NC STATE UNIVERSITY

SPRING/ SUMMER 2006

Will we have enough

scientists for the future?

This high- school student is part of an effort

to strengthen the nation’s position in science,

technology, engineering and mathematics

IN THIS ISSUE Nano- sponges 4 The Science House 8 PAMS has voice on Capitol Hill 11 New Orleans levees 13

scope A L O O K I N S I D E THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICAL AND MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES

NC State is speaking out about

the advancement of science,

technology, engineering and

mathematics ( STEM).

STEM is the rallying cry for

ensuring our nation’s future

supply of scientists, future

competitiveness in the global

economy, and future leadership

in discovery and innovation.

For several years, scientists and

educators have warned that the

U. S. was falling behind other

nations in these areas. Consider

these statistics from the National

Science Board, National Science

Foundation and recent Senate

testimony:

 Half of America’s scientists are

40 or older and the average age

is rising.

 Fewer students are pursuing

STEM degrees. Prospective engi-neers

dropped from 36 percent

of high school seniors a decade

ago to only 6 percent today.

Graduate enrollment in science

and engineering has been

declining since 1993. In 2000,

only 17 percent of American

undergraduate degrees were in

the sciences, while in China, it

was 56 percent.

 Three decades ago, the U. S.

produced the third- highest

number of science degrees. In

2003, we were 17th.

 If present trends continue, 90

percent of the world’s scientists

and engineers will be living in

Asia by 2010.

 Even if we start today, efforts to

reverse these trends will take 20

years to produce results. It takes

this long to grow a scientist.

Alarmed? I am.

Our position as a world leader in

science and technology is threat-ened—

and perhaps even our

national security. We cannot out-source

our defense and homeland

security needs to foreign countries.

And our economy is in jeop-ardy.

Economists, including Alan

Greenspan, have identified scien-tific

and technological progress as

the most important factor in U. S.

economic growth.

In the global community, we

face competition like never before.

We are simply not graduating

enough students in the sciences

for our nation’s needs. Meeting

these needs is a key goal for new

UNC System President Erskine

Bowles ( page 10).

We must do a better job of

recruiting students into STEM

disciplines. Our nation has the

talent pool— in fact, one congres-sional

report concludes that if

women, blacks, Hispanics, Native

Americans and persons with

disabilities are recruited into STEM

careers in proportion to their

percentage of our population, our

need for more scientists could

largely be met. These groups

represent about two- thirds of our

population, yet produce a dispro-portionately

small percentage of

our scientists.

Recruiting more scientists is

not going to be easy. Science and

Math departments must play a key

role in K– 12 math and science

education. We must encourage

students to pursue STEM careers

at a very young age, continue to

engage them throughout their

grade school years, and provide

them with an excellent college

education. We must provide schol-arships,

fellowships and other

resources to eliminate financial

barriers to higher education.

You’ll read more about STEM-related

topics in this issue of

Scope. The Science House ( page 8),

our premier K– 12 science and

mathematics outreach program,

seeks to fill the pipeline of future

scientists. One of our faculty

members testified on Capitol Hill

in support of legislation that

would increase basic research

funding ( page 11).

We’ve also included a university

report on what NC State is doing

about STEM— you’ll be proud to

see many of your College’s

programs cited ( page 12).

We know that as alumni and

friends of the College, you will

clearly understand the importance

of STEM, and we want to keep you

informed about our efforts. How

can you help? We’ve included

some ideas on page 12.

In the 1960s, the threat of

being outdone by Sputnik led to

the U. S. putting astronauts on the

moon. Working together, we can

turn the STEM challenge into an

opportunity to inspire our nation

to even greater heights.

Daniel L. Solomon, Dean

STEM— Scientists for the

nation’s future PAMS

Foundation

2005– 06 Board

of Directors

Officers

W. Donald Johnson, President

Eric L. Doggett, Vice President

Anita C. Stallings, Secretary

Kathryn S. Hart, Treasurer

Charles D. Leffler, Assistant Treasurer

General Members

Charles Case

Roy Cromartie

Eric Doggett

Maureen Droessler

Stephen Frye

Ned Guttman

Lawrence Ives

Don Johnson

Charles Joyner

Rob Lindberg

Preston Linn

Marty Mascianica

Connie Moreadith

Dale Newton

Mike Peirson

Tom Rhodes

Nancy Ridenhour

John Ryals

John Sall

Cathy Sigal

Cecil Smith

Glen Snider

Robert Starbuck

Herb Strickler

Michael Thompson

Bill White

Leigh Wilkinson

Glen Williams

Meredith Williams

Christian Wypasek

Miriam Zietlow

Emeritus

Richard Cook

PHOTO BY ROGER WINSTEAD

Dean Daniel L. Solomon

scope A L O O K I N S I D E THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICAL AND MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES SPRING/ SUMMER 2006

Honors

Hunter receives honorary degree 5

McCollum honored for TA training program 15

Mathematics Department earns teaching award 15

Alumni and Development news

Alumnus leads forensic study of New Orleans levees 13

Alumni help recruit students 16

Fellowships provide vital graduate student support 16

Achieve! The Campaign for NC State inside back cover

Alumni and Friends weekend— hold the date back cover

Just for fun

Retired faculty gather for luncheon 9

Submissions welcome for Physics Department history 14

In this issue…

On the cover: High- school student Jonathan Butler works with a circuit board at The Science House. Photo by Roger Winstead.

PAMS Celebrate

Achievement!

October 13 – 14, 2006

Alumni and Friends Weekend!

see back cover

College news

Bryant, Sall and Williams honored at PAMS Awards Dinner 2

Famed string theorist presents 26th L. H. Thomas Lecture 5

Big changes at Riddick Laboratories and Jordan Hall 6

Science House enhances K– 12 math, science education 8

Bowles describes STEM strategy 10

PAMS has voice on Capitol Hill 11

STEM grows at NC State 12

Helminck named Mathematics Department head 14

Research highlights

Physicists produce first images of “ nano- sponges” 4

Shake, shake, shake your beads 4

Chemist creates metal- rich liquid crystals 7

Chinese typhoons impacted by Tibetan snow 7

Mathematics, Statistics research programs rise in rankings 14

www. pams. ncsu. edu/ weekend

see page 7

2 SPRING/ SUMMER 2006 scope

Before family, friends, faculty and

staff, the College honored three indi-viduals

at the PAMS Awards Dinner,

held earlier this spring at the Cardinal

Club in downtown Raleigh.

In addition to honoring the

College’s 16th recipient of the

Distinguished Alumnus Award, this

year’s dinner featured the premiere

of two new awards.

“ Because of recent increases in

the opportunities for participation by

our alumni and friends, we’ve come

to be graced by their dedicated

involvement, inspired by their leader-ship

and sincere interest in the

success of our students, faculty and

programs, and very proud of the

distinction their successes bring to

the College and the University,” said

Dean Dan Solomon. “ One award

was simply not enough.”

Meredith J. Williams

Meredith Williams ( PhD Physics

‘ 94) was honored as the first

recipient of the PAMS Medal of

Achievement.

This award recognizes alumni

of the College who have excelled

through their chosen professions or

public service, and proven themselves

destined to make a significant impact

on science, government, education,

business or industry.

Williams came to NC State from

Yale University, to pursue her PhD in

physics. Her service to the College

and its students began almost

immediately, as she started providing

tutoring services for minority

students in physics while working

toward her doctorate. This involve-ment

has continued since she gradu-ated

in 1994, and she frequently

returns to campus to provide

mentorship for our students.

“ Despite being on the other side

of the continent, she takes a personal

interest in the success of our stu-dents,”

said Solomon in his remarks

at the dinner. “ I’m told that when

we have a minority physics student

preparing for their graduate program

interview, Meredith will call them and

drill them to sharpen their interview

skills. She maintains such a high level

of participation with our students,

that in a very real way, she never left

NC State.”

