With hundreds of millions of users and one of the most iconic – and quirkily mercurial – logos, Google is among the world’s most familiar companies. Yet while many of us turn to Google search for information daily, few know its behind-the-scenes intricacies as well as Daniel Hoag ‘03. A software engineer at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., he has dabbled in several of the company’s key initiatives.
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From Tinker Toys to Nuclear Reactors to Fiber Optics: Korey Hite ‘08 Pursues Passion for Mechanical Engineering
Korey Hite has always enjoyed taking things apart to see how they work. As a young child he once unscrewed the timer from his family’s game of Scattergories to examine the springs and gears inside. His investigations became increasingly sophisticated as he grew older. An aficionado of Tinker Toys, Legos, Erector sets, and the video game Rollercoaster Tycoon, Hite became adept at not only disassembling objects and understanding their functionality, but improving on their design. So it was no surprise
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Minimizing “Dirty Smoke”: Richard Ezike ‘05 Shifts Gears from Engineering to Policy
Richard “Memie” Ezike ‘05 can trace his interests in environmentalism and the public good back to a specific moment in his childhood. One day when he was 7 years old, he watched as a tractor trailer rumbled through the apartment complex where he lived in Johnson City, Tenn., spewing black smoke from its exhaust tailpipe. Contemplating the negative effects this “dirty smoke” had on the air he and his neighbors were breathing, Ezike knew he wanted to do something to
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Ryan Thompson ‘06 Combines Work, Play, and Environmental Sustainability at Patagonia
As a high school student looking ahead to college, Ryan Thompson ‘06 planned to major in either mechanical or biomedical engineering. Upon touring the NC State campus, however, he happened upon the College of Textiles. There he learned about opportunities for integrating engineering applications with his passion for getting out into nature.
Dr. Shelly (Strickland) Lowery ‘04 Combines Healthcare Expertise and Hometown Pride
As a young college student who shadowed physicians while in high school, Shelly (Strickland) Lowery ‘04 was initially uncertain whether she wanted to pursue a career in medicine. She opted to double major in biomedical and biological engineering at NC State, believing these fields to be the best match for her love of mathematics and science as well as her tentative interest in medicine.
Veronica Brumbaugh ’04 Helps Katie Nagley ’16 Make Career Connections
For many Park Scholars, a key benefit of being part of this program community is having access to now 16 classes of alumni who are eager to offer advice regarding careers and graduate study. The Park Scholarships intranet, SPIFFY, is one forum through which alumni share job and internship leads and where scholars of all classes can make professional connections.
Josh Christie ‘02 Recognized for Professional and Community Contributions
Josh Christie ‘02 currently serves as Vice President of Engineering for ChannelAdvisor, a global software company headquartered in Research Triangle Park, N.C. that provides cloud-based e-commerce solutions for retailers and manufacturers to manage and optimize their sales across online channels such as Amazon. He recently received a 2015 Triangle Business Journal 40 Under 40 Leadership Award. These awards recognize outstanding professionals under the age of 40 for their contributions to their organizations and to the community.
Park Faculty Scholar Lisa Bullard Offers Students Support and Wolfpack Pride
Lisa Bullard, a Park Faculty Scholar for the Class of 2018, has built her career at NC State on the foundation of a lifelong love for the university. A native of Garner, N.C., Bullard always wanted to attend NC State. She opted to study chemical engineering because she heard it was the most difficult major and “thought it sounded like a fun challenge.”
Zack Hester ’11 Rockets into Space Policy Arena
In an opinion piece for the August 11, 2014 issue of Space News, Zack Hester ‘11 wrote, “While a manned Moon landing or an ambitious attempt at a first Mars landing would bring tremendous prestige to China, current human and robotic endeavors have brought sufficient world standing to China as a space power and serve its geopolitical objectives.”