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‘Metabots’ Shapeshift From Flat Sheets Into Hundreds of Structures

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NC State student Kevin Sun poses inside James B. Hunt Jr. Library on Centennial Campus.

Jan 21, 2026

Discover Our Majors: Computer Science

Meet Kevin Sun, a computer science student at NC State, and learn how his major is preparing him to pursue a career in data science and analytics. 
Crystal on dark background to illustrate how applying a thermal gradient to the crystal creates orbital angular momentum.

Jan 21, 2026

Chiral Phonons Create Orbital Current via Their Own Magnetism

Chiral phonons can create orbital current without magnetic elements, and the effect can be achieved in common crystal materials. 
there are three images. first is a weaving of grey and blue strands; second is heat-map image, red in the center, surrounded by blue; third is an image of grey weaving with an overly of blue zigzag lines

Jan 14, 2026

Self-Healing Composite Can Make Airplane, Automobile and Spacecraft Components Last for Centuries

Researchers have created a self-healing composite that is tougher than materials currently used in aircraft wings, turbine blades and other applications – and can repair itself more than 1,000 times. 
illustration shows the schematic layout of a marine hydrokinetic power system, in which several turbine blades are turned by ocean currents to generate power

Jan 5, 2026

Location, Location, Location: Model IDs Best Spots for Offshore Energy Projects

The model can be used to maximize offshore energy production, reducing the financial risk of offshore projects. 
Three graduates in red caps and gowns cheer during commencement.

Dec 10, 2025

Celebrating Our Fall 2025 Graduates

Our fall graduates will leave NC State with knowledge, skills and an entire Wolfpack behind them. Get to know six new members of our alumni Pack. 
researcher helen huang holds a robotic prosthetic leg

Nov 20, 2025

How Modified Robotic Prosthetics Could Help Address Hip, Back Problems for Amputees

The new approach can help address health challenges associated with an amputation. 
middle aged man wearing glasses and a green long-sleeve shirt sits with hands clasped next to a computer and lab equipment

Nov 20, 2025

Paschalis Gkoupidenis Wins Sherwin I. Seligsohn Innovation Award

Gkoupidenis received the distinction for his pioneering work in developing organic brain-inspired electronics. 
Aerial image shows cities as a pattern of lights sprawling across a wide area

Nov 19, 2025

How a New Modeling Method Could Make Energy Systems More Efficient – Even in an Uncertain Future

The new method helps policymakers determine which parts of an energy system have the biggest impact and merit extra attention. 
blurred image shows code streaming across a computer screen

Nov 17, 2025

Researchers Unveil First-Ever Defense Against Cryptanalytic Attacks on AI

Security researchers have developed the first functional defense mechanism capable of protecting against “cryptanalytic” attacks used to “steal” the model parameters that define how an AI system works. 
Stock image of a colorful and dynamic textile.

Nov 14, 2025

Research Round Up: Responsive Materials 

NC State University leads the development of responsive materials engineered to sense and react to stimuli in exciting, innovative ways. Remarkably versatile, these advanced materials can harvest energy from friction, self-repair structural damage, assemble themselves into electronic devices — and more. 
three AI-generated illustrations for childrens stories are displayed next to each other

Nov 13, 2025

How Parents and Kids Really Feel About AI-Generated Images in Children’s Books

Parents and kids raised some concerns about errors in the AI-generated illustrations. 

Nov 6, 2025

Study: Composite Metal Foam Could Lead to Safer Hazmat Transportation

Composite metal foam can withstand tremendous force – enough to punch a hole in a railroad tank car – at much lower weight than solid steel. 
A faucet and drinking water.

Oct 27, 2025

High Levels of Short-Chain PFAS Found in Wilmington Residents’ Blood

High levels of ultrashort-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were found in blood samples taken from Wilmington, N.C. residents between 2010-2016. 
An image of digital renderings of tiny fossils, ranging from black and white to a prism of colors.

Oct 23, 2025

Tiny Fossils, Big Tech

At NC State University, a team of researchers is using cutting-edge 3D modeling and artificial intelligence to solve a tricky problem: sorting microscopic fossils no bigger than a grain of sand. 
diagram shows how a metabot can fold itself from a two-dimensional sheet into various multi-dimensional structures

Oct 15, 2025

‘Metabots’ Shapeshift From Flat Sheets Into Hundreds of Structures

The metabots resemble animated sheets of plastic, capable of moving around a surface or grasping objects.