A timeline has been established for North Carolina A&T State University offices to discontinue using the University's old letterhead, envelopes and business cards.

Effective immediately, senior administrators (i.e. cabinet, associate vice chancellors and assistant vice chancellors) should order and begin using the new letterhead and business cards. Deans, associate deans and assistant deans have until Thursday, Sept. 30, to transition, and department chairs and all other directors and managers have until Friday, Oct. 29.

After these deadlines, surplus supplies of the old N.C. A&T letterhead, envelopes and business cards may be used internally until Tuesday, Nov. 30. Upon request, Spartan Printing at UNCG will make scratch pads from the old letterhead, free of charge.

Orders for the new stationery, note card and business card should be placed online via the Aggie Printing website: www.myorderdesk.com/AT. For printing services, click the 'Send Files & Orders' tab. New users must create an account or click the 'New to Our Site' button in the lower right corner. To check on previous jobs, click the 'My Jobs' tab. Click the 'My Account' tab to review your customer profile. The rest is easy.

When AGGIE-MART goes live later this fall, end users will be able to “punch out” to the Aggie Printing website to order stationery and business cards. All stationery will be ordered through the system with a purchase order. P-cards are not be accepted as payment for stationery orders through the Aggie Printing website.

The new stationery and business card were introduced in the spring of 2010, as part of the University's revamped branding and advertising campaign that combines an older slogan – Explore. Discover. Become. – with the new slogan, How will you make a difference in the world?

While the letterhead's design is relatively traditional in appearance, it ties in with the contemporary design of the note card and business card. And, the once prominent blue that was the longstanding color of choice on University letterhead and business cards has been replaced with gold.

Bouvier Kelly, Inc. is the local advertising, public relations and interactive agency behind the new concepts and changes. Prior to redesigning the stationery and business cards, Bouvier Kelly developed an advertising campaign, designed The Aggie Report online newsletter and login page for the AggieConnect (Intranet portal), and redesigned A&T Today magazine and aggiEnews online newsletter. The agency is currently developing new materials for the undergraduate and graduate Admissions teams.

North Carolina A&T State University is part of a major new research initiative from the National Science Foundation (NSF) aimed at improving scientists' ability to predict potential consequences of climate change.

The work at N.C. A&T will focus on improving scientists' ability to predict hurricanes and precipitation patterns. The university is one of five involved in the project.

The five-year, $10 million NSF Expeditions in Computing grant, "Understanding Climate Change: A Data-Driven Approach," aims to advance climate science by taking advantage of the wealth of climate data collected by satellites, ground-based sensors and physics-based climate simulations.

The grant includes $900,000 in funding for work to be performed at A&T by Abdollah Homaifar, a Duke Energy Eminent Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Homaifar is a specialist in data mining, the process of analyzing extremely large databases to identify patterns and correlations.

"This effort will allow us to analyze climate variables together with geographical information about vulnerabilities and impacts," Homaifar said. "This analysis can lead to an understanding of what we can do to protect communities at risk, key resources and critical infrastructure.

"The computational challenges comprise understanding the cascading relations of climate variables and geographical information (relationship mining), fusion of disparate data, as well as decision sciences for uncertainty quantification, risk assessment and allocation of resources based on cost-benefit tradeoffs."

Homaifar's goal is to develop new fusion and search algorithms to make allow scientists and public officials make better decisions and predictions of hurricane activity and other processes affected by climate change.

The project team is being led by Professor Vipin Kumar of the University of Minnesota. The other institutions involved are North Carolina State University, Northwestern University and a joint team from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

For more on research at North Carolina A&T, visit the Aggie Research blog, http://aggieresearch.wordpress.com or website, www.ncat.edu/~divofres. Aggie Research also can be found on Twitter, @aggieresearch, and Facebook, Aggie Research.

About North Carolina A&T

North Carolina A&T is a public, high research activity, 1890 land-grant university committed to exemplary teaching and learning, scholarly and creative research, and effective engagement and public service. The University offers degrees at the baccalaureate, master's and doctoral levels and has a commitment to excellence in a comprehensive range of academic disciplines. Our unique legacy and educational philosophy provide students with a broad range of experiences that foster transformation and leadership for a dynamic and global society.

The Division of Research and Economic Development (DORED) manages A&T's $60 million-a-year research enterprise.  DORED's mission is to lead the university in:

• Exploring possibilities by providing service to the campus and an enabling research environment that fosters creativity, collaboration and community;
• Discovering the future by empowering faculty and students to achieve innovative solutions to the world's most daunting challenges in energy, climate change, drug discovery, nanoengineering, and global health;
• Becoming a brand name in research innovation leading to economic prosperity, and a place where scholars are globally engaged to seek solutions to local, national, and global social, health, and economic problems.

Submitted by David Arneke, Division of Research and Economic Development.

