North Carolina State University
News Services
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Raleigh, NC 27695
(919) 515-3470
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http://www.ncsu.edu/news
Media Contact: Tim Lucas, NC State News Services, 919/515-3470 or [email protected]
Nov. 3, 1999
A round-up of NC State University research activities, for use by the media as briefs or as background for stories. For more information or copies of full news releases on these research activities, or for help contacting the researchers, contact Tim Lucas, NC State News Services, at (919) 515-3470 or [email protected]. Texts of news releases are accessible electronically via News Services' Web site at http://www.ncsu.edu/news.
Economic Woes Trigger Higher Homicide Rates
Murder rates decline as the economy soars; murder rates climb as the economy sours.
Simply stated, that's the finding of a new study by NC State criminologist Dr. Margaret Zahn. The study, "The Changing Patterns of Homicide and Social Policy in Three American Cities," is part of a series of research projects that takes one of the most comprehensive looks ever at homicide rate trends in the United States. It examines contributing factors behind homicide statistics in Philadelphia, St. Louis and Phoenix between 1980 and 1994, and finds that homicide rates in each city are consistently associated with higher levels of poverty, renter-occupied housing and economic distress. Zahn also assessed the influence of police, social programs and recreational policies on crime rates. Her conclusion: Public-private partnerships, increased city services, cooperation within police departments and economic growth policies all significantly help reduce urban crime rates.
100 Patents and Still Going Strong
Dr. Jay Baliga, Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering at NC State University, has joined an elite corps of inventors: He has earned his 100th patent, a mark reached by only a handful of technological innovators. The latest patent, issued Sept. 7, gives Baliga and NC State legal recognition for inventing an electric switch that could significantly improve the energy efficiency of household appliances, electric trains and cars, and air conditioning units.
Earlier this year, Baliga created Giant Semiconductor Corp., with funding from an NC State-connected venture capital fund, to commercialize many of his inventions and bring them to the marketplace. Some of his technologies could translate into more efficient battery use and more compact design for portable electronic devices such as cell phones and laptop computers.
Centennial Campus: An Emerging High-Tech Boomtown
NC State's Centennial Campus, a 1,000-acre advanced technology research and teaching park, has doubled its number of resident partners this year. Among the 19 new corporate and government partners are Lucent Technologies and the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Centennial Campus is a "technopolis" of classrooms and learning centers located amidst university, corporate and government R&D facilities and business incubators. A lakefront hotel and conference center, golf course, magnet middle school, and residential neighborhoods also are being built. The campus' population is expected to top 6,000 by the year 2001. Ultimately, nearly 30,000 people are expected to live, attend classes or work there.
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