John Deere again offers lean training to students

Students in agriculture, business, engineering, and technology can apply now for the seventh annual John Deere/N.C. A&T Lean Academy. The 40-hour course will be held January 5-9 in Price Hall. It includes three days of instruction and project-based activities and a two-day visit to John Deere’s facility at N.C. State University.

The Lean Academy program teaches participants how to add value with lean processes and apply them throughout their careers. For a look at how one John Deere unit applies lean manufacturing and continuous improvement, click here.

More than 200 A&T students have graduated from the academy in the last six years. It is hosted by the Department of Applied Engineering  Technology in the School of Technology. Click here for the brochure and application.

N.C. A&T named 1890 University of the Year, honored for innovation and overall excellence

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has been named the 1890 University of the Year.

N.C. A&T shared the award with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The honor was presented by the Council of 1890 Universities of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. The council presents the 1890 Teaching, Research and Innovation Awards to honor achievements at the 18 land-grant universities created by the federal Morrill Act of 1890.  All are historically black universities.

A&T also received the Innovation Award for the largest increase in transferring intellectual property into new products, processes, or services from 2012-2013 through 2013-2014. A&T shared this honor with the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff.

Among the innovations that A&T researchers have introduced recently are the world’s first hypoallergenic peanuts and a process to replace some of the petroleum content of asphalt with a substance derived from hog manure.

“It’s a tremendous honor for the extraordinary work being done on our campus by administrators, educators, researchers and our students,” Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. said.

“As we continue the journey to fulfill our strategic plan, A&T Preeminence 2020, it is imperative that we continue to make strides in the areas highlighted by this Council and beyond.”

Health science researchers: Apply by November 17 for opportunity to receive release time next spring

Writing a quality proposal requires time, energy and thought, three commodities in short supply when you’re teaching a full class load. If you’re an A&T faculty researcher in health science who would benefit from release from one class to prepare a competitive proposal, we have an opportunity for you. And it’s an opportunity with a short turn-around time.

Applications are being taken through Monday November 17 for faculty release time from one class during the Spring 2015 semester to develop a proposal in the health science area in response to a solicitation from an external sponsor. The number of faculty members receiving funding will be limited only by the quality of proposals submitted by the November 17 deadline.

Apply only if you will work on a proposal due in late summer 2015 or early fall 2015. Spring 2015 deadlines are too close for faculty to benefit from this opportunity.

A question-and-answer session will be held on Wednesday November 5, 5:30 p.m., in the Fort IRC, Room 410.

Full details are here.

This is an especially good opportunity to collaborate with researchers at UNC Chapel Hill and RTI International, A&T’s partners in the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute (NC TraCS).  A&T faculty members are encouraged, but not required, to consider how their research interests may coincide with the priorities of NC TraCS.