A Summer of Civil Rights and Unrest

Posted on August 25, 2011 by

Sameer Abdel-Khalek, senior in environmental technology, took this photo of injured protesters in Tahrir Square while documenting the struggle in Egypt June 28. Photo courtesy of Sameer Abdel-Khalek.

Sameer Abdel-Khalek took this photo of injured protesters in Tahrir Square while documenting the struggle in Egypt June 28. Photo courtesy of Sameer Abdel-Khalek and The Technician

Sameer Abdel-Khalek, a senior in environmental technology and management at NC State University, knows people around the world are having internal revolutions; so along with three friends he spent this summer traveling through Egypt and Tunisia to uncover the “hidden” stories of the protests of the Arab Spring.

It was quite an experience that is leading to poetry featured on WUNC, a prospective book and photo exhibition and more.

“People are having internal revolutions, regardless of race, age or religion,” Abdel-Khalek said. “With these issues, they say ‘They aren’t ready for democracy.’ Nobody is ready for democracy, you experience it and embark on it and try it out. I am honored to have taken part in that in Cairo and Tunis.”

Learn more about Abdel-Khalek’s travels as well as that of other students who spent the summer experiencing the struggle for civil rights.

Adapted from THE TECHNICIAN ONLINE – 8/16/2011 – By Mark Herring, Features Editor

Read the complete article in The Technician

Listen to the NC Public Radio Podcast – Poetic Portraits of a Revolution: Home Sweet Home
Visit the PPR2011 Blog

Experiential Learning At Its Best, In Greece!

Posted on August 15, 2011 by

Partnering with local schools to exchange recreation and cultural experiences,

Putting hearts and hands to work at the Antonis Environmental Park,

Attending the Special Olympics in Athens and meeting the U.S. volleyball team,

Seeing history in the making during street protests in the streets of Athens.

Those are just a few of the experiences shared recently by 15 NC State University students while completing PRT 491: History of Leisure/Visitor and Destination Management.

According to Janell Moretz, a lecurer in the Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management, the students focused on the history of leisure from its historical origins to how democracy changed the Greek culture and influenced leisure in modern society around the world.

Through excursions and cultural immersion experiences, the students learned how Ancient Greece gave rise to the concept of leisure, spectator sports, festivals, theater and tourism, saw historical sites and modern architecture, explored how the 2004 Olympic venue

development changed the landscape of Greece, examined how tourism affects community development and culture, and made friends throughout Greece and the nearby isles – gaining a comprehensive understanding of Greece’s culture and its people – all in 20 days!

After their return the students completed a reflection exercise which included developing comprehensive storyboards showcasing images and observations from the course experiences. “The students were able to express what they learned in their storyboard projects,” according to Moretz, “It was gratifying to learn how much the cultural exchanges, service learning and trip abroad enhanced their understanding of leisure, recreation and the Greek Culture. I’m look forward to sharing these experiences with more students on our next journey in 2012!

View 2 Student Storyboards – Lindsay Anderson Jason Batt
Learn more about NC State Study Abroad

Commencement Largest in College’s History

Posted on May 17, 2011 by

Close to 250 undergraduate and graduate students received their diplomas from the NC State University College of Natural Resources at the McKimmon Center on Saturday, May 14, 2011 at 1:30 p.m in the largest commencement ceremony in the College’s history.

Over 1000 family and friends joined the faculty and staff to celebrate the students’ accomplishments and wish them well as they begin the next phase of their lives.

Toddi Steelman, a professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, gave the commencement address. Dr. Steelman was the recipient of the Outstanding Teacher Award this year for the College of Natural Resources. Her words of advice encouraged the students to stay off the couch, keep it real by making human connections, and make deliberate, active choices about what they want out of their lives.

Brenda Brickhouse, President of the NC State Natural Resources Foundation, Inc., congratulated each of the graduates and presented them with a brass and wood NC State business card holder and asked them to keep in touch with the college and NC State throughout their lives.

Other speakers for the ceremony included Dr. Robert Brown, Dean and Dr. Adrianna Kirkman, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

A student speaker from each of the college’s three departments shared their own life experiences and words of wisdom. Those students include: Ms. Genevieve Pike – Forest Biomaterials; Mr. Andrew McEachran – Forestry and Environmental Resources; and Mr. Steven Houg – Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management.

Immediately following the ceremony, the academic departments hosted a cookie and punch reception for the faculty, staff, students and parents.

Congratulations to the Class of 2011! We wish them well and are confident that each will make a difference in the world and serve as outstanding representatives of the College of Natural Resources and North Carolina State University!

Commencement Program & List of Graduates>>

Graduation Photo Gallery>>

Paper Science and Engineering Class of 2011 Celebrates With Senior Banquet

Posted on May 16, 2011 by moorman

Paper Science and Engineering seniors at 2011 annual banquet sponosored by Rayonier.

