research news

Sep 12, 2011

Researchers Find Way To Measure Effect Of Wi-Fi Attacks

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a way to measure how badly a Wi-Fi network would be disrupted by different types of attacks – a valuable tool for developing new security technologies. 

Sep 9, 2011

NC State Plays Leading Role in New NSF Soft Matter Research Center

North Carolina State University will play a leading role in a new multi-university center that will focus on soft matter research, a branch of materials science with almost limitless practical applications, from organic solar cells to tissue implants to new classes of drugs. Recognizing that some of the leading scientists and engineers involved in soft… 

Sep 8, 2011

NC State Lands Grant To Evaluate Special Ed Assessment and Accountability

Assessing educational progress in schools has become increasingly important since the passage of No Child Left Behind, but significant questions remain about the best way to measure schools’ effectiveness when it comes to working with children in special education programs. North Carolina State University will  help address those questions as part of a new federally… 

Aug 31, 2011

Leapin’ Lizards

If you live in the southeastern U.S., you see these little guys (and gals) everywhere – the ubiquitous green or brown Anole lizard known scientifically as Anolis carolinensis. But aside from being cute and able to regenerate part of its tail, this little lizard – and its newly sequenced genome – may help scientists solve… 

Aug 29, 2011

Study: Simple Teaching Tool Boosts Student Reading Performance

Research from North Carolina State University shows that utilizing a freely available literacy tool results in significant advances in fundamental reading skills for elementary school students, without requiring schools to drastically overhaul existing programs. The research focused on children who were characterized as “struggling readers” at risk for a learning disability in reading. 

Aug 24, 2011

Common Bacterium Stops Mosquitoes from Transmitting Dengue Virus

Strains of a bacterium commonly found in fruit flies can prevent the Aedes aegypti mosquito from transmitting the virus that causes dengue fever, researchers have found. Their discovery could lead to a more effective way to control dengue worldwide. North Carolina State University mathematical biologist Dr. Alun Lloyd is part of the Eliminate Dengue program,… 

Aug 17, 2011

Researchers Find Way To Align Gold Nanorods On A Large Scale

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a simple, scalable way to align gold nanorods, particles with optical properties that could be used for emerging biomedical imaging technologies. 

Aug 16, 2011

Ions Control Shape Of Nanofibers Grown On Clear Substrate

Researchers from North Carolina State University, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and CFD Research Corporation have found a new way to develop straight carbon nanofibers on a transparent substrate. Growing such nanofiber coatings is important for use in novel biomedical research tools, solar cells, water repellent coatings and others. The technique utilizes a charged chromium… 

Aug 15, 2011

In Job Market, Social Contacts Help Men – Not Women

When it comes to finding a job, who you know is as important as what you know. Work experience generally helps people foster the kinds of personal contacts that can lead someone to new career opportunities, but a study from North Carolina State University shows that this is really only true for men. The study… 

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… 

Aug 3, 2011

NC State Gets $25 Million Grant to Nullify Norovirus

North Carolina State University will use a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to strengthen food safety by studying human noroviruses across the food supply chain in an effort to design effective control measures and reduce the number of virus-caused food-borne illnesses. Human noroviruses… 

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… 

Jul 21, 2011

Don’t It Make My Black Wings Red?

Many tropical butterflies and moths have strikingly beautiful wing colors and patterns. To scientists, though, studying these colors and patterns is less about beauty and more about learning how some butterflies and moths have managed to evolve deceptively similar or exceptionally diverse color patterns. When butterflies mimic the wing patterns and colors of other butterflies… 

Jul 14, 2011

NC State Presents Awards to Help Speed Discoveries to Marketplace

A vaccine that prevents Salmonella, coatings that protect fabrics from ultraviolet (UV) rays, bandages that release medication to improve wound healing, and better bed bug bait – these four technological breakthroughs are one step closer to becoming reality. The North Carolina State University researchers behind these inventions are the first recipients of NC State’s Chancellor’s Innovation… 

Jul 14, 2011

Soft Memory Device Opens Door To New Biocompatible Electronics

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a memory device that is soft and functions well in wet environments – opening the door to a new generation of biocompatible electronic devices.