CNR Community Embracing Health and Wellness

Posted on May 27, 2009 by kmfaber2

Living well is important for everyone and given upcoming changes to the State Health Plan's policies regarding weight loss, the College of Natural Resources is getting a jump on the SHP and offering our very own "Lucky 13 – Lucky U" Summer Shape U Program.

Summer Shape-U Program Flyer

Dean Brown encourages faculty, staff and graduate students in the college to get involved. Team challenges between departments and programs are HIGHLY encouraged!

Certificates will be awarded in September.

If you are interested in participating, contact Susan Colby at susan_colby@ncsu.edu with your name, department, program and phone number to register!

Duckweed Quacks Volumes of Potential

Posted on May 22, 2009 by kmfaber2

From the Biomass Journal – June 2009

Since the late 1960s, scientists have studied duckweed for animal and human consumption because of its high protein content. NC State associate professor of forestry and environmental resources, Anne Stomp and fellow researchers are now tapping into the plant’s innate environmental benefits, from desalinating wastewater to exploring its potential as a viable starch-based feedstock for ethanol production.

The drive to develop sustainable nonfood, starch-based ethanol feedstocks and more efficient conversion processes is intensifying as the U.S. attempts to reduce ethanol’s carbon footprint by transitioning from corn to cellulosic ethanol. That has prompted researchers at North Carolina State University to take a closer look at plants, such as duckweed, that could be a potential feedstock for ethanol production.

Duckweed has traditionally been studied because of its inherently rich protein content at 30 percent to 35 percent on a dry-weight basis. The purpose was to explore whether duckweed could be a protein source for animal and human food. A growing interest in sustainable ethanol feedstock development, however, has researchers exploring the plant’s starch content.

Read the complete article at http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=2714&q=&page=all

NC State To Host Webinar Addressing National Update Federal Biomass Definitions and The American CLean Energy and Security Act

Posted on May 8, 2009 by kmfaber2

NEWS RELEASE – May 6, 2009

Currently Congress is considering The American Clean Energy and Security Act (WaxmanMarkey Bill) that includes proposed biomass definitions. This 2-hour webinar will review House and Senate biomass definitions and offer comments from a stakeholder panel from various sectors of the forestry community. Participants will have an opportunity to address speakers and panelists through questions or comments.

Invited Panel Organizations include the American Forest Foundation, the National Alliance of Forest Owners, the National Association of State Foresters, the Society of American Foresters and the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Part of the Forestry & Natural Resources Webinar Series made possible through a partnership with AgriLIFE Extension, Southern Regional Extension Forestry and the NC Cooperative Extension Service; the webinar will be hosted by NC State University's Dennnis Hazel, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist with Extension Forestry and Steve Smutko, Extension Specialist with the Natural Resources Leadership Institute.

The Webinar will be held May 15, 2009 from 12PM to 2PM Eastern Time – CFE credit may be available

For more information about the webinar and to register visit http://forestrywebinar.net/ .

Hazel and Devine Recognized for Outstanding Extension Service

Posted on May 6, 2009 by kmfaber2

Dr. Dennis Hazel and Dr. Hugh Devine were named recipients of the 2009 Outstanding Extension Service Award. They were honored along with nineteen other recipients at the Celebrating an Engaged University Banquet held April 20th at the McKimmon Center. The award recognizes outstanding extension, engagement, and economic development activities by faculty and professional staff members of the university.

Hugh Devine

Dr. Devine, who was also nominated for the Alumni Outstanding Extension Award and will be inducted into the Academy of Outstanding Faculty Engaged in Extension, will be recognized at Honors Convocation and will receive a monetary award of $3,000. Dr. Devine is a Professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management and an Associate Faculty member of the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources.

Dr. Hazel, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, is part of the Extension Forestry team who recently won the NC Association of Cooperative Extension Specialist Education Award for Outstanding Subject Matter Program Developed by a Team. Dr. Hazel's leadership in the NC Woody Biomass project also led to the team winning the Southern Growth Policies Board 2009 Innovator Award earlier this year.

Dennis Hazel receives award for outstanding extension service

Above photo – from left: Barry Goldfarb,
Professor and Head, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources;
Robert Brown, Dean, College of Natural Resources; Dennis Hazel,
Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Forestry
and Environmental Resources; James Zuiches, Vice Chancellor for
Extension, Engagement and Economic Development, during Extension Service Award Ceremony.

Congratulations to both Hugh and Dennis!

Fueling the Future: Weed, Pig Waste May Offer Way To Make Ethanol

Posted on May 6, 2009 by kmfaber2

From the The Clayton News-Star – April 22, 2009

If N.C. State researchers are right, pig waste and a pond weed indigenous to North Carolina may hold keys to reducing our dependency on petroleum.

Anne Stomp, an associate professor of forestry and environmental resources, is leading a research project at Julian Barham’s 4,000-sow hog farm in the Corinth-Holders area to see if duckweed, nourished with pig waste, can be cultivated on a large scale then dried and used to make ethanol, a fuel that can power automobiles.

Read the full story at http://claytonnews-star.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=106&twindow=Default&mad=No&sdetail=836&wpage=&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=2111&hn=claytonnews-star&he=.com