Sills Recognized for Global Engagement

Posted on April 29, 2011 by

De. Erin Sills Accepts the 2011 Outstanding Global Engagement award from Dr. Bailian Li

Dr. Bailian Li (l) with Dr. Erin Sills (r)

Dr. Erin Sills, an associate professor of forestry and environmental resources, was one of two recipients of the first Outstanding Global Engagement Award at NC State University. The award was bestowed by the NC State University Office of International Affairs and the International Operations Council at the 1st Annual International Engagement Expo on April 26, 2011.

According to the OIA, Sills exemplified the university’s commitment to excellence in globally-focused research, teaching and scholarship. For standing out among a widely successful and diverse group of nominees, she will receive a 500 dollar travel grant to continue her efforts in making NC State “globally engaged.”

Learn More in Global Eyes

Megan Cain, Environmental Technology and Management Student, receives 2011 Earthwise Award

Posted on April 28, 2011 by rwgonzal

NCSU Office of Sustainability – Megan Cain, a senior in Environmental Technology and Management, is a 2011 Earthwise Award Recipient.

2011 Earthwise Award Recipients and Presenters: Vice Chancellor for Finance and Business, Charles D. Leffler, Andy Fox (faculty), Anne Tazewell (staff), Megan Cain (student), Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Dr. Tom Stafford and Campus Ambassador for Coca-Cola, Kyle Felmut.

In a ceremony held earlier this week, the Campus Environmental Sustainability Team at North Carolina State University announced the 2011 Earthwise Award recipients. Megan Cain (student), Andy Fox (faculty) and Anne Tazewell (staff) were recognized for their continued commitment to move sustainability forward on campus. The 2011 awards were made possible by a generous donation from Coca-Cola.

Presenting the awards were Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Tom Stafford and Vice Chancellor for Finance and Business, Charles D. Leffler. Kyle Felmut, campus ambassador, represented Coca-Cola.

Each year a faculty, staff and student are honored with an Earthwise Award for outstanding achievement in environmental sustainability at NC State. The Campus Environmental Sustainability Team presents the awards in order to recognize work that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

The 2011 winners received a plaque made of 100% recycled glass and a $200 check.

Megan is a senior in Environmental Technology and Management in the College of Natural Resources. Over the past four years she has utilized two internships to help pay for college while expanding her knowledge in various areas of sustainability.

In her time with NC State’s Waste Reduction and Recycling office and the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources she has: organized a cleanup of Schenck Forest, acted as volunteer coordinator for WE Recycle, volunteered to co-lead the first Costa Rica Alternative Service Break trip, organized several NC State Earth Day Concerts and assisted with many green events on campus.

Dr. Ron Sederoff Named 2011 Forest Biotechnologist of the Year

Posted on April 14, 2011 by

NEWS RELEASE

Dr. Ron Sederoff, Distinguished University Professor, Edwin F. Conger Professor of Forestry & Environmental Resources and Co-Director of the Forest Biotechnology Group at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA has been named 2011 Forest Biotechnologist of the Year by the Institute of Forest Biotechnology (IFB).

Sederoff was selected by his peers within the Forest Biotechnology Partnership, an international group of forestry and biotechnology professionals. Sederoff is the third scientist to win this award. It is given to the forest biotechnologist who best exemplifies responsible uses of forest biotechnology and actively promotes science, dialogue, and stewardship through their work.

Susan McCord, Executive Director of the IFB said, “The candidates that the Forest Biotechnology Partners nominated were world class researchers. Dr. Sederoff has contributed significantly to the field of forest biotechnology this year, and in the past three decades, particularly with regard to training the next generations of Forest Biotechnologists. It is a great legacy.”

According to his nominators, Dr. Sederoff was selected because of his leadership in modern forest biotechnology, his track record of scientific innovation, and his willingness to challenge the status quo with unique perspectives and insight that invite broad engagement in research.

Sederoff is among the top forest biotechnology scientists in the world having worked in forest biotechnology for 28 years. In 1988 he established the Forest Biotechnology Group at NC State University that focused on the genetic basis of quantitative traits in trees, using molecular genetics to advance tree improvement and on the molecular basis of wood formation, particularly lignin biosynthesis. Trees of particular interest have been pines, eucalypts and chestnuts.

