IN THE NEWS
Mice in space
When Atlantis made the space shuttle program’s final flight in July, it hosted 30 tiny passengers. They were mice, and the knowledge gained from their adventure may one day help humans travel far beyond the moon.
The mice are integral to the research of Dr. Ted Bateman, associate professor of biomedical engineering, who is studying ways to protect future astronauts from bone loss during extended exposure to the microgravity environment of space.
NBC News, United Press International (UPI) and the Charlotte Observer were among the outlets that picked up the story. 
Hearing the hockey puck
The News & Observer and WRAL were among the outlets that picked up on NC State engineering students’ work developing a hockey puck for blind players.
Several students taught by Dr. Russell Gorga, associate professor of textile engineering and the textile engineering program director, worked on designs for the puck after Gorga met a blind Canadian hockey player who runs a group trying to get more visually impaired people out on the ice.
The puck needs to make noise when it moves across the ice so players can hear it and react, but it needs to be tough enough to withstand slap shots. Students came up with designs that fit those criteria, hoping the pucks might one day replace the ones currently used in Canada’s leagues for visually impaired players.
After Japan
NC State nuclear engineers continue to help the public understand what happened, what’s still happening, and what’s yet to come at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that was hit with an earthquake and tsunami in March.
Among them is Dr. John Gilligan, professor of nuclear engineering and director of Nuclear Energy University Programs for the US Dept. of Energy, who helped provide context on the future of nuclear energy for WUNC radio’s “The State of Things” this spring.
Aiming at Android attackers
If you’re a piece of Android malware, you might not be long for this world. Dr. Xuxian Jiang is working hard to hunt you down.
Jiang, assistant professor of computer science, and his research team have identified more than a dozen pieces of malware and data-stealing applications available for Google’s Android smartphones. Some apps were available on Google’s official Android Market; they have since been pulled down.
Jiang’s team also developed software that helps Android users prevent their personal information from being stolen by hackers. The Wall Street Journal, Wired, the Boston Globe, PC World and Computerworld were among the media outlets that covered Jiang’s work.