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College of Sciences offers Honors Program in Biological Sciences Biology students with honors will be able to opt to continue in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Honors Program or can choose to enter the inaugural Honors Program in Biological Sciences. The Department of Biology will join the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences this summer to form the new College of Sciences. Along with students in biological sciences, genetics, microbiology and zoology majors will have their own honors programs as well. All programs will require two semesters of undergraduate research and eight hours of honors coursework.
International students — and Mrs. Wuf — celebrate diversity
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N.C. State is home to 3,600 international students who represent more than 130 countries. Mrs. Wuf joined the international community at the fifth annual End of the Year Party hosted by the Office of International Services (OIS) last week. Approximately 600 people came out to enjoy food from three caterers — Barry’s Cafe (American fare), Virgil’s Jamaica (Caribbean food) and Kaplan Catering (South American cuisine). The event also featured the fourth Annual OIS Invitational Donut Eating Competition where teams of two had to complete a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts with the fastest team walking away as champions. The 2013 winning team, Tahmid Latif and Adnan Choudhury from Bangladesh, completed the challenge in 1 minute and 37 seconds. Mrs. Wuf made a special appearance and posed for pictures with her international fans. Rana Gurarslan, a PhD student from Turkey in the College of Textiles, attended the party for the second year in a row with her daughter and husband. “I am glad OIS organizes a party like this because it is a great way to see friends and enjoy some time together before summer”. This year’s party was held on the afternoon of Friday, April 19th at the Centennial Campus Oval. For more photos, see http://oisevents.wordpress. ncsu.edu/.
Laying out the principles of being a good principal
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Elizabeth Dhuey from the University of Toronto gave a talk about the importance of leadership in education Wednesday at Nelson Hall. Specifically, Dhuey discussed the importance of
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Finding life in molecular dynamics Tim Gorski Staff Title
Italian physicist and professor of Structure of Matter at the University of Rome, Giovanni Ciccotti, traveled to N.C. State’s campus to give a lecture about the complexities and challenges of molecular dynamics simulations Wednesday. Molecular dynamics is a contemporary study and its origins date back to the late 1950’s when theoretical physicists devised methods of modeling complex interactions between atoms and molecules. The applications of such models at that time did not look promising, but modern technology has created more opportunities for the field. “[It] was hard in the past to create a model which could be using the technologies they had in the 1970s,” Cicotti said. He illustrated this point by telling a story in which a colleague of his made a model for a weather system which could predict the weather in an hour based on given conditions. The only catch was that it would take the computer about two weeks to do the computations, rendering the model useless. However, due to Moore’s Law,
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Giovanni Ciccotti, Professor of Structure of Matter from the University of Roma, talks about Molecular Dynamics simulation. Molecular Dynamics refers to the movements between atoms and molecules. This event took place in Riddick Hall on Wednesday April 24.
which states the power of computer circuits doubles every two years, computers now have the ability to do much more complex computations at a faster and more economically feasible fashion. This computational ability has given physicists, such as Ciccotti, the capability to develop models
which are used in fields such as material science engineering and plasma physics. Molecu la r dy na m ic s models are also useful in modeli ng biolog ic a l s y stem s a nd the behavior of biomolecules. The event featured in depth discussion about the esoteric inner work-
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ings of molecular dynamics which are incomprehensible to the laymen. Nevertheless, it is not difficult to see how a theory of such encompassing scope can be applied in the scientific and engineering discoveries and inventions of the future.
NC Student Power Union plans MayDay march Jake Moser Staff Writer
to protect the farmland and the villages,” Gibbs said. Mike Burchell, assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering and extension specialist, works alongside Gibbs to restore farms and streams. Burchell and Gibbs, along with other experts, are putting a variety of different systems in place to protect the county and surrounding areas. The planning and designing of the restoration project has been in progress for over four years and the researchers plan to break ground with their main project later this year, according to Burchell. By the completion of the project, a
Students are taking matters into their own hands next month in an attempt to stop the General Assembly’s assault on higher education. The North Carolina Student Power Union, a group founded by college students across the state, will lead a protest on May 1st criticizing Pat McCrory’s proposed budget, which recommends over $140 million in cuts to the UNC System, among other measures. The NCPSU, alongside other groups, will also be protesting proposed legislature, like a bill that would require student voters (who are claimed as dependents by their parents) to return to their home county in order to vote. Otherwise their parents will forego their tax benefits, meaning this law would effectively limit student voting. Hannah Allison, a graduate student in social work and NCPSU member, says unity and student representation are major themes of the demonstration. “For me, it’s about folks coming together to fight for a North Carolina that we want to live in — a state that provides for its people,” Allison said. However, Taylor McLamb, chair of the College Republicans until the end of the semester and senior in political science at N.C. State, supports McCrory’s budget, while her views don’t necessarily support other CR
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Institute for Emerging Issues hosts tax reform debate The Institute for Emerging Issues will host a tax reform debate, “Financing the Future,” on May 7 from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Emerging Issues Commons in the Hunt Library. North Carolina’s economy and population have changed dramatically over the last century, yet its financial systems have remained relatively stagnant. Tax reform is a complicated and often contentious issue, and North Carolina has once again begun weighing the prospect of reforming the state’s tax system. The Institute for Emerging Issues, in partnership with the Civitas Institute and the N.C. Budget and Tax Center, will host a debate on this issue, featuring national experts on the subject of taxation and finance. Central to the debate is the future ability of North Carolina to retain talent, foster economic growth and finance needed infrastructure.
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Naval ROTC cadets poised to lead
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he Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps conducted a Change of Command ceremony at Hunt Library Wednesday. NROTC conducted a Change of Command ceremony in Hunt Library Auditorium. The Change of Command ceremony involves the presenting of awards, followed by a promotion ceremony —promoting underclassmen to their new ranks — and ending with the change of command from one student commanding officer to another.
N.C. State researchers protect farmers, soil, environment Jessica Hatcher Staff Writer
Members of N.C. State faculty are working to protect farmland in rural towns on the coast of North Carolina. Sea level rise has caused an increase in saltwater intrusion for farmland areas in North Carolina like Hyde County. This is problematic because it affects crop efficiency and the amount of usable farmland. Hyde County is home to “some of the best farmlands in the country,” according to Mac Gibbs, the extension director for Hyde County. High yields of corn, soybeans, wheat, and cotton are all produced there,
Gibbs said. The county has very low elevation, with the highest point in the county only 14 feet above sea-level, and the majority of the county lying between three and five feet above sea-level, according to Gibbs. “Sea-level rise is real and it’s been happening for years. We are seeing a loss of farmland from the saltwater intrusion,” Gibbs said. Gibbs explained that most crops cannot grow successfully in soil with high salinity, and the ones that do grow very slowly. Major storms, like hurricanes, are also contributing to “more flooding further inland than in the past,” Gibbs said. “With all of these forces against us, we had to come up with a way