Among his recent accomplishments is the development of a systems biology approach to the biosynthesis of lignin in partnership with Dr. Vincent Chiang, also of NC State University, and leading an effort on genomics of the beech family to develop chestnut genomics as a major step toward the restoration of the American chestnut.

“Researchers are already using genomic sciences for applications in human, animal and crop health. It’s time for us to use the technology for environmental health,” according to Sederoff. Fast-growing, high quality trees grown as crops can greatly reduce the pressure on natural forest land. It should be possible to attack deforestation, habitat destruction, and climate change through ‘domestication’ of trees, and the modification of trees to help solve environmental problems, including bioenergy.”

Sederoff is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences – one of three Members in all Forest Sciences, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Member of the International Academy of Wood Science. In 2004, he received an honorary Doctorate in Forest Science from the Swedish Agricultural University. A native of Montreal Canada, he is married to Heike Winter Sederoff and has three children, Kim, Sarah and Henry.

Adam Costanza, President of the IFB had this to day about the selection of Sederoff as 2011 Forest Biotechnologist of the Year, “Top forest biotechnology researchers consider Dr. Sederoff a leader in this field for good reasons. Ron is one of the fathers of this technology, yet he continues to imagine how it can be put to use to benefit people, the environment, and save threatened trees. The Forest Biotechnology Partners continue to nominate true visionaries as Forest Biotechnologist of the Year. I’m happy that I get to work with Ron and learn from his insight in science, dialogue, and stewardship of forest biotechnology.”

The Forest Biotechnology Partnership will name another Forest Biotechnologist of the Year in 2012. The recipient can be any practitioner in the field regardless of their research affiliations.

More information is available at the Institute of Forest Biotechnology’s website: www.forestbiotech.org

Media Contacts: Adam Costanza | Institute of Forest Biotechnology | adam.costanza@forestbiotech.org or Ron Sederoff | NC State University | ron_sederoff@ncsu.edu

Study Finds Summer Camps Bring $365 Million to Western North Carolina

Posted on April 13, 2011 by

NEWS RELEASE
For more information contact Jane Murray NCYCA 828.669.2145

Western North Carolina has one of the highest concentrations of summer camps in America. For generations, beautiful settings, ideal temperatures, and unspoiled terrain have contributed to the area’s popularity as a destination for summer campers from all over the world.

Anecdotal evidence has long suggested that these visitors and their families have a significant annual impact on local economies. That impact has now been quantified with the release of an economic impact study completed in January 2011 by a team of researchers from North Carolina State University.

Economic Benefits
According to the study, residential summer youth camps in four western North Carolina counties (Buncombe, Henderson, Jackson and Transylvania) contribute $365 million in total economic impact to western North Carolina. The study also estimated a direct economic impact of $218 million, more than 10,000 full-time equivalent jobs created in addition to camp staff, $260 million in increased resident income, and $33 million in new tax revenues during the summer of 2010.

Buncombe County (13 camps represented): $103 million total economic impact, $61 million direct economic impact, and $9.7 million in tax revenue
Henderson County (18 camps represented): $120 million total economic impact, $77 million direct economic impact, and $10 million in tax revenue
Jackson County (2 camps represented): $11.5 million total economic impact, $7 million direct economic impact, and $0.8 million in tax revenue
Transylvania County (17 camps represented): $126 million total economic impact, $84.5 million direct economic impact, and $11 million in tax revenue

The study was completed by Dr. Michelle Gacio Harrolle and Dr. Samantha Rozier Rich of the Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management at NC State University, and was commissioned by the NC Youth Camp Association (NCYCA) with funding support from Morrow Insurance Agency, Inc. (Hendersonville, NC) and the American Camp Association Southeastern.

The study collected data from camp directors, camp staff, and camp families based on camp information from the summer of 2010. A total of 45 camps participated with a total of 40 usable surveys representing 50 camps from Western North Carolina.

From staff data, approximately 540 usable surveys were collected representing 5,477 total staff. Seasonal staff, who traveled specifically to WNC because of the residential camps, were shown to spend an average of $2,402 during their stay (before, during, and after camp) in WNC.

