physical and mathematical sciences

Aug 24, 2011

NC State Experts Can Discuss Hurricane, Disaster Issues

With Hurricane Irene churning toward the Southeastern United States, 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… 

Aug 9, 2011

New Technique Scales Up Nanofiber Production

A new spin on an old technology will give scientists and manufacturers the ability to significantly increase their production of nanofibers, according to researchers at North Carolina State University. Collections of nanofibers, because they are porous and lightweight, are useful in applications ranging from water filtration to tissue regeneration to energy storage. But although nanofibers… 

Jul 22, 2011

Pirates of the Paleolithic

Avast, ye scurvy Homo erectus!  Recent archaeological finds from Crete show that the first seafaring humans set sail for parts unknown – or maybe parts barely visible to the naked eye – more than 10 times earlier than previously thought. So instead of man settling the Greek island around 10,000 years ago, we now have… 

Jun 28, 2011

How Copper Folds Protein into Parkinson’s Plaques

Researchers at North Carolina State University have found out how copper induces misfolding in the protein associated with Parkinson’s disease, leading to creation of the fibrillar plaques which characterize the disease. This finding has implications for both the study of Parkinson’s progression as well as for future treatments. The protein in question, alpha-synuclein, is the… 

Jun 13, 2011

Astrophysicist Looks to Stars to Uncover Neutrino’s Secrets

A North Carolina State University astrophysicist hopes to gain better understanding of one of nature’s most elusive particles – neutrinos – as well as the supernovae that spawn them. Dr. James Kneller, professor of physics at NC State, has received a five-year, $750,000 Early Career Research Program grant from the Department of Energy to study how… 

May 13, 2011

NC State’s Davidian Elected President Of American Statistical Association

Dr. Marie Davidian, William Neal Reynolds Professor of Statistics at North Carolina State University, has been elected president of the American Statistical Association (ASA). Her term of service will begin Jan. 1, 2013. The ASA is a scientific and educational society founded in 1839, with members serving in academia, government and industry in more than… 

May 11, 2011

Carbon, Carbon, Everywhere; But Not From the Big Bang

As Star Trek is so fond of reminding us, we’re carbon-based life forms. But the event that jump-started the universe, the Big Bang, didn’t actually produce any carbon, so where the heck did it – and we – come from?  An NC State researcher has helped create supercomputer simulations that demonstrate how carbon is produced in… 

Apr 29, 2011

NC State Hosts Science Olympiad April 30

North Carolina State University will host more than 2,500 of the state’s best and brightest middle- and high-school students at the North Carolina Science Olympiad (NCSO) on April 30. The competitive events will include launching bottle rockets, flying remote-control helicopters, breaking balsa towers, throwing catapults, destroying sumo bots and investigating crime scenes. Media are invited… 

Apr 27, 2011

Less is More: Researchers Pinpoint Graphene’s Varying Conductivity Levels

Did you know that pencil lead may just end up changing the world? Graphene is the material from which graphite, the core of your No. 2 pencil, is made. It is also the latest “wonder material,” and may be the electronics industry’s next great hope for the creation of extremely fast electronic devices. Researchers at… 

Apr 14, 2011

NC State Predicts Active Atlantic Hurricane Season for 2011

Researchers at North Carolina State University believe that hurricane activity will be above normal in the Atlantic basin in 2011. According to Dr. Lian Xie, professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences, and collaborators Dr. Montserrat Fuentes, professor of statistics, and graduate student Morgan Lennon, 2011 should see 13 to 16 named storms forming in… 

Mar 29, 2011

NC State Hosts Lecture on the Future of Chemistry and Biology

What: North Carolina State University will host a lecture, titled “The Chemistry/Biology Interface: Walking the Edge,” by Dr. Barbara Imperiali, a professor of chemistry and  biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Imperiali’s talk will focus on her groundbreaking research in the development of chemical tools… 

Feb 28, 2011

Scientific Serendipity

In an interesting bit of scientific serendipity, researchers at North Carolina State University have found that a chemical compound useful for studying the origins of intestinal birth defects may also inhibit the growth and spread of cancerous tumors. During the screening of chemical compounds created by NC State chemist Dr. Alex Deiters, developmental biologist Dr. Nanette… 

Feb 18, 2011

NC State Receives $3.67M Grant to Examine Effect of Climate Change on Southern Loblolly Pines

North Carolina State University is part of a team of 12 institutions across the Southeastern United States selected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to establish a regional network to monitor the effects of climate change on southern pine trees. The goal is to use the information to develop… 

Jan 14, 2011

Five NC State Faculty Named AAAS Fellows

Five North Carolina State University faculty members have been elected as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Dr. H.T. Banks, Distinguished University Professor of Mathematics, elected for distinguished contributions to the field of applied mathematics, particularly in quantitative modeling in the biomedical sciences and other areas of science and engineering.… 

Dec 22, 2010

From Fossils To New Tech: Research Highlights From 2010

From prehistoric penguins, which help us understand the mysteries of evolution, to “artificial leaves” that could change the face of solar energy, 2010 was a fascinating year of research at North Carolina State University. As we prepare for 2011, we thought we’d take a look back at some of the interesting research stories to come…