NC State's Centennial Campus Launches New Research Videos

PRLog (Press Release) - Oct. 5, 2010 - Centennial Campus, North Carolina State University’s research park and technology campus, has launched a new video series that will highlight university researchers and the work they are conducting.

Called “In Search of Answers: Researchers in Their Own Words,” the short video vignettes will focus on specific areas of research by NC State faculty and graduate students and cover the full range of topics and subject matter being explored in the laboratories and offices on campus.

“The idea is to show the full scope and breadth of the research that is taking place on Centennial,” said Gene Pinder, director of marketing and communications. “NC State researchers are doing some exciting and important work and we want to make sure that people have a chance to learn about it.”

Centennial has four colleges that have a significant presence on the research park: College of Engineering, College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Textiles, and the College of Education. In addition, the other NC State colleges also are involved in a number of different research projects scattered throughout the 1,314-acre property. Thus, the different research projects being conducted at any one time numbers in the hundreds.

The first vignettes feature research associated with Dr. Jonathan Horowitz, associate professor of oncology in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Horowitz has been tracking a gene in zebrafish and jellyfish, which could have important implications for cancer research associated with humans (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EOsaGDqiq8). Despite not having a human medical center, NC State has more than 40 researchers studying cancer, both in humans and animals. Future videos will feature many of these researchers as they work to unravel the mysteries associated with this prevalent disease. Other future videos will feature researchers from the FREEDM Systems Center, a National Science Foundation-funded research center focusing on distributed energy and the integration of the current electrical grid with alternative energy technologies. Topics of future videos also include smart fibers, open source security systems, biomedical engineered products, serious gaming, and biomanufacturing research.

All of the university research falls under four main areas, which were developed by Dr. Terri Lomax, vice chancellor of research and innovation. These include: Health & Well Being, Energy & Environment, Educational Innovation and Safety & Security.

About Centennial Campus and NC State University
Centennial Campus (http://www.centennial.ncsu.edu) is an internationally recognized 1,314-acre research park and technology campus owned and operated by North Carolina University. Home to more than 60 corporate, government and non-profit partners, such as Red Hat, ABB, and the USDA, collaborative research projects vary from nanofibers and secure open systems technology to serious gaming and biomedical engineering. Four university college programs also have a significant presence on campus – College of Engineering, College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Textiles and the College of Education. NC State is one of the top research universities in the country, with expenditures in research approaching more than $325 million annually. The university ranks third among all public universities (without medical schools) in industry-sponsored research expenditures. (http://www.ncsu.edu)