College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences: 2006 Alumni & Friends Weekend

Alumni and Friends Weekend! October 13-14, 2006

PAMS presents second Alumni & Friends Weekend

More than 240 people registered for the second PAMS Alumni & Friends Weekend, held Oct. 13-14 on campus and at Embassy Suites in Cary. A photo gallery captures the sights.

The weekend included an afternoon "mini college" featuring a series of short classes on a variety of science topics, the groundbreaking for the new Mathematics and Statistics Building, a dinner with guest speaker, the 65th anniversary of the Statistics Department, and a casual gathering of football fans to watch the NC State/ Wake Forest game.

The event kicked off with a welcome reception in the lobby of the Marye Anne Fox Undergraduate Science Teaching Laboratory, followed by three sessions of classes taught by PAMS faculty. Topics ranged from engineering new liquids to understanding the research into global warming to using mathematics for development of new materials.

Following the mini college, participants took a quick bus ride to the former site of Riddick Stadium to witness the groundbreaking for the Mathematics and Statistics Building.

The evening's festivities began with a social and silent auction at the Embassy Suites. Members of the PAMS Alumni & Friends Advisory Board had gathered together an impressive selection of gift items and packages available for bid.

Leigh Wilkinson, president of the Advisory Board and who presided over the dinner program, received a loud round of applause when she announced that the silent auction raised more than $5,000 to support scholarships for the College.

Georgia Institute of Technology's Peter J. Webster, whose controversial research indicates that global warming is increasing the number of severe hurricanes, was the dinner's keynote speaker. Instead of the typical discussion about whether or not global warming is a reality, he raised thought-provoking questions about regional and societal impacts of global warming.

"It was a great weekend," said Wilkinson. "We had something for everyone, and we had guests of all ages return to campus for the event. I think it really helps everyone feel that they are still part of the College."

See the program description below to see what you missed...

Something for Everyone!

The College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences invites you to campus for the second Alumni & Friends Weekend - a program designed just for you! You and your guests can learn something new about the latest in cutting-edge NC State research, catch up with old friends and faculty, and even gather together to watch the big game! There also is a special event for Statistics alumni and friends to celebrate the department's 65th anniversary. See below for details!

About our Friday Evening Keynote Speaker . . .

Hurricane Katrina image It's no secret that we're seeing an increase in the number of severe hurricanes. But does this represent more than just a natural cycle? Is it just one example of how global warming is changing the world in which we live?

Professor Peter J. Webster thinks so. The topic was designated the #1 science story of 2005 by Discover magazine, which cited Webster's research in its coverage.

According to Webster's research, not only is global warming impacting the development of hurricanes, but it is pushing the planet toward "tipping points" after which it may be too late to reverse the process.

Webster has joint appointments in both the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

He earned his BS from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research interests include ocean-atmosphere interactions and low-frequency atmospheric and ocean dynamics.

He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the Royal Meteorological Society, the American Meteorological Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Webster is extensively published and a popular speaker. He has served his profession in various capacities through organizations such as the National Academy of Sciences, the Australian Academy of Science, the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the American Meteorological Society. He also served on the White House Review Committee on the US Global Climate Research Program under the Clinton administration.

Note: Peter Bloomfield of the Statistics Department served on the National Academies' panel that recently reviewed and endorsed a controversial paper on warming trends in the Northern Hemisphere. Dale Russell, faculty emeritus, Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, is an expert in paleo-environments and how life was affected during previous climate changes. They are among the faculty presenting thought-provoking courses in this year's Alumni & Friends College, described below.

