NC State University

Key Takeaways Research from North Carolina State University found that watching nature videos can reduce stress and improve emotional recovery, even without direct exposure to the outdoors. Participants who viewed forest and stream footage reported better mood and fewer negative emotions than those who watched urban scenes, supporting earlier findings on nature’s calming effects.

The United States is looking to boost domestic mining of rare earth elements to secure greater control over pricing and manufacturing of the technologies we rely on such as electric vehicles, MRI machines, military defense systems and the semiconductors powering AI. To that end, the U.S. Department of Energy is backing phytomining — the method of using plants to absorb critical minerals from soil — and NC State University’s interdisciplinary research for optimizing the innovative process.

A small green sea turtle is back in the wild after a full-circle rescue effort by local marine scientists. North Carolina State University Ph.D. candidate Lindsay Curl first spotted the distressed turtle back in April while conducting fieldwork near Harkers Island. Alongside fellow researchers and technicians from the Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, Curl rescued the animal and brought it to their facility.

Since graduating from North Carolina State University in May 2023, Melzer Morgan IV has turned his passion for sustainability and problem-solving into a thriving career focused on advancing solutions in the packaging industry. Morgan, who earned a bachelor’s degree in sustainable materials and technology from the College of Natural Resources, now works as a project manager at Sonoco. The company designs and manufactures consumer and industrial packaging products.

Whether she’s caring for sea turtles on the North Carolina coast or monitoring water quality, Uliana Gutierrez is turning her passion for conservation into a career dedicated to protecting wildlife and aquatic ecosystems.

In a recent Morning Agriculture newsletter entry, Politico highlighted insights from Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist Alejandro Gutierrez-Li on an important Supreme Court ruling.

Good evening, Wolfpack, As we close out the fiscal year, I want to express my gratitude to all faculty and staff for your amazing work fulfilling our mission during the 2025-2026 academic year. What a tremendous year my first as your chancellor has been, and we are just getting started. I’m excited about the work ahead as we come together to set the standard for a 21st-century land-grant university.

Geologist Maggie Ellis Curry recently earned the Faculty Early Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Also known as the NSF CAREER award, this is considered one of the foundation’s most prestigious awards for early-career faculty. The award will support Curry’s tectonic systems research and outreach efforts for the next five years. “It’s an honor to receive this award,” said Curry, assistant professor in the Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.

While many college students seek summer employment at the coast or in the mountains, NC State University student Julie Simons is working with NC State Extension agents in Washington County in the northeastern part of North Carolina.

What if hog farmers could reduce the chances of lagoon overflow while also generating extra income? North Carolina is the nation’s third-largest hog-producing state, and a big challenge hog farmers face is lagoon overflow on their farms. A new approach by an NC State University professor aims to make animal producers’ waste management practices more sustainable and less stressful.