faculty and staff

Oct 20, 2014

DeSimone Elected to All Three Branches of the National Academies

Joseph DeSimone has been elected to the Institute of Medicine, one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine a U. S. scientist can receive. He was previously elected to the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences.

Jul 3, 2014

NC State Experts Can Discuss Hurricane, Disaster Issues

As hurricane Arthur moves up the coast this weekend, media looking for information on a variety of hurricane topics can contact the following North Carolina State University experts: Storm Surge and Flood Prediction Marine meteorologist Dr. Lian Xie can discuss research on hurricane formation. Specifically, Xie can talk about hurricane climatology and seasonal prediction; storm…

May 29, 2014

Neural Transplant Reduces Absence Epilepsy Seizures in Mice

New research from North Carolina State University pinpoints the areas of the cerebral cortex that are affected in mice with absence epilepsy and shows that transplanting embryonic neural cells into these areas can alleviate symptoms of the disease by reducing seizure activity. The work may help identify the areas of the human brain affected in…

Apr 16, 2014

NC State Awarded $25 Million NNSA Grant to Develop Leaders, Improve Technological Capabilities for Detecting Nuclear Proliferation

NC State today was awarded a five-year, $25 million grant by the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development to develop the next generation of leaders with practical experience in technical fields relevant to nuclear nonproliferation. NC State was selected by NNSA over 22 other proposals following a competitive process that…

Apr 16, 2014

Expect Relatively Quiet Hurricane Season, NC State Researchers Say

The 2014 Atlantic hurricane season will be less active than in the past 20 years, but still in line with overall averages from 1950 to the present, according to researchers at North Carolina State University. Eight to 11 named storms should form in 2014 in the Atlantic basin, which includes the entire Atlantic Ocean, the…

Apr 13, 2014

Finding the Switch: Researchers Create Roadmap for Gene Expression

In a new study, researchers from North Carolina State University, UNC-Chapel Hill and other institutions have taken the first steps toward creating a roadmap that may help scientists narrow down the genetic cause of numerous diseases. Their work also sheds new light on how heredity and environment can affect gene expression. Pinpointing the genetic causes…

Apr 11, 2014

Narayan Receives UNC System O. Max Gardner Award

Dr. Jay Narayan, John C. C. Fan Family Distinguished Chair Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at North Carolina State University, is the 2014 recipient of the O. Max Gardner Award – the most significant universitywide honor given to faculty by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors. The award is presented each year…

Apr 10, 2014

Enzyme ‘Wrench’ Could Be Key to Stronger, More Effective Antibiotics

Builders and factory workers know that getting a job done right requires precision and specialized tools. The same is true when you’re building antibiotic compounds at the molecular level. New findings from North Carolina State University may turn an enzyme that acts as a specialized “wrench” in antibiotic assembly into a set of wrenches that…

Apr 7, 2014

Organic Solar Cells More Efficient With Molecules Face-to-Face

New research from North Carolina State University and UNC-Chapel Hill reveals that energy is transferred more efficiently inside of complex, three-dimensional organic solar cells when the donor molecules align face-on, rather than edge-on, relative to the acceptor. This finding may aid in the design and manufacture of more efficient and economically viable organic solar cell…

Mar 28, 2014

Finding the Mix: Solar Cell Efficiency a Delicate Balance

Research from North Carolina State University reveals that solar cell efficiency is based upon a delicate balance between the size and purity of the interior layers, or domains. These findings may lead to better designs and improved performance in organic solar cells. Polymer-based solar cells are intended to have two domains, consisting of an electron…

Mar 13, 2014

Researchers Describe Oxygen’s Different Shapes

Oxygen-16, one of the key elements of life on earth, is produced by a series of reactions inside of red giant stars. Now a team of physicists, including one from North Carolina State University, has revealed how the element’s nuclear shape changes depending on its state, even though other attributes such as spin and parity…

Mar 5, 2014

Pigment or Bacteria? Researchers Re-examine the Idea of ‘Color’ in Fossil Feathers

Paleontologists studying fossilized feathers have proposed that the shapes of certain microscopic structures inside the feathers can tell us the color of ancient birds. But new research from North Carolina State University demonstrates that it is not yet possible to tell if these structures – thought to be melanosomes – are what they seem, or…

Feb 26, 2014

Sischo Named Vice Chancellor for Advancement at NC State

Brian C. Sischo, a 23-year veteran of higher education fund raising, has been named vice chancellor for university advancement at NC State University and president of the NC State University Foundation. Sischo comes to NC State from Syracuse University where he has served as vice president for development since 2009. The NC State Board of Trustees today unanimously approved Sischo’s…

Feb 19, 2014

New Satellite Images Reveal More About Interior Structure of Supernova

A new and powerful satellite has given researchers a way to see into the dark interiors of supernovae. Their observations of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A shed more light on the mechanics of these explosions. “The new Cas A images give us new information about not only the elements that are created in a supernova,…

Feb 18, 2014

Grasso Named Dean of NC State’s Graduate School

Dr. Maureen Grasso, dean of the University of Georgia’s Graduate School, has been named dean of the Graduate School at North Carolina State University. She begins her appointment July 1. A nationally recognized leader in graduate education, Grasso has served as dean at Georgia since 2002, overseeing a graduate program with more than 6,600 students, 95…