Technician - February 20, 2013

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TECHNICIAN          

wednesday february

20 2013

Raleigh, North Carolina

technicianonline.com

$9 Million grant goes to solar energy efforts Alexandra Kenney Staff Writer

An energy center at N.C. State has $9 million to put toward making home installation of solar energy panels easier and less expensive. The Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management Systems Center, established by the National Science Foundation, is a research center located on Centennial Campus. The center partners with facilities nationwide to bring green energy to households and businesses. According to Alex Huang, professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of FREEDM Systems Center, home installation of solar panels is expensive and time consuming, but the process will be made easier thanks to the grant from the Department of Energy. Inspections must be passed and permission must be given by homebuilders before the panels can be installed. When overhead costs and the cost of installation are put together, the price can reach up to $5 per watt, Huang said. “Renewable energy is great and everyone understands that, but we need to make it compatible with the usual energy systems,” Huang said. “We want the cost to be reduced by 400 percent. Bringing the cost from $5 per watt to $1.50 per watt is our goal.” Researchers also hope to make the installation process more efficient, Huang said. Because the panels are installed on top of the home, the project will make sure installation meets policies and

COURTESY OF CHARLIE HARLESS

Ted Rives, junior in biological sciences and psychology, and Gracie Blackley, junior in biological sciences and music performance, talk to applicants about their experiences within the special dual degree during last year’s interview day. Thomas Jefferson scholars are students of both the College of Agriculture and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Because of this Jefferson Scholars receive special advising in planning course schedules, and often take five years to graduate.

Biology to leave Jefferson Scholars Taylor O’Quinn & Sara Awad Staff Writers

Biology majors in the Thomas Jefferson Scholars Program are unsure about their future due to changes to the undergraduate program.` The N.C. State biology program is being moved from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to the College of Sciences. The Thomas Jefferson Scholars Program provides money to students pursuing a dual degree between any College of Agricultural and Life Sciences program and any College of Humanities and Social Sciences program. Members of the Thomas Jefferson Scholars Program sent a letter to the University asking to admit future College of Sciences students into the program. The University replied telling members to “calm down,” according to a source who wishes to remain anonymous. Dana Moeller, fundraising chair for the Jefferson Scholars, said the program will no longer accept biology students.

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Waking up from the

American Dream Brittany Bynum Staff Writer

Wake Up! It’s Serious: A Campaign for Change Committee partnered with Uniting N.C. on Tuesday night to host the second in a series of discussions on immigration and the “American Dream” in the Caldwell Lounge. The event featured Rupert Nacoste, a professor from the Department of Psychology, as a speaker. Members Lydia Bravo-Taylor, Omar Bajwa, and Josh Andrews opened up the event with the mission of their committee. Wake Up! It’s Serious: A Campaign for Change is a group of N.C. State students whose motive is speak up against racial slurs and intolerance. Lydia Bravo-Taylor, a senior in sociology, said the American dream is rooted in independence, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. She

also said that the U.S. was a land of opportunity for all regardless of race, gender, or ethnicity. “The American dream, you have to be asleep to believe it,” BravoTaylor said, quoting George Carlin. Bravo-Taylor said there is a hidden reality that minorities and immigrants do not start off on the same footing as other Americans. Everybody may start equally, but not with equity. Bravo-Taylor opened the discussion with emphasis that everyone should speak up and wake up. She also reminded the crowd to be respectful of others. Omar Bajwa, a senior in psychology, showed a clip from “The Godfather” to highlight the difficulty in immigrating into the United States. One element of the clip underscored the immigrant as having to

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Under the current structure, ap- senior in biology and Spanish, said. proximately half of the program’s “Now we are just trying to make the members major in biology. best of the situation.” Next year, biology students will Alexandra Carlson, junior in annot be allowed into the program imal science and history, said this since it will fall under College of year’s applicant pool decreased from Sciences instead of the College of approximately 70 to 25 students. Agriculture and Life Sciences. Carlson said she worried this would Students who are lead to a less commoving into Colpetitive and seleclege of Sciences tive program. and are already in “We’re not picky, the program will be but there are cergrandfathered into t a i n s t a n d a rd s the program and that have to be will not lose their met,” Carlson said. status as Thomas “We’ll have to reKaitlyn Rogers, Thomas Jefferson Scholars, build up the proJefferson Scholars Service Moeller said. gram.” Co-Chair Thomas Jefferson Rogers said she Scholars Service doesn’t think the Co-chair Kaitlyn Rogers said if this program would become less comhad been implemented earlier, she petitive, but it would accept fewer herself would not have been able to students. join the program. Nick Scarff, a junior studying “I’m disappointed [because] bioprocessing and international about half of our members would studies, said most biology majors not be included in the program… will be moving to the new College and we couldn’t work something out of Sciences, however the College of between COS and CALS,” Rogers, a Agriculture and Life Sciences will

“Now we are just trying to make the best of the situation.”

Author shares story-telling tips Taylor O’Quinn Staff Writer

Wiley Cash spoke about how writing is like “a stick of dynamite” at the Cameron Village Public Library Tuesday at 7 p.m. Cash, a Gastonia native and bestselling author of A Land More Kind Than Home, spoke to the public about his journey through writing. “I’m from a long line of storytellers,” Cash said. “That means I’m from a long line of liars.” At 6 years old, Cash told his first story to his friend, who was in the audience, about his trip to Myrtle Beach. While playing basketball, Cash told his best friend that his dad had buried him in the sand up to his neck and a crab was pinching his big toe. Cash said his dad had to hurry to dig him out before he lost his big toe. “Happy stories don’t make good stories,” Cash said.

Twenty miles outside of Raleigh, Cash said his rental car ran out of gas on the interstate. He was three miles from a gas station and decided to start walking when a truck pulled over and offered him assistance. Upon entering the gas station a few minutes later, Cash was approached by a man who apologized for not being help him since he was driving an 18-wheeler. “North Carolina is the only place where people will apologize for not being able to pick you up on the interstate,” Cash said. Jim Clark, a retired N.C. State professor of English, said he met Cash in 2006 when he submitted his essay to Clark — an essay that later won a prestigious award. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Cash’s graduate alma mater, is called “Ulala.” Clark

still retain a few. “I’m unsure about the program’s future,” Scarff said. “The program may be changed to fit the biology majors or it may finish up with the current ones.” College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Assistant Director of Academic Programs Vicki Martin said the effects would be minimal on the Thomas Jefferson Scholars program except for students who apply to the College of Sciences. Martin helped interview applicants Saturday. “From my interactions with the interviewees, they were very strong candidates,” Martin said. “Thomas Jefferson Scholars is a strong program and will continue to be a strong program.” According to Martin, one possible solution for addressing concerns about the involvement of COS students might be through the partnership of the life sciences and CHASS. “We hate to see those students not

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insidetechnician viewpoint features classifieds sports

4 5 7 8 Hunt Library: only for engineering and textile students? See page 3.

Author shares story-telling tips See page 3.

The Meteor Report See page 6.

Avent picks up 600th victory at NCSU See page 8.

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1/30/13 12:06 PM


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