It’s a networking opportunity to die for. Or, in the case of NC State graduate student Michael Rall, to design for. It’s the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, also known as Milan Design Week, and it’s the most important international design event of the year.

The 24-year-old Rall, who’s never been off the East Coast, is packing his bags for an all-expenses-paid trip to the design fair April 22-27 courtesy of LG Surfaces.

“I can’t wait,” he says. “It’s going to be great.” Actually, it’s going to be a lot more than that. Rall, who graduates in December with a

master’s degree in industrial design, gets to rub elbows in Milan with just about anybody who’s anybody in the world of product design – or at least the top couple of hundred thousand designers, manufacturers, buyers, distributors and salespeople in the industry.

While he’s at it, he’ll have the opportunity to exhibit a design prototype of his own at Zona Tortona’s “That’s Design!” show, which draws more than 80,000 designers and exhibitors from around the globe every year. And he’ll round out the week by appearing at a press conference to present his design concepts to journalists from media outlets like Metropolitan magazine.

Talk about real-world experience. Rall earned the trip by blowing away the competition in the LG Surfaces Beyond

Student Design Challenge last month. The contest, which was open to students at five of the nation’s top design schools, required participants to come up with new product ideas using the company’s acrylic surface material. Today, LG Surfaces is a major producer of kitchen countertops. But to stay economically healthy, the manufacturer is looking for new ways to expand its product line.

The contest guidelines were strict. Not only did the design concepts have to be interesting, they had to be easy and affordable to manufacture. And, with a nod to the

Next Stop, Milan!Industrial Design Grad Student to exhibit at Milan Design Week.

Article by David Hunt

Bulletin | April 9, 2009 2

recession, they had to be products that people would want to buy. As an added wrinkle, the company gave the contest a theme: balance.

Rall was well prepared for the challenge; he’s studied the design applications of a wide range of materials, including wood, metals and plastic. When he read the guidelines for the contest, he got excited.

“Acrylic is easily thermoformable,” he says with enthusiasm. “You can heat it up and it will bend however you want. And you can attach two pieces together and they look seamless.”

Rall pulled out a design for a shelf that he’d been working on for a metals class: a flat piece of wood with an aluminum strip across the top that could be attached to a wall with a hidden metal bracket. By attaching the hidden bracket to a bedroom nightstand, he decided, he could achieve the illusion that the nightstand was balanced precariously and impossibly on a single small leg. He designed the nightstand to give it a smoothly flowing S-shaped curve, taking advantage of the flexibility that acrylic has during the fabrication process.

When he showed his drawings to friends, they reacted just the way he hoped: “They said, ‘Whoa, how is that standing up? It only has that one leg to the side.’”

After uploading his drawings and schematics to the contest Web site, Rall spent a few minutes reviewing some of the other entries that had been uploaded.

“There were 12 entries just from NC State,” he says. “Some of them were so good, I really didn’t think I had a chance.”

But in March, Rall and four other finalists were flown to Atlanta to present their designs to a panel of judges. The next day, the company held a press conference to present the three winning design concepts and the students who had created them, including Rall.

“I think I won because of ease of fabrication,” he says. “And I think I gave a good presentation and answered the judges’ questions clearly. I showed a clear understanding of the project and how it would fit into a home.”

LG Surfaces and its fabrication vendor, Sterling Surfaces, will manufacture prototypes of each of the winning designs and have them on display in Milan. They’ll

3 Bulletin | April 9, 2009

be among the 12,000 products vying for recognition as the hottest new design trends in the world.

The trip to Milan is not only great exposure for a promising young designer, it’s also an opportunity for Rall to learn about the industry and think about his future.

“I want to design furniture or house wares,” he says, “or kitchen stuff or small appliances. Actually, I haven’t narrowed it down to one thing. I want to do all sorts of things. I want to touch everything.”

He’s off to a great start.

Rall’s design incorporates a hidden bracket to give the illusion that the nightstand is balanced on a single leg. The prototype will be created using orange acrylic surface material.

