Aug 24 1-2 by The A&T Register

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A&t joins UNCG for nano-programs sYlVia OBell

Managing/News Editor

A new interdisciplinary MS program in Nanoengineering has been established in conjunction with the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering (JSNN) at N.C. A&T and UNCG. The new program will begin classes as soon as this semester. “JSNN and this degree program will position central North Carolina at the forefront of the next wave of innovation in basic and applied nanoengineering research and technology,” said Professor and Chairman of JSNN Ajit Kelkar. The execution of JSNN will involve a collaborative effort among the faculty members of the NC A&T College of Engineering, the faculty members of the JSNN and the faculty members in the basic and applied sciences of both universities. According to Kelkar, there are presently 16 students enrolled in the MS nanoengineering program for the Fall 2011 semester. “There is a huge demand for ‘nano-trained’ engineers in the rapidly emerging nanotechnology revolution in the areas of nanoengineered materials, nanoelectronics, aerospace, biotechnology, medical devices, pharmaceutical, and defense and materials industries,” said Kelkar. “It is expected that students will be interested in pursuing the degree as both part-time and full-time students to further educate and train in the different nanoenginering disciplines beyond their undergraduate engineering, science or technology degrees.” There is also a Ph.D. program in the works for Nanoengineering. The approval of the proposed Ph.D. program involves a two-step procedure. First, the proposal to plan was submitted to UNC General Administration (UNCGA). That step took place in October 2010 and was approved by UNCGA in April 2011. The establishment proposal was also submitted to

UNCGA and is currently under review and likely to be approved by them in October. That will allow the Ph.D. program to begin in Spring 2012. Both the MS and Ph.D. JSNN programs were proposed and developed by a committee of 6 JSNN affiliated faculty members. All of whom had appropriate engineering backgrounds and support of the N.C. A&T College of Engineering, former Dean Winser Alexander, and Dean James Ryan of JSNN. The proposed program is unique within the UNC system for several reasons. The JSNN involves collaboration between two major universities with complementary strengths and history. Both institutions are classified by the Carnegie Foundation of New York as “research universities with high research activity.” Both MS and the proposed Ph.D. in Nanoengineering degree program (and the JSNN) will create a platform for interdisciplinary interactions between faculty members at JSNN with faculty members in more traditional programs at N.C. A&T State University and UNCG. Also, very few Nanoengineering educational programs exist, and therefore, personnel with advanced training in Nanoengineering are in high demand. Kelkar has plenty of plans for JSNN. His immediate plans include establishing and launching the Ph.D. program on approval from UNC-GA effective spring 2012 and establishing and making the labs operational on the completion of the new JSNN building. He also wants to engage the faculty in nanoengineering in order to increase opportunities for public service activity and scholarly research in this important area. JSNN has already received external research funding in the field of Nanoengineering in the excess of 1.2 Million dollars from Department of Defense. -smobell@ncat.edu and follow her on Twitter @SylviaObell

★ AGGies in the neWs ★

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Class oF 2015 MoVED oNto CAMPUS AUG. 13, 2011

a&t moves in class of 2015 erik Veal

Online Editor

North Carolina A&T started a new school year Aug. 17. For upperclassmen, the first day routine and travels through campus were familiar, but for freshmen, it was a different story. Freshmen had to contend with new faces, new situations, and a completely new environment. Some freshmen found it difficult navigating the unfamiliar territory, and were armed with merely a campus map to help them on their first day. To help these new faces on campus, officials at N.C. A&T set up Campus Locators, a program that used student volunteers to assist incoming freshmen find their way around campus. These locators, mainly upperclassmen, were scattered around campus by the café, outside the student union, and outside the village

independence and they do not baby you,” said Tierra Anderson, a freshmen journalism and mass communications major from Trenton, NJ. “You control your education here.” Even with all the new freedom and excitement of starting college, some feel that knowing exactly how to navigate it can be a daunting task. “I was nervous and excited about classes because I’m starting a new chapter in my life in a completely new environment that I’m not fully comfortable with yet,” said freshman nursing major from Tarboro, NC, Pia Dickens. Some freshmen have high expectations for the next four years. They seek a quality education that will lead to long-term employment. Even though graduating is the main point for many freshmen, there is a cultural aspect of A&T that freshmen want to engage.

BOB lewis

MiaMi (aP) — Officials and residents from Florida to the Carolinas stocked up on supplies, dusted off evacuation plans and readied for the worst as Irene, the first hurricane to threaten the U.S. in three years, churned over tropical waters after cutting a destructive path through the Caribbean. Federal officials warned the storm could flood streets and knock down power lines as far north as New England. Hurricane Irene, which already has raked the Caribbean,

could cause serious problems along the entire Eastern Seaboard, Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Craig Fugate said Tuesday during a conference call with reporters. Fugate urged people not to become complacent, even though the forecast is still uncertain and the storm may be days from hitting the U.S. “We need to remind people, hurricanes are not just a Southern thing. This could be the Mid-Atlantic and the northeast coast,” Fugate said. “We’ve got a lot of time for people to get ready, but we don’t have for-

ever.” Officials on North Carolina’s Okracoke Island — where Irene appeared to be taking dead aim as of Tuesday — were taking no chances. Tourists were ordered to evacuate today, while residents were told to be off the island by Thursday, said Tommy Hutcherson, who serves on the local board that issues such orders. Hutcherson, who also owns the Ocracoke Variety Store, said authorities have to issue such orders early because of the limited capacity of the ferries. Still, that doesn’t mean everyone will leave. “I’ll be here,” said Hutch-

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Federal ofﬁcials warn Irene could ﬂood streets and knock down power lines as far north as New England.

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Scene Editor Ashley Vaughn predicts this seasons fashion trends.

