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Discover the Wolfpack World: 12 Amazing Fun Facts About NC State University You Won't Believe!

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Dive into the fascinating world of NC State University as we reveal some quirky and intriguing fun facts that will make you love this renowned institution even more!

1. Howling Cow's Delicious Ice Cream

Get ready for a treat that's udderly delightful and scoops above the rest: NC State's Howling Cow Dairy Education Center and Creamery is home to delectable ice cream created using fresh milk and cream from their very own Raleigh farm, while simultaneously educating future dairy leaders!
Source => howlingcow.ncsu.edu

2. Brickyard's Amazing Transformation

Not your average brick-and-mortal story: NC State's Brickyard – or University Plaza – was transformed from an eyesore with warped planks into a charming red-brick plaza by alumnus Richard C. Bell, who used 588,000 locally made bricks and took over two years to complete with the help of three university bricklayers, eventually making it one of nine Hallowed Places on campus where students gather to celebrate, protest, or even watch eclipses.
Source => ncsu.edu

3. Robotic Librarian Sorts by Size

If Marie Kondo visited NC State University, she'd be delighted to see their robotic librarian diligently sorting books by size, not topic - sparking joy for organization lovers!: The Hunt Library houses an automated storage and retrieval system called the bookBot, holding up to 2 million books in over 18,000 bins, sorted by size rather than call number. This impressive system, found in only 25 North American libraries, supports engineering, computer science, textiles, and interdisciplinary research on the Centennial Campus.
Source => lib.ncsu.edu

4. Award-Winning Dining Services

If you thought winning awards for churning butter was a thing of the past, NC State University is here to prove you wrong with their culinary prowess: The university's outstanding dining services have bagged numerous national and regional awards, such as the 2019 Silver Plate Award for Sr. Director of Hospitality Services, Randy Lait, and the 2017 Pastry Chef of the Year Award for Yolanda Santiago, making it the first institution to complete the Healthier Campus Initiative in collaboration with the Partnership for a Healthier America.
Source => dining.ncsu.edu

Turtle Rescue Team Saves Wildlife

5. Turtle Rescue Team Saves Wildlife

With a shell-shocking dedication to animal welfare and a turtle-y awesome commitment to public education, the students at NC State University never returtle a challenge: Their Turtle Rescue Team, comprising veterinary students, provides free medical services to over 300 native wildlife species each year while participating in outreach programs like Reptile and Amphibian Day at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science.
Source => cvm.ncsu.edu

6. Wolfpack Wellness Badge Program

Whoever said old dogs can't learn new tricks clearly hasn't met NC State's adventurous pack: NC State University offers its students an exciting Wolfpack Wellness Badge program, covering six categories of well-being, including purpose, financial, physical, emotional, social, and community. The first 50 eager individuals to complete the program not only demonstrate commitment to their personal health and wellness but also receive a special Wolfpack Wellness prize about which they can howl with pride!
Source => wellness.ncsu.edu

7. Mexican Mythical Creatures in the Yurt

Who needs to go on a wild goose chase when you can enjoy a chimeric adventure right in Raleigh?: NC State University's JC Raulston Arboretum proudly hosts "Post-Modern Patterns," an art exhibition featuring the fantastical alebrijes, Mexican mythical creatures, brought to life by the creative genius of 30 regional artists and students from nine schools, with a buzzing public installation nestled in the Yurt near the Rose Garden.
Source => ncsu.edu

8. Sunny Skies Over NC State Campus

Rumor has it that the sun can't resist the charm of NC State University, choosing to hang out over Raleigh 213 days a year: Conveniently located in Raleigh, NC, NC State's campus boasts sunny skies more than half the time, making outdoor activities and picturesque scenery a staple for students and visitors alike.
Source => bestplaces.net

9. Hand-in-Flipper Sea Turtle Research

In a turtle-y awesome collaboration straight out of a marine biologist's dream: NC State University's Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST) works hand-in-flipper with NOAA to tag and study leatherback sea turtles off Cape Lookout, while its veterinary experts play a vital role in these projects and offer students the opportunity to dive into research experiences using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to uncover ecological patterns with real-world impacts.
Source => cmast.ncsu.edu

International Engineering Brilliance

10. International Engineering Brilliance

At NC State University, it's a small world after all, where the pursuit of knowledge knows no boundaries: With students hailing from over 100 countries, their graduate engineering program is a melting pot of brilliance, boasting a particularly strong bond with the Einsteins-in-the-making from China, India, and South Korea.
Source => usnews.com

11. Rocky Branch Stream's Restoration

Who knew "polluted" and "restored" could be such a dynamic power couple, leaving urban streams in awe of an incredible glow-up? : NC State's once highly polluted Rocky Branch stream has now become a sparkling example of urban stream restoration, thanks to a decade-long, $8.3 million restoration project that innovatively employs wetland ponds, rain gardens, and even transforms into an outdoor laboratory for students of various disciplines, attracting knowledge-thirsty visitors from as far as China.
Source => ncseagrant.ncsu.edu

12. Playing with Tangible Landscape

Who says playing in the dirt isn't for grown-ups? At NC State University, making mud pies has leveled up: they're home to the Tangible Landscape, an open-source system for hands-on geospatial modeling. Crafted by the Center for Geospatial Analytics, the Tangible Landscape lets users simulate and visualize solutions to real-world dilemmas like forest disease control, and has even starred in its own book called "Tangible Modeling with Open Source GIS."
Source => cnr.ncsu.edu

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