Most of Williams’ career has been

spent at Applied Materials in Santa

Clara, California. Her work focused

on the engineering and production of

some of the most important aspects

of microprocessor technology.

She also managed the budget and

resources for 1,000 employees. She

has an impressive publication record

and holds six patents.

Williams currently works as an

independent consultant to several

environmental organizations, and her

community volunteer work reveals a

passion for the environment. She is a

charter member of Wildlife Stewards,

a volunteer for the San Francisco Bay

Area National Wildlife Refuge

Complex, and a San Francisco

Baykeeper. She serves on the board of

directors for the PAMS Foundation,

and is an enthusiastic and valued

representative of the College.

“ Meredith has achieved promi-nence

in her profession, taken effec-tive

advantage of her opportunities,

and continues to share her many

gifts with her community, this

College and its students,” Solomon

said. “ We’re very proud of her, and we

Bryant, Sall and Williams honored

Robert Bryant, Ginger Sall and Meredith Williams were honored at the PAMS Awards Dinner.

Faculty/ Staff

Notables

Al Riordan ( Marine, Earth

and Atmospheric Sciences)—

Outstanding Extension Service

Award

Sharon K. Schulze ( The

Science House)— Outstanding

Extension Service Award

Roger Woodard ( Statistics)—

NC State Outstanding Teacher

Award

Michael Shearer

( Mathematics)— NC State

Academy of Outstanding

Teaching

Mary Higby Schweitzer

( Marine, Earth and Atmospheric

Sciences)— Alumni Association

Outstanding Researcher Award

Moody Chu ( Mathematics)—

Alumni Distinguished

Undergraduate Professor Award

Marie Davidian ( Statistics)—

2006– 08 Executive Editor of

Biometrics

PHOTO BY DANIEL KIM

at PAMS Awards Dinner

expect even greater things from her

in the future.”

Virginia B. Sall

Virginia “ Ginger” Sall, a longtime

champion of the College, was

honored as the first recipient of

the Zenith Medal for Service.

This award recognizes alumni or

friends of the College for distin-guished

contributions or advocacy

that significantly advance our ability

to make powerful impacts on sci-ence,

the economy, the environment

and the quality of human life.

Sall has provided advice and

counsel on a variety of initiatives,

from recruitment techniques for

obtaining campaign leaders to ideas

for improving our overall communi-cations

and involvement strategies

for volunteers. It was her idea to

feature special academic classes at

the College’s first Alumni & Friends

Weekend last September— classes

that turned out to be very popular

with participants.

Sall serves as a co- chair of the

College’s campaign committee.

Under her dedicated leadership, the

College stands at 97 percent of its

$ 50 million goal, with about two

years left in the campaign. Sall

helped obtain one of the campaign’s

leadership gifts, and has hosted key

meetings and events for both the

College and University.

“ Ginger’s involvement has been

vital to our continued success, and

her influence is felt, either directly or

indirectly, across the entire College,”

Solomon said. “ As we developed the

language describing the award,

Ginger Sall’s name came up over and

over again as a shining example of

the qualities we wanted this award

to represent.”

Sall’s community service is

hallmarked by her efforts to alleviate

extreme poverty and to promote

social justice through global health—

particularly for mothers and young

children. For 25 years, she has been

a member of La Leche League

International. She served as the

organization’s board chair in 2000

and 2001, and now represents the

organization at the United Nations

in New York.

Ginger also serves on the boards

of CARE USA and World Wildlife

Fund U. S. She is a co- founder of Cary

Academy, which has achieved a dis-tinguished

reputation as an innova-tive

middle and high school. She also

is co- founder and director of the Sall

Family Foundation.

Ginger holds a BA in physics from

Rice University and studied biostatis-tics

at the School of Public Health at

the University of North Carolina.

“ Our students and faculty have

truly benefited from Ginger’s creativity

and effective leadership,” Solomon

said. “ Her dedication to education,

environmental stewardship and the

quality of human life is inspiring.”

Robert L. Bryant

Robert Bryant ( BS Mathematics

‘ 74) was recognized as the 2005

PAMS Distinguished Alumnus, an

award which honors alumni whose

exceptional achievements in busi-ness,

education, research or public

service have brought honor and

distinction to the College of Physical

and Mathematical Sciences and

North Carolina State University.

“ While we are proud of all of our

alumni who do well after they leave

the university, Robert Bryant is one

of those few who reach the pinnacle

of their field,” Solomon said.

Bryant received his BS in mathe-matics

from NC State in 1974 and his

PhD in mathematics at the University

of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in

1979. He began his academic career

at Rice University as an assistant

professor and was later named the

Noah Harding Professor of Mathe-matics.

In 1988, he came to Duke

University as the J. M. Kreps Professor

of Mathematics. His research focuses

on nonlinear partial differential

equations and differential geometry.

Bryant has excelled in every area in

which academic achievement can be

measured. He was one of the

youngest people to achieve the level

of professor at Rice University and

was named a Presidential Young

Investigator. He has organized

regional, national and international

conferences, presented about 60 talks,

and published scores of papers and six

books. He also has held visiting faculty

positions at 20 institutions across the

U. S. and Europe.

Bryant has served his profession

in numerous ways. He is a member

of the American Mathematical

Society and served on several of its

committees, including its executive

committee. He has worked as editor

or an editorial board member for

several professional journals, and is

heavily sought as an editorial referee.

His impressive career is high-lighted

by his service as chair

of the board of trustees of the

Mathematical Sciences Research

Institute in Berkeley, California— an

appointment of the highest honor.

An active community member,

Bryant has served Duke University

through participation in various

campus committees, and his com-munity

as director of the Chamber

Arts Society of Durham and on the

board of the Vietnam Education

Foundation. He is a member of the

Mathematical Association of America

and is a Fellow of the American

Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Always maintaining a connection

to NC State, Bryant is a member of

the Chancellor’s Circle, and has pro-vided

educational support for math-ematics

students for many years

through the John W. Cell Scholarship

and the Fund for Excellence.

“ We are proud to recognize his

many national and international

achievements, his leadership at the

highest levels of his profession, his

spirit of community service and his

ongoing support of the College and

University,” Solomon said.

“ Because of recent increases in the

opportunities for participation by

our alumni and friends, we’ve come

to be graced by their dedicated

involvement, inspired by their lead-ership

and sincere interest in the

success of our students, faculty and

programs, and very proud of the

distinction their successes bring to

the College and the University.”

— Dean Dan Solomon

4 SPRING/ SUMMER 2006 scope

PHOTO BY SALLY RAMEY

A team of U. S. and U. K.

researchers has obtained the first

images of swollen microgel particles

in their wet state.

Microgels are microscopic

particles that can, under suitable

conditions, swell to many times their

original volume. This allows them to

act like ‘ nano- sponges,’ thus offering

potential applications in drug

delivery, heavy metal sequestration,

sensors, catalysis, dynamically tun-able

microlenses, water purification,

as well as viscosity modifiers and

smart particulate emulsifiers.

Imaging these particles in their

swollen state is important in under-standing

their behavior, but they

are too small to be visible by either

conventional optical microscopy or

electron microscopy.

The research team included Harald

Ade, professor, and Tohru Araki,

visiting assistant professor, both of

the NC State Department of Physics.

The team utilized the Polymer

Scanning Transmission X- ray

Microscopy ( Polymer- STXM) at the

Advanced Light Source in Berkeley,

Calif., to obtain their images.

Their work was featured in the

Nov. 10, 2005, issue of the Journal of

the American Chemical Society.

In a classic case of accidental

scientific discovery, Dr. Karen Daniels

of the Physics Department recently

made a puzzling find.

Daniels and research partner

Robert Behringer of Duke University

were attempting to study how round

plastic beads flow over one another

when shaken.

Although it sounds simple,

granular flow is actually a complex

phenomenon, and one that is key

to understanding the movement

of sand, grain, gravel and even

powdered medicine— movement

important to many industrial

processes.

