May 2021

May 28, 2021

Pushing the Energy Efficiency Envelope

The NC State Plant Sciences Building, North Carolina’s new hub for next-generation research in the plant sciences, is now a nationally recognized hub for energy efficiency. The building has been named an awardee in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Building Envelope Campaign for the energy efficiency of its envelope, or exterior, which was designed to exceed efficiency by 20% over code using emerging high-performance envelope technologies. 

May 27, 2021

Rellán-Álvarez Receives DOE Early Career Research Funding

Rubén Rellán-Álvarez, a professor in the Department of Molecular and structural Biochemistry was awarded the funding for his research on plant adaptation to abiotic stresses. 

May 26, 2021

Faculty Focus: Shuijin Hu Breaks Ground with Soils and Climate Change Research

Learn more about the influential researcher who’s being honored for career contributions to the science of ecology. 

May 6, 2021

Launch Director’s Report: Momentum is Building

With spring winding down and summer approaching, N.C. PSI has a lot of positive momentum. We are putting in place the leadership we need to be successful, including a resumed search for our executive director, and construction for the Plant Sciences Building is still on time and on budget. 

May 6, 2021

New METRIC Satellite Facility to Support Next-Generation Plant Sciences Research

The Molecular Education, Technology and Research Innovation Center (METRIC) will open a satellite Core facility in the new NC Plant Sciences Building. The new facility is tentatively scheduled for opening in April 2022 and will be home to state-of-the-art instruments that can even detect how plants communicate. METRIC will occupy one of three Core facility… 

May 5, 2021

Leading the Pack in Ag Regulatory Science Education

Despite the breadth, complexity and impact of regulation in the agricultural industry, no formal university certificate program in agriculture has ever focused on regulatory science–until now. NC State’s Regulatory Science in Agriculture certificate programs for undergraduate and graduate students are the first two in the nation developed specifically to prepare students and industry professionals for the… 

May 3, 2021

Partner Profile: North Carolina Farm Bureau

From its inception, the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative (N.C. PSI) was a top priority for North Carolina Farm Bureau. In fact, Farm Bureau’s advocacy helped secure N.C. PSI’s inclusion in the Connect NC Bond Referendum and their financial support made possible the initiative’s Launch Director, and a world-class agricultural research and Extension education space.   

May 3, 2021

Partner Profile: North Carolina Forage and Grassland Council

Forages and grasslands are an integral part of agriculture in North Carolina. Hay, grasses and other cover crops provide nutritious feed for livestock, help maintain healthy soils and play a vital role in water conservation. The North Carolina Forage and Grassland Council (NCFGC) joins grassland managers, livestock owners, agribusiness, public servants and interested citizens to support the effective use of North Carolina's grassland resources and support forage research. That’s why they became early supporters of the North Carolina Plant Science Initiative (N.C. PSI). 

May 3, 2021

Partner Profile: Fair Products, Inc.

Fair Products, Inc. manufactures and distributes a versatile group of tobacco crop care products to help farmers produce the healthiest, most resilient tobacco. Frank Grainger, founder and owner of the company, tells us it’s that focus on innovation that led Fair Products to become a founding funder of the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative (N.C. PSI). 

May 3, 2021

NC State Researcher Wins NSF Award to Study Impacts of ‘Sunny-Day Flooding’

Several years ago, while Natalie Nelson was visiting her family in St. Petersburg, Florida, she saw the tidewaters swallow much of the coast around her as a thunderstorm came in…