There’s no better way to get a picture of what it’s like to be a student in the College of Natural Resources at NC State University than to read our student journal. For 8 decades our students have been documenting their experiences and telling their stories. We hope you enjoy reading the 79th edition.
Previous issues are also available online – 1934 – 2001 / 2007 – 2014
On April 23, 2014 at 7:45pm, NC State University will turn the campus belltower red in honor of Dr. George Hess.
Department Head Barry Goldfarb (r) congratulates Dr. George Hess (l) on his award.
Hess, an Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor of Conservation and Ecology in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources is North Carolina State University’s recipient of the 2014 Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching.
About the Award
In 1993 the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina system reaffirmed that teaching is the primary responsibility of each of the 17 constituent institutions of the University. To underscore the importance of teaching and to encourage, identify, recognize, reward, and support good teaching within the University, the Board created annual systemwide teaching awards with monetary stipends which are designated “Board of Governors Awards for Excellence in Teaching.”
The College of Natural Resources is very proud that a member of our faculty has received this highly prestigious award.
About Dr. George Hess
Holding research and teaching positions at North Carolina State University since 1989, Dr. Hess joined the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources in 1996.
Studying conservation planning for wildlife in suburbanizing areas and broader issues of open space conservation, Dr. Hess’s research has evolved from a strictly science-based focus to a collaborative combination of science and policy inquiry. Self-described as “…an unrepentant addict, craving the controlled chaos of engaged learning,” Dr. Hess challenges students to independently solve problems on projects in a collaborative environment using technical, communication, critical thinking, and organizational skills. He works to combine his teaching, research, and service activities at the undergraduate and graduate levels, creating exciting learning opportunities for his students and himself alike.
Dr. Hess’s activities comprise three major themes and are integrated across teaching, research, and engagement: participation in the scholarship of teaching and learning that supports the active engagement of faculty and students with community partners to address regional conservation challenges; improvement of the breadth and quality of ecologically-based information available to land use planners; and development of approaches to incorporating scientific findings about conservation into local planning activities by engaging with community partners.
As a teacher, Dr. Hess focuses on finding and developing approaches such as inquiry-guided learning, service-learning, and collaborative research that engage students in topical problems with the organizations and people who are working to solve them. Using these techniques, students respond positively to authentic learning environments.
His students have provided written support of his successful teaching methods:
“Dr. Hess introduces a realistic model of problems and solutions….”
“His classroom is a forum of active thought where students think critically to solve qualitative and quantitative problems….”
“Everything is interactive, hands-on, and designed so that students leave with a level of understanding and confidence…. ”
“… his instruction methods removed the barriers between class work and ‘real-world’ work.”
Civically active, Dr. Hess has served on the Board of Directors for Triangle Land Conservancy, the Town of Knightdale’s Land Use Review Board, and several committees focusing on land use and planning issues.
Dr. Gary Blank, Director of Undergraduate Programs in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University, writes in support of Dr. Hess’s outreach efforts, “Dr. Hess is instrumental in projects like WakeNature Preserve Partnership… he is the person who asserts the pedagogical perspective amid the sometimes too prevalent focus on just getting the ‘job’ done.”
Dr. Hess earned a BA in Biology from Columbia College (1978), a BS in Computer Science from Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science (1979), a MS in Computer Science from the Stevens Institute of Technology (1981) and a PhD in Biomathematics and Ecology from North Carolina State University (1994).
Visit Dr. Hess’s Website>>
Dr. Hess will be honored at NC State’s Spring commencement ceremony by a member of the Board of Governors, will receive a $12,500 stipend and a bronze medallion, and lifetime bragging rights.
Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, Dr. Hess!
The Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources(FER) at North Carolina State University is excited to launch a new pilot program, CONNECT, beginning the summer of 2014. For a select group of students who do not receive admission offers for the freshman class in fall 2014, the CONNECT program offers an alternate path to becoming a student in one of the degree programs within the department. The degree programs include: Forest Management, Natural Resources (Ecosystem Assessment or Policy & Administration), Environmental Technology & Management, and Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology.
