FEATURES
Shaping the debate
NC State engineers help state and national leaders craft policy on society's most pressing issues.
US Senator Kay Hagan (center) and US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke (second from right) joined NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson (left) during a June meeting of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness on Centennial Campus.
NC State hosts White House summit
NC State engineers' groundbreaking smart grid work helped prompt the White House to choose the university to host a roundtable discussion on the smart grid and energy with members of President Barack Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.
The June 13 event on Centennial Campus was one of five breakout sessions held in the Triangle to coincide with Obama's visit to the region. The NC State session included a tour of the FREEDM Systems Center, a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center dedicated to smart grid technology and distributed energy.
The main event at NC State was a morning roundtable discussion hosted by NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson and led by Jeffrey Immelt, chair of the council and chairman and CEO of GE. US Senator Kay Hagan and US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke attended the session, along with executives from Southwest Airlines, Comcast Corp., NextEra Energy and many of the region's leading smart grid companies.
NC State engineering alumni Michael Creed, chairman, CEO and co-founder of McKim & Creed; Rob Manning, executive vice president of power system operations at the Tennessee Valley Authority; Mark Munday, president and CEO of Elster; Robert Sipes, vice president of distribution at Progress Energy; and Ed White, chairman and CEO of Field2Base, Inc., also participated in the event.
The alumni joined local energy experts and business leaders to discuss ways to create jobs in the energy and smart grid industries through partnerships with academia and state and federal government agencies. Several executives said spending on the energy sector and infrastructure was the key.
Obama was later briefed on the council's findings during an afternoon event at Cree, the Durham-based LED lighting company co-founded by NC State engineering alumni.
When some of the nation's most powerful people need help, they turn to NC State engineers and computer scientists.
In addition to running research programs, leading classes and advising students, these researchers influence some of the most important policy decisions facing society.
They're advising the Department of Homeland Security on ways to keep personal information safe helping the Environmental Protection Agency refine air quality and drinking water standards and working with the Department of State to end sales of conflict diamonds.
Meet some of them.
Annie Antón
Professor of computer science
As a member of the US Department of Homeland Security's Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee, Annie Antón advises the department's secretary and chief privacy officer on computer-and-Internet security issues related to personally identifiable information, data integrity and other privacy-related matters. She's even testified before Congress on protecting the privacy of Social Security numbers and handling the security shortcomings of E-Verify, an online employment verification system.
Roger Barker
Burlington Industries Professor of Textile Technology; director of the Textile Protection and Comfort Center
Roger Barker sits on a panel of experts involved in a technology readiness assessment for the US Army’s Future Ground Soldier Integrated Protective Ensemble Program. He also serves on the Standing Committee on Personal Protective Equipment for Workplace Safety and Health, which was formed by the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine.
Joel Ducoste
Professor of civil, construction, and environmental engineering
Joel Ducoste sifts through piles of scientific studies to determine whether replacing some lead pipes with copper pipes in water systems significantly reduces lead levels in drinking water. A member of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Science Advisory Board Drinking Water Committee, Ducoste makes recommendations to the EPA administrator on this and other important drinking-water-related issues. This advice influences the nation’s drinking water standards.
Chris Frey
Professor of civil, construction, and environmental engineering
Chris Frey makes sure we’re all breathing clean air. He chairs the Lead Review Panel of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), which provides advice on the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for lead — a naturally occurring metal that, in excess, can harm humans and the environment. CASAC makes sure this standard for safe lead levels is based on the latest research.
Abhinav Gupta
Associate professor of civil, construction, and environmental engineering; associate director of the Center for Nuclear Power Plant Structures, Equipment, and Piping
Abhinav Gupta has been partnering with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to evaluate the seismic risks associated with nuclear power plants. He works to improve the way nuclear reactor systems, equipment and piping perform during earthquakes.
