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June 2019

AJ Rackl

Jun 10, 2019

MAE alum designs hardware for future human space travel

For NC State alumnus AJ Rackl, a normal day at work often includes highly specific technical work on hardware that will go into space. But he says it’s the soft skills — how to lead a project, work in a group and network with people — that have helped him the most since graduating from NC State. 

solar panels

Jun 6, 2019

Discovery sheds light on synthesis, processing of high-performance solar cells

Halide perovskite solar cells hold promise as the next generation of solar cell technologies, but while researchers have developed techniques for improving their material characteristics, nobody understood why these techniques worked. New research sheds light on the science behind these engineering solutions. 

Image of Brad McCoy

Jun 6, 2019

Breathing new life into old bridges

Bridges across our state are in rough shape, but NC State alumnus Brad McCoy has developed a solution to give them new life — and keep us safely on the road. 

metal foam test

Jun 5, 2019

Metal foam stops .50 caliber rounds as well as steel – at less than half the weight

Armor using composite metal foam can stop ball and armor-piercing .50 caliber rounds as well as conventional steel armor, even though it weighs less than half as much. 

painting of a double helix

Jun 3, 2019

Research overcomes key obstacles to scaling up DNA data storage

New techniques for labeling and retrieving data files in DNA-based information storage systems address two of the key obstacles to widespread adoption of DNA data storage technologies.