Michael Rall working on some new designs in Brooks Hall.

Bulletin Board

The Oprah-fication of ObamaKatie Lofton of Yale University will

present a talk titled, “The Oprah-fication of Obama” at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 9, in Daniels 218. Hosted by the Department of Philosophy and Religion under the auspices of the Religious Studies Colloquium Series.

Faculty/Staff Wolfline ServiceWolfline will operate limited service on

Friday April 10. Rt. 6 Carter Finley will operate every 30 minutes, Rt. 7 Wolflink shuttle will operate every 20 minutes, Rt. 8 Southeast Loop will operate every 36 minutes. Routes with extended service will end service at 10 p.m. on Thursday, April 9. Regular Wolfline service resumes Monday, April 13. No Wolfprowl (downtown entertainment bus) Thursday, Friday or Saturday, April 9-11. Wolfprowl resumes Thursday, April 16. No Werewolf (late night) service April 9 or 10 (resumes April 13).

Stinson Drive ClosureStinson Drive from Boney Drive to

Current Drive will be closed for final paving and striping on Friday, April 10, from approximately 6 a.m. until completion (probably 5 p.m.). Saturday, April 11, is the back-up rain date in the event of bad weather. To access north campus, the Yarbrough Drive gate will be open for the entire day on Friday. Access will be maintained to the Boney Drive Parking Lot (fomerly Riddick Lot) and the Poe Loading Dock and accessible parking spaces.

Due to the Stinson Drive closure on Friday, April 10 (from Boney Drive to Current Drive), the Rt. 7 Wolflink shuttle will be detoured via Founders Drive/Watauga/Pullen Road and continue on its regular route. This detour impacts bus frequency; service will be every 30 minutes.

Wolfline Holiday SeviceWolfline holiday shuttle bus service will

be provided from both the Varsity storage lot and the Centennial Campus storage lots to campus residence halls on Sunday, April 12, beginning at the Varsity storage lot at 5 p.m. with continuous service until 9 p.m. (approximately every half-hour). Visit http://www.ncsu.edu/Wolfline for service areas. To view real-time bus locations, visit the Transit Visualization System (TVS): http://ncsu.transloc-inc.com. Questions? Call 515-3424 or contact

Kim Paylor, Wolfline transit manager, kim_paylor@ncsu.edu.

Holtzman Lecture Focuses on ObamaPaul Light, Professor of Public Service at

NYU and author of 18 books, including the award-winning “Thickening Government” and “The Tides of Reform,” will look at the transition to and performance of the Obama administration at 7 p.m. Monday, April 13, in 216 Poe Hall. The Holtzman lecture series, begun in 2005, honors Professor Abraham Holtzman and his nearly 50 years of service to the Department of Political Science and NC State University. This is the third Holtzman Lecture.

The Omega Man with Special Guest Anthony Zerbe

Actor Anthony Zerbe will speak following a screening of The Omega Man (1971) at 7 p.m. Monday, April 13, in the Witherspoon Campus Cinema. Zerbe played the glassy-eyed zombie-ringleader Matthias in this sci-fi/horror thriller classic. Sponsored by the Film Studies Program and the Union Activities Board Films Committee.

Find Out About New Tax TablesPayrolls processed in April will be

calculated using new federal tax tables prompted by the Making Work Pay Credit in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed by President Obama in February. Many employees will realize lower federal income tax withholding as a result, but there are some pitfalls to be aware of. For more information, please refer to the article, “The Economic Stimulus Package: What’s in it for you?” at http://www.fis.ncsu.edu/hr/news/.

Body Image EventsCome hear Stacy Nadeau, Dove model

and motivational speaker, present a talk titled, “Embracing Real Beauty” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, in Poe Hall, Room 216. Then, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15, Health Promotion will host an event called, “Celebrate Your Body,” on the Brickyard (rain date April 17). Bring your old jeans and drop them off at the P.A.C.K. Peers’ booth for the peers to donate to a charity. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit: http://www.ncsu.edu/health_promotion/celebrateyourbody/index.html, or contact Marianne Turnbull at 513-3293 or by e-mail at marianne_turnbull@ncsu.edu.

