research news

Apr 30, 2010

NC State Wins ARPA-E Grant To Study Extremophile Production Of Biofuels

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) has awarded a grant for more than $2.7 million to North Carolina State University to support research into the creation of biofuels using microbial organisms, called extremophiles, that live in high-temperature environments. 

Apr 28, 2010

NC State Researchers to Evaluate Technology Use in K-12 Classrooms

School districts across the state are investing millions of dollars into instructional technology for K-12 schools in hopes of better preparing students to work and live in the 21st century. But are the technology and media programs helping students succeed? Researchers at North Carolina State University are evaluating the success of the North Carolina Department… 

Apr 28, 2010

Nanodots Breakthrough May Lead To ‘A Library On One Chip’

A researcher at North Carolina State University has developed a computer chip that can store an unprecedented amount of data – enough to hold an entire library’s worth of information on a single chip. The new chip stems from a breakthrough in the use of nanodots, or nanoscale magnets, and represents a significant advance in… 

Apr 27, 2010

Trudy Mackay Elected to National Academy of Sciences

Dr. Trudy F.C. Mackay of Raleigh, William Neal Reynolds and Distinguished University Professor of Genetics and Entomology at North Carolina State University, has been elected into the National Academy of Sciences, one of the world’s most important scientific societies. Mackay becomes the ninth current NC State faculty member to be elected into the august scientific society.… 

Apr 27, 2010

New Research Offers Security For Virtualization, Cloud Computing

Virtualization and cloud computing allow computer users access to powerful computers and software applications hosted by remote groups of servers, but security concerns related to data privacy are limiting public confidence – and slowing adoption of the new technology. Now researchers from North Carolina State University have developed new techniques and software that may be… 

Apr 26, 2010

Study: Celebrity Endorsements Do Not Help Political Candidates

If you’re running for office – and want to shore up support from young voters – you want Hollywood’s support, right? Wrong. Two new studies from North Carolina State University show that young voters are not swayed by celebrity endorsements of political candidates – and sometimes voters like the candidate less as a result of… 

Apr 20, 2010

Materials Research Advances Reliability Of Faster Smart Sensors

In military and security situations, a split second can make the difference between life and death, so North Carolina State University’s development of new “smart sensors” that allow for faster response times from military applications is important. Equally important is new research from NC State that will help ensure those sensors will operate under extreme conditions… 

Apr 15, 2010

NC State Study Examines Geography of Human Disease

If your home region has a hot, wet climate and a lot of different kinds of birds and mammals living in it, there’s a really good chance the region will also contain numerous kinds of pathogens that cause human diseases. A new study examining the geography of human disease, led by Dr. Rob Dunn at… 

Apr 14, 2010

Pinning Down a Proton: Researchers Develop Method to Describe Binding of Protons and Neutrons

A researcher at North Carolina State University has helped to develop a new method for describing the binding of protons and neutrons within nuclei. This method may improve scientists’ ability to predict and understand astrophysical reactions within stars. When protons and neutrons bind, the process releases energy. This fusion energy is how stars burn. If… 

Apr 13, 2010

Research Lays Guidelines For Real World Scholarship

Academia is sometimes viewed as an “ivory tower” environment with little connection to the real world, but new research from North Carolina State University should help academics striving to overcome that reputation. A new paper lays out guidelines that can be used to develop and implement partnerships between academics and local communities to foster research… 

Apr 12, 2010

NC State Scientists Uncover Genes Critical to Moths’ Complicated Sexual Communication and Their Evolution

To look at the tobacco budworm moth and its close cousin, you wouldn’t be able to tell the fuzzy-looking, fingertip-size moths apart. But put males of each species as far as six car-lengths away from females,  and even in the darkness of midnight they easily find their way to mates from their own species while… 

Apr 12, 2010

Study Shows That Size Affects Structure of Hollow Nanoparticles

A new study from North Carolina State University shows that size plays a key role in determining the structure of certain hollow nanoparticles. The researchers focused on nickel nanoparticles, which have interesting magnetic and catalytic properties that may have applications in fields as diverse as energy production and nanoelectronics. 

Apr 8, 2010

Mathematics Singled Out

The mathematics department received the 2010 American Mathematics Society Award for an exemplary program or achievement. 

Apr 8, 2010

Roll Out the Research

Curiosity is brewing about whether hops, a key ingredient in beer, could be a viable crop in North Carolina. Researchers, growers and beer makers intend to find out. 

Apr 8, 2010

Researchers Find Compound Effective In Destroying Antibiotic-Resistant Biofilms

Researchers at North Carolina State University have found a chemical compound that, when used in conjunction with conventional antibiotics, is effective in destroying biofilms produced by antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria such as the Staphylococcus strain MRSA and Acinetobacter. The compound also re-sentsitizes those bacteria to antibiotics. Infections from antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSA are especially…