Cluster Conversations

NC State’s Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs (OUIP) and Office for Faculty Excellence (OFE) partner to present “Cluster Conversations,” in which members of one of NC State’s Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Program clusters join Senior Vice Provost for University Interdisciplinary Programs Rob Dunn for an informal conversation about exciting work being done within their cluster — currently, and with an eye to the future.

These monthly events are open to all members of the NC State community, the Centennial Campus community and the general public.

All Cluster Conversations are held in Raleigh Founded, Partners I Building on NC State’s Centennial Campus from 8:45-10 a.m.

If you have questions about Cluster Conversations, please contact Dr. Jory Weintraub, Director of Science Engagement (weintraub@ncsu.edu).

Upcoming Cluster Conversations

Oct. 17, 2024
Environmental Health Science Cluster

Jane Hoppin, Cathrine Hoyo, Jonathan Hall, Shobhan Gaddameedi, Mike Cowley, and Nadine Kotlarz of the Environmental Health Science Cluster discuss ways they are addressing the impact of environmental exposures on human health by investigating fundamental mechanisms, characterizing human exposure and exposure mitigation, and studying health impact in human populations.

RSVP 

Nov. 21, 2024
Center for Geospatial Analytics

Members of the Center for Geospatial Analytics discuss the innovative ways they are pushing the boundaries of spatial data science to advance discovery and inform real-world decision-making through innovative research and education.

RSVP 

Past Cluster Conversations

Sept. 19, 2024 – Microbiomes and Complex Microbial Communities Cluster

Drs. Nathan Crook and Benjamin Callahan, and postdoctoral fellow Dr. Alexandra Imre of the Microbiomes and Complex Microbial Communities Cluster addressed topics such as using the microbiome as a place for manufacturing, and better microbiome measurements for better microbiome science.

April 16, 2024 – Bioinformatics Cluster

Drs. Fred Wright and Louis-Marie Bobay of the Bioinformatics Cluster described how burgeoning advancements in artificial intelligence are revolutionizing our understanding of complex biological systems while discussing topics such as massive ‘omics profiling at single cell resolution, evolutionary methods in medicine and trait improvement, and the roles that machine learning methods and generative AI might play as collaborative assistants in the design, execution, and even funding of genomics research.

March 7, 2024 – Digital Transformation of Education Cluster

Drs. Tiffany Barnes, Ela Castellanos-Reyes and Joey Huang of the Digital Transformation of Education Cluster explored the bridge between education and technology and answered questions on topics as diverse as the evolution of community building in online and distance education, intelligent tutoring systems, and how we are supporting teachers and instructors to leverage GenerativeAI in their jobs.

Jan. 24, 2024 – Forensic Sciences Cluster

Drs. Kelly Meiklejohn and Chau-Wai Wong, and PhD student  Teresa Tiedge of the Forensic Sciences Cluster shared their thoughts on “where to from here” in forensic sciences and answered questions on topics diverse as ink and dye classification, using DNA for black bear individual matching and machine learning/AI.

Dec. 13, 2023 – Translational Predictive Biology Cluster

Drs. Sarah Shelton, Ian Williamson and Jorge Piedrahita of the Translational Predictive Biology Cluster answered questions about the future of stem cell biology, organoid biology, organ-on-chip technologies, drug delivery, organismal physiology and data analytics/machine learning.