research news

Sep 27, 2010

Study Finds Brainstorming Rules Can Lead to Real-World Success in Business Settings

Researchers have long held that there are steps that can be taken to make brainstorming sessions more productive. New research from North Carolina State University finds that these recommendations actually do contribute to success when applied in real-world business environments. 

Sep 24, 2010

Mimicking Nature, Water-Based ‘Artificial Leaf’ Produces Electricity

A team led by a North Carolina State University researcher has shown that water-gel-based solar devices – “artificial leaves” – can act like solar cells to produce electricity. The findings prove the concept for making solar cells that more closely mimic nature. They also have the potential to be less expensive and more environmentally friendly… 

Sep 24, 2010

NC State Lands Grant To Research Acoustics For Security, Military Applications

Imagine a tool that uses sound waves to help identify land mines, roadside bombs or suicide bombers. North Carolina State University has received a grant from the U.S. Office of Naval Research to turn that idea into a reality. 

Sep 23, 2010

NC State Named Southeast Climate Science Hub

North Carolina State University will lead the U.S. Department of the Interior’s new Southeast Climate Science Center. The regional center will  provide scientific research needed to understand more about climate change and use the research to work with natural- and cultural-resource managers to plan for climate-change impacts. 

Sep 21, 2010

NC State Research Grant Will Help Military Combat Infections

A new $1.8 million grant from the Department of Defense will allow North Carolina State University researchers to work with the Walter Reed Institute of Research to further test the effectiveness of molecules that have shown great promise in combating antibiotic-resistant infections. The two-and-a-half-year project will show the efficacy of molecules created by NC State’s Dr.… 

Sep 21, 2010

New Research Improves Ability To Detect Malware in Cloud-Computing Systems

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed new software that offers significantly enhanced security for cloud-computing systems. The software is much better at detecting viruses or other malware in the “hypervisors” that are critical to cloud computing, and does so without alerting the malware that it is being examined. 

Sep 20, 2010

Study: Privacy Key Obstacle To Adopting Electronic Health Records

The United States could achieve significant health care savings if it achieved widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), but insufficient privacy protections are hindering public acceptance of the EHR concept, according to a new paper from researchers from North Carolina State University. The paper outlines steps that could be taken to boost privacy and… 

Sep 17, 2010

It’s the Economy, Professor

NC State helps North Carolina create jobs to speed the economic recovery with the launch of a new research Springboard. 

Sep 17, 2010

NC State Launches “Springboard” to Job Creation

North Carolina State University has promised by 2012 to double the number of startup companies it launches each year, creating much-needed jobs for workers statewide. NC State’s new innovation “hub,” called the Springboard Innovation Partnership Portal, will play a key role in achieving this goal by facilitating business partnerships and speeding up the pipeline through which… 

Sep 16, 2010

Pristine Rainforests are “Biogeochemical Reactors;” Produce Fuel for Rainclouds

A multinational team that includes a North Carolina State University researcher has found another piece of the atmospheric puzzle surrounding the effects of aerosol particles on climate change. Their findings will contribute to our ability to more accurately measure human impact on climate, and to determine how much pollution may “mask” the actual rate of… 

Sep 15, 2010

Scientists Pave Way For Improved Teamwork On Collaborative Research Efforts

Tackling today’s complex scientific questions often requires work from interdisciplinary collaborative research teams – and working in those teams can create its own problems. Now a group of researchers from around the country, including North Carolina State University, has published a commentary in the journal Science Translational Medicine outlining a new field of study that… 

Sep 15, 2010

Robotic Catheter Could Improve Treatment of Heart Condition

Atrial fibrillation is a heart disorder that affects more than two million Americans, and is considered a key contributor to blood clots and stroke. Now researchers from North Carolina State University are developing a new computerized catheter that could make the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation faster, cheaper and more effective – while significantly decreasing… 

Sep 15, 2010

Virtual Tutors: NC State Receives Grant To Study Artificial Intelligence In The Classroom

While some students might dream of having a robot to help them with their homework, researchers at North Carolina State University are getting closer to making it happen. NC State recently received a four-year, $3.5 million grant to explore using artificial intelligence as a learning tool inside fourth- and fifth-grade science classrooms. Artificial intelligence is the… 

Sep 14, 2010

Research Will Help ID Bodies Left Behind By Chilean Earthquake, Pinochet Regime

New research from North Carolina State University will help medical examiners and others identify human remains of those killed during the recent earthquake in Chile, as well as the bodies of the “disappeared” who were killed during the Pinochet administration. 

Sep 8, 2010

Study Shows Nano-Architectured Aluminum Has Steely Strength

A North Carolina State University researcher and colleagues have figured out a way to make an aluminum alloy, or a mixture of aluminum and other elements, just as strong as steel. That’s important, says Dr. Yuntian Zhu, professor of materials science and engineering and the NC State researcher involved in the project, because the search for…