Lake Raleigh Clean-upAs part of NC State’s sustainability

efforts, Campus Recreation’s professional staff takes the lead in helping to clean up Lake Raleigh and the surrounding area. Come watch, support the action, help with “dry-land” clean-up efforts, and support NC State and the Earth Team partners on campus. The clean-up takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, at Lake Raleigh on Centennial Campus.

E-File Your Taxes This YearE-filing is a quick, convenient and secure

way to file your income taxes and receive your refunds weeks ahead of paper filers. You may qualify for free or low-cost e-filing if you earn less than $40,000. Go to http://www.dornc.com to find a list of approved companies that offer e-filing and to check the eligibility for free filing.

You may also visit a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance/Tax Counseling site to take advantage of free tax preparation and e-filing services for people with low-to-moderate incomes. Go here to find the nearest VITA site.

I.T. Littleton SeminarKevin Cherry, senior program officer

at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), will address the librarian’s pivotal role in today’s economy as featured speaker at the NCSU Libraries’ I. T. Littleton Seminar. Cherry coordinates the IMLS’s largest discretionary initiative, the 21st Century Librarian Program, which seeks to support the development of the nation’s information workforce. The Seminar will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, in the auditorium in the West Wing of the D. H. Hill Library. Cherry will deliver a talk titled “Who’s on the Desk? Staffing the Library of the Future Today.”

Community Partners Fair Faculty, students, and any others are

welcome to come meet others who are involved in community-engaged teaching and learning at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 16, in the 1911 Building lounge. Learn about engagement opportunities; build relationships that can lead to teaching and research; expand and deepen existing partnerships. Community organizations at the fair will include the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Interfaith Food Shuttle, Women’s Center, and Boys and Girls Club. Hosted by CHASS’s Institute for Nonprofits and NC State’s Center for Excellence in Curricular Engagement.

Barkalow LectureIan Stirling, emeritus research scientist

Bulletin | April 9, 2009 4

with the Canadian Wildlife Service and professor at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, will be speaking on the natural history of polar bears, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, April 17, in 1216 Jordan Hall II. Refreshments will be served in 1214 Jordan II from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Basura on the BricksHave you ever wondered how much

recycling ends up in the trash on campus? NCSU Waste Reduction and Recycling student interns and the Inner Residence Council are coordinating “Landfill on the Lawn.” Despite the name it will actually take place on the bricks between Bragaw and Sullivan from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 18. The waste audit is designed to be a competition between East, West, and Central Campus to see who has the lowest percentage of recyclables in their trash. The sort will take place between Bragaw and Sullivan. There will also be fun games and prizes to show off your recycling knowledge.

Friends of the Library Book SaleThe 20th annual Friends of the Library

book sale will be held on the Brickyard April 22-25. The schedule is 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 22, 23 and 24; and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 25. A preview sale will be held on Tuesday, April 21, for volunteers and members of the Friends of the Library. Hardbacks are $4 and soft covers are $2 on April 21 and 22. Prices drop to $2 for hardbacks and $1 for soft covers the rest of the time. There will also be an “All-you-can-put-in-a-bag sale” for $5 on Friday and Saturday, April 24 and 25. Contact Jim Ruth with Friends of the Library for more info at 513-7033 or visit http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/booksales.

Farmer’s Market Starts on Earth DayThe grand opening of the NC State

Farmer’s Market will be April 22, Earth Day. The market will open in conjunction with the annual Earth Day events on the Brickyard. Organizers expect a variety of North Carolina-grown products to be on hand, including an assortment of produce, seafood and even handmade soaps.

