way for New Applications

Researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of Texas have revealed more about graphene’s mechanical properties and demonstrated a technique to improve the stretchability of graphene – developments that should help engineers and designers come up with new technologies that make use of the material.

Aug 2, 2013

Researchers Create ‘Soft Robotic’ Devices Using Water-Based Gels

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique for creating devices out of a water-based hydrogel material that can be patterned, folded and used to manipulate objects. The technique holds promise for use in “soft robotics” and biomedical applications.

Jul 26, 2013

Researchers Find New Way to Create ‘Gradients’ for Understanding Molecular Interactions

Scientists use tools called gradients to understand how molecules interact in biological systems. Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique for creating biomolecular gradients that is both simpler than existing techniques and that creates additional surface characteristics that allow scientists to monitor other aspects of molecular behavior.

Jul 25, 2013

Researchers Get Better Metrics on Laser Potential of Key Material

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed more accurate measurements of how efficiently a polymer called MEH-PPV amplifies light, which should advance efforts to develop a new generation of lasers and photonic devices.

Jul 18, 2013

New Technique for Assessing Calorie Absorption Sheds Light on Genetic Driver of Obesity

Researchers from Harvard, NC State and five other universities have found a specific genetic on-off switch associated with obesity in both mice and humans, raising the long-term possibility of developing new treatments for obesity. As part of the study, NC State researchers had to develop a new technique for assessing calorie absorption in small laboratory…

Jul 18, 2013

Irish Potato Famine-Causing Pathogen Even More Virulent Now

The plant pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s lives on today with a different genetic blueprint and an even larger arsenal of weaponry to harm and kill plants.

Jul 17, 2013

Injectable ‘Smart Sponge’ Holds Promise for Controlled Drug Delivery

Researchers have developed a drug delivery technique for diabetes treatment in which a sponge-like material surrounds an insulin core. The sponge expands and contracts in response to blood sugar levels to release insulin as needed. The technique could also be used for targeted drug delivery to cancer cells.

Jul 16, 2013

New Model to Improve Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication for ‘Intelligent Transportation’

Imagine a transportation system where vehicles communicate directly with each other in real time, giving drivers warnings about traffic delays, allowing a single driver to control multiple vehicles or routing vehicles around hazardous road conditions. Those are all aspects of the “intelligent transportation” concept. And researchers have developed a model to improve the clarity of…

Jul 15, 2013

Study Finds Clues on How to Keep Kids Engaged With Educational Games

If you want teams of students to stay engaged while playing educational games, you might want them to switch seats pretty often. That’s one finding from a pilot study that evaluated how well middle school students were able to pay attention to game-based learning tasks.

Jul 10, 2013

Wolverine’s Claws and the Future of Metal Alloys (Snikt!)

The metal that makes Wolverine’s claws virtually indestructible may be a reality sooner than you think. If you know anything about the superhero Wolverine, you know that he has both retractable claws and a mutant power that allows him to heal from virtually any injury. In the comics, a Canadian government project called Weapon X…