‘Father of Green Chemistry’ will give Borlaug Lecture October 4 at NC State University

NEWS RELEASE – 9/29/2010

Media Contacts:
Natalie Hampton, natalie_hampton@ncsu.edu or 919.513.3128
Tilla Fearn, tilla_fearn@ncsu.edu or 919.513.4644

Paul Anastas, US EPaDr. Paul Anastas, recognized as the “Father of Green Chemistry” and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assistant administrator for the Office of Research and Development, will deliver the fifth Borlaug Lecture at N.C. State University on October 4, 3:30 p.m., in the N.C. State Talley Student Center Ballroom.  

His lecture topic is “Sustainability through Innovation.” During his visit, Anastas will also engage in a roundtable discussion with students and faculty.

 The lecture is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. News outlets are invited to cover this event or request an interview with Anastas by contacting Latisha Petteway, 202.564.3191.

 The Nobel Laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Distinguished Lecture on Global Service to Society and Environment is sponsored by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Natural Resources.  Known as the “Father of the Green Revolution,” Borlaug was instrumental in developing crop varieties that helped feed millions around the world.   The first person to deliver the lecture that later bore his name, Borlaug died last year.

 In addition to the lecture, the award for Service to Society and Environment will be presented to Dr. JoAnn Burkholder, professor of in the Department of Plant Biology and director of N.C. State’s Center for Applied Aquatic Ecology.   Burkholder was named the award winner last year but did not receive the award formally because no lecture was held in 2009.

 Anastas is known for his groundbreaking research on the design, manufacture and use of minimally toxic, environmentally friendly chemicals.   Prior to joining the EPA, Anastas was the director of the Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering and the inaugural Teresa and H. John Heinz III Professor in the Practice of Chemistry for the Environment at Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

 Prior to joining the Yale faculty, Anastas was the founding director of the Green Chemistry Institute, headquartered at the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C.   From 1999 to 2004, he worked at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, concluding his service there as the assistant director for the environment.

A writer and thinker on the subjects of sustainability, green chemistry and engineering, he has published ten books, including Benign by Design and Designing Safer Polymers and his seminal work with John Warner, Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice.   He earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Massachusetts at Boston and a master’s degree and doctorate in chemistry from Brandeis University.

Partners in Preservation: Students and Faculty Join Wake County for Learning and Stewardship

– submitted by Meghan Lobsinger and George Hess

Beautiful day to be out outside, learning and helping WakeNatureOn Friday September 10 – a beautiful, blue-sky morning – a handful of College of Natural Resources students and faculty traveled to eastern Wake County to learn about Piedmont prairies and help remove invasive, exotic plant species as part of a prairie restoration project.  Staff from Wake County’s Division of Parks, Recreation, and Open Space joined them at the County-owned area of some 220 acres that is slated to become the first WakeNature Preserve later this year.

John Stucky explaining to students the significance of the plant species found on the site

John Stucky explaining to students the significance of the plant species found on the site

Co-chaired by College of Natural Resources faculty members George Hess and Toddi Steelman, the WakeNature Preserves Partnership brings together NC State University faculty and students, and natural resource and park system professionals from various state, county, municipal, and non-profit agencies.  Their goal: identify and steward the finest natural areas in Wake County for everyone to enjoy.

WakeNature has become a rich platform for student and faculty involvement and learning.  Several classes have participated in WakeNature-related projects, bringing real-world experiences to graduate and undergraduate students.  Numerous workdays, like the one on September 10, have provided additional opportunities for students to learn and interact with other professionals in the field.  Recently, members of the Leopold Wildlife Club have expressed an interest in carrying out wildlife surveys for WakeNature.

Charles Rudder, Meghan Lobsinger and Adrian Zeck working together to remove exotic, invasive plants from the site

Charles Rudder, Meghan Lobsinger and Adrian Zeck working together to remove exotic, invasive plants from the site

WakeNature envisions a County-wide, cross-jurisdictional brand of “WakeNature Preserves” that highlights Wake County’s finest natural areas and raises public awareness and appreciation of these special places. Continued involvement of enthusiastic members of the NC State and College of Natural Resources communities is critical to attaining this vision.  There will be many opportunities to become involved in inventory and stewardship opportunities as the WakeNature network expands.  We hope you’ll join us!

Please visit www.WakeNature.org for more information.

Meghan Lobsinger is a graduate student in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources and a program assistant with Wake County Division of Parks, Recreation & Open Space.

George Hess is an associate professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources and the co-chair of WakeNature

Annual Retreat a Bonding Experience for Forest Biomaterials Freshman

The NC State University Department of Forest Biomaterials welcomed incoming students recently with their annual freshmen retreat.  The festivities kicked-off with a department-wide picnic with students, faculty and staff. 

"Goodie bags" donated by program supporter MeadWestvacoMeadWestvaco generously provided students with a “welcome to the industry” goodie bag including water bottles, cinch sacks and other necessities for the weekend. 

To get students off on the right foot and their eyes focused on their futures, Professor Emeritus Mike Kocurek and Dr. Med Byrd spoke with students about resume writing, interviewing skills and career opportunities in wood products and paper sciences. 