Monday, Aug. 23, was the first day of school at the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering. That's not just for the new school year; it was the first day of school ever for one of the UNC system's most innovative educational initiatives.

With the opening of classes, the JSNN became one of fewer than 10 schools nationally to offer degree programs in nanotechnology, according to the National Nanotechnology Initiative. And it's the only one created and operated collaboratively by two universities: North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

The school opened with 17 students in two degree programs – 16 are in the doctoral program in nanoscience, and one is in the professional master's degree program in nanoscience.

That enrollment is remarkably strong, considering that the first degree programs were approved by the UNC Board of Governors only last January. 

"The original projection was 10, due to the lack of time we had to market the program to prospective students," said James Ryan, dean of the school. "We're delighted and a little surprised at the popularity of the program."

"This inaugural class of enthused master's and doctoral students represents the official launching of the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering. This unique school will provide our students with remarkable education and research experiences in the rapidly developing field of nanotechnology," said Harold L. Martin Sr., chancellor of N.C. A&T.  "The Joint School enables our universities to enhance the competitiveness of our community and region, and we look forward to continuing to work with our local business and government leaders to realize the school's potential for a very real impact on our economy."

"The enrollment of the first cohort of students into the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering marks the fruition of a vision that was cast years ago," said UNCG Chancellor Linda P. Brady. "The cutting edge disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering combine the strengths of the two universities, and the training these students will receive at the Joint School will be in demand and spur economic development for years to come."

The JSNN is located at the South Campus of the Gateway University Research Park on East Lee Street near Interstate 40-85 in Greensboro. Gateway is also a joint venture between A&T and UNCG.

The school's $65 million building is under construction, with completion scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2011. Construction so far is on time and on budget, Ryan said. For now, classes are being held in the conference room of the USDA research building at Gateway. 

"The first year of the program for both degrees is intended to give students a view of the breadth of the subject," Ryan said. He noted that most work in nano-related fields exists in areas where traditional scientific and engineering fields converge, creating new disciplines like nanobioelectronics or nanobioengineering. 

First semester courses include Mathematical Methods in Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, taught by an A&T faculty member, and Nanochemistry, taught by a UNCG faculty member. 

The students also will take two lab rotations and a professional development course. The students will have a choice of labs, including two JSNN labs temporarily located in the USDA building and nano-oriented labs at both campuses.

Second-semester courses include Nanobiology and Nanophysics, two more lab rotations and another professional development course. With those first-year courses as a foundation, Ryan said, students will be prepared to focus on the specific fields of their choice in the subsequent three years of the Ph.D. program and one year of the master's.

The doctoral program is designed to produce researchers for industry and academia.  The professional master's program is for students who want to work on the business side of the nano field.  It will include management courses taught at the two universities' schools of business as well as the first-year science courses.

In addition to the two nanoscience degrees, which are offered by UNCG, N.C. A&T will submit proposals to the UNC General Administration this fall to offer master's and doctoral programs in nanoengineering at the JSNN.

About North Carolina A&T
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is a public, high research activity, 1890 land-grant university committed to exemplary teaching and learning, scholarly and creative research, and effective engagement and public service. The University offers degrees at the baccalaureate, master's and doctoral levels and has a commitment to excellence in a comprehensive range of academic disciplines. Our unique legacy and educational philosophy provide students with a broad range of experiences that foster transformation and leadership for a dynamic and global society.

About UNCG
Founded in 1891, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro is the largest public university in the Triad region with more than 18,000 students and an alumni base of more than 100,000 graduates. UNCG's mission is to redefine the public research university for the 21st century as an inclusive, collaborative and responsive institution making a difference in the lives of students and the communities it serves. In keeping with that mission, UNCG is a learner-centered, inclusive and innovative institution, providing the challenges, supportive environment and community engagement that fuel growth and elevate achievement in a complex and changing world.

For more information: David Arneke, N.C. A&T; Lanita Goins, UNCG.

The Legendary Commodores will perform at the 2010 Homecoming Concert Friday, Oct. 8, at Koury Convention Center in Greensboro.

Sponsored by North Carolina A&T University Foundation, Inc., the event is being billed as "An Evening of Pride and Distinction" with a New York supper club atmosphere. Reserved tables are available for $5,000, $2,500 and $1,200 each. General admission tables are $1,000, and individual seats are $100 each. All tables seat 10 individuals.

In addition to performances by the Commodores and an opening act (details are forthcoming), the price of admission includes a buffet reception. Doors open at 6:45 p.m., the reception begins at 7 p.m., and the show begins at 8 p.m.

To purchase reserved tables, contact Darlene Norman in the Foundation Office at (336) 433-5551. Reserved table patrons at the $5,000 and $2,500 levels may be eligible to receive a tax deduction of $3,622 and $1,218, respectively. For individual seats, call the University Ticket Office, (336) 334-7749.

The N.C. A&T University Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit institution. For more information, call (336) 433-5551.