Brickyard festivities will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and also feature the annual Friends of the Library Book Sale, an energy fair and the Forestry Club’s Plant Sale. Earth Week will culminate with a free concert for students on Lee Field on April 24 headlined by the Annuals. More information can be found at http://www.ncsu.edu/earthday.

The organizers of Earth Week events need volunteers to help the morning and

Nationally acclaimed by the American College Dance Festival Association, the NCSU Dance Company performs a distinguished collection of modern dance for the spring concert. The program will feature premiere and repertory work created by the dance program directors, along with “A Day in the Life of the Brain” by guest artist Shane O’Hara, professor of dance at James Madison University. The concert will be held at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 23, in Stewart Theatre. For tickets, call 515-1100.

Dance Company

Spring Concert

5 Bulletin | April 9, 2009

BulletinThe Bulletin is published weekly, except during the summer and holidays, by North Carolina State University News Services. To subscribe to the online version, visit www.ncsu.edu/bulletin.

Please submit news and announcements one week in advance of publication.

News ServicesCampus Box 7504Raleigh, NC 27695

Phone (919) 515-5863E-mail bulletin@ncsu.eduWeb www.ncsu.edu/bulletinFacebook: http://tinyurl.com/c2ewk9

Editor: David Hunt

afternoon of April 22 with the Brickyard events and on April 24 with setting up, running and breaking down the Earth Day Concert on Lee Field. To help on April 22, contact volunteer coordinator Aubrey Southwell at recycling@ncsu.edu or 515-9421. To help on April 24 contact volunteer coordinator Megan Cain at volunteerncsu@gmail.com.

Art to Wear Fashion ShowThe 2009 Art to Wear fashion show is

set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 23, in Reynolds Coliseum. Merchandise and tickets will be available at the Egg (behind Brooks Hall) this Friday, March 27, from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. and each Friday prior to the show at the same times. Reserved tickets are available for $10; general admission is free.

Sea Grant Requests ProposalsNorth Carolina Sea Grant is requesting

preproposals for coastal and marine topics for its 2010-2012 core research funding cycle. The deadline for online submission is April 27.

“Preproposals must emphasize, and fall under, one of our four strategic focus areas,” notes Executive Director Michael Voiland, “and must indicate direct relevance to resolving important coastal resource questions or issues.”

Sea Grant’s focus areas are:

• Hazard-Resilience in Coastal Communities

• Healthy Coastal Ecosystems• Safe and Sustainable Seafood Supply• Sustainable Coastal DevelopmentDetails on the focus areas, as well

as specific instructions and materials for online submission, are included in application materials available at http://www.ncseagrant.org/home/research/grantsfellowships.

Arboretum Hosts GalaThe JC Raulston Arboretum will hold

its annual Gala in the Garden on Sunday, May 3, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The theme of this year’s event is “An Enchanted Garden Party.” In addition to a silent auction, guests will enjoy live music by the Southern String Band and gourmet hors d’oeuvres, including a special dessert reception.

Gala tickets are $60. Proceeds from the event will benefit the JC Raulston Arboretum, a working research and teaching garden of NC State

University. To purchase tickets, contact Anne Porter at 919-513-3826 or anne_porter@ncsu.edu. For more information

about the JC Raulston Arboretum visit http://www.ncsu.edu/jcraulstonarboretum.

Wolf Pack N Go SaleThe large exodus of resident students

can yield a massive amount of unwanted materials. The purge of materials is why University Housing and NCSU Waste Reduction and Recycling are collaborating for another “Wolf Pack n Go Sale” on May 15 at the E.S. King Village Community Center. The sale starts at 8 a.m and goes until 6 p.m. This is the fourth annual event where donated items left by students are picked up, stored, and sold to the public. All money collected from the sale will go toward environmental education.

Volunteers are needed for Tuesday (9 a.m. to 2 p.m.), Wednesday (8 a.m. to 7 p.m.), and Thursday (8 a.m to 11 a.m.) shifts. All state employees are invited to use their Community Service Leave to volunteer. Beginning May 12, staff and faculty can also donate items in resalable condition at the donaton site, located in the lobby of the E.S. King Village office.