CONNECT begins during the summer by offering these students the opportunity to explore life as a student at NC State. Once accepted into the Connect program, the students live on campus and take two courses during Summer Session II. This offers students the chance to learn about a variety of on-campus resources, meet faculty and students, and participate in hands-on field experiences.
At the end of the summer, these students then spend the subsequent fall and spring semesters attending the 2 or 4-year institution of their choice while receiving academic advising from the FER undergraduate program coordinator, Christi Standley. The students will then return to NC State the next summer to take additional courses.
Students who earn an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher will be offered guaranteed admission into the degree programs in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources without reapplying to NC State University. If a student does not earn an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher, they can apply as a transfer student.
Through the CONNECT program, students can effectively use their time and money in their first year of studies and be well prepared to enter our programs as a sophomore. The goal is to ensure that these students have accurate information about courses to take so they are eligible to transfer to NC State and be on track with credits that will count toward their specific major of interest within the department.
The FER department is excited to offer this alternate path to students who show strong qualities on their applications, so these students will be able to demonstrate their dedication and academic success, access these challenging degree programs, and achieve exciting natural resources careers.
Dr. Barry Brook, the Australian Research Council Future Fellow III, Sir Hubert Wilkins Chair of Climate Change, and Director of Climate Science for The Environment Institute at the University of Adelaide in South Australia will deliver the inaugural Global Environmental Change Lecture at NC State University -“Power to save nature? The role of nuclear energy and ‘techno-fixes’ in conserving climate and ecosystems.”
The lecture will be held at the David Clark Labs on the NC State campus on April 8, 2014 from 4-5pm. (parking in the Dan Allen deck) and is open to the public.
Fossil fuels have supplied most of society’s energy demand for over two centuries. Yet, with the mounting problems of climate change, pollution, security and dwindling supplies, we now face the need for a near-total transformation of the world’s energy systems.
The talk will provide a critical overview of the challenges in—and potential solutions for—completely ‘decarbonzing’ our energy supplies, while also meeting the growing need for increased prosperity in the developing world.
It will be argued that of the options available, it is next-generation nuclear power and related technologies, based on modular systems with full fuel recycling and inherent safety, that offer the best chance of curing our fossil-fuel addiction.
Solving the ‘energy problem’ will not just help in mitigating climate change. It will also avoid destructive use of natural and agricultural landscapes for biofuels and diffuse energy generation, and allow societies to reduce their ‘footprint’ by sparing land and resources for biodiversity conservation
About Dr. Brook:
An innovative quantitative population ecologist, began his career studying how genetic variability affects the persistence of small populations. Since then his efforts have proliferated in many directions, with novel applications of simulation and statistical modeling to understand synergistic impacts on the biosphere. Read his blog>>
The NC State Global Environmental Change Lecture Series is organized by NC State College of Natural Resources professor L. Scott Mills and co-sponsored by the Southeast Climate Science Center.
Learn more about the NC State Global Change Forum>>
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Dr. Brooks will also deliver the weekly Forestry & Environmental Resources Seminar on April 7, 2014 from 3:30-4:30pm in Room 434 of Daniels Hall at NC State.
The topic is “Tipping Points and Metamodels: Forecasting and Abating Aggregate Human Impacts on Biodiversity”
As winter melts away and we begin the spring in North Carolina, the College of Natural Resources is sponsoring a photo contest to try to capture the research, teaching, extension, and service that we do. Attached is a flyer describing the photo contest and how the photos will be used.
If you are an avid photographer, we hope that you will enjoy this photo assignment. If you are looking for a new activity to take you outside, pick-up your camera and head out to capture an image of the natural resources around us.
All faculty, staff and students in CNR are welcome to take part in this contest. Please feel free to share this with others in the CNR community.
Due date for the photos is April 18, 2014. Check out the flyer for more details.
We look forward to seeing your photographs!
