Author: Dee Shore

Feb 3, 2012

Cleaning up fuels of the past

While N.C. State University researchers work to create next-generation fuels, Dr. Michael Hyman examines the opposite of a fuel’s lifecycle, studying how microbes in the soil can degrade gasoline components. And that work has important implications for cleaning up spills and protecting groundwater from contamination. 

Feb 3, 2012

A two-way street

Just a few days after Vickie Wilson defended her Ph.D. dissertation in toxicology at N.C. State, she was conducting postdoctoral research at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, thanks to a cooperative training agreement that gives scientists-in-training more laboratory experience while providing the EPA with more research muscle. 

Feb 3, 2012

Thoroughly modern maladies

Manmade chemicals have become nearly ubiquitous. They are found in the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. But are they safe? It’s a big, complicated question with implications for human health, the environment and the economy. And it’s a question that many CALS life scientists are addressing. One of them is Dr. Heather Patisaul. 

Feb 3, 2012

Taking a bite out of mosquito-borne viruses

The mosquito-borne virus that causes an estimated 300 million dengue fever infections each year is considered one of the world’s biggest health threats. But thanks to a discovery by CALS biochemists, a promising vaccine is in the pipeline. 

Feb 3, 2012

An energy game-changer

Energy will continue to be an issue in both the country and the world in coming decades. Is there some energy source or technology on the horizon that might quickly change the energy market? N.C. State University economist Mike Walden says yes -- and it's natural gas. 

Feb 2, 2012

Measuring indebtedness

There has been much concern about the levels of debt held by households, but how exactly do we measure this debt? Are there alternative methods? N.C. State University economist Mike Walden answers. 

Feb 1, 2012

Big economic issues

The economy will be front and center in this year’s political campaigns. Are there any big economic issues that are at the heart of all the debates we’ll hear? N.C. State University economist Mike Walden responds. 

Jan 31, 2012

Exercise and economics

Does the level of exercise move with the ups and downs of the economy? N.C. State University economist explains a recent study that looked at this question. 

Jan 30, 2012

Facts and fictions about measuring unemployment

Some say that the unemployment rate is based on the number of people qualifying for unemployment compensation and that, therefore, once jobless workers stop collecting unemployment compensation they’re no longer counted as unemployed and, as a result, the real unemployment rate is much higher than the reported rate. But, as N.C. State University economist Mike Walden explains, that's not the case. 

Jan 27, 2012

What's the 2012 economic outlook?

Probably the most frequent question people are asking about 2012 is whether the economy will improve, and N.C. State University economist Mike Walden says he thinks it will.