Ayman Hawari
Professor of nuclear engineering; director of Nuclear Reactor Program
Ayman Hawari is commissioner for nuclear reactors on the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission. The group is helping the country establish a peaceful nuclear energy program. Hawari also works closely with the US Department of State and the International Atomic Energy Agency on issues related to the global implementation and utilization of research reactors.
Thom Hodgson
James T. Ryan Distinguished University Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering; director emeritus of the Integrated Manufacturing Systems Engineering Institute; co-director of the Operations Research Program
Manufacturing expert Thom Hodgson helps leaders bolster the nation’s economy. He was selected by NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson to sit on the executive advisors committee of the US Council on Competitiveness, which is working to improve our nation’s competitiveness, productivity and leadership among world markets.
Bill Hunt
Associate professor and extension specialist in biological
and agricultural engineering
Bill Hunt helps the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources establish effective stormwater management standards so state waterways flood less frequently and carry fewer pollutants.
George List
Professor of civil, construction, and environmental engineering
George List is the principal investigator on a project being conducted for the Governor’s Logistics Task Force, which is studying how transportation infrastructure investments can create jobs and recruit industry to North Carolina. List is assessing options for enhancing the state’s roads, highways, airports and railroads to get the most out of existing transportation systems and prepare for future growth.
Marian McCord
Associate professor of biomedical engineering and textile
engineering; director of Global Health Initiatives
Marian McCord sits on the board of directors of the Triangle Global Health Consortium, which encourages North Carolina’s global health leaders — including research centers, universities and companies — to use their combined expertise to fight diseases like HIV/AIDS.
Wayne Skaggs
William Neal Reynolds Professor and Distinguished University Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Wayne Skaggs developed the water management model, DRAINMOD, that’s been used to help leaders identify and protect the nation’s wetlands — swamps, marshes and other critical areas. The model has been used to evaluate proposed changes in wetland hydrologic criterion since 1990.
Daniel Stancil
Alcoa Distinguished Professor; head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Daniel Stancil is a member of the US Department of Commerce’s Spectrum Management Advisory Committee. He offers advice on reforms to the nation’s radio spectrum policies to encourage innovation and improve access to broadband wireless services while supporting the country’s security and defense needs.
Paul Turinsky
Professor of nuclear engineering
Paul Turinsky is chief scientist for the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors — a national partnership of universities, laboratories and industry representatives that uses advanced computer models to evaluate the performance of nuclear reactor designs. NC State is a key player in the $122 million Department of Energy-funded effort.
Phillip Westmoreland
Professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering; executive director of the Institute for Computational Science and Engineering
Phillip Westmoreland sits on the governing board of the National Collaborative for Bio-Preparedness, a group of academic, government and industry leaders working to develop, test and implement a nationwide, cyber-enabled bio-surveillance system.
Laurie Williams
Professor of computer science; research director of the Institute for Next Generation IT Systems
Laurie Williams is spreading the word about making health care IT — in particular, its security — a national priority. She is the research director of the Institute for Next Generation IT Systems at NC State and hosts forums encouraging collaboration among health care researchers, academics and professionals.
Michael Young
Associate professor of computer science; executive director of the proposed Digital Games Research Center
Thanks in part to the persistence of the Triangle Game Initiative (TGI), of which Michael Young is a board member, gaming companies have one more reason to do business in North Carolina. Strong support for digital media tax incentives from the TGI and Young helped convince state leaders to pass House Bill 1973, giving companies tax breaks for working with the state’s colleges and universities and developing gaming projects here.
Mohammed Zikry
Zan Prevost Smith Distinguished Professor in Mechanical Engineering
Mohammed Zikry’s work transcends national borders. In 2008, he served a one-year term as a Jefferson Fellow with the US Department of State, meaning he reported to the president’s chief foreign affairs adviser — the secretary of state. Zikry worked to stop the flow of conflict diamonds that are sold to fund armed conflicts
and civil wars, efforts that continue today in his role as a state department consultant. 