Technician
wednesday november
16 2011
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
Homecoming week events Events are happening all over campus this week in honor of Homecoming. Mikala Holmgreen Staff Writer
The University Solar Center, with its arrays of solar panels on Thursday, April 14, 2011.
tim o’brien/Technician Archive photo
Solar House re-opens to public With the assistance of an undergraduate student, the Solar House has re-opened. Elise Heglar News Editor
With the assistance of mechanical engineering student Jason Meyer, the N.C. State Solar House has once again opened to the public for tours. The house originally closed in July due to state budget cuts but was able to re-open in November with limited hours. The house is currently open to the public for 20 hours every week. “It was shut down strictly for budget reasons,” Shannon Helm, the communications and outreach manager for the Solar House, said. The Solar House is operated by the N.C. Solar Center. It features solar electric and solar thermal tech-
nologies with a passive solar design. wanted to work on renewable energy. Meyer currently works at the house There are also other environmentally friendly materials on the grounds of 20 hours a week giving tours and anthe house, including a wind turbine. swering questions visitors have about the house. He will be Helm said while graduating in Dethere were no major cember but is planchanges to the techning on continuing nological aspect of his work at the house the house when it until April. was close, the staff “I give tours, show was excited to be people the house and able to put a fresh Shannon Helm, communications and outreach try to get new techcoat of paint inside manager for Solar House nology and donathe house. The paint tions for the house,” was donated by the Sherwin Williams store located on Meyer said. Helm said having an engineering Hillsborough Street. “They’re big supporters of N.C. State student work in the house is beneficial for visitors. The Solar House and N.C. and our Solar House,” Helm said. One of the reasons the house has Solar Center are considered a part of been able to open is the assistance the College of Engineering. “It’s a great match and skill set beof Meyer. Meyer heard about the job through a professor he had last semester and decided to apply because he solar continued page 3
“It was shut down strictly for budget reasons.”
Jessie Halpern Staff Writer
In a meeting Tuesday afternoon, the Faculty Senate passed a resolution to give support for graduate students to take parental leave. As the seats in the Faculty Senate chamber filled up, English professor Hans Kellner took his place at the center podium to commence the meeting. “I would like to first address the controversial nature in which the resolution on parental leave has been reported,” Kellner said. “I would like to express that the senate has nothing but positive and supportive opinions
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of this resolution.” This positive sentiment was proven when the Faculty Senate unanimously voted to pass the resolution, approving parental leave for graduate students. According to Resolution 57, the N.C. State Student Senate Academics Committee will work in conjunction with the N.C. State Faculty Senate Academic Policy Committee to include graduate students in the current congressional Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, which currently allows University staff and faculty to take six weeks of paid leave with the birth of a new child. Duane Larick, graduate school dean, says he has heard nothing but positive feelings toward this resolution. Provost Arden Warwick has had a posi-
grads continued page 3
Identity of oldest recorded supernova mystery solved
N.C. State researchers have identified the ancient supernova first found by Chinese astronomers. See page 6.
International players add flavor Men’s basketball team features three foreign players with different backgrounds. See page 8.
viewpoint features classifieds sports
Wednesday • “Wear Red, Get Fed” by Moes in the Brickyard, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. • Canned Food Drive in the Brickyard, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. • Blood Drive, Talley Ballroom, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday • “Wear Red, Get Fed” by Marcos in the Brickyard, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. • Cookie Contest in the Brickyard, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. • Paint the Tunnel, Free Expression Tunnel, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Friday • ”Wear Red, Get Fed” by Backyard Bistro, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. • Pack Howl Parade, Hillsborough St., 6 to 7 p.m. • Homecoming Pep Rally, Reynold’s Coliseum, 7 to 11 p.m. Compiled by mikala holmgreen
from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. A blood drive will also take place in the Talley Ballroom from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., welcoming students and faculty to donate. “N.C. State has one of the most exciting spirit weeks compared to a lot of schools,” Tanyer Andrews, mother of a University senior, said. “We have the advantage of being in a big city, as well as having a very supportive and engaging student body.” Thursday, it is Marco’s Pizza’s turn to cater the “Wear Red, Get Fed” event, serving pizza in the Brickyard until they run out. If pizza isn’t enough, the Cookie Contest will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Brickyard. Thursday morning also hosts Paint the Tunnel, allowing students to paint the Free Expression Tunnel from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., supporting the University for Saturday’s Homecoming game. Friday morning is the last day of “Wear Red, Get Fed,” catered by the
Events continued page 3
Gaming lecture inspires students
Faculty Senate approves parental leave for grad students In a Faculty Senate meeting, support was expressed for parental graduate student leave.
