UNC@Work:

The University of North Carolina:

A 17 member system of engaged campuses

December 2011

Issue 6

@work on the economy:

NCSU FLICK-OF-SWITCH BREAKTHROUGH SAVES TRILLION$

How much do you pay a month for power? Less than you would if Dr. Jay Baliga weren’t around. The NC State engineering professor has won the highest honor in the country for technology – for a device that is saving people across the world trillions – yes trillions – of dollars.

Dr. Jay Baliga is a professor of electrical and computer engineering in North Carolina State’s College of Engineering. He is also the recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation for his revolutionary advancement called Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor or (IGBT), awarded last month in a White House ceremony. One of 120 discoveries for which he has been awarded patents, the IGBT is a semiconductor device that acts as a power switch to any appliance that needs energy. An ordinary switch can be turned on once per second. Dr. Baliga’s IGBT can turn on the same power source 100,000 times per second. This can translate into approximately 40% lower electricity bills. If the energy savings were totaled by gallons of gasoline, that would add up to a savings of up to 1 trillion gallons.  

Baliga’s energy efficient creation can be used in products from cars, kitchen appliances to medical devices.  Two thirds of all electricity in the United States alone is used around motors. Dr. Baliga’s device is international both in depth and breadth of use. In a time of increasing energy scarcity, this fast-switching, energy-saving product has had a big technological and environmental impact on the world.  

Monetarily, the cost saving’s of Dr. Baliga’s invention is extraordinary. By one estimate, the improved efficiency of IGBT-enabled applications has helped U.S. consumers save a total of $2.7 trillion, and has saved people across the world $15.8 trillion in energy costs.

All in the flick of a switch…

 Read more about UNC's work on the economy here.

@work in the community:

EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS WIN TOP NATIONAL AWARDS

An ECU program focused on helping rural eastern North Carolina communities face economic challenges has won the top national award for universities and economic development, while another ECU program has been recognized for its success in developing more innovative middle schoolers. At its annual meeting in Indianapolis, the University Economic Developers Association picked ECU for its “Excellence in Leadership and Collaboration” award.

The two-year-old “ECU Community Enhancement and Economic Transformation Initiative” is managed by the school’s Office of Engagement, Innovation and Economic Development. It matches ECU administrators, faculty and students with towns and counties in eastern North Carolina, including the Town of Aurora and Beaufort, Edgecombe, Hyde, Jones Pamlico and Pitt counties, to help them rethink approaches to economic and community development. 

Through a partnership with the North Carolina Department of Commerce (Commerce), and its Municipal Management and Innovation (MMI) initiative, ECU is also helping small municipalities address unique issues of local administrative capacity and public service delivery. This initiative expands upon the counties served in the Talent partnership to include Bayboro, Grifton, Hookerton, Pollocksville, Snow Hill and South Mills, as well as Greene, Jones and Camden Counties. 

In recognizing the work, UEDA leaders noted that ECU “made an aggressive effort to identify the critical issues that were limiting eastern communities and creating barriers to increased vitality and competitiveness.” Both the Talent Enhancement partnership and MMI initiative provide communities with economic, technical and financial assistance to build more vibrant communities. Each program is customized to a community’s specific needs. 

Since 2009, ECU has established partnerships with 22 communities through its Community Enhancement and Economic Transformation Initiative and seven communities with its MMI initiative for a total of 29 community partners.

ECU also won an Award of Excellence in Talent Development for “Middle School Innovators Academy: Weaving a Network for Regional Competitiveness” and was a finalist in the category of Excellence in Community-Connected Campus for its “Innovation Design Lab: Building a New Model of Regional Development.” Jennifer van der Holm, an ECU student assistant on the Innovator’s Academy, which brought young students together with faculty and students from ECU and NC State University, said working with the middle school students inspired her as well: “To see their enthusiasm for something that I cared so much about inspired me to help them…they had great ideas – they just needed someone to help them channel their presentations to make them look better.”

For more information on the work and partnerships of ECU’s Office of Engagement, Innovation and Economic Development click here: http://www.ecu.edu/oeied/

@work with the world:

   INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS CONTRIBUTE $304 MILLION  ANNUALLY TO NORTH CAROLINA ECONOMY 

International students in North Carolina don’t just help native-born North Carolinians get exposed to the global economy they will be working in. they don’t just strengthen the academic environment of our schools. And they don’t just start companies at higher rates once they graduate. According to the latest Open Doors survey, the 12,824 international students enrolled in the state also pump a lot of money into the North Carolina economy – more than $300 million last year alone.

The 2010 Open Doors survey, a publication of the Institute of International Education (IIE) in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, estimates that these students are spending $304 million annually in the North Carolina economy, from tuition payments to clothing costs to pizza purchases. 

UNC system campuses represent four of the top five campuses in North Carolina for international students. North Carolina State enrolls the highest number of foreign student with a total of 3,235. Duke ranks second. University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (1,674), University of North Carolina at Charlotte (1,300); and University of North Carolina at Greensboro (547) rank third, fourth and fifth. 

Where are the students coming from? Increasingly, they are coming from Asia. Chinese students make up 21.9% of all foreign students in the state followed by 19.4% from India and 8.3% from South Korea. 

Overall, international students are up 4.2% over the previous year in North Carolina, but there is continued room for growth. Even though North Carolina is 10^th nationally in population, is ranked #17 for total foreign students in the United States. Even with the state’s 18% cap on out-of-state student enrollment, most campuses have considerable room to increase international undergraduate enrollment. And if they do, the state’s s economy will feel the impact – every $300 million helps.  

For a North Carolina fact sheet with enrollment and economic impact data, http://ciu.northcarolina.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/North-Carolina-Fact-Sheet-Open-Doors-2011.pdf

For more information about the national report,  http://www.iie.org/Who-We-Are/News-and-Events/Press-Center/Press-Releases/2011/2011-11-14-Open-Doors-International-Students[International story goes here]

Fact of the Month!

A recent survey of UNC institutions determined that they hold nearly 4,000 active patents and have launched over 200 start-up companies, 95% of which have or had operations in North Carolina.  

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