Paper Science & Engineering freshman at NC State University visit Domtar paper mill in Bennettsville, South Carolina during the annual freshman retreatOn Saturday, paper science and engineering students were hosted by the Domtar paper mill in Bennettsville, SC.  For most of these students, this was their first inside look at a major paper mill.  Alum Ricky Gardner led a tour through the fiberline and demonstrated his dedication by happily climbing 10+ stories repeatedly to give each group of students a birds-eye-view of the facility!

Freshman in the wood products program are scheduled to participate in a Habitat for Humanity project the weekend following the retreat.
 
Forest Biomaterials freshman at NC State University engage in team building exercises during the 2010 annual retreatAll the freshman woke up early Sunday morning for a trip to NC State’s nearby Schenck Forest to tackle the low ropes challenge course and a variety of team building activities.  After mastering the  ropes course and surviving the  perils of wiener walking, rubber chicken tossing and swinging across imaginary pits of lava, the Forest Biomaterials freshmen have formed a strong bond! 

The Department of Forest Biomaterials looks forward to watching this year’s freshman class grow in months and years ahead.

Learn more about degrees offered by the NC State Department of Forest Biomaterials.

Forestry Graduate is Creating a Buzz in the Timber Sports World

Logan's fans cheerLogan Scarborough, recent Forest Management graduate and past president of the NC State Forestry Club, is a sensation in the growing sport of timber sports.  After sweeping the all four disciplines in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series Southern Division during conclave in Arkansas, Logan went on to the Collegiate Championship, held this year during the U.S. Nationals presented by Carhartt in Salem, Oregon, August 27-29th.

The competition was fierce at nationals, with some collegiate times nearing those set by the professionals at the event. But Logan, drawing on years of practice, determination and discipline, pulled out a comfortable win, taking the gold with all of the composure that his fans have come to recognize and admire in him.

Logan Scarborough is interviewed for ESPN by Dave Jewett

Logan Scarborough is interviewed for ESPN by Dave Jewett

While anyone in his shoes (or chaps) could find an experience like that overwhelming, Logan had a few additional stresses. Having graduated with his Bachelor of Science in May and working for Kiker Resource Management, LLC. , he was eligible to take the 4-hour, level 2, North Carolina Registered Forester Examination. The exam just happened to be only two days before his flight to Oregon. Add on the fact that he never travelled far from the east coast, and it is easy to imagine the stress that Logan might feel when he arrived on the championship stage in front of the ESPN cameras. “One of the best things about the experience,” Logan later said, “was the opportunity to travel to the west coast.”

He would have the opportunity to see much more. In a surprising turn, STIHL decided that this year’s college series champ would join the rookie relay team at the World Championship in St. Johan, Austria.  After only one day back in Raleigh, Logan was off to Europe as one of five athletes from five countries selected to make up the international rookie team – the only amateur competitors at the World Championship. The rookie team shocked the field by setting “blazing times” and placing them directly into the second round. Logan’s performance on the single buck created a big stir. “This validates what we are trying to do in the U.S.,” said Roger Phelps, promotional communications manager for STIHL.  “Our focus has been on developing young competitors in the U.S. and providing them opportunities to experience the sport. Bringing Logan to the world championships and watching him do as well as he did, shows that the future of our sport in the U.S. is strong.”

Logan in Rookie Relay

Logan at the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS World Championship in Rookie Relay

“He has come a long way,” said Barry Goldfarb, head of NC State’s Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources. “I remember Logan when he visited the department as a high school senior. He was nervous!” Logan also recalled that he was nervous during that first visit and remembered that Dr. Goldfarb tapped him on the head with his clipboard and told him, “Get ‘A’s and study for the SATs!” “Now look at him,” said Goldfarb smiling, “He is a grown-up professional, poised for a great life.”

As the 2010 Collegiate Champ, Logan has secured a spot to compete in the 2011 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Professional Series. Until then, he’ll be returning to Kiker Resource Management, where his family and Wolfpack roots run deep.  Owner Jason Kiker (’00) and founder Paul Kiker (’70) also received their forestry degrees from NC State.  “I really enjoy consulting,” said Logan, “there is a lot of variety to the job, and I like the interaction with landowners. I’m looking forward to getting more experience.”

Logan with WolfpackWhen asked what advice he has for students, Logan said, “Be open-minded, and listen more than you talk. Sometimes we just study for the next test, but really you should be studying to learn it for your future career – your profession.” He also recommended that students become involved in Forestry Club. “Forestry Club got me into timber sports, gave me the chance to meet good friends, provided leadership opportunities, AND it taught me about discipline. You can’t get a four-year degree without discipline!” It has obviously served him well.

Watch It:
Television schedule for the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Professional Series presented by Carhartt –

Date Time Location/Network
Oct. 10, 2010 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. ET Championships / ESPN2
Dec. 25, 2010 Noon – 1 p.m. ET U.S. Championship / ESPN2
Dec. 25, 2010 1 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. ET World Championship / ESPN2
Dec. 25, 2010 1:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. ET Highlights / ESPN2

See the full TV schedule at sports.espn.go.com

Read More:

Got Summer Research?