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Dickens says, “I hope to learn and gain a sense of independence and confidence that will help me pursue the career I hope for.” Some freshmen would argue that the dorm situation is the most difficult experience to deal with. Two complete strangers are forced to live together. Many lifelong friendships have started in the dorms on campus, but the same could be said about enemies. The Department of Housing and Residence Life offers some help to these freshmen. On the department’s website, freshmen can find videos that assist with move-in and an online tutorial program that shows them how to reserve housing for the upcoming school year. -jeveal1@ncat.edu and follow him on Twitter @_ErikVeal

Irene plans to bear down on N.C. coast Associated Press

Former A&T student Xavier Macklin is on his way to the pros. See his story on page 7

residencehalls. Some returning Aggies helped without being a part of Campus Locators. Some upperclassmen were there to help freshmen out with their first day by taking them under their wing. “Quite a few freshmen came up to us and asked how to get around campus so we helped them out,” said sophomore psychology major from Waldorf, MD. T’Keyah Gray. Her friend, sophomore industrial engineering major, Neque Willis added that they ate lunch and hung out with some of the freshmen too. While walking to the right building for a 9 a.m. class is helpful to many, getting to class is only half the battle. Freshmen must also learn how to be students in a college classroom. The academic structure of college is different than high school according to some of these new faces. “The professors give you

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erson, a 29-year resident who has ridden out numerous past storms. “A lot of the locals will choose to stay.” The barrier island is only accessible by boat. It is 16 miles long and mostly undeveloped, with a town at the southern tip. Caitlin Blue, who works at the Kure Beach Fishing Pier, said Tuesday employees were preparing to board up the windows. “That’s really all you can do,” said Blue, 17. “Everybody’s a little apprehensive, especially the owner of the pier.  See irene on Page 2

WEATHER WednesdAy

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thursdAy: Sunny | High 74° FridAy: Mostly Sunny | High 71°

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The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, August 24, 2011

IRENE From page 1 This one is supposed to come right down on us.”The Kure pier has been rebuilt twice after being destroyed by hurricanes — Hazel in 1954 and the double hit in 1996 from Bertha and Fran. Many people already have begun stocking up on essentials such as bottled water, gasoline and plywood for boarding up windows. But on North Carolina’s Wrightsville Beach, a popular tourist destination, only a few wispy clouds dotted the sky on a 90-degree day. Bronzed sunbathers strolled around in bathing suits and towels, and traffic was heavy — most cars were headed toward the beach, not away from it. Most in the area weren’t panicking — but they were getting ready. Irene was the main topic of conversation at Craft American Hardware, not far from Wrightsville Beach, where people were trooping all day to pick up emergency supplies for the storm. “Water, batteries, flashlights and now I’m going to get my grocery shopping done,” said Sally Godwin, carrying two

large jugs of fresh water out of the store with her. “I live at the beach, and they always evacuate it the day before. I have to make sure all my little stuff’s taken care of.” It’s possible Irene will make landfall over the North Carolina coast sometime Saturday, then move to the north into the Chesapeake Bay sometime Sunday. However, because such projections can be uncertain, it’s also possible Irene could straddle the coast.

Fugate and National Hurricane Center director Bill Read said Irene could cause problems even over open water. New England is particularly vulnerable to heavy rains because the soil is already saturated from summer storms, which could raise the threat of flash flooding. If Irene does move into the Mid-Atlantic area, it could threaten plans for dedicating a memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. Fugate said officials were discussing whether to hold Sunday’s dedication ceremony. Tens of thousands are expected to attend the event at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Irene had already wrought destruction across the Caribbean, giving a glimpse of what the storm might bring to the Eastern Seaboard. In Puerto Rico, more than a million people were without power, and President Barack Obama declared an emergency there. At least hundreds were displaced by flooding in the Dominican Republic, forced to take refuge in schools and churches.

Irene was making its way toward the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands on Tuesday. The prime minister of the Bahamas pleaded with islanders in low-lying areas to seek higher ground, and also urged people to stock up on water, food, flashlights, first aid kits and other supplies. On the Turks and Caicos Islands, residents were putting up hurricane shutters and tourists were retreating to their hotels. On Tuesday afternoon, Irene was about 55 miles (90 kilometers) south of Grand Turk Island, moving west-northwest at 10 mph (16 kph). Its maximum sustained winds were at 100 mph (160 kph). In South Carolina, emergency agencies went on alert for what could be the first hurricane to hit there in seven years. “This is potentially a very serious hurricane,” longtime Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. said. He led Charleston’s recovery from the massive destruction of Hurricane Hugo’s 135 mph winds and waves back in 1989. It’s been more than a century since Georgia has taken a direct hit from a Category 3 storm or greater.

That was in 1893, and the last hurricane to make landfall along the state’s 100-mile coast was David, which caused only minor damage when it struck in 1979. On Tybee Island, Ga., 18 miles east of Savannah, officials planned to be on the lookout for fierce rip currents and heavy surf from Irene. Mayor Jason Buelterman said it was possible lifeguards might close the water to swimmers and surfers. On Jekyll Island, about 60 miles south of Savannah, officials were watching forecasts in case measures were needed to protect historic buildings. Among them are sprawling “cottages” built by the likes of William Rockefeller and other wealthy industrialists in the late 1800s. If Irene makes it as a major storm to New England, Read drew comparisons to a huge 1938 hurricane that also approached from the South and killed 682 people. “We’re very concerned about what’s going to happen in New England,” Read said. Irene could bring muchneeded relief to a fire blazing in the Great Dismal Swamp on the North Carolina-Virginia line, however.

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WELCOME TO AGGIELAND! Students dance at the Journalism and Mass Communication (JOMC) Freshmen Day in fornt of Crobsy on August 20, 2011. The JOMC department welcomed and introduced freshmen to professors and staff.

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