Category Archives: News Releases
Dr. Ron Sederoff Named 2011 Forest Biotechnologist of the Year
NEWS RELEASE
Dr. Ron Sederoff, Distinguished University Professor, Edwin F. Conger Professor of Forestry & Environmental Resources and Co-Director of the Forest Biotechnology Group at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA has been named 2011 Forest Biotechnologist of the Year by the Institute of Forest Biotechnology (IFB).
Sederoff was selected by his peers within the Forest Biotechnology Partnership, an international group of forestry and biotechnology professionals. Sederoff is the third scientist to win this award. It is given to the forest biotechnologist who best exemplifies responsible uses of forest biotechnology and actively promotes science, dialogue, and stewardship through their work.
Susan McCord, Executive Director of the IFB said, “The candidates that the Forest Biotechnology Partners nominated were world class researchers. Dr. Sederoff has contributed significantly to the field of forest biotechnology this year, and in the past three decades, particularly with regard to training the next generations of Forest Biotechnologists. It is a great legacy.”
According to his nominators, Dr. Sederoff was selected because of his leadership in modern forest biotechnology, his track record of scientific innovation, and his willingness to challenge the status quo with unique perspectives and insight that invite broad engagement in research.
Sederoff is among the top forest biotechnology scientists in the world having worked in forest biotechnology for 28 years. In 1988 he established the Forest Biotechnology Group at NC State University that focused on the genetic basis of quantitative traits in trees, using molecular genetics to advance tree improvement and on the molecular basis of wood formation, particularly lignin biosynthesis. Trees of particular interest have been pines, eucalypts and chestnuts.
Among his recent accomplishments is the development of a systems biology approach to the biosynthesis of lignin in partnership with Dr. Vincent Chiang, also of NC State University, and leading an effort on genomics of the beech family to develop chestnut genomics as a major step toward the restoration of the American chestnut.
“Researchers are already using genomic sciences for applications in human, animal and crop health. It’s time for us to use the technology for environmental health,” according to Sederoff. Fast-growing, high quality trees grown as crops can greatly reduce the pressure on natural forest land. It should be possible to attack deforestation, habitat destruction, and climate change through ‘domestication’ of trees, and the modification of trees to help solve environmental problems, including bioenergy.”
Sederoff is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences – one of three Members in all Forest Sciences, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Member of the International Academy of Wood Science. In 2004, he received an honorary Doctorate in Forest Science from the Swedish Agricultural University. A native of Montreal Canada, he is married to Heike Winter Sederoff and has three children, Kim, Sarah and Henry.
Adam Costanza, President of the IFB had this to day about the selection of Sederoff as 2011 Forest Biotechnologist of the Year, “Top forest biotechnology researchers consider Dr. Sederoff a leader in this field for good reasons. Ron is one of the fathers of this technology, yet he continues to imagine how it can be put to use to benefit people, the environment, and save threatened trees. The Forest Biotechnology Partners continue to nominate true visionaries as Forest Biotechnologist of the Year. I’m happy that I get to work with Ron and learn from his insight in science, dialogue, and stewardship of forest biotechnology.”
The Forest Biotechnology Partnership will name another Forest Biotechnologist of the Year in 2012. The recipient can be any practitioner in the field regardless of their research affiliations.
More information is available at the Institute of Forest Biotechnology’s website: www.forestbiotech.org
Media Contacts: Adam Costanza | Institute of Forest Biotechnology | adam.costanza@forestbiotech.org or Ron Sederoff | NC State University | ron_sederoff@ncsu.edu
Study Finds Summer Camps Bring $365 Million to Western North Carolina
NEWS RELEASE
For more information contact Jane Murray NCYCA 828.669.2145
Western North Carolina has one of the highest concentrations of summer camps in America. For generations, beautiful settings, ideal temperatures, and unspoiled terrain have contributed to the area’s popularity as a destination for summer campers from all over the world.
Anecdotal evidence has long suggested that these visitors and their families have a significant annual impact on local economies. That impact has now been quantified with the release of an economic impact study completed in January 2011 by a team of researchers from North Carolina State University.
