A&T, Shanghai University sign agreement

N.C. A&T research scientist Zhigang Xu (center) answers questions from the visiting group from Shanghai University on a tour of the NSF Engineering Research Center.

A delegation from Shanghai University of Engineering Science visited N.C. A&T today to sign a broad memorandum of understanding on collaboration in research and education.  The group was led by Vice President Xincan Tian and Sihao Chen, Director of the Scientific Research Office at the university.

While on campus, they met with research administrators and faculty members and toured labs in the Fort Interdisciplinary Research Center. The visit was organized by Dr. Jianzhong Lou, professor of chemical engineering at A&T.

Shanghai University Vice President Xincan Tian speaks through an interpreter to Provost Winser Alexander before signing the MOU.

Vice Chancellor Celestine Ntuen shows Dr. Alexander where to sign during MOU signing at NC A&T.

DORED VC candidate to visit campus on Monday

The search committee for the next vice chancellor for research and economic development has scheduled one more candidate to interview for the position.  Dr. Fitzgerald B. Bramwell will be on campus next Monday, May 7.  The campus community is invited to his public presentation, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. in the Fort IRC, Room 410.

Dr. Bramwell is associate provost for academic research at Howard University.  He has served as a faculty member in chemistry and as a research administrator at the University of Kentucky, where he was vice president for research and graduate studies; Brooklyn College; and City University of New York. More information:

• Dr. Bramwell’s CV
• Dr. Bramwell’s schedule for Monday
• Bio on Howard’s website

DORED thanks three remarkable students

Graduating seniors Felicia Lawrence, Kristin Terry, and Ashley Harper, who have made excellent contributions to DORED.

The Division of Research and Economic Development celebrated three of its most valuable staff members today, outstanding student workers whom we’re losing to graduation next month — Felicia Lawrence, Ashley Hopper, and Kristin Terry.

• Ms. Lawrence is graduating summa cum laude in Journalism and Mass Communications.  She will be returning to her native Chicago to pursue a career in modeling.  She worked in the Office of Research Services. Among her projects for DORED was the 2012 research video; she shot and edited the video and provided the narration and most of the script-writing.
• Ms. Harper is a deans list student majoring in liberal arts with a concentration in cultural change and social development.  She will return to A&T next fall to study speech-communication.  She worked in the Office of Sponsored Programs.  Her twin sister is graduating next month from UNCG, and their mother is graduating at the same time from from N.C. Central.
• Ms. Terry is graduating summa cum laude in Industrial and Systems Engineering. She will join GE Transportation in Erie, Pennsylvania, after graduation. She worked in the Office of Technology Transfer.  She is a member of two engineering honor societies and received the Outstanding Senior Award in Industrial and Systems Engineering.

All three have made outstanding contributions to DORED’s support of A&T researchers, and they’ve been excellent colleagues. We look forward to following their progress in their careers.

New direct phone numbers for DORED

The Division of Research and Economic Development now has direct-dial phone numbers.  The main office line, 336 334-7995, is still available, but DORED staff members now can be reached directly as well. The division’s staff list has been updated with the new numbers on the DORED website.

The 2012 NC A&T Research Video

Research Week 2012 schedule announced

2011 Research Award winners Dr. Ellie Fini, Dr. Zhichao Li, and Dr. Millie Worku

The work of outstanding faculty members, undergraduate researchers and freshman innovators will be recognized during Research Week 2012 next month.

The events also will feature a graduate-student panel discussion and a morning focused on the university’s role in applied research. Keynote speakers will include Mr. Theodore Wood, intellectual property attorney in Washington, D.C., and graduate of N.C. A&T; Mr. Robert Bennett, CEO of US Green Energy Corp.; Dr. Solomon Bililign, professor of physics and director of the NOAA ISET CRC; and Dr. Shirley Hyman-Parker, associate dean for research in the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

The full agenda is here.  Highlights:

Innovation and Applied Research Day

• Friday April 13
• 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Fort IRC, Room 410
• Corporate panel: The University’s Role in Innovation and Applied Research
• Lunch speaker: Mr. Robert Bennett, US Green Energy

Undergraduate Research Day

• Monday April 16
• 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Fort IRC, Room 410
• Undergraduate poster presentations
• Lunch speaker: Dr. Shirley Hymon-Parker, Associate Dean for Research, School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences

Graduate Research Day

• Tuesday April 17
• 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Fort IRC, Room 410
• Graduate student panel discussion
• Lunch speaker: Dr. Solomon Bililign, Professor, Department of Physics; Director, NOAA ISET CRC

Research Excellence Day

• Wednesday April 18
• 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Alumni-Foundation Event Center
• Research Excellence Awards luncheon, noon
• Keynote speaker, Mr. Theodore Wood, Esquire, Sterne Kessler Goldstein Fox PLLC, Washington, DC

Rehabilitation engineering research initiative: DORED to hold interest meeting April 24

Tuesday, April 24, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Fort IRC, Room 410

Our nation is experiencing growing populations of the elderly, injured veterans as well as a general population that is in need of physical therapy and other rehabilitative services.  We in academia have the opportunity to contribute to the larger community by applying our expertise in the areas associated with physical rehabilitation.

Funding agencies have also recognized the need, as evidenced by the recent investment by the National Institutes of Health of $30 million over five years to fund centers dedicated to developing rehabilitation technologies and resources.

With our state being home to eight military bases, including Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune, new developments in rehabilitation could have a tremendous impact on North Carolina as they are readily applied to injured war veterans.  There are also four Veterans Affairs hospitals in North Carolina along with the Cone Health system that would benefit from a rehabilitation research program.

