PAMS Focus - June 2003

PAMS Focus is a periodic e-mail newsletter about activities, achievements and other news from the NC State College of Physical & Mathematical Sciences. If you have any suggestions or comments, please share them with Sally Ramey, Director of College Relations, at 919-513-0300 or slramey@ncsu.edu.

Alumni participate in focus group

A group of 12 alumni, representing an assortment of ages and professions, met on Centennial Campus recently to discuss how the College can better serve its alumni, and thus advance the College's vision.

Through this focus group, we learned that our alumni are most interested in learning about or helping with research projects, short lectures or seminars, social events, campus tours, K-12 outreach, student recruiting, and student and faculty support.

We plan to use this information for development of alumni activities and programs that will provide both the College and our alumni with rewarding experiences that benefit everyone involved.

Breakthrough "Interface Tuning" is Macro Step for Microelectronics

Semiconductor devices, the building blocks of computing chips that control everything from coffee makers to Mars landings, depend on microscopic solid-state transistors, tiny electronic on-off switches made of layers of metals, oxides and silicon. These switches stop and start the flow of electrons, and work themselves because of the microscopic interface between the oxide layer and the silicon layer, in the realm of individual atoms, where minute positive and negative charges determine semiconductor success or failure.

Until now, researchers - and the multibillion-dollar semiconductor industries they support - had to accept the limitations that each crucial interface contains. But researchers at Oak Ridge, NC State and Tennessee have successfully learned to "tune" the atomic-level zone between substances, in a development described in the June 13 issue of Science.

To read more, visit www.ncsu.edu/news/press_releases/03_06/166.htm

Bruce Weir Wins UNC System's O. Max Gardner Award

Dr. Bruce S. Weir, William Neal Reynolds Professor of statistics and genetics at North Carolina State University and one of the world's foremost researchers on statistical analysis of DNA for forensic, human health, and agricultural applications, was honored with the 2003 O. Max Gardner Award, the highest faculty award presented by the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina System.

The award is presented each year to one faculty member from the system's 16 campuses recognized as having "made the greatest contribution to the welfare of the human race." For more information, visit www.ncsu.edu/news/press_releases/03_05/137.htm There will also be an article about this award in the spring issue of Scope, due to be mailed soon.

Middle school girls, female scientists gather at NC State

Earlier this spring, nearly 600 seventh-grade girls joined successful female scientists, engineers and mathematicians to explore the world of science at NC State during the Expanding Your Horizons conference. This annual conference is organized by The Science House, PAMS' nationally recognized K-12 outreach program. The event is designed to increase girls' interest in math, science and engineering; improve awareness of career opportunities for women in these areas; and provide access to women working in these fields.

Conference sessions included visual and gee-whiz science demonstrations such as "Garbage into Gold," "Plants in Space: A Matter of Some Gravity," and "Jurassic Bark: Plants, Archaeology and the Environment." The girls also participated in hands-on science experiments, panel discussions and meet-and-greet sessions with some of the Triangle's top female scientists.

Designed to show that women can and do succeed in traditionally male-dominated fields of math, science and engineering, Expanding Your Horizons is co-sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute; MSEN Pre-College Program; Women in Technology International RTP Chapter; UNC Center for Public Television; the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center for Environmentally Responsible Solvents; the Coalition for Women in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology; and the Durham/Wake NC Women and Mathematics Mentoring Program.

Challenge grant supports Science House

An anonymous donor has announced a challenge grant of $250,000 to support endowment for The Science House.

Not only will the donor match contributions one-to-one to a general Science House Endowment, but the donor will support endowments in other donors' names. For example, if "Jane Smith" establishes an endowment in her name to support The Science House, the anonymous donor would designate a match into the Jane Smith endowment. This enables Jane Smith to double the value of her gift.

For information about making a contribution, please send an inquiry to pamsalumni@lists.ncsu.edu