faculty and staff

Aug 9, 2013

Researchers to Study Link Between Early Stress, GI Tract Disease

Chronic gastrointestinal disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) have been linked to high stress levels early in life. A North Carolina State University researcher is leading a study that looks at how these early stress events may change the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, leading to increased susceptibility to these diseases later in life. Adam Moeser,… 

Jul 10, 2013

Researchers Perform DNA Computation in Living Cells

Chemists from North Carolina State University have performed a DNA-based logic-gate operation within a human cell. The research may pave the way to more complicated computations in live cells, as well as new methods of disease detection and treatment. Logic gates are the means by which computers “compute,” as sets of them are combined in… 

Jul 1, 2013

New College of Sciences Launches Today at NC State

North Carolina State University has officially launched its new College of Sciences. The new college, which combines the programs of the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences with several of the biological sciences programs from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, will offer interdisciplinary educational and research opportunities for students and faculty. The College… 

May 28, 2013

Disease Virulence Evolves in Response to Population Density, Immunity

A unique form of pink eye found in some songbird species has given researchers insight into how disease virulence – or severity of harm to the host – evolves in conjunction with a susceptible population’s density and/or disease resistance. These findings may help scientists understand and predict the impacts of highly contagious human diseases, like… 

May 8, 2013

Cannibal Tadpoles Key to Understanding Digestive Evolution

A carnivorous, cannibalistic tadpole may play a role in understanding the evolution and development of digestive organs, according to research from North Carolina State University. These findings may also shed light on universal rules of organ development that could lead to better diagnosis and prevention of intestinal birth defects. NC State developmental biologist Nanette Nascone-Yoder, graduate… 

May 2, 2013

Two NC State Faculty Receive Holladay Medals

The North Carolina State University Board of Trustees awarded the Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal for Excellence to two faculty members in recognition of their outstanding careers at NC State. The Holladay Medal is the highest honor bestowed on a faculty member by the trustees and the university. This year’s honorees are Dr. Virginia Marie Aldigé, Distinguished… 

Apr 15, 2013

NC State Researchers Predict Active Hurricane Season for 2013

Researchers at North Carolina State University forecast an above-average hurricane season for 2013. 2013 should see 13 to 17 named storms forming in the Atlantic basin, which includes the entire Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, according to Dr. Lian Xie, professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences (MEAS), and collaborators… 

Mar 14, 2013

Researchers Create Nanoscale Spinning Magnetic Droplets

Researchers have successfully created a magnetic soliton – a nano-sized, spinning droplet that was first theorized 35 years ago. These solitons have implications for the creation of magnetic, spin-based computers. Solitons are waves, localized in space, that preserve their size and momentum. They were first observed in water. Solitons composed of light have proved useful… 

Mar 13, 2013

Foundations of Carbon-Based Life Leave Little Room for Error

  Life as we know it is based upon the elements of carbon and oxygen. Now a team of physicists, including one from North Carolina State University, is looking at the conditions necessary to the formation of those two elements in the universe. They’ve found that when it comes to supporting life, the universe leaves… 

Feb 21, 2013

Researchers ‘Nanoweld’ by Applying Light to Aligned Nanorods in Solid Materials

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a way to melt or “weld” specific portions of polymers by embedding aligned nanoparticles within the materials. Their technique, which melts fibers along a chosen direction within a material, may lead to stronger, more resilient nanofibers and materials. Physicists Jason Bochinski and Laura Clarke, with materials scientist… 

Feb 15, 2013

Force is the Key to Granular State-Shifting

Ever wonder why sand can both run through an hourglass like a liquid and be solid enough to support buildings? It’s because granular materials – like sand or dirt – can change their behavior, or state. Researchers from North Carolina State University have found that the forces individual grains exert on one another are what… 

Feb 7, 2013

Koch Elected to the National Academy of Engineering

Dr. Carl Koch, Kobe Steel Distinguished Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at North Carolina State University, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Koch is one of 69 new members and 11 foreign associates joining the academy in 2013. He is the 11th current NC State faculty member to… 

Jan 31, 2013

Researchers Find Evidence of Geological ‘Facelift’ in the Appalachians

How does a mountain range maintain its youthful, rugged appearance after 200 million years without tectonic activity? Try a geological facelift – courtesy of the earth’s mantle. Researchers from North Carolina State University noticed that a portion of the Appalachian Mountains in western North Carolina near the Cullasaja River basin was topographically quite different from… 

Nov 16, 2012

NC State Announces Inaugural University Faculty Scholars

North Carolina State University Chancellor Randy Woodson announced today the inaugural group of University Faculty Scholars, a recognition and reward program for top NC State early- and mid-career faculty who will receive $10,000 – in donated funds – for each of the next five years to support their academic endeavors. The program is part of the… 

Nov 2, 2012

Piedrahita to Lead NC State’s Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research

Jorge Piedrahita, a professor of genomics in North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, has been appointed director of the NC State Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research (CCMTR). Piedrahita’s appointment by Dr. Paul Lunn, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, follows a national search. Piedrahita will oversee CCMTR initiatives based on the…