Economic Benefits
According to the study, residential summer youth camps in four western North Carolina counties (Buncombe, Henderson, Jackson and Transylvania) contribute $365 million in total economic impact to western North Carolina. The study also estimated a direct economic impact of $218 million, more than 10,000 full-time equivalent jobs created in addition to camp staff, $260 million in increased resident income, and $33 million in new tax revenues during the summer of 2010.
- Buncombe County (13 camps represented): $103 million total economic impact, $61 million direct economic impact, and $9.7 million in tax revenue
- Henderson County (18 camps represented): $120 million total economic impact, $77 million direct economic impact, and $10 million in tax revenue
- Jackson County (2 camps represented): $11.5 million total economic impact, $7 million direct economic impact, and $0.8 million in tax revenue
- Transylvania County (17 camps represented): $126 million total economic impact, $84.5 million direct economic impact, and $11 million in tax revenue
The study was completed by Dr. Michelle Gacio Harrolle and Dr. Samantha Rozier Rich of the Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management at NC State University, and was commissioned by the NC Youth Camp Association (NCYCA) with funding support from Morrow Insurance Agency, Inc. (Hendersonville, NC) and the American Camp Association Southeastern.
The study collected data from camp directors, camp staff, and camp families based on camp information from the summer of 2010. A total of 45 camps participated with a total of 40 usable surveys representing 50 camps from Western North Carolina.
From staff data, approximately 540 usable surveys were collected representing 5,477 total staff. Seasonal staff, who traveled specifically to WNC because of the residential camps, were shown to spend an average of $2,402 during their stay (before, during, and after camp) in WNC.
Visitor data (collected from camp families’ data) provided 4,600 usable surveys representing nearly 53,238 families. Total attendance at camps was estimated to be 53,238 over the summer, with 49,665 who were considered “incremental visitors.” These incremental visitors, who traveled specifically to WNC because of residential camps and did not live in the four-county WNC region, each spent an average of $2,096 during
their multiple stays in WNC.
The Benefits for Youth
The study also examined families’ perceptions of the benefits of summer camps. More than 93% of camp families feel camps make a positive difference in their children’s lives, and 95% would not only recommend a camp experience but would send their child back to camp.
The top three benefits of organized camps (according to camp families) include:
- Gaining independence
- Improving self-confidence
- Developing new skills
Camps and Tourism
Additionally, the study demonstrated a mutually beneficial relationship between summer camps in WNC and tourism. Specifically, when examining camp families’ travel behaviors, 82% of families traveled to WNC by car and those who stayed overnight stayed primarily in hotels for an average of four nights. A majority (69%) considered themselves to be tourists and participated primarily in four types of activities during their camp-related travel: shopping, visiting a scenic area, hiking, and visiting historical sites/museums.
Overall, findings from this study illustrate that camps generate considerable economic impacts and that these impacts have dramatically increased since the last study conducted in 1998. Additionally, camps are providing an opportunity to improve the lives of our children.
Please visit www.nccamps.org for the complete study.
Challenges Ahead
According to Gordon Strayhorn, President of the NC Youth Camp Association and owner of Camp Illahee in Brevard, there are five key issues currently threatening the camping industry- school calendars, building codes, urban growth, taxes and public land permits.
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About the North Carolina Youth Camp Association: The NCYCA is a trade association formed by North Carolina summer camps to expand public understanding of youth camps and to represent their interests with local, state and federal policymakers. The Association seeks to strengthen and expand the educational, environmental and recreational opportunities provided by North Carolina’s camps.
About the American Camp Association: The American Camp Association works to preserve, promote, and enhance the camp experience for children and adults. This is accomplished through the only nationwide accreditation program, through professional development, and public awareness programs and public policy monitoring. ACA-accredited camp programs ensure children are provided with a diversity of educational and developmentally challenging learning opportunities. There are more than 2,400 ACA-accredited camps that meet up to 300 health and safety standards nationwide. For more information, visit www.acacamps.org.
NC State Develops Material To Remove Radioactive Contaminants From Drinking Water
NEWS RELEASE – April 11, 2011
For Immediate Release
A combination of forest byproducts and crustacean shells may be the key to removing radioactive materials from drinking water, researchers from North Carolina State University have found.
