December 2025 Announcements

• NC State’s Holiday Energy Savings Initiative (HESI) safely lowers building temperatures in reduced occupancy spaces during periods when the university is closed for about 10 consecutive days. During this time, NC State maximizes Eco-Mode, a set of measures that aligns the university’s energy and water consumption with the campus community’s actual needs. For specific Eco-Mode dates, click here. Since 2005, Eco-Mode during HESI has saved the university more than $6.3 million.

From the Climate and Sustainability Academy:

• Applications open for the 2026 Coastal Community Resilience Immersive Training Program—an AmeriCorps opportunity with six positions available. This 10-week, paid program partners interns with a North Carolina community where they will conduct asset mapping, vulnerability assessments, and community engagement alongside NC State mentors and local hosts. Participants complete a 300-hour AmeriCorps term with a $8,000 service contract, a $1,565 education award, and—for enrolled NC State students—an additional $3,000 housing and travel stipend, while gaining hands-on experience with ArcGIS Online and resilience planning. Learn more and apply today. 

From DELTA:

• DELTA has introduced a new podcast, the Dialogues in Digital Teaching and Learning Podcast. Each episode is designed to inspire innovative teaching and share fresh, practical ways to incorporate digital tools, while also keeping you connected to updates, workshops and new resources. Check out the trailer and save the date for the first episode on Jan. 1, 2026!
• Join us on Jan. 8, 2026 at 10 a.m. in Lampe 327 for a DELTA Classrooms Open House! DELTA Classrooms leverage unique classroom technologies to create a dynamic and engaging learning environment. We support a wide range of instructional formats, from traditional lectures with capture to fully interactive hybrid sessions. Sign up to let us know you’re coming.

From the Office of Equal Opportunity:

• OEO hosted an informative and impactful Equal Opportunity Forum on Nov. 18. The event had a great turnout, and attendees experienced a combination of presentations, interactive workshops and panel discussions throughout the day, as well as experiencing methods on how to host an accessible event. A recording of the forum’s keynote presentation and plenary session — which both focused on digital accessibility — is available.

From the Office of Global Engagement:

• This summer, the Global Training Initiative (GTI) at NC State put the university’s “Think and Do” ethos into global action, welcoming two cohorts of international students through distinguished Fulbright-affiliated programs.
• At NC State’s fifth annual Blue Economy workshop, innovators from across the state and globe worked together to tackle the challenges facing our coasts. The workshop was generously funded by a Clean Economy Bridge grant from the German Consulate in Atlanta. The Clean Economy Bridge is an initiative of the German Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety, and Consumer Protection, which has fostered strengthened cooperation on energy policy issues between Germany, the US and Canada.

From the Global One Health Academy:

• The Global One Health Academy is excited to announce the recipients for the Spring 2026 Graduate Travel Awards to support international or domestic travel that advances global One Health-related research. Three eligible NC State graduate students were awarded funding for travel occurring January through June 2026. Congratulations to Ajinkya Atkare, Blanca Camacho and Olivia Mathieson!
• To accelerate graduate student research in One Health at NC State, the NC State Global One Health Academy is pleased to announce its call for applications for the 2026-2027 cohort of Global One Health Fellows. This opportunity is open to current or incoming Ph.D. students at NC State. Submit your applications by Monday, Jan.16, 2026, 11:59 p.m.
• Each year, the Global One Health Academy funds an exceptional group of graduate students with One Health related research interests. Lydia Sellers was one of the five students selected to be part of the 2024-25 cohort of Global One Health Fellows. Lydia is a Ph.D. student in parks, recreation, and tourism management studying resilience education, with an emphasis on the impact that natural disasters have not only on physical environments, but also emotional, social, and community health. Learn more about Lydia’s important work and how the Global One Health Fellowship helped support her research efforts and advance her professional career through her spotlight.
• In 2024, the Global One Health Academy offered Seed Grants to support NC State faculty and EHRA professionals for seed funding for novel, interdisciplinary One Health research projects. Ayse Ercumen (College of Natural Resources), was a recipient of the 2024 Seed Grant Awards for a project on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance in rural Bangladesh. Learn more about Ercumen and how the Global One Health Academy helped support her research to investigate and help reduce the drivers of child exposure to AMR through her spotlight!

From the Office of Information Technology:

• Learn It, Audit It, Improve It is a campuswide initiative to empower everyone at NC State to help create an accessible digital landscape and meet new federal accessibility standards by April 24, 2026.
• Be sure you’re shopping safely this holiday season. Check out these online shopping tips to stay protected.
• The university’s IT Purchase Compliance (ITPC) process has transitioned to a new tool. All new ITPC requests and renewals will be submitted and tracked through ProcessUnity.

From the Institute for Emerging Issues:

• A new episode of the IEI Connector Podcast: Watt’s Next? is now available. In the season finale of The Connector, NC Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary Andrea DeSantis, NC Chamber Senior Director of Infrastructure Competitiveness Dana Magliola and NC Justice Center Senior Energy Policy Advocate Claire Williamson reflect on the recommendations developed at the Emerging Issues Forum aimed at helping North Carolinians tackle energy challenges in their communities.
• IEI is celebrating the third cohort of the Strategic Workforce Leadership Initiative. Twenty-six workforce, economic development and community leaders earned the professional designation of Strategic Workforce Leader on Oct. 31 after completing the four-day program. They now join an exclusive group of 70 designated Strategic Workforce Leaders from across North Carolina.

