TECHNICIAN
Raleigh, North Carolina
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Building a faster network
FIBER OPTIC INTERNET TO SPUR ECONOMIC INNOVATION AND GROWTH Ravi K. Chittilla Editor-in-Chief
Viggy Kumaresan Correspondent
For about three years, the N.C. Next Generation Net-
works, which represents UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University, Wake Forest University and N.C. State, has been in the process of negotiating with private companies to build a gigabit-bandwidth network. The consortium is inter-
ested in bringing new fiber optic Internet providers to these areas or using existing fiber optic cables to provide high-speed Internet outside a university setting. In April, the Raleigh City Council approved an agreement with AT&T that would
allow the company to begin distributing its ultra-highspeed Internet service in Raleigh. The network is part of a nationwide consortium to bring high-speed fiberoptic Internet to surrounding college areas to bring more inno-
vation and opportunities for economic growth, according to Marc Hoit, vice chancellor for Information Technology and chief information officer at N.C. State. “Universities like N.C. State have really good network quality, but as you move
Last fiscal year sees record funding Gabe DeCaro Correspondent
For the first time in N.C. State history, faculty and institutions have garnered more than $304.5 million in sponsored awards from industries and the federal government. The University matched its previous record for federal awards, which stands at $234 million, and set a new record of $35.8 million in industy awards, a gain of 40 percent from the previous record of $25.6 million. “All of this is all the more impressive in times of flat or decreasing federal funding and is a great testament to the efforts and skill of our faculty, staff, and research support professionals,” said Terri Lomax, vice chancellor of the Office of Research, Innovation & Economic Development. The Universit y’s sponsored awards did decrease, however, during the federal sequester of 2012 since agencies were late in sending out calls for federal award proposals due to fear that sequestration would set in and they would receive cuts to their agencies, Lomax said. “The faculty showed how resilient they are, and they are working
across Hillsborough Street and throughout Raleigh, the quality of the network drops,” Hoit said. “This isn’t a problem unique to Raleigh, it’s all across the country. Earlier this year, Google,
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Centennial Campus to build new hotel Katherine Kehoe News Editor
Lomax said N.C. State has been working really hard on creating new industry partnerships. For example, the University’s relationship with the Eastman Chemical
The University announced its plan to develop a $28 million boutique hotel and conference center on Centennial Campus independently managed and operated under the Marriott Autograph Collection franchise. The hotel, which is set to open in summer 2016, will include 7,500 square feet of meeting space and conference rooms in addition to the 155 nightly rooms. A further expansion that would add 75 rooms and 7,500 square feet of meeting space is under consideration. The hotel will overlook Lake Raleigh and sit adjacent to the Park
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FILE PHOTO BY VICTORIA CROCKER /TECHNICIAN
Terri Lomax is the vice chancellor of the Office of Research, Innovation & Economic Development.
harder and being more successful,” Lomax said. This year, the University submitted a record number of proposals amounting to more than $1.32 billion, an increase of more than 25 percent from the previous record
of $1.06 billion in 2010, which occurred at the peak of funding opportunities from the stimulus, according to Lomax. “This level of activity bodes very well for future funding,” Lomax said.
APLU recognizes NCSU for innovation and development Staff Report
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities has designated N.C. State as an Innovation and Economic Prosperity University. The designation recognizes universities that support economic development through work with partners in both the public and private sector and emphasizes successes in innovation and entrepreneurship, technology transfer, talent and workforce development, and community development, according to an N.C. State press release.
To receive the Innovation and Economic Prosperit y Universit y designation, a university must conduct a self-study evaluating its efforts to support economic development by identifying both areas of strength and weakness. The study is then sent to the APLU for consideration. N.C. State received the designation because of “significant strengths” demonstrated by its study findings, according to APLU. Cha ncel lor Ra ndy Woodson is currently serving a one-year term as the chair of the APLU
Board of Directors and has previously served as the chair of the APLU Council of Presidents. APLU, which represents 219 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems and related organizations, was founded in 1887 as a research, policy and advocacy organization. “Public universities serve as economic engines for their local communities and states by conducting cutting-edge research to reach new breakthroughs, and by developing the talent to help existing businesses
g row st ronger a nd enabling new ones to develop and thrive,” APLU President Peter McPherson said in an N.C. State press release. According to McPherson, the 14 institutions receiving the 2014 Innovation & Economic Prosperity University designation are models, demonstrating how public research universities extend beyond the physical campuses in order to creates jobs and improves lives by driving and promoting economic development.
JOHN JOYNER/ TECHNICIAN
Oberlin Road, shown here on Wednesday, is undergoing renovations to make it more pedestrian friendly.
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Oberlin Road getting construction updates FEATURES
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Coleen Kinen-Ferguson Staff Writer
Proposed construction plans for Oberlin Road near Cameron Village will make the busy street more accommodating to pedestrians, while maintaining road size to
increase traffic efficiency. The proposal is part of a larger plan to improve the area around Cameron Village. Three new apartment complexes are currently being developed in the area, which are ex-
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