The NC State University Paper Science and Engineering Class of 2011 celebrated its achievements last week during the annual senior banquet. Sponsored by Rayonier, students were invited to enjoy the evening with great food, classmates, friends and department faculty. The accomplishments of 29 Paper Science and Engineering seniors were recognized during the event.

Senior Sonja Jones, double major in chemistry and paper science and engineering, was voted “Most Congenial Senior” by her classmates. The George T. Davis Most Congenial Senior Award is an annual honor noting the Paper Science and Engineering student who embodied a positive spirit, a bright smile on any day, and a kind heart.

Sonja Jones accepts the 2011 Most Congenial Senior Award from Dr. Med Byrd.

It has become tradition in the past 5 years for the students and faculty to take the stage to roast one another in farewell. The faculty took the opportunity to go first and roast the lively group of seniors in the Class of 2011. The students were not to be out-done! The toils of 4 years working individually with each of the faculty gave them plenty of insight on how to highlight the unique character of the Forest Biomaterials faculty.

Dr. Med Byrd took the opportunity to remind students of the industry partners, alumni and friends who have supported their scholarships and professional development over the past few years. He encouraged students to pledge to give back to NC State and the Paper Science & Engineering program. Dr. Hasan Jameel, Dr. Med Byrd and Dr. Richard Phillips pledged $4,000 to create the Class of 2011 scholarship fund. Two members of the Class of 2011 took the challenge and stepped right up with pledges!

90% of the students graduating on May 14, 2011 have secured permanent employment or will be entering graduate school. Graduates have accepted offers at Rayonier, International Paper, Kimberly Clark, Dupont and Nalco, among other companies. Other students plan to pursue Ph.d’s in Chemical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and Georgia Tech. One graduate has plans to attend law school and another is accepting her commission with the US Navy.

Many students in the Class of 2011 are completing a dual major in Chemical Engineering and will be graduating in December. The Department of Forest Biomaterials and Rayonier congratulate the Class of 2011!

Paper Science and Engineering Class of 2011 at Senior Banquet.

Majestic Giants and Tiny Terrors

Posted on April 7, 2011 by

Submitted by Erin Mester

Call them one of “America’s Most Wanted” invasive pests: the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA).

After arriving here from Asia in the early 1950’s, these pesky aphid-like insects have devoured their way through millions of hemlock trees and left a trail of “ghosts” through the forest.

Hemlocks grow throughout the southern Appalachians where some trees are more than 400 years old and grow as tall as 175 feet and six feet in diameter. Hemlocks may live more than 800 years and thrive in shade where their thick, evergreen foliage helps maintain moderate temperatures and moisture on the forest floor as well as provide numerous habitats for wildlife.

HWA have been steadily spreading throughout the south into some of the largest and oldest stands of hemlocks in the southern Appalachians and are killing eastern and Carolina hemlocks all within only a few years of initial infestation.

One PhD student at NC State University, Kelly Oten, is researching ways hemlock react to HWA with the hope of developing HWA-resistant hemlocks. Kelly’s research focuses on the behavior and morphology of HWA as well as the chemistry of hemlocks in regards to what makes one tree susceptible to HWA and another one resistant. It is known that Asian and pacific northwest hemlocks are resistant to HWA but not why.

Kelly is currently observing HWA with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), a surface-imaging technique, to investigate their feeding behaviors. Little is known about the behavior of HWA and Kelly’s research is helping scientists to understand how they find a suitable feeding spot to feed. She is also investigating the chemical differences between seven hemlock species as well as individuals within the same species in the hopes to find what makes some species resistant to HWA. If a specific chemical is found in resistant trees, she can hypothesize that the chemical found is a deterrent to HWA, and attempt to confirm this through behavioral studies.

Kelly presented her work at the 5th Annual NCSU Graduate Student Research Symposium where she won 2nd place for her poster presentation, and at the Southeastern Meeting Entomological Society of America where she won 3rd place for the PhD student oral paper.

Chemical profiles of resistant hemlocks will be useful in developing breeding programs by screening for resistance and selecting for resistant individuals to use in these programs and will hopefully restore native hemlock forests. Eastern hemlock trees are also vital to the North Carolina nursery industry, and the HWAs that kill these trees are very costly to growers. Development of a resistant tree and/or other means of controlling this pest are required to save this industry.

Kelly’s work is of particular interest to The Alliance for Saving Threatened Forests (ASTF), part of the North Carolina State University Center for Integrated Pest Management, in affiliation with the College of Natural Resources, which supports research on developing pest resistant trees and other means of controlling the adelgids. The Alliance’s long-term goal is restoring hemlock forests and other native trees in the Eastern United States that have succumbed to the adelgids.

If you would like to learn more about ASTF and current HWA research at NC State, please visit their website at: www.threatenedforests.com