research news

Sep 5, 2013

Study IDs Trouble Areas, Aims to Speed Up Construction Projects

Research from North Carolina State University identified factors that cause construction site managers to schedule more time than necessary for specific tasks. Understanding these factors and whether they can be reduced or eliminated could help the industry complete construction projects more quickly. 

Aug 27, 2013

New Energy Model Offers Transparency to Let Others Replicate Findings

Computer models are used to inform policy decisions about energy, but existing models are generally “black boxes” that don’t show how they work, making it impossible for anyone to replicate their findings. Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new open-source model and are sharing the data they put into it, to allow… 

Aug 15, 2013

NC State Partners With National Security Agency on Big-Data Lab

North Carolina State University Chancellor Randy Woodson today announced a new partnership with the National Security Agency (NSA) to create the Laboratory for Analytic Sciences (LAS) on NC State’s Centennial Campus. The lab will bring together some of the brightest minds from government, academia and industry to address the most challenging big-data problems and will be… 

Aug 14, 2013

Research Shows Precisely Which Strategies Help Players Win Team-Oriented Video Games

Computer science researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a technique to determine which strategies give players an edge at winning in multi-player (action) real-time strategy (ARTS) games, such as Defense of the Ancients (DotA), Warcraft III and Starcraft II. The technique offers extremely precise information about how a player’s actions affect a team’s… 

Aug 7, 2013

Self-Healing Solar Cells ‘Channel’ Natural Processes

To understand how solar cells heal themselves, look no further than the nearest tree leaf or the back of your hand. The “branching” vascular channels that circulate life-sustaining nutrients throughout leaves and hands serve as the inspiration for solar cells that can restore themselves efficiently and inexpensively. In a new paper, North Carolina State University… 

Aug 6, 2013

New Technique Allows Closer Study of How Radiation Damages Materials

A team of researchers led by North Carolina State University has developed a technique that provides real-time images of how magnesium changes at the atomic scale when exposed to radiation. The technique may give researchers new insights into how radiation weakens the integrity of radiation-tolerant materials, such as those used in space exploration and in… 

Aug 5, 2013

Understanding Interface Properties of Graphene Paves Way for New Applications

Researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of Texas have revealed more about graphene’s mechanical properties and demonstrated a technique to improve the stretchability of graphene – developments that should help engineers and designers come up with new technologies that make use of the material. 

Aug 2, 2013

Researchers Create ‘Soft Robotic’ Devices Using Water-Based Gels

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique for creating devices out of a water-based hydrogel material that can be patterned, folded and used to manipulate objects. The technique holds promise for use in “soft robotics” and biomedical applications. 

Jul 26, 2013

Researchers Find New Way to Create ‘Gradients’ for Understanding Molecular Interactions

Scientists use tools called gradients to understand how molecules interact in biological systems. Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique for creating biomolecular gradients that is both simpler than existing techniques and that creates additional surface characteristics that allow scientists to monitor other aspects of molecular behavior. 

Jul 25, 2013

Researchers Get Better Metrics on Laser Potential of Key Material

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed more accurate measurements of how efficiently a polymer called MEH-PPV amplifies light, which should advance efforts to develop a new generation of lasers and photonic devices. 

Jul 18, 2013

Irish Potato Famine-Causing Pathogen Even More Virulent Now

The plant pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s lives on today with a different genetic blueprint and an even larger arsenal of weaponry to harm and kill plants. 

Jul 17, 2013

Injectable ‘Smart Sponge’ Holds Promise for Controlled Drug Delivery

Researchers have developed a drug delivery technique for diabetes treatment in which a sponge-like material surrounds an insulin core. The sponge expands and contracts in response to blood sugar levels to release insulin as needed. The technique could also be used for targeted drug delivery to cancer cells. 

Jul 16, 2013

New Model to Improve Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication for ‘Intelligent Transportation’

Imagine a transportation system where vehicles communicate directly with each other in real time, giving drivers warnings about traffic delays, allowing a single driver to control multiple vehicles or routing vehicles around hazardous road conditions. Those are all aspects of the “intelligent transportation” concept. And researchers have developed a model to improve the clarity of… 

Jul 15, 2013

Study Finds Clues on How to Keep Kids Engaged With Educational Games

If you want teams of students to stay engaged while playing educational games, you might want them to switch seats pretty often. That’s one finding from a pilot study that evaluated how well middle school students were able to pay attention to game-based learning tasks. 

Jul 10, 2013

Researchers Perform DNA Computation in Living Cells

Chemists from North Carolina State University have performed a DNA-based logic-gate operation within a human cell. The research may pave the way to more complicated computations in live cells, as well as new methods of disease detection and treatment. Logic gates are the means by which computers “compute,” as sets of them are combined in…