And granular flow seems incon-sistent.

“ The Brazil Nut Effect” and

the “ Reverse Brazil Nut Effect” refer

to how, in shaking mixtures of

various- sized particles, the larger

ones may rise to the top— or settle

to the bottom— depending on the

characteristics of the shaking.

To do their study, Daniels and

Behringer filled a clear can with

plastic beads. The can’s bottom was

spring- loaded to gently squeeze the

beads. The can’s lid was rotated

and at the same time, the can shaken

up and down. A high- speed camera

was used to record the beads’ motion.

“ At first, I was frustrated because

the beads kept freezing up on us,”

Daniels said. “ But then I realized that

we were witnessing something

significant.”

When shaken enough, instead

of continuing to move around, the

beads locked into a three- dimen-sional

array. Despite more shaking,

the beads stayed locked together.

This doesn’t seem to make sense.

The second law of thermodynamics

holds that putting energy into

anything raises its temperature and

causes its particles to move about

more. Therefore, the beads shouldn’t

lock into a non- moving, organized

pattern.

Daniels thinks that this paradox

may be resolved through a better

understanding of the beads’

temperature.

“ With the right amount and

kind of shaking, we may actually be

lowering the beads’ effective

temperature and allowing them

to become orderly,” she said.

Physicists produce first images

of “ nano- sponges”

Karen Daniels holds a beaker of the type

of plastic beads used in her granular flow

experiments.

Shake, shake, shake

your beads

PHOTO BY ROGER WINSTEAD

Hunter receives honorary degree

Dr. J. Stuart “ Stu” Hunter received

an honorary Doctor of Sciences

degree at the 2006 spring com-mencement

ceremony. Hunter is a

pioneer in industrial experimental

design and co- author of the classic

statistics textbook, Statistics for

Experimenters. Hunter is professor

emeritus in Princeton’s School of

Engineering and Applied Science and

a member of the National Academy

of Engineering.

In 2004, Hunter received the PAMS

Distinguished Alumnus Award. He

earned three degrees from NC State—

BS Electrical Engineering ‘ 47, MS

Engineering Mathematics ‘ 49 and PhD

Experimental Statistics in ‘ 54.

Hunter joins fellow statisticians

Jim Goodnight and John Sall in

receiving an honorary Doctor of

Sciences degree. Goodnight ( BS

Applied Mathematics ’ 65, MS

Experimental Statistics ’ 68, PhD

Statistics ’ 72), a former member of

the NC State Statistics Department

faculty, received an honorary degree

in 2002. Sall, who conducted

graduate work in the Statistics

Department, received an honorary

degree in 2003.

Famed string theorist presents

26th L. H. Thomas Lecture

Are atomic particles, and thus, the

entire universe, really made of tiny,

vibrating strings?

World- renowned physicist Brian

Greene thinks so, and shared his

viewpoint at the 2006 L. H. Thomas

Lecture.

Presented annually by the Physics

Department since 1980, the L. H.

Thomas Lecture has featured the

world’s most prominent physicists,

including 20 recipients of the Nobel

Prize.

“ We are very proud of the presti-gious

tradition maintained by the

Thomas Lecture,” said Michael

Paesler, head of the Physics

Department. “ It is important for our

students, faculty, colleagues and the

public to have the rare opportunity

to hear from the world’s leading

scientific minds.”

Greene, a professor of physics and

mathematics at Columbia University,

is author of critically acclaimed The

Elegant Universe and The Fabric of

the Cosmos, both of which spent six

months on The New York Times Best

Seller List.

In addition to the L. H. Thomas

Lecture, Greene presented a public

lecture to a packed house at Stewart

Theatre, sponsored by PAMS, the

Physics Department, SAS Institute,

the Union Activities Board and

several other campus organizations.

UNC System President Erskine Bowles, Stu Hunter and NC State Chancellor James Oblinger

6 SPRING/ SUMMER 2006 scope Big changes at Riddick

Laboratories and Jordan Hall

When NC State says, “ gutted,”

it really means, “ gutted”

After the College of Engineering

moved many of its programs to

Centennial Campus, the Riddick

Laboratories building was designated

for the Physics Department. It was to

be gutted and completely renovated.

However, it was a bit surprising to

see only the exterior walls left

standing this spring. The Physics

Department will occupy about 80

percent of Riddick, set to re- open in

summer 2007.

Jordan Hall expanded

Construction is well underway on

the Jordan Hall expansion, which

will add about 10,000 sq. ft. for the

Department of Marine, Earth and

Atmospheric Sciences. The Jordan

Hall project should be completed in

summer 2007.

Remains of Riddick Stadium

removed

This site awaits the construction

of a new, state- of- the- art mathe-matical

and statistical sciences

building that will transform the old

Riddick stadium area. This project

is in the construction planning

phase and slated for completion

in fall 2008.

PHOTOS THIS PAGE BY SALLY RAMEY

Riddick Laboratories building

Jordan Hall expansion

Riddick Stadium site

Winter snowfall on the Tibetan

plateau can influence the number

and severity of typhoons the

following year.

Professor Lian Xie and his col-leagues

in the Department of Marine,

Earth and Atmospheric Sciences have

made an interesting discovery about

Chinese typhoons— snow in the

Tibetan plateau can influence the

number and severity of these

dangerous storms.

Between 1976 and 1998, an

average of 17 typhoons formed over

the northwestern Pacific. But Xie’s

team found that in years where the

Tibetan plateau experienced heavy

snowfall, the number of storms fell

to about nine. And in years of light

snowfall, the number of storms rose

as high as 24.

“ The Tibetan plateau is like a huge

elevated stove,” said Xie. “ Heavy

snow seems to make it less efficient

at warming the atmosphere.”

During heavy winters, the plateau

cools the air above it, which later

weakens the western Pacific subtrop-ical

high- pressure system. This seems

to prevent it from moving towards

China, so fewer typhoons reach the

Chinese coast.

Xie’s research team has developed

a seasonal prediction model for

China’s use in emergency planning

and preparedness.

Chinese typhoons impacted by Tibetan snow

Chemist creates metal- rich liquid crystals

Researchers at NC State have

successfully engineered liquid

crystals that contain very high

concentrations of metals— potentially

paving the way toward the creation

of “ magnetic liquids” and liquid

crystals that may have important

ramifications for semi- conductor and

solar energy research.

Dr. James Martin, professor of

chemistry, along with Dr. Jaap Folmer

and a team of graduate students,

engineered liquid crystals with an

inorganic content of up to 80

percent— more than twice the ratio

of previously observed organic liquid

crystals with incorporated metals.

The findings appeared in the April

2006 Nature Materials. In fact, the

work earned a prominent place as

the publication’s cover story. It also

was featured in the April 28 issue of

Triangle Business Journal, indicating

the business community’s interest in

new materials.

Liquid crystals are prized for their

unique optical and self- healing

properties. They generally consist of

toothpick- or pancake- shaped mole-cules

that align in the liquid state

because of their shape. By using

electric fields to manipulate the ori-entation

of liquid crystal molecules,

scientists can control whether or not

light can pass through the liquid

crystalline material. Without such

liquid crystals, everyday items we

take for granted— such as flat- panel

computer displays or LCD watches—

would not exist.

The most commonly known liquid

crystals are organic molecules com-posed

of carbon, nitrogen or oxygen.

Adding inorganic materials, or metals,

to these liquid crystals to potentially

exploit electronic or magnetic proper-ties

was problematic because the

structure of these molecules made it

difficult to achieve a metallic concen-tration

high enough to be useful.

Martin’s team recognized that to

achieve high metal content in liquid

crystals, it was necessary to start

with an inorganic network from

which liquid- crystalline molecules

could be designed. They have

achieved success with this strategy

by using surfactants, like those in

laundry detergent, to help engineer

liquid crystalline structure from

various inorganic networks.