Undergraduate research is a wonderful way for students to get out of the classroom and experience science first-hand.  NC State University offers many resources for undergraduates interested in getting research experience. Among these are on-campus opportunities with NC State faculty, international resources, and the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). Asia Murphy, a junior in the Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology program at NC State and regular contributor to our blog, took advantage of the REU program and found a summer research program that kept her “hopping”. Here is Asia’s account of her summer research:

The Story of a Wildlife Student’s Summer Research Experience in Minnesota
– submitted by Asia Murphy

There was a flash of gray in the corner of my eye. It arced up into the sky and fell ten feet away into the wet, knee-high grass. I looked up from the clipboard where I had been writing that the critter we had caught was a bona-fide prairie vole and asked Dr. Angell, my mentor, “What was that?”

She looked at me sheepishly, wriggling gloved fingers. I noticed that the Ziploc bag that had been holding our prairie vole was now mysteriously empty. “That was the vole.”

It was the first time that I had seen a prairie vole fly. Luckily, it was also the last.

This summer I spent ten weeks in Northfield, Minnesota as a participant in an REU program held by St. Olaf College. My project was to study the dietary differences in small mammals in restored and remnant prairies using stable isotope analysis. I didn’t have too clear a picture of what my research would entail. I thought I would go walking into thin, short grass, catch docile mice, do something with them, and then at the end of ten weeks, there would be results. I think I received my first rude awakening our first trapping day. Dr. Angell got me up bright and early around six to drive out to her prairie and check traps. I battled exhaustion, uneven ground and poison ivy, watching her as she handled the animals we caught—mainly prairie deer mice—much like someone would handle Shake n’ Bake chicken.prairie deer mouse

After a couple of days of observation, I was able to handle the animals we caught with the same amount of ease. Shake them out of the trap, weigh, measure, sex, identify, take hair samples, release, repeat. I started to have fun, walking around in Dr. Angell’s beautiful prairie. It was a gorgeous remnant, with sandy soil that gently rose to a rocky bluff.

And then there were the restored prairies. The natural lands were owned by St. Olaf, just five minutes away from campus. It was a beautiful piece of land, complete with a pond. At sunset, it looked quite picturesque. But as a prairie, it left something to be desired, namely: plant diversity. It looked much like an overgrown lawn. We caught small numbers of meadow voles—a common species in restored prairies—and a short-tailed shrew. In addition to this, I had the summer’s first brush with my lifelong nemesis: ticks.

By the time we moved the field work to the Cowling Arboretum, I had become a professional at running the project. I taught my other mentor, Dr. Hernandez, how to trap and handle small mammals. Two of his students helped me. I soon grew used to waking early in the morning and baiting traps in the evening, the never-ending fear of finding ticks attached to me, and nearly spraining my ankles on each excursion. An unknown predator found out about our traps, and we began to find grizzly presents each morning.

Question: What does the head of a meadow vole + the back half of a meadow jumping mouse equal?
Answer: A meadow jumping vole.

prairie deer mouse in the fieldThroughout these bloody weeks, I began to grow eager to see my first prairie vole. Prairie voles are a species of special concern in Minnesota, and we never found them in restored prairies. Before, I had seen the research project as a task that I had to grind through and complete. But now I began to be driven by an actual desire to know why prairie voles weren’t in restored prairies. Was it because restored prairies were fundamentally different from remnant prairies? Or was it because of an unknown factor in the relationship between prairie voles and meadow voles, which could easily be found in restored prairies and were vicious little monsters in a cute teddy-bear package?

Then came McKnight site, another remnant prairie owned by Carleton College and our first prairie vole. I took tons of pictures of this elusive rodent, and Dr. Angell and I exclaimed over the grizzled fur, the difference in ear size, and the calmer nature. We were somewhat bemused to trap only three males on McKnight, but we took it as good news, as in the years past, they had only trapped two.prairie vole

We returned back to Dr. Angell’s prairie and trapped on top of the bluff. We were excited to find two females and a male of the species. We talked about doing a little exchange program, bringing in a male from McKnight and switching him out for a female from Dr. Angell’s bluff. But summer was winding down, and lab work gained priority. After two intense days of sample preparation our data came back. Within a week, our poster was ready. The results were surprising. We found that prairie voles and meadow voles ate the same foods, even if they were in two different communities. Therein was the answer to my question. The problem wasn’t with the restoration of the prairies; the problem was in the relationship between meadow voles and prairie voles.

It was the end of summer, and I was ready to go home. I had research to add to my resume and a great relationship with my mentor to fall back on. I had also learned a couple of things. I learned that there were leeches up north, and that they could get enormous. I tasted organic ice cream and found it delicious, though perhaps not worth the price tag. I hated ticks with a passion born of fear and disgust. Field work was exhausting, unpredictable and dangerous to the accident-prone. It is also something that I love to do, and can’t wait to do again.