From Institutional Effectiveness:

• Congratulations to the latest recipients of Packways Student Enrichment Funds! Each of these HIE Leaders has received up to $5,000 to improve the student experience in their HIE: Olgha Qaqish, Coleman Simpson, Kaly Wall, Adam Hartstone-Rose, Angela Allen, Chris Crosbie, Jackie Bruce, Laurie Brummitt, Miroslava Colan, Julie Cline, Christa Oliver and Shawn Thompson. You can learn about these Packways Recognized HIEs here.

Leaders of Packways Recognized HIEs can apply for these funds on behalf of their students. The next round of funding will be in late Spring 2026, for funds to be spent in fiscal year 2026-27. Learn about Packways Recognition and how to qualify here. Additionally, stay up-to-date on the latest Packways news and opportunities by joining our Listserv.

• Wolfpack 2030 drives improvements in textbook access and affordability and the use of campus space. Read more about recent progress on NC State’s Course Ready program and new office space standards in this month’s Implementation Insights. Implementation Insights is a regular article series with initiative updates and cross-cutting observations from NC State’s implementation plan. 

From the Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs:

• Registration for Envisioning Urban Futures: More-Than-Human Cities is now open. The latest installation of our annual Envisioning Urban Futures event will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 28th from 5:30-8:30 p.m. in Duke Energy Hall at Hunt Library on NC State’s Centennial Campus. Our theme for this year’s event is More-Than-Human Cities, a concept that recognizes and incorporates the needs and agency of non-human species — plants, animals, fungi, and microbes — in urban planning and design.

It’s free to attend, but you need to register in advance. You can register here. This event is filling up quickly, so you are encouraged to register soon and reserve your seat. This event is open to all (within and beyond NC State).

If you are a researcher (undergrad or grad student, postdoc, faculty, staff) doing research in any discipline relevant to our topic, please consider submitting a proposal to present a research poster at the expo portion of the event (exhibits, posters, music, food/drink). All the information, as well as the poster proposal submission form, can be found here.

We are expecting this to be another informative, thought-provoking and fun event and hope you will join us! If you have any questions about this event, please contact Jory Weintraub, director of science engagement, at weintraub@ncsu.edu. 

• Jory Weintraub, director of science engagement for the Office of University Interdisciplinary programs, will teach a course in science and research communication for the spring 2026 semester. Details are as follows:
  • COM 598/798 Special Topics in Communication: Communicating Your Research to Diverse Audiences
    • Spring 2026
    • Tuesdays from 4:30-7:15 p.m.
    • Instructor: Jory Weintraub, Ph.D. (Director of Science Engagement, Adjunct Asst. Professor of Communication)

Yes, your research is exciting and important, but in order to have impact, it must be communicated in ways that enable people to understand and compel them to care. Through discussion and interactive class activities, this course will provide strategies to help you communicate your work effectively to diverse audiences (the public, the media, policymakers, K-12 students and teachers) and provide you with opportunities to practice and give/receive feedback. Fundamental science/research communication skills will be covered, as well as approaches for presenting effectively and using compelling visuals to engage your audience.  We will also explore timely and relevant issues such as how to communicate controversial topics (in non-confrontational ways) and strategies for counteracting mis/disinformation and science conspiracy theories.

For questions or to see a draft of the syllabus, please contact Jory Weintraub.

From the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative:

• Researchers from five NC State colleges joined the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative’s 2025 Backroad Tour, learning more about Western North Carolina agriculture and considering ways their expertise could help solve farmers’ challenges.
• A first-ever artist’s residency with the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative leads to creative exploration at the intersection of art and science. As part of a semester-long, plant-focused interdisciplinary partnership between the N.C. PSI and the Gregg Museum of Art & Design, Leah Sobsey shadowed three graduate students this semester and developed works of art reflecting their plant sciences research.

From the Shelton Leadership Center:

• The Thriving in Interdisciplinary Workshop Series is a hands-on, four-session experience designed to equip students with practical tools to excel in any team. Students will elevate their teamwork skills for academic and professional success. The workshop series is open to students of all majors allowing them to engage with peers from various fields, learning a values-based, team-centric approach to leadership. All NC State students are invited to apply. The Spring 2026 Priority Application Deadline is Jan. 7, 2026, or until the program is full.
• The Shelton Leadership Center will host AI & Impact: Essential Skills to Lead Interdisciplinary Teams on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026 from 10 a.m. – noon in Duke Energy Hall in Hunt Library. Join industry and higher education leaders from companies from a wide range of industries as they share real stories of the pitfalls and triumphs during interdisciplinary projects in the AI space. The event, part of the Interdisciplinary Connections to Careers event series, is free and open to all NC State graduate students. The event series provides a structured space for students to practice interpersonal skills, connect with educational and industry leaders, as well as gain practical strategies to enhance their leadership abilities in preparation for their next steps. Space is limited! Registration closes January 23rd or as session fills.

From University Sustainability:

• Support our Wolfpack innovators by serving as a judge or mentor at Make-A-Thon, NC State’s annual sustainability innovation challenge. Held Jan. 22–25, 2026, the competition brings students from all disciplines together to design solutions to campus and global sustainability challenges. Even a two-hour volunteer shift can make a meaningful impact. Learn more and sign up at go.ncsu.edu/makeathon.