Manipulating the ratios of surfactant

and inorganic components used in

preparation of these materials gives

the scientists a great deal of control

over the structure of liquids.

The research could lead not only

to the creation of new liquid crystals,

but also to a new understanding

of the ways in which all liquid

structures— even membranes and

proteins— are organized.

“ Liquids are not random structures,

but rather highly organized structures

that we can control and shape at the

atomic and molecular levels,” says

Martin. “ When we start exploring the

ways in which we can organize these

liquids, we can create totally new

materials and access different

properties within each material.”

IMAGE BY JAMES MARTIN

The starburst- like structures are liquid crystals. The round, dark circles are bubbles.

8 SPRING/ SUMMER 2006 scope

A teacher from a rural NC county

sat nervously in a workshop at The

Science House on NC State’s campus.

Intimidated by the computer, she was

afraid to touch the navigational

mouse. But soon, she not only mas-tered

the workshop’s teaching tech-nologies,

she became an advocate for

change in her school system’s science

and mathematics curriculum.

With support from teachers across

her county, she convinced her school

board to invest in computers and

teaching technologies for science and

mathematics classrooms— providing a

valuable resource for students not

found in many rural NC schools.

This is the kind of story that drives

David Haase, director of The Science

House and professor of physics.

“ When we inspire improvement

in science and math teaching in K– 12

schools, we know we’re doing our

job,” Haase said.

The Science House is the primary

K– 12 outreach program for PAMS.

It is a national model for sustained

outreach interactions between

university science and mathematics

departments and K– 12 educators.

The Science House is unusual in that

it connects science research faculty

with K– 12 schools. Haase himself has

an active research program in

experimental nuclear physics.

Research shows that students

begin to lose interest in math and

science as early as third grade. In a

recent report from the National

Assessment of Educational Progress,

NC fourth- graders performed at the

national average on its 2005 science

exam, but eighth- graders were still

below average. The results from both

grades haven’t changed much since

it was last given in 2000.

“ If we are to fill the pipeline of

future scientists, we have to capture

their imaginations at a very young

age,” Haase said. “ The need for

effective K– 12 math and science

education is critical if we are to have

enough scientists for the future.”

Since 1991, The Science House has

provided hands- on learning activities

to teachers and students, including

school demonstrations, laboratory

technology workshops for teachers

and development of learning

materials. The Science House also

hosts student camps on everything

from algebra to photonics and

environmental science.

The Science House plays a key role

in large K– 12 programs, such as the

annual Expanding Your Horizons

( EYH) program. EYH brings about 400

elementary- and middle- school girls

to campus for a day of hands- on

Science House enhances K– 12math,

“ If we are to fill the pipeline of future

scientists, we have to capture their

imaginations at a very young age.”

— David Haase

PHOTO BY ROGER WINSTEAD

Wake County high- school students Jonathan Butler and Khaled Amra check digital multi- meter readings from a circuit board project

at The Science House.

What they say

about The

Science House

Unsolicited comments

from teachers:

“ I very much appreciate your

visiting my class. Your expertise

helped us imagine ways to use

the equipment in our teaching

and went above and beyond

what I could have done on

my own.”

“ After being trained by The

Science House staff in the use of

technology for data collection,

I realized that it was possible to

create lab activities that were

exciting for the students yet met

the objectives of the Standard

Course of Study required by the

Department of Public Instruction.

I realized the possibility of replac-ing

lecture and “ cookbook” labs

with inquiry- based research. My

students have been afforded the

opportunity to become scientists,

to experience science as a

process and to gain a deeper

understanding of science

concepts.”

Comments from students:

“ I didn’t think we could use

a computer to do science, it

was amazing!”

“ Science is my favorite class

now.”

“ I learned that science isn’t

just a book.”

science education

learning in a variety of special classes

taught by female scientists from

across the Triangle area.

Each year, The Science House

serves about 25,000 students and

5,000 teachers. The Science House has

grown to provide roughly 20 percent

of all NC State K– 12 outreach.

One of the primary goals of The

Science House is to increase the

number of students choosing STEM

careers. The Science House has col-lected

data indicating that students

who participate in its programs attend

college and major in STEM disciplines

at a much higher rate than students

without similar experiences.

For instance, 23 of 25 students

( 92 percent) participating in a project

at Bennett’s Millpond in northeastern

North Carolina are attending a four-year

college. This compares to an

average of 54 percent of all students

from this low- wealth area who attend

a four- year college. Of these 23 stu-dents,

16 ( 70 percent) indicated plans

to major in a STEM discipline, signi-ficantly

higher than the national

average of 21 percent, according to

the 2005 SAT Profile.

“ Through our programs, we

ensure that K– 12 teachers are pre-pared

to teach, and that students are

engaged, with appropriate methods,

equipment and technologies,” Haase

said. “ Our program has long- lasting

results. We don’t simply put on a

quick demonstration at a school and

leave— we work with teachers and

schools to effect ongoing change in

math and science classrooms.”

The program has grown beyond

what the NC State facility can handle.

The Science House now has five

satellite locations, strategically located

across the state to efficiently serve

rural school systems.

Offices are located in Asheville,

Lenoir, Fayetteville, Jacksonville and

Edenton. Each is staffed by an out-reach

coordinator who works with

local school systems on teacher and

student programs and provides

ongoing classroom support. Research

shows that such ongoing support is

the deciding factor as to whether or

not a teacher permanently incorpo-rates

new technology and instruction

methods in the classroom.

The satellite offices make it more

convenient for The Science House to

provide instructional equipment and

support to teachers. Equipment

includes special calculators, scientific

probeware, microscopes and other

items.

“ When a teacher brings equip-ment

back and says it’s not needed

anymore, we’re very happy,” Haase

said. “ This means the equipment has

become so well utilized that the

teacher has convinced the school

system to buy its own. That’s what

we want to see because it means our

rural schools are obtaining the tools

they need to teach more effectively.”

Retired faculty

gather for luncheon

About 80 retired faculty and their guests gathered for a winter luncheon at

the University Club.

This was the first event for retirees from all five PAMS departments.

Participants heard brief progress reports from current department heads and

Dean Dan Solomon.

For more information and a photo gallery, visit: www. pams. ncsu. edu/

facultystaff/ luncheon05/. You may see several familiar faces.

PHOTOS THIS PAGE BY SALLY RAMEY

Walter Saucier and Jerry Watson visit with each other during a social before the

luncheon.

Although it’s a proven program, The Science House is primarily

dependent on competitive grants to maintain its funding.

To provide a source of permanent funding, an anonymous donor

introduced a matching program of up to $ 250,000 in endowment two

years ago. Many alumni and friends took advantage of the match, and

established endowments supporting The Science House totaling $ 500,000.

In a follow- up to this successful challenge, another anonymous donor

has designated $ 125,000 in 1: 2 matching funds for new endowments for

The Science House. For example, a $ 20,000 pledge would be matched by

$ 10,000, allowing the donor to establish a $ 30,000 endowment.

The combined total of a donor’s personal gift with their corporate

matching funds will also be matched by this program.

Smaller contributions are welcome and can support a general

endowment fund for The Science House. For more information about

making a gift, see “ How to Make a Gift” on the inside back cover.

How to support The Science House

Betty Finkner, Al Finkner and Vi Rigney enjoy a chance to catch up with each other.

10 SPRING/ SUMMER 2006 scope

PHOTO BY BECKY KIRKLAND

Bowles describes STEM strategy

At his inauguration as president

of the University of North Carolina

system, Erskine Bowles presented six

areas in which the system will

address STEM issues:

 Improve K– 12 education

 Ensure a seamless and collabora-tive

relationship with community

colleges

 Ensure that every qualified person

who wants to attend one of the

system’s 16 campuses can afford

to do so

 Improve student retention

 Sustain our historic commitment

to public service and quality

research

 Attract and keep great faculty

Following are excerpts from his

speech:

“… Today we look ahead with

renewed faith to ponder what educa-tion

will mean to the future of North

Carolina; for we as a state and we as a

University are facing some enormous

challenges in the days ahead. All of

us have seen with our own eyes the

dramatic change that has occurred in

North Carolina’s economy because of

losses on our farms and in the textile,

apparel and furniture industries—

industries that sustained us for gener-ations.