Faculty and Staff Notes

Bulletin | April 9, 2009 6

Li Presentation Gets Wide AudienceThe National Academy of Sciences

features a presentation by Dr. Bailian Li, vice provost for international affairs, on its Web portal. The presentation is titled, “Principles and Practices of International Agreements – NC State.”

Outstanding Extension Service AwardsTwenty-one faculty and professional staff

members who have been named recipients of the Outstanding Extension Service Awards will be honored at a banquet on April 20 at the McKimmon Center for Extension and Continuing Education. The theme of the banquet is “Celebrating an Engaged University.”

Award recipients are:• Norman Fred Miller, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences/CES• Mark Hucks, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences/CES• Dr. Georgia Bizios, College of Design• Charles R. Parrish, College of Engineering• Dr. Lynda Aiman-Smith, College of Management• Dr. Dennis W. Hazel, College of Natural Resources• Dr. David Eggleston, College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences• Dr. Wandra P. Hill, College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences• Thomas Michael Ferguso, College of

Textiles• Marissa Langford, College of Textiles• Dr. Edward Breitschwerdt, College of Veterinary Medicine• Dr. Maria T. Correa, College of Veterinary Medicine• Dr. Jonathan Kramer, Division of Student Affairs

In addition to receiving the Outstanding Extension Service Award, the following faculty members will be inducted into the Academy of Outstanding Faculty Engaged in Extension:• Dr. David Tarpy, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences • Dr. Diane D. Chapman, College of Education• Dr. Hugh A. Devine, College of Natural Resources• Dr. M. Todd See, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences• Neal Hutcheson, College of Humanities and Social Sciences• Dr. Audrey J. Jaeger, College of Education• Dr. R. Michael Young, College of Engineering• Dr. Roby B. Sawyers, College of Management

The following three recipients will also be recognized for being nominated for the Alumni Outstanding Extension Service Award. The Alumni awardees will be honored at the Honors Convocation and will receive a monetary award of $3,000 at the Convocation.

They are:• Dr. David Tarpy, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences • Dr. Diane D. Chapman, College of Education• Dr. Hugh A. Devine, College of Natural Resources

COM Faculty Named ACE FellowsThe American Council on Education

(ACE) announced that Dr. Mitzi Montoya and Dr. Fay Cobb Payton, both on the faculty in College of Management, have been named ACE Fellows for academic year 2009-10. Montoya is the Zelnak Professor of Marketing Innovation and assistant dean for research at the college. Payton is associate professor of information technology. Both are in the college’s Department of Business Management.

The ACE Fellows Program, established in 1965, is designed to strengthen institutions and leadership in American higher education by identifying and preparing promising senior faculty and administrators for responsible positions in college and university administration.

This year, 38 fellows nominated by their university’s senior leadership were selected in a national competition.

“We are very pleased to recognize these two faculty members. They each have exhibited tremendous leadership potential in their careers thus far. Mitzi’s career has focused on the development of collaborative research and education in the area of services and innovation management, and Fay’s focus has been on diversity in the IT field. We trust that their year as ACE Fellows will enable them to further define their career path and strengthen their leadership skills so that they can continue to make an impact,” said Provost Larry Nielsen.

As ACE Fellows, Montoya and Payton will focus on an issue of concern to NC State while spending the next academic year working with a college or university president and other senior officers at another institution.

Fulbright Teaching Assistants ApprovedNC State has been approved by the

Institute of International Education to host three Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs) in 2009-2010; one from India to teach Urdu, one from Bangladesh to teach Bengali, and one from Afghanistan to teach Persian. The application was made by the North Carolina Center for South Asia Studies, a Title VI National Resource Center comprising NC State, UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University, funded by the U.S. Department of Education since 1999 for the development of South Asia studies and the teaching of South Asian languages. The Center’s Critical Languages Program, provides courses in less-commonly-taught languages such as Persian, Bengali, Tamil, and Nepali for all three campuses.

