News

Dec 11, 2014

ESP tours environmental farming center during annual meeting

Cows, calves and hoop houses were among the attractions at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, as North Carolina's Chapter of Epsilon Sigma Phi toured the center last month. The tour was part of ESP Xi Chapter's annual meeting, held over lunch at the extension center in nearby Johnston County. 

Dec 10, 2014

Making a Difference: Food production

The world population is projected to reach 9.5 billion by 2050. Between now and then, we will need to produce more food than we have in the previous 10,000 years. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences faculty members are hard at work examining the critical questions and developing innovative solutions to the grand challenge of feeding the world. 

Dec 10, 2014

Improving the cassava plant

Cassava is Africa’s number two crop and a major source of calories for 700 million people, but it’s highly susceptible to pathogens such as cassava mosaic disease. With African colleagues and students, Dr. Linda Hanley-Bowdoin of NC State University’s College of Agriculture conducts basic research aimed at gaining a better basic molecular-level understanding of viruses and how they affect cassava. 

Dec 10, 2014

Steward of the Future: David Tarpy

“If it weren’t for honeybees and other pollinators, we wouldn’t have about a third of everything that we eat,” explains Dr. David Tarpy, a North Carolina State University entomologist. In this video, he explains his research on the genomics of honeybee queen development and their reproductive potential. It’s research with important implications for the future of food production. 

Dec 8, 2014

Mapping human disease: ‘Not all pathogens are everywhere’

Researchers at North Carolina State University have for the first time mapped human disease-causing pathogens, dividing the world into a number of regions where similar diseases occur. The findings show that the world can be separated into seven regions for vectored human diseases – diseases that are spread by pests, like mosquito-borne malaria – and five regions for non-vectored diseases, like cholera. 

Dec 8, 2014

Oil economics

Oil has been in the news recently, but in a good way: Oil prices have been dropping and taking gasoline and other fuel prices with them. This is dramatically different than even just a few years ago, when oil and gas prices were rising. What has happened to bring oil prices down? And will it continue? N.C. State University economist Mike Walden responds. 

Dec 5, 2014

You Decide: Is North Carolina’s Job Market Back?

Analyzing job-market issues, Mike Walden discusses whether apprenticeships, skill certificates and fast-tracked degrees may be the waves of the future in education. 

Dec 2, 2014

N.C. Local Food Council meets in Triad this week

The Local Food Council of North Carolina is bringing together more than 100 local food council delegates from across the state Dec. 4-5 at at BioTech Place, 575 N Patterson Ave. in Winston-Salem. The event, Connecting for the Future: A Gathering of NC Food Councils, will attract delegates from more than 36 local groups and approximately 24 state organizations and agencies. 

Dec 2, 2014

Two days in the life: Dean Richard Linton’s 2014 state bus tour

In this second annual bus tour, Linton and his department heads led a two-day exploration of North Carolina’s piedmont region. 

Dec 1, 2014

New arboretum director named

Mark Weathington, a horticulturist with more than two decades of experience, has been named director of the acclaimed JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University.