But as significant as these

transformational changes have been

to our economy, I’m afraid we haven’t

seen anything yet.

As Tom Friedman says in The

World is Flat, technology has now

‘ wired the whole world together’ and

leveled the global playing field in the

process. As we here in North Carolina

have painfully learned, our people are

no longer competing for jobs and

work with just the citizens of South

Carolina, Tennessee or Georgia. In

today’s knowledge- based global

economy, we’re competing head- to-head

with China, India and dozens

of other countries that are making

tremendous strategic investments

in education and research. The cold

hard fact is that if we don’t get more

of our own people better educated,

we’re in a losing fight— a fight that if

we shape up we can still win, and

win big.

This sobering conclusion is echoed

in a recent report from the National

Academies called ‘ Rising Above the

Gathering Storm.’ The authors include

both conservative businessmen and

liberal philosophers, and unani-mously

they warn that the ‘ scientific

and technical building blocks of our

economic leadership are eroding at

a time when many other nations are

gathering strength.’ They conclude

that the U. S. ‘ must compete by

optimizing its knowledge- based

resources, particularly in science and

technology, and by sustaining the

most fertile environment for new

and revitalized industries and the

well- paying jobs they bring…’”

“… Far too many North Carolinians

still believe that we don’t have to

worry about the loss of these low-skill

jobs because American smarts

and ingenuity will create the next

new thing. They say, ‘ We always have,

and we always will.’ Well, I’ve got

news for them. If we don’t wake up

and get more Americans— more

North Carolinians— better educated,

that next new thing isn’t going to be

created here. It’s very likely to be

invented by one of those smart folks

in Asia— and that’s where the new

jobs of the future will be…”

“… Today’s knowledge- based

global economy is changing so fast

and so radically, that if America and

North Carolina don’t wake up and

get more people better educated, we

will become a second- rate power

before we know it. And I’m not talk-ing

about 50 years from now. I’m

talking about in my lifetime. In your

lifetime…”

“… Here’s what your University is

going to do. You can bet your bottom

dollar we’re not going to sit around

and wait. We are going to do what

your University has always done in

difficult times: We are going to lead…”

“… The North Carolina of tomor-row

will be better educated. It will be

smarter. It will be more nimble. And

as a result, our people will be able

to compete— and compete success-fully—

with the world’s best and

brightest, wherever they may be…”

“ Today’s knowledge- based global economy is changing so

fast and so radically, that if America and North Carolina

don’t wake up and get more people better educated, we

will become a second- rate power before we know it.”

— UNC System President Erskine Bowles

NC State graduate student Tim Ellis

works on a laboratory project while

NC State Chancellor James Oblinger,

UNC System President Erskine Bowles

and PAMS Dean Dan Solomon listen

to another student at the Center for

Marine Sciences and Technology

( CMAST). PAMS conducts several

research programs at CMAST, located

near Morehead City.

PAMS has voice on Capitol Hill

It’s not every day one gets an

invitation to testify on Capitol Hill—

particularly before a U. S. Senate

Committee that includes political

heavyweights such as John McCain,

John Kerry, Ann Hutchinson and Bill

Nelson.

That’s exactly what happened to

Len Pietrafesa earlier this spring.

Because of his national stature in

ocean and atmospheric sciences, and

his federal agency- relations work as

PAMS’ associate dean for external

affairs, he was invited to address the

U. S. Senate Committee on Technology,

Innovation and Competitiveness at its

March 29 hearing on the Importance

of Basic Research to the United States’

Competitiveness.

Pietrafesa began his testimony by

citing the story of Alfred Loomis, a

retired, wealthy science enthusiast

who supported several well- known

scientists’ basic research efforts.

One of these efforts led to the dis-covery

of microwave radar. Realizing

what he had, Loomis immediately

contacted President Franklin D.

Roosevelt, who then contacted

Winston Churchill.

At the time, the nation was in the

midst of WWII. The quickly- exploited

discovery of microwave radar led to

an enormous technological advan-tage

that helped the U. S. and its

allies win the war. Had it not been for

the support of basic research, this

discovery would not have been made

at that time, and possibly not by a

U. S. scientist.

“ This was a very important session

because the scientific community

had an opportunity to present a case

for increasing funding for basic

research,” Pietrafesa said. “ There’s a

tendency to fund research that offers

a likely probability for ‘ return on

investment.’ Basic research doesn’t

typically have an immediate applica-tion,

yet it leads to many of the most

important discoveries.”

All proposed legislation involving

science, engineering, and technology

research, development and policy are

referred to this Committee. This hear-ing

explored how basic research in the

physical sciences impacts both long-term

U. S. economic development and

the ability of American industry to

remain globally competitive.

Specifically, the hearing provided

supporting testimony for the National

Innovation Act ( NIA), introduced by

senators John Ensign and Joe

Lieberman in December 2005, as well

as the Bush Administration’s

American Competitiveness Initiative

( ACI). Both efforts are aimed to dra-matically

increase funding for basic

scientific research, and both are being

proposed for the 2007 federal budget.

NIA seeks to nearly double

research funding through the

National Science Foundation ( NSF),

encourage other federal funding

agencies to commit three percent of

their budgets to “ frontier research”

and create more graduate fellow-ships

and traineeships to encourage

students to pursue science careers.

Over 10 years, ACI seeks to

double funding through the

National Science Foundation, the

Department of Energy’s Office

of Science and the Department of

Commerce’s National Institute

of Standards and Technology ( NIST).

“ Such legislation will benefit

research efforts across the nation

and strengthen the nation’s STEM

initiatives,” Pietrafesa said. “ And as a

major research university, NC State

stands to benefit from the availability

of more research funds.”

Pietrafesa was one of two pan-elists

representing higher education.

Other panelists included represen-tatives

from the White House and

private industry, and the directors of

NSF and NIST.

Pietrafesa testified about the role

research plays in the nation’s ability

to remain competitive not only in

scientific fields, but also in areas such

as environmental stewardship and

the health and quality of life of its

citizenry. His testimony included

numerous examples from many

fields— mathematics, statistics,

physics and others, in addition to his

specialty of ocean and atmospheric

sciences.

He and other panelists expressed

concern, and quoted many statistics

from various studies illustrating that

the U. S. is falling behind other nations

when it comes to advances in science

and technology, and the production of

new scientists for the future.

“ Hopefully, this Senate will

recognize that… broadly supported

basic research will lead to a future

nation that is healthier and more

economically prosperous than at

present,” Pietrafesa testified. “… We

have no birthright to global economic

leadership and a high standard of

living. These are things that we have

to continue to earn.”

This hearing explored how basic

research in the physical sciences

impacts both long- term U. S. eco-nomic

development and the ability

of American industry to remain

globally competitive.

“ We have no birthright to global

economic leadership and a high

standard of living. These are things

that we have to continue to earn.”

— Len Pietrafesa

12 SPRING/ SUMMER 2006 scope

STEM grows at NC State

NC State is taking a national lead-ership

role in the advancement of

science, technology, engineering and

mathematics ( STEM). In the global

community of today and tomorrow,

these high- tech fields are the keys to

jobs, opportunities and success.

Through education, research and

extension efforts, NC State will:

 Build on its resources to

strengthen K– 12 STEM education

 Attract more students to STEM

fields and prepare them to be

leaders in a globally competitive

future, and

 Transform lives by fueling innova-tions

that provide solutions to

21st century challenges.

Following is a list of achievements

illustrating NC State’s strength in

STEM programs:

 NC State offers more than 150

STEM degrees and ranks among

the nation’s top universities in

producing STEM graduates.