“As we’re currently seeing in Japan, one of the major health risks posed by nuclear accidents is radioactive iodide that dissolves into drinking water. Because it is chemically identical to non-radioactive iodide, the human body cannot distinguish it – which is what allows it to accumulate in the thyroid and eventually lead to cancer,” says Dr. Joel Pawlak, associate professor of forest biomaterials. “The material that we’ve developed binds iodide in water and traps it, which can then be properly disposed of without risk to humans or the environment.”
The new material – a combination of hemicellulose, a byproduct of forest materials, and chitosan, crustacean shells that have been crushed into a powder – not only absorbs water, but can actually extract contaminates, such as radioactive iodide, from the water itself. This material, which forms a solid foam, has applications beyond radioactive materials. Pawlak and fellow researchers found that it has the ability to remove heavy metals – such as arsenic – from water or salt from sea water to make clean drinking water.
“In disaster situations with limited-to-no power source, desalinating drinking water is difficult, if not impossible. This foam could be brought along in such situations to clean the water without the need for electricity,” Pawlak says. “This material could completely change the way we safeguard the world’s drinking water supply.”
The foam, which is coated on wood fibers, is used like a sponge that is immersed in water. For smaller-scale applications, the foam could be used in something like a tea bag. Or on a larger scale, water could be poured through it like a filter.
Pawlak worked with NC State professor Dr. Richard Venditti on the research, which was funded by the Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research, the N.C. State Natural Resources Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy. Additional research into how the material can be used on a larger scale is currently being conducted.
NC State’s Department of Forest Biomaterials is part of NC State’s College of Natural Resources.
For more information contact:
Caroline Barnhill | News Services | 919.515.6251
Dr. Joel Pawlak | College of Natural Resources | 919.302.1663
Study Shows Attendance At State Parks Grows, Even As Funding Decreases
NEWS RELEASE – For Immediate Release
A recent study from North Carolina State University shows that while the number of visits to state parks across the country has grown, fund support for park operations has been significantly reduced. The reduction in funding during a time of park growth endangers the more than $20 billion in economic impact that state parks have on the nation’s economy.
“Obviously the reduction in general-fund support for operations puts stress on America’s state-park systems,” says Dr. Yu-Fai Leung, NC State associate professor of recreation ecology, park planning and visitor management, and director of the study.
“This is a troubling trend since states rely heavily on outdoor recreation and tourism spending to fuel local economies. The public has high expectations of state parks and the facilities and programs offered. If the state parks don’t meet expectations, visitors will likely take their business elsewhere.”
Leung, alongside fellow NC State researcher Dr. Chris Siderelis, completed the Annual Information Exchange (AIX) report, which tabulates data on state park attendance and economic impact, for the National Association of State Park Directors.
State parks nationally are generating a nine-fold return on their annual operating investment during difficult economic times. Many private- and public-sector jobs depend on the vitality of public parks; placing them at risk only aggravates the economic stress on state economies, Leung says. Total operating expenditures for state parks from all sources add up to about $2.2 billion, the report asserts. State general funds represent about $810 million of that $2.2 billion.
State parks operated 1,257 new areas, or more than 23,800 acres, over the previous year. “What that means is they have more land, facilities and visitors at a time when budget cuts are in double digits,” Leung explains. “It is unlikely that any private-sector business would cut expenditures when visitation and economic impact are growing. The prudent business plan would be to have stable or increased funding during periods of growth to protect the increasing market share.”
The AIX report shows that visitation to America’s state parks has grown from about 727 million visits in 2009 to more than 740 million in 2010 – a 1.6 percent increase. During the same period, general-fund support for park operations was reduced by $114 million or about 12.3 percent. Day-use visitation to state parks increased by more than 17 million or 2.6 percent while overnight visits dropped from 64 to 60 million. “The price of gasoline and pressure on household budgets are likely reasons for the 5.3 percent reduction in overnight visits,” Leung says.
Researchers are currently conducting statistical analyses on the AIX data to identify patterns and trends about state park use and operations.
NC State’s Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management is part of the university’s College of Natural Resources.
AIX 2009-2010 Summary & Comparison ( DOC ) ( PDF )
For more information contact:
Yu-Fai Leung, Parks Recreation & Tourism Managment, 919.
Caroline Barnhill, News Services, 919.515.6251