News

LW Parks Microbiology Research Awards

We are pleased to announce the 2025 student recipients of L.W. Parks Research Awards in Microbiology. The following project proposals are recognized for their scientific merit, with financial awards of up to $1,000 provided to help achieve the described goals. The awardees are:

Graduate Student Awards

Nicole Burroughs Quantifying microbial dispersal to decode microbial community assembly Mentor: W. Petry

Lisa Metzger USF1 Regulates Expression of the Anti-Apoptotic Gene Dpp7 Mentor: M. Sikes

Micaela Robson Investigating Heterotrophic Nitrification – Aerobic Denitrification in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus for Improving Microbially Induced Carbonate Precipitation Applications Mentor: A. Grunden

Undergraduate Student Awards

Matthew Clayton Characterizing salinity tolerance of bacterial isolates from a natural saltwater gradient Mentor: M. Choudoir

Sarah Harvey Investigating the mechanisms of cAMP secretion in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Mentor: M. Gazdik Stofer

Yvette Wittenborn Comparing Antimicrobial Resistance in Meat and Seafood from North Carolina State Farmers Market and Retail Stores Mentor: S. Thakur

Congratulations to all of the award recipients!

Prof. Crook is the 2025 B&B Daniel I.C. Wang Awardee

Associate professor Nathan Crook is the 2025 Biotechnology and Bioengineering Daniel I.C. Wang Award recipient! His award-winning research focuses on developing treatments for Clostridioides difficile infections, which are particularly challenging to treat.

NC State Announces 2025-26 Goodnight Early Career Innovators

The Goodnight Early Career Innovators Award supports early career faculty excellence and promotes retention of tenure-track assistant professors whose scholarship is in STEM or STEM education.

Long To Lead Department of Plant and Microbial Biology

Terri A. Long, a respected CALS faculty member and platform director for Education and Workforce Development for the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative, will take the helm as the head of the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology effective Jan. 2.

Warming Temps Alone Fail to Trigger Increased CO2 Levels From Soil

A study examining the effects of higher temperatures on soil shows that warming alone does not increase levels of carbon dioxide emitted from the soil. Instead, higher temperatures combined with more added carbon – and more nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus – led to higher carbon dioxide levels released from the soil.

2025 CALS Distinguished and Outstanding Alumni Honored

The CALS Alumni and Friends Society, in association with the college, also presented Outstanding Alumni and Outstanding Young Alumni awards, which recognize excellence and the achievements of former students in their careers and communities.

Study Shows Not All Dietary Proteins Are Digested the Same Way

As protein-rich diets become increasingly popular, a new study suggests that categorizing dietary proteins as either animal- or plant-based fails to effectively capture the source-specific differences in their composition, digestive efficiency and accessibility to the gut microbiota.