 NC State produces up to half of all

textiles graduates, ranks second in

the number of undergraduate engi-neering

degrees, and third in the

number of all engineering degrees.

 The Department of Chemistry ranks

in the nation’s top 10 in the num-ber

of bachelor’s degrees granted.

 The Department of Physics is the

ninth largest such program.

 The Department of Marine, Earth

and Atmospheric Sciences

program is one of the largest

interdisciplinary physical science

departments.

 NC State works to increase the

number of students entering

STEM fields, especially among

women and minorities. NC State

offers dual- degree STEM pro-grams

with Meredith College, a

private women’s college in

Raleigh, and Saint Augustine’s

College, a historically black college

in Raleigh. In 2003 the university

launched the Women in Science

and Engineering ( WISE) Village, a

living- learning environment in

which female STEM students live

and study together.

 NC State ranks among the top 20

U. S. institutions in granting STEM

bachelor’s degrees to minority

students, and third in African-

American PhDs in engineering—

outranking most of the nation’s

historically black colleges and

universities. In fact, PAMS alone

grants more bachelor’s degrees

to African- Americans than any

predominantly white institution,

and ranks third in the nation

across all institutions. In recent

years, the Mathematics Depart-ment

has granted about 10

percent of the PhDs awarded to

African- American women.

 NC State works to improve

undergraduate instruction. The

Physics Department pioneered

SCALE- UP— an innovative learning

environment designed for large

undergraduate science classes.

Combining lecture and lab, SCALE-UP

organizes students into small

groups that collaborate on

assignments. Several schools,

including the Massachusetts

Institute of Technology, have

adopted SCALE- UP, which

improves students’ problem-solving

abilities, their understand-ing

of scientific concepts and

overall success rate.

 NC State strives to improve K– 12

education. The Science House

works in partnership with K– 12

science and math teachers to

increase the use and impact of

technology and hands- on activi-ties,

enhancing teacher effective-ness

and student learning. Each

year, The Science House reaches

more than 5,000 teachers and

25,000 students across North

Carolina and beyond.

 NC State opens new avenues for

STEM careers. Since 1980, the

university has launched nearly 60

start- up companies, creating more

than 13,000 jobs and more than

$ 130 million in venture capital

investments. Its technology

transfer record led The Scientist

magazine to rank the university

third in the nation for greatest

overall patent power.

 Across campus, STEM faculty and

students produce research that

will effect change for generations

to come.

 NC State speaks out aggressively

on STEM. Chancellor James

Oblinger discusses STEM and

science policy issues with busi-ness,

education and community

organizations and at conferences

on the local, regional and national

stages.

How can you

help support

STEM?

 Speak about your discipline

and career to school and

youth groups.

 Volunteer as a mentor or

tutor in your local schools.

 Support science programs in

schools, colleges, universities,

museums and other science-related

organizations.

 Encourage your employer to

support science programs at

all levels, either through

financial or programmatic

support.

 Write to your local and

national elected represen-tatives

in support of STEM-related

legislation.

 Write letters to the editor of

your local paper in support

of science education.

 Participate in your profes-sional

organization’s

STEM- related initiatives.

 Contribute toward scholar-ships,

fellowships, faculty

funds and other endow-ments

providing financial

resources to encourage more

students to pursue science

degrees and careers, and to

provide support for current

K– 12 teachers. To support

PAMS endowment funds, see,

“ How to make a gift,” on the

inside back cover.

“ Competing on a global level means preparing young

people to take advantage of the opportunities of the

future. We like to say STEM grows at NC State. As the

state’s flagship science and technology university, that

is our mission and our responsibility.”

— Chancellor James Oblinger

It’s not just in the movies that

people are called out of retirement to

serve their country in a time of crisis.

It happened to Lewis E. “ Ed” Link

( Geological Engineering ‘ 68).

Link earned his MS in civil engi-neering

from Mississippi State

University in 1973 and his PhD in

civil engineering from Pennsylvania

State University in 1976. Link now

serves as a senior research engineer

on the faculty of the Department of

Civil and Environmental Engineering

at the University of Maryland.

Link had retired in 2002 after 34

years with the U. S. Army Corps of

Engineers. At the end of his career, he

was serving as director of research

and development and as chief scien-tific

adviser to the chief of engineers.

When the Corps needed someone

to lead the massive research effort

into the failure of the New Orleans

levee system following Hurricane

Katrina, the chief of engineers called

Link. Since October 2005, Link has

led the Interagency Performance

Evaluation Task Force ( IPET)— a group

of more than 150 scientists, engineers

and other professionals representing

more than 50 government, academic

and private organizations.

“ It was a big challenge,” Link said.

“ Understanding what happened was

an important thing. There were

places where failure could have been

expected, but there were other places

where the water didn’t even meet the

levels for which the levees were

designed.”

Under Link’s leadership, IPET was

divided into teams with specific

assignments, partnering the Corps

with experts from other organizations.

The importance of the assignment

provided so much motivation that the

dedicated team members effectively

maintained communications and

focus.

“ We were asked to do lots of work

in very little time,” Link said. “ We also

had to input our findings into the

repair process as we went along, so

the same vulnerabilities wouldn’t be

built back into the system.”

Because of IPET’s high profile, Link

has spent a considerable amount of

time speaking before Congress and

other organizations closely following

the research. IPET has periodically

released findings over the last several

months, and its final draft, released

June 1, is expected to pass final

external review this fall.

Link said that a fundamental find-ing

was that when the levees were

designed in 1965, engineers used the

best hurricane- related data available

at that time. Climate trends have

drastically changed the character of

today’s hurricanes, and advances in

technology have greatly improved

the ability to study and model these

dangerous storms.

“ It was amazing how different the

surge and wave data have become,”

Link said. “ Our work influenced the

repairs, and several of our analytical

tools and models became the basis

for study into how to make further

improvements.”

Link said that during the last few

months, he has appreciated his

geology education at NC State. The

geology of the New Orleans area

includes about 35,000 feet of

Mississippi sediments. These sedi-ments

settle in complex ways,

exacerbated by the removal of water

and natural gas. Some levees had

been sinking at a rate of about one

foot per decade, while others hadn’t

settled at all.

Link hopes the nation’s leaders will

learn lessons from Hurricane Katrina.

“ We have not made protection

against natural disasters a national

priority,” he said. “ I’m working with

Congressional staff to explore new

policy directions to change that.

Katrina was a wake- up call for all

of us.”

© DIGITAL GLOBE

PHOTO COURTESY OF ED LINK

Alumnus leads forensic study

of New Orleans levees

Ed Link

In this satellite image from Digital Globe, the dark green area is water, clearly filling

the streets of the large residential area. The location of one of the levee breaches

is indicated by the arrow. Lake Ponchartrain is at the top.

“ There were places where failure

could have been expected, but there

were other places where the water

didn’t even meet the levels for

which the levees were designed.”

— Ed Link

Lake Pontchartrain

Levee Breach, 17th St. Canal

14 SPRING/ SUMMER 2006 scope

Professor Aloysius “ Loek” G.

Helminck has been named head of

the Department of Mathematics.

“ Over the past year, during which

he served as interim head, he earned

the confidence and strong support of

the department’s faculty and staff

and of the College administration,”

said Dean Dan Solomon. “ His

colleagues have been unanimous

in their praise of his leadership

during this period.”

Helminck received his BS and MS

in mathematics and physics in 1975

and 1980, respectively. He completed

his PhD in mathematics in 1985. He

earned all three degrees at the

University of Utrecht in Utrecht,

The Netherlands.

He has held visiting positions at

the University of Michigan in Ann

Arbor and Brandeis University in

Waltham, Mass. He had research

fellowships at University of Twente

and Centrum voor Wiskunde en

Informatica in Amsterdam, The

Netherlands.