Wolfpack fans are getting excited with events all week for N.C. State’s Homecoming game against Clemson Saturday, Nov. 19. The homecoming events started with the Homecoming Valentine Commons Kick-off at Harris Field Sunday. Domino’s catered to the “Wear Red, Get Fed” event in the Brickyard Monday from 11 a.m. until they ran out of food. There was also a Trivia Night Monday in the Talley Student Center Ballroom. Hillsborough Street was painted red Monday night as the University kept up its tradition of “Paint The Town Red.” Wolfpack fans covered the University and surrounding areas with red paint and decorations supporting the football team. “I love the ‘Paint The Town Red’ Event. It’s a really great event, it’s one of my favorite spirit week events,” Casper Holmgreen, a senior double majoring in computer science and nuclear physics, said. “Wear Red, Get Fed” continued in the Brickyard Tuesday until students wore out WingZone’s food supply. The Hillsborough Street Cleanup also took place Tuesday afternoon. The day was topped off with Homecoming Speaker and Magician, Tim Dumas, in the Talley Student Center Ballroom. Wednesday, Moe’s and University Towers will cater “Wear Red, Get Fed” in the Brickyard starting at 11 a.m. Students will not only have the chance to receive food, but will also have the chance to donate food. The Canned Food Drive will be taking place in the Brickyard
Homecoming Events
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Studio director of Insomniac Games spoke on campus about the creativity of making games. Sarah Dashow Staff Writer
As the final Fidelity Investments Leadership in Technology executive speaker series of this semester, Chad Dezern, studio director of Insomniac Games in Durham, NC, lectured on the care and feeding of ideas. The studio in Durham recently shipped their first game, Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One, on the Playstation 3. Dezern used examples from the creation process of this game to show the design choices used during game development. His lecture consisted of the three broad steps that go into creating games: visualizing, prototyping and production. He says the brainstorm is not always the most important aspect, and that it is more about the ideas that come out of it. “Ideas are really what we do as a business. Ideas are what fuels the game, what gets people excited,” Dezern said. By showing the process of early sketches, to 3-D character mockups, to a completed teaser trailer featuring the characters from development, Dezern showed many different aspects of game making. “We don’t actually go through things in a laid out order. It’s very organic. We take these pieces out of order and put them in order ... design is nothing but a series of choices,” Dezern said. Ken Tate, director of development and external relations in the engineering department, orga-
Michael pratt/Technician
Chad Dezern, N.C. Studio director for Insomniac Games, speaks to computer science students as part of the Fidelity Investments “Leadership in Technology” Executive Speakers Series.
development, and it gave me a better nized the lecture series. “I try to have at least one entrepre- look at how that works,” Roger Agans, neurial, one person from the gaming a freshman in computer science, said. industry and then the rest are just “This guy basically said he came fresh out of college with a kind of fillers,” she major and a little bit said. “We try to get in his portfolio. They really timely topics. came looking for We try to get things him is the idea that that interest our I got from this and students, but across Insomniac is a big a big spectrum. I company so I’m acthink it provides tually pretty geared them insight and it up now to making brings the careers games on my own.” and the leadership Chad Derzen, studio director “I played a lot to reality for them. of Insomniac Games of the Insomniac That is the whole Ratchet and Clank idea behind this.” Students who attended the lecture, series, and I was pretty curious about some of whom were interested in ca- how much production, how much reers in the gaming industry and some time and effort went into the game,” who were just fans of Insomniac, said Lai Tran, a junior in computer science, said. “It’s very motivational. It makes that the lecture inspired them. “It was very entertaining and informative because I want to go into game gaming continued page 3
“Ideas are really what we do as a business. Ideas are what fuels the game...”