Haenn Receives FulbrightNora Haenn in the Department of

Sociology and Anthropology received a Fulbright Scholarship to undertake research in Mexico. In collaboration with Mexican colleagues at the El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, she will be examining the effects of international migration on sending communities located in the country’s rural and tropical south, a region that only joined the international migration phenomenon in recent times. Because most migrants are men who leave behind wives and children, she will consider how women take on the management of household affairs in the absence of their husbands. Her research with farm families will document how they spend remittances and whether these expenditures entail

investments in new kinds of land use that change tropical ecologies. She will also consider how local governments plan for the social and economic changes that accompany migration.

Alumni Magazine Wins Award“NC State,” the magazine published

by the Alumni Association, has been recognized in the League of American Communications Professionals Inspire Awards competition. NC State won a gold award in the “Print-Hybrid Audience” category, and, based on the score, was ranked 19th overall out of more than 400 entries in multiple categories. Other winners included American Express, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Pennsylvania State.

The judges praised the publication, saying, “Clearly, a lot of care has gone into producing an exceptional communications element to reach the target audience. Great first impression. The production values found within ‘NC State’ are truly among the best reviewed this year.”

Skaggs Wins Communications AwardThe Council for Agricultural Science

and Technology (CAST) has honored Dr. R. Wayne Skaggs with the 2009 Charles A. Black Communications Award. Skaggs is William Neal Reynolds Professor and Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He received the award in March from Dr. Henry L. Shands, CAST president, in Washington, D.C.

The Charles A. Black Communications Award is presented annually to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in his or her area of expertise within the agricultural, environmental or food sciences sectors.

Skaggs is an expert in drainage and subsurface water management. In 1980 he developed a computerized water management model, DRAINMOD, which helps predict how water management procedures will affect water table depth, soil water regime and crop yields. The model has been reengineered to expand its capabilities and is used by consulting engineers, researchers and government agencies worldwide.

In 1994 NC State presented Skaggs its highest faculty recognition, the Alexander Quarles Holladay Award, and in 1997, he received the University of North Carolina’s highest award, the O. Max Gardner Award. That same year, he received the Alexander von Humboldt award for contributions to U.S. agriculture.

Pharmacy Benefit ChangesIn order to keep the pharmacy benefit

affordable for members and provide access to high quality, effective medication options, several changes to the pharmacy benefit will be implemented beginning May 1.

• Triptans are medications used to treat certain migraine and cluster headache conditions. Beginning May 1, the copay for triptans, Amerge, Axert, Frova, Zomig, and Zomig ZMT, will be $50 for up to a 34-day supply.

• Also beginning May 1, all users of Amerge, Axert, Frova, Treximet, Zomig, and Zomig ZMT will be subject to a formulary coverage review. Coverage will only be granted if your provider documents that you have experienced failure or intolerance with a preferred migraine medication (Sumatriptan, Maxalt, Maxalt MLT or Relpax).

• Antiemetics are medications used to prevent and treat chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Beginning May 1, prescriptions for antiemetics (Anzemet, Emend, Kytril (granisetron), Granisol, Zofran (ondansetron), Cesamet, and Sancuso) will have quantity limits.

Visit http://www.shpnc.org/faq-pharm-antiemetic.html for more information.

Look Out, It’s a Flash MobThe Joel Lane House Museum in

Raleigh is a carefully preserved testament to the man who was instrumental in creating much of the early history of this now-flourishing region of the country. But until recently, a key part of that history was lost to most of us. On March 23, a group of volunteers from the NCSU Libraries descended on the oldest house in Raleigh, and, in a decidedly non-traditional manner, “flash mobbed” the 232 books that the museum has collected but has never been able to make widely available in a systematic way to historians and to members of the community who are interested in the history of the colonial period.