His research focus is symmetric

spaces, their representations and

applications.

Helminck has been a member

of the Mathematics faculty since

1987 and brings to the headship a

distinguished record of scholarship

to complement his substantial

administrative experience.

Mathematics,

Statistics

research

programs rise

in rankings

NC State has a tradition of

strong programs in mathematics

and statistics. One key indicator

of program strength is the

degree of success in obtaining

competitive research funding.

A recent study shows that

research in the mathematical

sciences is reaching new heights

at NC State.

Preliminary National Science

Foundation ( NSF) data show

that NC State has risen to # 4

nationally in total research and

development expenditures in

the mathematical sciences

and # 6 nationally in federally

financed research and develop-ment

expenditures.

The NSF study combines

research data from both

mathematics and statistics.

Aloysius “ Loek” G. Helminck

Helminck named Mathematics

Department head

Did you know that the Physics

Department began with a single

faculty member who also served as a

professor of military science in 1894?

Or that during the 1940s, the

department was primarily a teaching

service constituent of the School of

Engineering?

Jasper Memory and Ray Fornes

have undertaken an effort to

document the department’s exciting

evolution to its current position

of prominence.

The department history will

include brief biographies of key

players and statements from some of

them, a list of all who received a

doctorate, honors given to faculty

members, and an account of how the

department has developed over the

years.

“ The department’s growth has

been achieved through a combina-tion

of wise and steady leadership,

good decisions at critical times and a

modicum of good fortune,” Memory

said. “ It currently exhibits a strong

balance in a wide variety of research

areas, and preeminence in several. It

is also gratifying to note that the

department’s strength is more widely

recognized.”

Other interesting facts about the

department include:

The first baccalaureate degree in

physics was awarded in 1925, when

the department was part of the

School of Science and Business.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s,

NC State built the first academic

nuclear reactor, and the first large

research program in physics was

centered around it.

The first PhDs were awarded in

1956. To date, it has awarded 270

doctorates.

In 1960, the department became

part of the newly- formed School

of Physical Sciences and Applied

Mathematics, now the College of

Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

Statements from alumni will be

included in the department history.

Anyone wishing to contribute

material may contact Memory at

jmemory@ nc. rr. com.

Submissions welcome for

Physics Department history

PHOTO BY ROGER WINSTEAD

McCollum honored for TA training program

Marilyn McCollum is one of those

people who seems born to teach.

“ I’ve always loved being in

charge,” said a grinning McCollum

when asked to explain what drew her

to teaching. “ When I was in the

fourth grade, the second grade

teacher had to be out one day, so

they picked me to be the ‘ teacher’

until the real one got there— I know it

was only for about 30 minutes, but I

was the teacher and I loved it!”

Today, McCollum’s love for teach-ing

impacts virtually every student

at NC State.

Director of programs for teaching

assistants in the Mathematics

Department, McCollum was recently

honored with a Richard Felder

Excellence in Teaching Award. The

honor recognizes her work in creat-ing

a graduate teaching assistant ( TA)

training program designed to ensure

success for both math students and

the TAs who teach them.

McCollum earned her master’s in

mathematics education and taught

in public schools before joining the

Mathematics Department as a lec-turer

in 1982. In 1985, she was put

in charge of the TA training program.

From the beginning, she looked

for ways to improve the program,

and her education and training as a

teacher enabled her to see a very

obvious challenge.

“ I noticed that most of the TAs

didn’t have educational backgrounds,

or any training in classroom man-agement,”

says McCollum. “ So I put

together a week- long ‘ boot camp’

that took place the week before

classes began. Essentially it was a

mini- semester for the TAs that

allowed them to practice teaching

techniques, classroom management

techniques— anything that would

help them feel comfortable in front

of a class and that would help them

help their students.”

McCollum created a training video

on “ how not to teach” that remains

in use at NC State and at other

institutions across the nation. In fact,

McCollum’s TA training program is

considered a national model.

Because almost every NC State

student must take at least one math

course, practically the entire student

body benefits from McCollum’s

training program.

In the early 1990s, changes in

regulations called for TAs to have

18 hours of graduate courses before

being allowed to teach. This in turn

required the Mathematics Department

to restructure its classes and the

ways in which it used TAs.

“ We had to use new TAs in larger

lectures as recitation leaders and

tutors, and rely on the experienced

ones to teach the courses,” said

McCollum. “ So the focus of the

workshop shifted away from plan-ning

lessons for a particular course

and toward a more student- focused

model— how to answer questions and

be an effective tutor. We still did

classroom management, but that

was secondary, because the new TAs

get a year’s worth of classroom expe-rience

under their belts before they

have to manage their own classes.”

A large part of helping students

understand mathematical concepts

has to do with the ways in which

different students learn.

“ We all have different learning

styles,” adds McCollum. “ Richard

Felder, an engineering professor here

at NC State, wrote a book about

learning styles describing the differ-ent

ways in which students absorb

knowledge. We utilize that book

quite a bit— it’s a real eye- opener for

the new TAs to realize that not

everyone comes to understand the

material in the same way, and that

they have to be sensitive to these dif-ferent

learning styles. I think it’s been

very helpful to both the graduate

students and the undergraduates

they’re teaching.”

The students would seem to agree.

“ If the course evaluations are any

indication, our TAs do just as well in

the classrooms as regular faculty,”

said Dr. John Griggs, coordinator of

classroom instruction for the

Mathematics Department.

Former TAs also have praise for

the training program.

“ As a result of the workshops,

I didn’t feel like I was just being

thrown in front of a classroom of

80 students,” said Derek Culp, who

was a mathematics TA in 2004.

Amy Langville attended the work-shop

in 1997. An operations research

graduate student in the College of

Engineering, she was assigned TA

duties in mathematics.

“ The workshop is unique,” she

said. “ I know from friends who were

TAs elsewhere that they received little

or no training before instructing.”

McCollum is committed to mak-ing

sure that the TAs in front of the

classrooms are well- prepared, not

just for managing the needs of

30- odd undergraduates, but also for

getting the lessons across.

“ For me, the challenge has always

been finding a way to present the

material so that I’m there for the

‘ light bulb’ moment,” she said. “ I love

explaining, looking at faces and get-ting

feedback, even in large lectures.

I’m always looking for the best way

to say something so that students

can really get it.”

“ I’m always looking for the best way

to say something so that students

can really get it.”

— Marilyn McCollum

PHOTO BY SALLY RAMEY

Marilyn McCollum

Mathematics Department

earns teaching award

All members of the Mathematics Department faculty were honored

with the university’s 2005– 06 Departmental Award for Teaching and

Learning Excellence.

Since 2000, these annual awards have honored up to two of the

university’s 72 departments for exceptional collective accomplishments

in teaching and learning.

PAMS has quickly built an excellent record of winning this distinction.

The Statistics Department won the award in 2005, and the Physics

Department won the award in 2003.

16 SPRING/ SUMMER 2006 scope Fellowships provide vital

graduate student support

John A. Ryals remembers how

important his fellowship was when

he was in graduate school.

“ I have a PhD in molecular biology,

and one of the things I needed was a

stipend to help me go to graduate

school,” he said. Today, Ryals is CEO

of Metabolon, Inc., in Durham. The

company specializes in applying the

field of metabolomics— the study of

metabolites, such as glucose, in

human cells, tissues or organs— to

facilitate drug development and early

diagnosis of disease.

Ryals has 20 years of experience in

the biotechnology industry including

senior research positions at Novartis

and Ciba- Geigy and currently serves

on the board of Athenix Corporation.

Before joining Metabolon, Ryals was

CEO, president and founder of

Paradigm Genetics, Inc.

Ryals is in his second term as a

member of the board of directors for

the NCSU Physical and Mathematical

Sciences Foundation, Inc. This non-profit

organization exists to promote

and support the educational and

service functions of the College.

He has also served as a member of

the Bioinformatics Research Center

Advisory Group.

