As you peruse North Carolina A&T State University’s new website, you can’t help but notice the bold colors, upbeat narrative, expressive photographs and videos, and—most important—easy navigation.

What you won’t see are the scores of university employees who spent countless hours ensuring that the first phase of the new site launched Feb. 27, after months of anticipation. Nearly 200 content coordinators and contributors have been working on the project since last fall. And the work continues.

Even though the site is up, running and open to the public, further enhancements are being made.

“We are listening to our users and modifying the website, so site visitors should not be alarmed when they are directed to an unexpected page or encounter ‘page not found’ messages. As we continue to work through phase one of the redesign, site visitors may come upon some glitches with links while we transition from the old to the new and work to correct errors as quickly as we can,” said Nicole Pride, associate vice chancellor for university relations, who is co-directing the project with K. Renee Martin, director of applications in the Division of Information Technology.

Visitors are asked not to evaluate the quality of the search results from the new site right away. The search engines may take a few days after launch to catch up, so keep that in mind while visiting the site.

Designed with prospective and current students in mind, the new site features direct connections to information on admissions.

“The new site is a drastic improvement—more up to date and organized. In addition, it is aesthetically pleasing and looks put together,” said Simone Patterson, a sophomore psychology major from Jacksonville, N.C.

The site also contains information for and about faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the university. 

“Our new website is beautiful, creative and attention-grabbing,” said Gertrude Pennix, administrative support associate in the Department of Human Development and Services. “I frequently visited the old website so, like with most new things, my challenge this week has been finding my way around. But on a positive note, I’ve discovered lots of helpful information.”

Pride says that regular visitors to the website will see more progress in the days and weeks ahead. Meanwhile, routine visitors are encouraged to take a few minutes each day to become familiar with the new site and to send feedback about errors, problems and questions to ncatweb@ncat.edu.

North Carolina A&T did not have to go far to find a speaker for its annual Honors Day Convocation, which will be held Thursday, March 15, at 3 p.m. in Harrison Auditorium. Lecturer and student outreach coordinator for the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication and former local television news anchor Sandra Daye Hughes will deliver the keynote address for the celebration honoring students for their academic achievements.

In addition to recognizing students’ academic achievements, the university also will acknowledge outstanding members of the faculty.

An alumna of N.C. A&T, Hughes has returned to the university after spending nearly 40 years as a reporter and anchor for WFMY-TV in Greensboro. She is a recipient of the A&T Distinguished Alumni Award.

During her time in television news, Hughes made history as the first African American woman in the Piedmont to host her own daily talk show and the first African American woman to host the entertainment show “PM Magazine” in the Southeast. In addition to reporting/anchoring, Hughes developed a Gannett program to expose minority university students to the inner operations of a commercial TV station, mentored and guided students through senior projects and university programs, and made hundreds of appearances and presentations for elementary, middle and high schools and for colleges throughout North Carolina.

Hughes has been recognized by Gannett Broadcasting for her outstanding work on a documentary on the anniversary of the Woolworth’s sit-in. She received two “Best of Gannett” awards for news anchoring and a “Best of Gannett” award for WFMY-TV’s “2 Those Who Care” program. She was recently inducted into the Silver Circle, a broadcaster’s hall of fame in Nashville, by the National Television Arts and Sciences.

Hughes has received numerous state and local awards including the Governor’s Order of the Long Leaf Pine, and she is the first African American in the Piedmont to receive the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce. The Guilford County Commissioners proclaimed a day in her honor, she received the City of Greensboro Mayor’s Certificate of Commendation, and she was named an “Unsung Hero” by the International Civil Rights Center and Museum for her role in helping to integrate broadcast airways in the Triad.

The National Science Foundation and the Food and Drug Administration are teaming up with N.C. A&T and Germany’s Hannover Medical School to hold a daylong public workshop on the emerging field of biodegradable metals.

“State of the Art in Biodegradable Metals: A Think-Tank Workshop” will be held Friday, March 30, at the FDA’s White Oak campus in Silver Spring, Md. It is expected to draw researchers from around the world. The agenda and registration information are available at the event’s website, http://erc.ncat.edu/biodegradablemetals.

“This conference provides a unique opportunity for global experts in the field of biodegradable metals to come together to review the current status of the field, to identify key challenges remaining, and to explore opportunities to meet those challenges through collaboration,” said Dr. Jagannathan Sankar, director of the NSF Engineering Research Center for Revolutionizing Metallic Biomaterials at A&T. “We hope this session will be the first of many that will help accelerate access to this technology, which promises better outcomes for patients.”

Biodegradable metal implants have potential in certain types of surgery, including orthopedic, craniofacial and cardiovascular, through the use of devices that safely degrade once they are no longer needed. This could eliminate the need for surgical removal of devices.

The conference will cover the breadth of current knowledge in the field, especially regarding magnesium-based systems such as those being developed by the ERC. Hannover is an ERC research partner, along with the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Cincinnati.

Sessions will cover topics such as in vivo studies of magnesium implants in musculoskeletal and cardiovascular applications, corrosion control, cytotoxicity, alloy design and characterization, sensor technology, and biodegradable iron. Presenters will include a select group of global experts from academia, large industries, small entrepreneurial networks, and the FDA. A panel discussion will cover current views on this technology.