The newly catalogued books include works on museum maintenance, antiques, colonial Americana, and the history of North Carolina and Raleigh. The collection includes a significant number of rare books and documents, including historical society newsletters and pamphlets and the original Lane family Bible.

Ropes Course Opens This SummerCampus Recreation along with the

Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, Parks, Recreation and Tourism

Management, and Physical Education has united to create the NCSU Challenge Course at Schneck Forest. Thanks to a generous donation from alumnus Jim Wall, owner of Cornerstone Designs Inc., and the hard work and dedication of Dr. Aram Attarian the dream is finally a reality.

“This project is long overdue. The students, faculty and staff at NC State will benefit from this amazing project. Thanks to Jim Wall and his team, we’ve been able to add an element to our program that will take us to the next level,” says Bill James, assistant director, Outdoor Adventures.

The course is located about 10 minutes from campus in Schenck Forest, a 245-acre forest used by the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources for research and teaching. Housing an eight-element high ropes course, this project can offer groups many different team building and leadership development options. Campus Recreation is offering half-day, full-day and multi-day programs focusing on experiential education and training designed to meet the group’s needs. These programs help groups explore team dynamics, resulting in more positive interaction and increased productivity within the team.

Campus Recreation will begin offering programs this summer, including teambuilding initiatives and challenge course experiences for student organizations, as well as faculty and staff groups.

For more information or to schedule a leadership development session, contact Bill James at bill_james@ncsu.edu or 513-8126.

Lucia to Join Faculty at UFAMDr. Lucian Lucia, associate professor

of biomaterials science in the Department of Wood and Paper Science, has been invited to join the doctorate of engineering faculty at Federal University of the Amazon (UFAM) in Brazil. Lucia has been collaborating with UFAM and his addition to its graduate faculty will further strengthen NC State’s connection with UFAM. Lucia will continue his regular duties at NC State University.

State Employees AppreciatedGov. Perdue has proclaimed the

week of May 3-9 as “State Employee Recognition Week” and May 6 as “State Employee Appreciation Day.” She urges all citizens, “to take this opportunity to join me in expressing to all state employees our appreciation for their commendable service.”

7 Bulletin | April 9, 2009

The Bulletin is going interactive. If you’re a member of the social networking site, Facebook, you can

join the Bulletin’s new Facebook group, called NC State Bulletin. Membership is free and open to everyone and gives you the option (the joy, really) of posting comments, photos and video; joining discussion threads; and sharing links.

We set up the Bulletin group so we could provide a behind-the-scenes look at our employee communication efforts and bring our readers into the process. During the week, we’ll post photos that we’ve taken, talk about the stories we’re working on, and share our plans and ideas for the future.

You can tell us what’s happening on campus that we should be covering, comment on our work (or grade it, if you’re a faculty member) and post your news and events directly on the site.

The Facebook group is just one of a number of social networking opportunities we’re taking advantage of to enhance our ability to promote news and events at NC State, both internally and externally.

NC State’s News Services office has also created its own Twitter account for Twitter users among our faculty, staff, students, alums and friends of the university who want instant updates on news from and about NC State. Twitter is an electronic service that allows its users to publish and follow “micro-blogs,” called “tweets,” that are limited to 140 characters.

Users select which Twitter “feeds” to follow, and then receive updates whenever those feeds are updated.

You can follow NC State News Services’ Twitter feed at: http://twitter.com/NCStateNews.

News Services has also created a Facebook group, separate from the Bulletin group, at http://tinyurl.com/cqcc38.

By the way, if your department or college has a Facebook group, let us know and we’ll add a link to our group. And don’t forget about NC State’s YouTube site, http://www.youtube.com/ncstate, which has tons of great videos produced right on campus.

Bulletin LaunchesFacebook Group

Readers can now post comments and photos,add links and join discussion threads.

NC State News Services has launched a Facebook group for the Bulletin to give employ-ees a behind-the-scenes look at its communication efforts. Employees with a Facebook account can join the group and add comments, photos, links and video to the site.

Bulletin | April 9, 2009 8