Today’s graduate students will

follow in Ryals’ footsteps. They will

serve as tomorrow’s leaders in indus-try,

government, research, health care,

public policy and education. They are

the next generation of faculty that will

teach today’s children at colleges and

universities worldwide.

Even today, graduate students are

a vital part of the research process,

and serve as mentors for undergradu-ate

students in instructional and

laboratory settings. They enrich the

educational environment and

contribute significantly to scientific

discovery.

Graduate students spend another

two or more years in school to earn

their advanced degrees. Typically,

universities provide graduate

students with teaching assistant or

research assistant positions so they

can generate income to offset their

educational costs..

However, it is fellowships that pro-vide

the stipends that allow graduate

students to focus on their studies.

Fellowships also cover scholarly travel,

reward superior achievement and

support other facets of the graduate

experience.

Competition for the most talented

advanced- degree students is intense

on the national level and among

research universities in particular. Top

universities have extensive fellowship

programs, and expanding graduate

student support is one of PAMS’

priorities in Achieve! The Campaign

for NC State.

“ Fellowship funds provide stipends

to recruit outstanding students to

our programs, while tuition support

funds close the gap between in- state

and out- of- state tuition, which

hinders our ability to recruit the

best students globally,” said Anita

Stallings, executive director of the

PAMS Foundation. “ When most

people think of student support, they

think of scholarships, but fellowships

are just as important.”

Understanding this, Ryals has set

up a fellowship with the PAMS

Foundation. Established through a

charitable remainder trust, the John A.

Ryals Endowed Fellowship Fund will

provide awards for graduate students

in any of the PAMS disciplines.

Charitable remainder trusts are

established by transferring cash,

securities or real estate to a trust. The

funds are invested to pay income to

the donor or their designees for a

term of years, or their lifetimes.

When the trust ends, the remaining

funds pass to a designated charity

and are used per the donor’s original

instructions. There also are tax

benefits to establishing charitable

remainder trusts.

“ To me, it’s a social responsibility.

I wanted to give back to a local uni-versity,”

Ryals said. “ It was important

to me to put this together so it can

benefit other students some day.”

For more information about

fellowship funds or charitable

remainder trusts, contact Stallings at

919- 515- 3462, or astallin@ ncsu. edu.

Alumni

help recruit

students

Several PAMS alumni and

friends participated in a

February social for potential

undergraduate students, held in

the Dail Club in Vaughn Towers

at Carter- Finley Stadium.

The event attracted more

than 30 prospective students,

and capped off a campus visita-tion

day. Alumni and friends

attending the event visited with

the students and their parents.

Those attending included

Cindy Clark ( Statistics ‘ 76) and

her husband, Joe Hackley, Tom

Rhodes ( Applied Mathematics

‘ 65), Benton Satterfield

( Chemistry ‘ 89), John Seely

( Physics ‘ 68) and his guest Janet

Cave, and Bill White

( Mathematics ‘ 72).

“ We appreciate the participa-tion

and support of our alumni

at recruitment events,” said

Denise Hubbard, director of

development. “ They are uniquely

able to engage in conversations

with prospective students and

their parents about their own

NC State experiences.”

For more information

and photos, visit:

www. pams. ncsu. edu/ society/

studentrecruitment. php.

Today’s graduate students will serve

as tomorrow’s leaders in industry,

government, research, health care,

public policy and education. They

are the next generation of faculty

that will teach today’s children at

colleges and universities worldwide.

John Ryals

How to

make a gift

You may remember how difficult it

was to manage the expense of higher

education. You may want to help

today’s students achieve their dreams.

The PAMS Foundation provides

many ways to support students,

faculty and programs of the

College. Whether you want to con-tribute

to an existing scholarship,

support a departmental enhance-ment

fund, make a memorial gift

or consider more significant

support, our staff is available to

help you explore the options.

To support existing funds

To contribute to a scholarship,

fellowship or other fund, fill out

our secure, online gift form at

www. css. ncsu. edu/ pams/ or mail

a check to the NCSU Physical &

Mathematical Sciences Foundation,

Campus Box 8201, Raleigh, NC,

27695. Make checks payable to PAMS

Foundation and write the name of the

fund on the “ notes” or “ for” line.

If your employer provides

matches for charitable donations,

please send a completed matching

gift form with your contribution.

There are many funds not

mentioned in this issue of Scope,

and several have specific designated

uses. If you would like information

on our various funds to help you

decide the best fit for your support,

please give us a call at 919- 515- 3462.

For a list of funds, visit www. pams.

ncsu. edu/ development/ funds. php.

To explore other options

If you have questions about gift

planning, we can help you identify

tax benefits, choose between per-manent

endowment vs. one- time

support and explore estate planning

or life- income options.

There are many ways to match

your interests with specific College

needs, and several possibilities for

making your vision a reality.

Whether using cash, appreciated

assets, real estate or a bequest,

we can help you find the best way

to make the most of your gift.

Contact us today at

919- 515- 3462 or by e- mail at

pamsalumni@ lists. ncsu. edu.

Achieve! The Campaign for NC State

PAMS Campaign Goals Endowment Current Needs

Undergraduate and graduate student support $ 6,500,000 $ 3,500,000

$ 10 million will double the current level of support,

providing resources to compete for talented students

and meet financial needs

Faculty support 5,000,000

$ 5 million will endow professorships to recruit and

retain distinguished teaching and research faculty

The Science House/ K– 12 Outreach 1,000,000 2,000,000

$ 3 million will create an endowment to provide

permanent support for The Science House, and fund

current teacher training and student science programs

Facilities and equipment 10,000,000

$ 10 million will leverage existing construction funds

to support modern instructional methods and technologies

Unrestricted support 2,000,000

$ 2 million in flexible, current gifts will allow us

to respond to exciting opportunities, urgent needs and

unexpected challenges

Research and Program Development 20,000,000

$ 20 million will enable us to conduct research and

develop academic programs leading to discoveries

and knowledge that enhance quality of life and

stimulate economic development

Total $ 12,500,000 $ 37,500,000

PAMS Campaign Needs $ 50,000,000

Increasing resources to support students is an

important objective of NC State’s $ 1 billion

campaign. The article on page 16 highlights

the need for graduate student fellowships.

At this time, PAMS is at 46 percent of its

student support goal.

20%

6%

10%

20%

4%

40%

College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences

North Carolina State University

Campus Box 8201

Raleigh, North Carolina 27695– 8201

PRESORTED

FIRST- CLASS MAIL

U. S. POSTAGE

PAID

RALEIGH, NC

PERMIT NO. 2353

scope

The College of Physical and

Mathematical Sciences is made up of

internationally recognized departments:

Physics

Mathematics

Chemistry

Molecular & Structural Biochemistry

Statistics

Marine, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences

Scope is published by

the College twice per year

Dean Daniel Solomon

Editor Anita Stallings

Writer Sally Ramey

Contributing Writer Tracey Peake

Design Zubigraphics

11,000 copies of this public document were

printed at a cost of $ 6,265.00 or 56¢ per copy.

PAMS Alumni & Friends Weekend 2006

 A Friday kick- off reception with fellow alumni

and friends.

 Afternoon “ classes” on special topics. Choose

your class schedule from a variety of popular

science topics.

 Friday night dinner with keynote speaker

Dr. Peter J. Webster, Georgia Institute of

Technology, whose research into the

increasing severity of hurricanes was cited

in the January 2006 issue of Discover

magazine. Discover designated the topic

as the # 1 science story of 2005.

 The weekend coincides with the NC State-

Wake Forest football game.

The weekend offers something for everyone:

All alumni and friends will receive more details about online registration this summer.

To reserve your spot now, call 919- 515- 3462 or e- mail pamsalumni@ lists. ncsu. edu.

Mark your

calendar:

October 13 – 14!

Join us for the second annual PAMS Alumni & Friends Weekend, Oct. 13– 14!