Research plays a large role at N.C. State. However, that research is not done solely by professors: teams of support staff keep labs running and finances in order. According to Barbara Sherry, a professor in molecular biomedical sciences, this group is the reason behind a new and free-to-the-public lecture series by research faculty.
The first lecture, FOSSIL PENGUINS: A JOURNEY FROM WINGS TO FLIPPERS, will be given tomorrow by Daniel Ksepka, a research assistant professor of marine earth and atmospheric sciences. The lecture will be at 11:00 am in Daniels Hall, room 327. It will also be streamed live and archived at http://go.ncsu.edu/ljk1ol
Ksepka’s research traces the history of penguins and other flightless birds. He was recently awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to study the evolution of penguins: how they lost flight and the changes in their skeletal structure and feathers. Ksepka is also trying to find when and how often these changes occurred.
Ksepka has worked with researchers across the world, and recent findings include 5-foot-tall penguin fossils in New Zealand, fossils in Peru, and data about Africa from five million years ago.
“I’m always excited to talk about penguins,” Ksepka said.
The lecture is a part of the University Research Committee’s “Celebrate our Research Staff” seminar series.
“The goal of this seminar series… is to better inform our research staff about the research we do, and to acknowledge and celebrate their essential part in that research,” Sherry, chair of the URC, said.
According to Sherry, the seminars will be geared toward a general audience and those with non-scientific backgrounds. Faculty from different departments will give future lectures.
“There’s a lot of people in the office here who help with the finances,” Sherry said. “Money coming in from the federal government, purchasing, billing- all of that has to be handled by somebody. Who’s doing that? A lot of hard-working staff. They are part of our research success.”
One staff member, Rebecca Hupp, is an accounting technician for the molecular biomedical sciences department. Though Hupp said she knows exactly what is done with the research funding, she is not given the results of the research.
“It’s interesting to know what they’re doing. It’s surprising… it’s so unique and nothing that I’m exposed to at all,” Hupp said.
Kristine Alpi, the director of the Library of Veterinary Medicine, was also interested in the upcoming seminar.
“It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day details. Having the opportunity to hear about different types of research may offer fresh ideas and potentially new colleagues,” Alpi said.
Alpi plans on viewing the lecture from the online archive, as she won’t be available to watch it live.
“I’m excited about attending a future lecture in person and meeting others who provide research support,” Alpi said.
According to Sherry, this is the first seminar in the series, and more may be planned in the future based on attendance and hits on the web page. The online streaming and archiving will be done with DELTA, the program the University uses for distance education courses. The lecture costs $50 to pay the fee for DELTA services. The funding came from the office of the vice chancellor of research, Terri Lomax.