Other institutions in the Triad have recognized this need.  UNCG, Winston-Salem State, and Wake Forest all have various physical therapy programs, working to fill this need.  Even with the involvement of these great institutions, a significant gap exists, as none of these institutions extensively focuses on rehabilitation engineering and technology.

N.C. A&T’s opportunity

North Carolina A&T is especially well suited to fill this gap because of our resources, reputation, and expertise.  Therefore, our objective is to establish a research cluster focused on rehabilitation engineering that aims to create innovative solutions to the most pressing problems in physical and cognitive impairments.

We look forward to creating an interdisciplinary team of students, faculty, and staff from STEM disciplines as well as the social-behavioral sciences. Some areas of challenge consist of:

• Prosthetics and orthotics,
• Rehabilitation devices such as nano implants for epilepsy control, and
• Rehabilitation robotics and other devices.

N.C. A&T faculty members interested in joining this initiative should contact the DORED office (334-7995 or send an email) and plan to attend our informal meeting Tuesday April 24.

Click here for information on an upcoming symposium in the Research Triangle Park.

Researchers: New link to A&T data for proposals

Screenshot of the top of the page containing N.C. A&T data for proposals on the DORED website

One of the most frequent questions DORED receives from researchers is where to find boilerplate data on the university for proposals (congressional district, DUNS number, institutional code, etc).  The new DORED website now features a link to that information, “N.C. A&T data for proposals,” prominently on all of its pages (the DORED website comprises the pages under “Researchers” on the overall Research site).

The website also includes prominent links to RAMSeS, a page of background on RAMSeS, and contact information for all DORED staff members. Is there anything you can’t find on the DORED site? Let us know by filling out and submitting this form.

Name(required)

Email(required)

Comment(required)

DORED VC finalists begin visits this week

The first two of the four finalists for the position of vice chancellor for research and economic development will visit campus on Wednesday and Friday this week.  All will give public presentations.

Here are the candidates, the dates of their visits, and the times for their public presentations (click the name for the complete schedule for each candidate):

• Dr. Z. George Hong, Purdue University, co-director, Center on Religion and Chinese Society; Wednesday March 14, 10 a.m., Fort IRC, Room 410.
• Dr. Joseph M. Stevenson, Technology Management Group and U.S. Department of Defense, national consultant/subject matter expert; Friday March 16, 1:30 p.m., Fort IRC, Room 410.
• Dr. M.K. “Ram” Ramasubramanian, National Science Foundation, program director for Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship, and N.C. State University, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering; Monday March 19, 10 a.m., Fort IRC, Room 410.
• Dr. Barry L. Burks, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, associate director, Charlotte Research Institute, and adjunct professor of physics;  Tuesday March 27, 10 a.m., Fort IRC, Room 410.

30 freshman innovators, 13 fresh innovations: The N.C. A&T Freshman Innovation Challenge

Ask N.C. A&T freshmen for their ideas about new or better products to make a difference in the world, and these are some of the answers you get: a chemical bar-code system for tracking firearms, an iron that applies starch while you iron, and a hydraulic system to keep tractor-trailers from jackknifing.

And, best of all, according to a panel of six judges, a combination wristwatch and personal digital assistant to help students manage their time more effectively.

These bright ideas were among 13 submitted by teams competing in the university’s first Freshman Innovation Challenge.  A total of 30 students participated.  The Division of Research and Economic Development invited 2011-12 freshmen to develop an idea for making a difference in the world. The judges rated the submissions on the basis of originality, practicality, benefits of the innovation, and quality of the poster presentation.  All of the teams were invited to present posters on their proposed inventions at the Colors of Innovation event held this week at the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering.

The winning entry was the iWatch, developed by Kelyn Greene and Faris Matar.

The problem: “One problem we are seeking to solve is the lack of consistency most college students have when working to balance schoolwork with social factors and many other aspects of the college experience.  Some students oversleep and miss classes, and others do not know how to manage their time properly. We all procrastinate at some point, and the iWatch would help that slacker of a student get his or her head on track.”

The solution: The iWatch is envisioned as a watch with a digital touchscreen and personal assistant software that would preset alarms for 20 minutes before every class and an hour before the student’s first class of the day.  After a certain amount of time the snooze function would no longer be an option. A USB port would be used to download schedule information.  “The software plans out your day with designated homework, study times, downtimes, time to eat, etc.  This reduces stress and organizes a student so he/she isn’t overwhelmed with the great load of work he or she is faced with.”

The result: The iWatch would help students manage their time properly. “He or she will be more resistant to the possible stress, pressure and negativity that may come his or her way.” Fewer students would drop out, and more would enter the work force.  A global market is anticipated.

Greene and Faris will share a $500 award.  The second-place finishers, Jordan Maness and Catherine Miller, will split $300 for the firearm tracking system.  Third-place finishers Jawari Boyd and Saeed Jones received $200 for the anti-jackknifing system for trucks.  The fourth-place award of $100 went to Lauren Pearson, Ambrose Wallace, and Naeem Gibson for the “Pressed and Neat” iron.

The winning teams will be matched with faculty mentors to further develop their ideas.

The iWatch has already caught the eye of renowned inventor and engineer Lonnie Johnson, keynote speaker for Colors of Innovation.  He asked the university to keep him posted on the iWatch team’s progress. Johnson holds more than 100 patents. He is a nuclear and mechanical engineer, formerly with NASA and the U.S. Air Force.  He is best known for inventing the Super Soaker water gun.