Matt Shipman

Jan 28, 2011

Data Leak Vulnerability Haunts Latest Android (Gingerbread)

A computer security researcher at NC State University, Xuxian Jiang, has identified a security vulnerability in the latest version of Google Android, version 2.3, also known as Gingerbread. The vulnerability gives attackers access to user data – similar to a vulnerability identified in previous iterations of Android, which Google thought it had fixed with the latest… 

Jan 27, 2011

Hacked? Go Back In Time To Protect Yourself

If a hacker gets control of your computer’s operating system (OS), you’re hosed. The OS basically gives them control over everything. But researchers have now come up with a nifty combo of hardware and software that effectively lets you go back in time if you’re hacked – re-setting the OS to its happier, pre-attack condition… 

Jan 27, 2011

ARPA-E Grant Will Fund NC State Research On Smart Grid Technologies

A new grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) will support North Carolina State University efforts to develop new technologies essential to the development of a “smart grid” that can easily store and distribute energy from renewable sources, such as solar and wind. 

Jan 26, 2011

Into The Void: Boosting LED Energy Efficiency

LEDs are already vaunted as an energy-efficient technology for lighting, but new research shows that their efficiency can be increased by a factor of two. A paper describing the work shows that the secret is to decrease the number of defects in the gallium nitride (GaN) films used to create LEDs by incorporating cleverly placed… 

Jan 26, 2011

Hardware, Software Advances Help Protect Operating Systems From Attack

The operating system (OS) is the backbone of your computer. If the OS is compromised, attackers can take over your computer – or crash it. Now researchers at North Carolina State University have developed an efficient system that utilizes hardware and software to restore an OS if it is attacked. 

Jan 25, 2011

Voiding Defects: New Technique Makes LED Lighting More Efficient

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are an increasingly popular technology for use in energy-efficient lighting. Researchers from North Carolina State University have now developed a new technique that reduces defects in the gallium nitride (GaN) films used to create LEDs, making them more efficient. 

Jan 20, 2011

Quick, Quick, Slow: Fast And Slow Memory Now In One Device

Want a computer that is functional as soon as you hit the power button (no lag time)? Wish that those enormous server farms didn’t gobble quite as much energy? You’re in luck! Researchers have developed a new device that should enable both of these things. The trick? Combining two memory functions into a single device.… 

Jan 20, 2011

New Device May Revolutionize Computer Memory

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new device that represents a significant advance for computer memory, making large-scale “server farms” more energy efficient and allowing computers to start more quickly. 

Jan 18, 2011

Modernizing The Medieval

Medieval studies scholars are embarking on an effort that, if successful, should make it easier for future scholars to study the past. Ironically,  medieval studies experts were among the first to incorporate the use of modern technology into their research (Rev. Roberto Busa used punchcards in 1949 as part of his research on St. Thomas… 

Jan 14, 2011

Loaded Question: A Problem With Public Opinion Polls On Science

When it comes to science and technology, it appears that people don’t actually dislike the things they say they dislike. At the very least, a new study shows, people don’t dislike those things as much as they think they do. The fault, dear reader, lies not in ourselves, but in our polls. The study, published… 

Jan 13, 2011

Study Highlights Flaw In Common Approach of Public Opinion Surveys About Science

A new study from North Carolina State University highlights a major flaw in attempting to use a single survey question to assess public opinion on science issues. Researchers found that people who say that risks posed by new science fields outweigh benefits often actually perceive more benefits than risks when asked more detailed questions. 

Jan 12, 2011

New Approach To Modeling Power System Aims For Better Monitoring and Control of Blackouts

Major power outages are fairly infrequent, but when they happen they can result in billions of dollars in costs – and even contribute to fatalities. Now research from North Carolina State University has led to the development of an approach by which high-resolution power-system measurements, also referred to as Synchrophasors, can be efficiently used to… 

Jan 11, 2011

Coiled Nanowires May Hold Key To Stretchable Electronics

Researchers at North Carolina State University have created the first coils of silicon nanowire on a substrate that can be stretched to more than double their original length, moving us closer to incorporating stretchable electronic devices into clothing, implantable health-monitoring devices, and a host of other applications. 

Jan 10, 2011

Save Time And Lives: Take It To The Superstreets!

Everyone hates traffic. Everyone also hates car accidents. What if there was a traffic pattern that could cut travel times at busy intersections by 20 percent, and cut collision-related injures by over 60 percent? Good news – there is! The pattern is called, fittingly enough, a superstreet. The superstreet concept has been around for 20… 

Jan 10, 2011

No Left Turn: ‘Superstreet’ Traffic Design Improves Travel Time, Safety

The so-called “superstreet” traffic design results in significantly faster travel times, and leads to a drastic reduction in automobile collisions and injuries, according to North Carolina State University researchers who have conducted the largest-ever study of superstreets and their impacts.