TECHNICIAN
friday february
28 2014
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
Professor awarded for sustainable home design Mona Bazzaz Staff Writer
PHOTO COURTESY OF RICK LEMASTER
Blake Hinton and Salim Taylor, both seniors in wood products, use a testing machine to evaluate the strength of solid wood to determine the effect of species or growth rates on the strength of the material.
College of Natural Resources replaces wood products major LaMecca Knoll Correspondent
The College of Natural Resources at N.C. State is offering a sustainable materials and technology major in the Department of Forest Biomaterials. The program replaced what was formerly the wood products major, which similarly concentrated on biomaterials, but with less emphasis on environmental and economic impacts.
According to Rick Lemaster, a research professor of forest biomaterials, students seeking this major will use a strong foundation in economics, sociology, environmental science and engineering to design, manufacture and sell natural sustainable biomaterials. Stephen Kelley, head of the Department of Forest Biomaterials, said it is the perfect time to introduce such a major. “Overall, the University has been slower than others to fully embrace
the opportunity to get sustainable technology into our classrooms,” Kelley said. “The wood products major has done a good job of documenting environmental impacts. However, new recognition of environmental benefits as well as recognition on campus calls for a new degree program.” According to Kelley, students currently in the wood products major can either finish their current degree program or switch to the SMT major. After this group of students;
however, the wood products major will no longer be available to incoming students. “Right now our traditional wood products students that are switching over to sustainable materials are getting multiple job offers for the spring and fall,” Lemaster said. Kelley said, in terms of the job market, it’s all about the long-term value. “In the short term, the majority of
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Staff member charged with assaulting student Staff Report
An N.C. State faculty member allegedly assaulted a student Tuesday after a road-rage incident according to a spokesperson for the Raleigh Police Department. The assault, which was report-
ed shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday, stemmed from a road-rage incident that occurred on Hillsborough Street, said Jim Sughrue, director of Public Affairs for RPD. The victim, Zackary Henry King, a Junior in English, reported the suspect, who was a passenger in
another vehicle, got out and came to his vehicle, opened his door and punched him in the face. The victim sought medical attention for facial injuries. A Follow-up investigation led to the identification of Tyreese Breanna Williams, who works for Dining and Catering
Operations at the University, as the suspect, and she was arrested at her place of employment on campus. King declined comment and Williams didn’t respond by press time.
The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture recently awarded adjunct N.C. State architecture professor Vincent Petrarca the Faculty Design Award, for his modern single-family home design. Petrarca, a co-owner, designer and contractor of Tonic Design, was the mastermind behind the awardwinning, environmentally-friendly house located in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Petrarca, an adjunct professor at the University, said N.C. State had a huge impact on his success as an architect. “I attended the University and was a freshman in 1990,” Petrarca said. “I have received two degrees from N.C. State. Since I have stayed in Raleigh, N.C. State is integral to almost everything we do each week.” Petrarca said the design school especially played a huge role in his current architecture firm and career. “N.C. State allows us to stay current in our field through the lectures of the design school,” Petrarca said. “It is extremely helpful because the College of Design at N.C. State is highly renowned and top-notch.” Petrarca said he strongly believes N.C. State will continue to play a vital role in his career as an architect in the future. According to Petrarca, this honor means a great deal to his firm because it strives to be as critical as a practice as is possible and that this comes through critical teaching. “The link between school ideas and work ideas is vital,” Petrarca said. The ACSA Faculty Design Award was awarded to Petrarca, but he said there were more people than just him involved in the production of the award-winning project. “The people in my office helped bring this project to life as well as our client,” Petrarca said. “Without a great client, it is difficult to do great architecture.” Petrarca said his firm is continuously working on new environmentfriendly designs. “We are working on precast concrete house with large window open-
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Lecturer discusses legacy of famous Harvard professor Brittany Bynum Staff Writer
Philosophy professor Timothy Hinton discussed the dispute between radicals and liberals through the views of John Rawls, a famous recently deceased professor of politics from Harvard. The event, titled “The Significance of Rawl’s Original Position in the Dispute between Radicals and Liberals” was a part of the Philosophy Colloquium Series and took place in Withers Hall Thursday. Michael Pendlebury, the head of the department of philosophy and religious studies, welcomed faculty professors and other guests to hear
Hinton’s view on Rawls’ argument. The event, primarily for professors, was open to the public. Timothy Hinton, an N.C. State professor of philosophy, was the featured speaker of the series event. Hinton also works in political philosophy and is writing a book, which will include a chapter about Rawls. Hinton said Rawls’ approached the problem of justification and objectivity in political philosophy by explaining his support for liberal freedoms. According to Hinton, liberals have dominated philosophy. Hinton’s purpose was to give a counter argument to Rawls’ liberal views in political philosophy, which lead to the differences between radi-
cals and liberals. Hinton also brought attention to the question of race in politics. Hinton discussed two principles of history that affected the way people viewed justice. One being the ideal historical approach, which is a representation of history where there are no major historical injustices. The other is to offer an account of historical developments between people including racial domination of whites over others. Through white domination, Hinton said two groups were formed; whites, the people with political power and non-whites the people MOLLY DONOVAN/TECHNICIAN
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Timothy Hinton, a professor in the Philosophy department, hosts a talk on Radicals, Rawls and Race in Withers Hall, Thursday.
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