In the News

Highlights of recent media coverage of NC State, as well as its faculty, staff and administrators. (Links to online stories provided where available.)

Hope for next year’s tomato crop
Baltimore Sun, Sept. 24, 2009
“The home gardeners and organic gardeners on the East Coast who were hit so hard by the early appearance of late blight are already wondering what next tomato season will bring.” Dr. Jean Ristaino, plant pathology, featured.

Altered chestnut trees succeed
News & Observer, Sept. 24, 2009
“In stands of tiny trees in North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia blooms the hope of restoring a mighty giant, as scientists try to bring back the American chestnut from near extinction.” Dr. Ron Sederoff, forestry, featured.

Meet Warwick Arden
State of Things, Sept. 14, 2009
“As the world copes with the global disease outbreak of H1N1 flu, the link between human and animal health is difficult to ignore.”

Calculation That Doesn’t Add Up
Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 14, 2009
“When critics question the validity of the calculations U.S. News & World Report uses to rank colleges, one answer the editors of the magazine have given is to note that it publishes not only the total rank, but also data on how colleges perform in the various categories that go into the rankings.” Karen Helm, university planning and analysis, featured.

Sparring over the stimulus
CNN Your Money, Sept.13, 2009
Video transcript. Dr. Terri Lomax, research, Dr. Sami Rizkalla, civil engineering, Rogelio Sullivan, freedom center, featured.

Daily Planet, Sept. 9, 2009
Discovery Channel, Sept. 9, 2009
Watch why scientists chose to model a lunar rover after a…tumbleweed?! Dr. Andre Mazzoleni, mechanical and aeorspace engineering, featured.

Hand washing can beat the H1N1 flu
WRAL, Sept. 10 , 2009
“The vaccine for the H1N1 flu virus won’t be available until this fall, but people can already take simple steps to avoid the bug.” Dr. Lee-Ann Jaykus, food science, featured

Roasted Wood: An Alternative To Coal Energy?
NPR, Sept. 10, 2009
“Utility companies are racing to find alternative fuels to generate electricity, and one possible new source is also one of the oldest: burning wood.” Chris Hopkins, forestry, featured.

Why does fatherhood make men more conservative?
Salon, Sept. 9, 2009
“So what is it, exactly, that makes fathers turn conservative?” Dr. Steven Greene, political science, featured.

NCSU’s Kolar seeks to zap odor from swine rendering plants
TBJ, Sept.9, 2009
“Residents near swine rendering plants soon may get a reprieve from much of the noxious  odor emanating from the facilities.” Dr. Praveen Kolar, bio and ag engineering, featured.

Moving ahead with energy from wastes
News & Observer, Sept. 8, 2009
“Technology to convert animal waste to energy is available, and policies are in place to encourage its implementation.” Dr. Mike Williams, animal and poultry waste management, featured.

Farmers warned to get ready
News & Observer, Sept. 4, 2009
“Even if global temperatures rise slowly, climate change could slash the yields of some of the world’s most important crops almost in half, according to a new study co-authored by an N.C. State University scientist.” Dr. Michael Roberts, ag and resource economics, featured.

Oil Allies Protesting U.S. Money for Rivals
NY Times, Sept. 1, 2009
“The Obama administration has granted as much as $1.6 million in aid to help trade groups promote ethanol, natural gas, propane and biodiesel products, whose clean-energy selling points happen to fit with the administration’s push to cap carbon emissions.”

University’s trash becomes treasure for nonprofits
WRAL, Sept. 1, 2009
“North Carolina State University is celebrating a massive project that kept over a half-million pounds of furniture out of the landfill – and in use by people in need.” Jim Hansen, materials support, featured.

Speaking In Tongues: Language, Culture and the Future of the Military
DBusinessNews, Sept. 1, 2009
“North Carolina State University has received a grant that will make it a hub for teaching future military leaders the language and cultural skills they will need to address conflict in critical parts of the world, from Eastern Europe to the Middle East.” Lt. Col. Kenneth Ratashak, ROTC, featured.

NCSU seeks to develop $30.5M nonwovens facility
TBJ, Aug. 31, 2009
“N.C. State University is looking to expand its nonwoven textiles programs with the construction of a $30.5 million facility on Centennial Campus.”

Out-of-state students still covet UNC, NCSU, NCCU
TBJ, Aug. 31, 2009
“The number of out-of-state students choosing to pay higher tuition to attend the Triangle’s three public universities is holding steady, despite predictions that such numbers would decline due to the sour economy.”

Climate tipping point defined for US crop yields
New Scientist, et al, Aug. 27, 2009
“While news reports and disaster movies remind us about tipping points for Arctic melt and sea level rise, some things closer to home get less attention.” Dr. Michael Roberts, ag and resource economics, featured.

Turning Sour: Falling prices for milk leave N.C. dairy farmers struggling for survival
Winston-Salem Journal, Aug. 27, 2009
“Don’t ask Keith Hockett if he’s ‘got milk?’” Dr. Geoff Benson, ag and resource economics, featured.

Megapixels: A Living, Beating Pig Heart in the Lab, No Pig Necessary
Popular Science, Sept. 2009
″This is a pig heart, procured from a slaughterhouse, beating on a heart-pumping machine called the Heart Cart.”Andrew Richards, mechanical engineering, featured.