Visitor data (collected from camp families’ data) provided 4,600 usable surveys representing nearly 53,238 families. Total attendance at camps was estimated to be 53,238 over the summer, with 49,665 who were considered “incremental visitors.” These incremental visitors, who traveled specifically to WNC because of residential camps and did not live in the four-county WNC region, each spent an average of $2,096 during
their multiple stays in WNC.

The Benefits for Youth
The study also examined families’ perceptions of the benefits of summer camps. More than 93% of camp families feel camps make a positive difference in their children’s lives, and 95% would not only recommend a camp experience but would send their child back to camp.

The top three benefits of organized camps (according to camp families) include:

Gaining independence
Improving self-confidence
Developing new skills

Camps and Tourism
Additionally, the study demonstrated a mutually beneficial relationship between summer camps in WNC and tourism. Specifically, when examining camp families’ travel behaviors, 82% of families traveled to WNC by car and those who stayed overnight stayed primarily in hotels for an average of four nights. A majority (69%) considered themselves to be tourists and participated primarily in four types of activities during their camp-related travel: shopping, visiting a scenic area, hiking, and visiting historical sites/museums.

Overall, findings from this study illustrate that camps generate considerable economic impacts and that these impacts have dramatically increased since the last study conducted in 1998. Additionally, camps are providing an opportunity to improve the lives of our children.

Please visit www.nccamps.org for the complete study.

Challenges Ahead
According to Gordon Strayhorn, President of the NC Youth Camp Association and owner of Camp Illahee in Brevard, there are five key issues currently threatening the camping industry- school calendars, building codes, urban growth, taxes and public land permits.

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About the North Carolina Youth Camp Association: The NCYCA is a trade association formed by North Carolina summer camps to expand public understanding of youth camps and to represent their interests with local, state and federal policymakers. The Association seeks to strengthen and expand the educational, environmental and recreational opportunities provided by North Carolina’s camps.

About the American Camp Association: The American Camp Association works to preserve, promote, and enhance the camp experience for children and adults. This is accomplished through the only nationwide accreditation program, through professional development, and public awareness programs and public policy monitoring. ACA-accredited camp programs ensure children are provided with a diversity of educational and developmentally challenging learning opportunities. There are more than 2,400 ACA-accredited camps that meet up to 300 health and safety standards nationwide. For more information, visit www.acacamps.org.

NC State Develops Material To Remove Radioactive Contaminants From Drinking Water

Posted on April 13, 2011 by

NEWS RELEASE – April 11, 2011
For Immediate Release

A combination of forest byproducts and crustacean shells may be the key to removing radioactive materials from drinking water, researchers from North Carolina State University have found.

“As we’re currently seeing in Japan, one of the major health risks posed by nuclear accidents is radioactive iodide that dissolves into drinking water. Because it is chemically identical to non-radioactive iodide, the human body cannot distinguish it – which is what allows it to accumulate in the thyroid and eventually lead to cancer,” says Dr. Joel Pawlak, associate professor of forest biomaterials. “The material that we’ve developed binds iodide in water and traps it, which can then be properly disposed of without risk to humans or the environment.”

The new material – a combination of hemicellulose, a byproduct of forest materials, and chitosan, crustacean shells that have been crushed into a powder – not only absorbs water, but can actually extract contaminates, such as radioactive iodide, from the water itself. This material, which forms a solid foam, has applications beyond radioactive materials. Pawlak and fellow researchers found that it has the ability to remove heavy metals – such as arsenic – from water or salt from sea water to make clean drinking water.

“In disaster situations with limited-to-no power source, desalinating drinking water is difficult, if not impossible. This foam could be brought along in such situations to clean the water without the need for electricity,” Pawlak says. “This material could completely change the way we safeguard the world’s drinking water supply.”

The foam, which is coated on wood fibers, is used like a sponge that is immersed in water. For smaller-scale applications, the foam could be used in something like a tea bag. Or on a larger scale, water could be poured through it like a filter.

Pawlak worked with NC State professor Dr. Richard Venditti on the research, which was funded by the Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research, the N.C. State Natural Resources Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy. Additional research into how the material can be used on a larger scale is currently being conducted.

NC State’s Department of Forest Biomaterials is part of NC State’s College of Natural Resources.

For more information contact:
Caroline Barnhill | News Services | 919.515.6251
Dr. Joel Pawlak | College of Natural Resources | 919.302.1663