Matt Shipman

May 19, 2014

Engineers Find Way to Lower Risk of Midair Collisions for Small Aircraft

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed new modifications for technology that helps pilots of small aircraft avoid midair collisions. The modified tools significantly improved pilot response times in making decisions to avert crashes. 

May 16, 2014

How Can I Wash All the Pesticides off My Food?

Note: This post is part of an ongoing series in which we try to answer questions about the science behind food – from farm to fork. If you have a food-related question, please let me know at matt_shipman@ncsu.edu. What is the best way to wash all the pesticides off your food? The bad news: you… 

May 12, 2014

This Is What Science Looks Like at NC State: Yasmin Cardoza

Editor’s note: This post comes from Yasmin Cardoza, an associate professor of entomology at NC State. The post is part of an an ongoing series that we hope will highlight the diversity of researchers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The series is inspired by the This Is What A Scientist Looks Like site. I was… 

May 12, 2014

Dopamine Turns Worker Ants Into Warrior Queens

The ritualized fighting behavior of one ant species is linked to increases in dopamine levels that trigger dramatic physical changes in the ants without affecting their DNA, according to research from North Carolina State University, Arizona State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

May 9, 2014

Bee Biodiversity Boosts Blueberry Crop Yields

Research from North Carolina State University shows that blueberries produce more seeds and larger berries if they are visited by more diverse bee species, allowing farmers to harvest significantly more pounds of fruit per acre. 

May 9, 2014

New Method Sneaks Drugs Into Cancer Cells Before Triggering Release

Biomedical engineering researchers have developed an anti-cancer drug delivery method that essentially smuggles the drug into a cancer cell before triggering its release. The method can be likened to keeping a cancer-killing bomb and its detonator separate until they are inside a cancer cell, where they then combine to destroy the cell. 

May 6, 2014

What Makes Spider-Man’s Web So Strong?

Spider-Man’s webs are pretty impressive, capable of supporting Spidey’s weight as he swings through New York, trapping super-villains and even suspending cars above city streets. What are they made of? And how are they made? Spider webs are notoriously strong, with spider silk reported as having a tensile strength of up to 1.75 gigapascals (GPa),… 

May 6, 2014

This Is What Science Looks Like at NC State: Lori Foster Thompson

Editor’s note: This post comes from Lori Foster Thompson, a professor of psychology at NC State. The post is part of an ongoing series that we hope will highlight the diversity of researchers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The series is inspired by the This Is What A Scientist Looks Like site. My name is… 

May 5, 2014

Dogs, Technology and the Future of Disaster Response

Imagine a team of humans, dogs, robots and drones swooping onto the scene in the aftermath of a disaster and working together to find and rescue anyone trapped in collapsed buildings. That’s the goal of a team of researchers from around the United States working on what they call the Smart Emergency Response System (SERS).… 

May 5, 2014

Study: Game Developers Say Success Hinges on More Than Just Programming Skills

Aspiring game developers may want to bone up on their interpersonal skills. A forthcoming study from North Carolina State University and Microsoft Research finds that game developers need a suite of non-programming skills – including communication skills – that are considered less important in other fields of software development. 

May 2, 2014

Why Parents Are Told to Give Babies Unseasoned Food – One Type of Food at a Time

Note: This post is part of an ongoing series in which we try to answer questions about the science behind food – from farm to fork. If you have a food-related question, please let me know at matt_shipman@ncsu.edu. Why is the conventional wisdom in the West to start babies out on bland, unseasoned, single foods,… 

May 1, 2014

This Is What Science Looks Like at NC State: Ezinne Achinivu

Editor’s note: This post comes from Ezinne Achinivu, who recently completed her Ph.D. in chemical and biomolecular engineering at NC State. The post is part of an ongoing series that we hope will highlight the diversity of researchers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The series is inspired by the This Is What A Scientist Looks… 

Apr 30, 2014

What We Know (and Don’t Know) About Vitamins, Diet and Health

Here’s the short version: your kid probably doesn’t need a daily vitamin, and there is no magic ingredient in food that will keep you healthy. When I told folks that I was going to start writing a series of posts that addressed scientific questions about food, I was inundated with questions people wanted me to… 

Apr 30, 2014

This Is What Science Looks Like at NC State: Heather Patisaul

Editor’s note: This post comes from Heather Patisaul, an associate professor of biology at NC State.The post is part of an ongoing series that we hope will highlight the diversity of researchers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The series is inspired by the This Is What A Scientist Looks Like site. I am Heather Patisaul,… 

Apr 29, 2014

Howling Robots: One Student’s Path From the Classroom to the Theme Park

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Tim Peeler, who writes for NC State University Communications. Now that she’s the co-creator of a robotic wolf, Michelle Phillips’ career path into the field of animatronics seems obvious. But that wasn’t always the case. Phillips had only been at NC State for a couple of semesters when she…