Event Schedule

Friday, October 13
1:00 - 1:30 pm	Registration Fox Laboratory
1:30 pm	Welcome Remarks - Daniel L. Solomon, Dean Afternoon events will begin in the beautiful, three-story atrium of the Marye Anne Fox Undergraduate Science Teaching Laboratory building, located near the intersection of Dan Allen Drive and Yarbrough Road on North Campus. Parking is available in the Dan Allen Parking Deck.
2:00 - 4:45 pm	Mini College Fox Laboratory Engage your brain in intriguing discussions on today's most thought-provoking scientific topics, led by our outstanding faculty, students and alumni. Hear the latest about amazing new materials, why the New Orleans levees failed, cancer biomarkers and more! Pick your favorite topics from the list below, and we'll develop a class schedule you can pick up at registration. All are suitable for high-school students. Younger children would enjoy class #5. You may attend three 45-minute classes, starting at 2:00 pm.
5:15 - 5:45 pm	Mathematics/Statistics Building Groundbreaking at Riddick Stadium Site Celebrate this important milestone with NC State Chancellor James Oblinger
6:30 pm	Reception, Silent Auction and Dinner Lecture Embassy Suites, Cary Join your fellow alumni and friends at Embassy Suites, located off Harrison Avenue in Cary for the evening's festivities. We'll begin with a social hour and silent auction to benefit students of the College. Business casual attire; cash bar. Dinner begins at 7:30 pm and will feature a keynote presentation by Dr. Peter J. Webster of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Saturday, October 14
9 am - Noon	Statistics Department 65th Anniversary Brunch Embassy Suites, Cary The Statistics Department will celebrate this important milestone with a brunch, poster session and featured presentations. If you are an alumnus or friend of the Department, you will receive more detailed information in the next few weeks.
Game Time TBA	Gametime Gathering Player's Retreat Come join us at a true NC State tradition - Player's Retreat, located at Oberlin Road and Hillsborough Street - and now partly owned by a member of our Chemistry faculty! We'll cheer on the Wolfpack as they face off against Wake Forest . Parking is available in the campus lot behind the building. Television broadcast contracts will determine the kick-off time, so check local listings or www.gopack.com for game time.

Alumni & Friends College Topics

You may attend three sessions. Please choose five topics and list them on your registration form in order of preference. We will develop a schedule based on your choices and classroom size. You will pick up your schedule at Friday's registration.

1. Personalized medicine: The promise of proteomics - Of millions of proteins in your bloodstream, a few hold the key to diagnosing, understanding and managing disease. David Muddiman - Chemistry

2. Patterns in nature - Zebras are striped but leopards are spotted. Examine nature's fractals from broccoli to coastlines, and explore the balance between order and chaos when Nature is the artist. Karen Daniels - Physics

3. We've been here before - What can we learn from prehistoric climate changes to help us understand and prepare for the effects of global warming? Dale Russell - NC Museum of Natural Sciences; Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

4. Smart Materials - Learn how mathematics can improve the impact of advanced materials in applications ranging from artificial muscles to nanotechnology. Ralph Smith - Mathematics

5. Physics from the junk drawer - There are many simple, yet surprising phenomena you can explore with objects found around the house or the hardware store. See things you have not seen before! David Haase - Physics, The Science House

6. Liquid engineering - Explore how liquids offer great potential as advanced flexible and self-healing materials, particularly when engineered with optical, electronic and magnetic properties. Jim Martin -- Chemistry

7. Where do baby oysters go? - Oysters are in trouble. See how understanding the movement of young oysters helps us better manage this important seafood resource. Cynthia Cudaback - Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

8. Fun with nanotubes - Delve into the many uses of carbon nanotubes, including the potential for efficiently producing hydrogen for energy. Marco Buongiorno-Nardelli, Physics

9. Clearing the air - Agricultural operations emit some harmful gases. Learn how we lead the world in addressing how to manage, and even utilize, these emissions. Viney Aneja - Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and his students

10. It's warmer now than for the last 1,000 years: true or false? - Review the evidence from recent reconstructions of past climates as presented by the National Academies. Peter Bloomfield - Statistics

11. Better medicine with math - Mathematical sciences hold the key to designing better prediction, diagnosis and treatment regimens for HIV and other complex viral-based diseases. H.T. Banks, Mathematics, Center for Research in Scientific Computation

12. What should we be teaching? - Provide feedback to faculty about what we should include in the undergraduate experience. Jo-Ann Cohen, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and department undergraduate directors

13. A measure of change - Examine a statistical guide to interpreting and understanding what is happening to our environment, including hurricane forecasting, trends in ozone and ambient air pollution, and climate change. Montserrat Fuentes - Statistics

14. What's in a genome? - Launched in 1990, the Human Genome Project was completed in 2003. What have we learned, and where do we go from here? Eric Stone - Statistics, Bioinformatics Research Center

15. Lessons learned from Katrina - Why did the hurricane protection system in New Orleans fail? What have we learned from the forensic analysis of this disaster to better prepare for future hurricanes and other natural disasters? Ed Link (Geological Engineering, '68) - Director, Department of Army Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force

If you have questions or need more information, please contact the PAMS Office of Development and College Relations at 919-515-3462 or Michelle Duggins at cmduggin@ncsu.edu.