Two Wilson College Faculty Recognized for Outstanding Extension Efforts

Two faculty were recognized April 26 for their outreach efforts on behalf of the Wilson College of Textiles. Dr Jeffrey Joines and Dr. Jesse Jur both received the Alumni Association Outstanding Extension and Outreach Award.

Joines and Jur were eligible for the Alumni Association award by virtue of their April 25 receipt of Outstanding Extension Service Awards from NC State University’s Office of Outreach and Engagement and their inclusion in the Academy of Outstanding Faculty Engaged in Extension. These awards encourage and recognize outstanding extension, engagement and economic development activities by faculty and EHRA employees of NC State University.

Joines, associate professor and department head for Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science (TECS), was the driving force behind the creation in 2012 of a multi-year partnership between NC State and Hanesbrands Inc (HBI). Among the partnership goals were establishing an on-campus presence for the company; developing a talent acquisition pipeline; and utilizing faculty and facilities to assist in company innovation. Joines serves as the lead for the NC State side of the partnership which has brought millions of dollars to the university to support education by funding student projects and pairing students with HBI to solve company problems.

In addition to his ongoing work with HBI, Joines teaches continuing professional education including Lean Six Sigma, Designing with Six Sigma, simulation concepts and other topics of relevance to industry. He has also assisted many companies over the years on the topic of supply chain optimization and inventory modeling.

“Dr. Jeff Joines is an NC State treasure who has committed his career to serving others,” said Dr. Jon Rust, distinguished professor of Textile Engineering and interim director, Zeis Textiles Extension. “He is an NC State leader in assisting NC companies through his outreach activities and their ability to create jobs in North Carolina. He has provided training and educational services to professionals across NC and done all of these things while being an NC State educational leader as evidenced by his winning the Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching last year.”

Jur, assistant professor in TECS, is the co-director and co-instructor of Senior Design, the year-long capstone course for the Textile Engineering and Textile Technology degree programs. This course presents student teams with a relevant industrial or research problem that necessitates the need for the teams to leverage prior classwork to create a solution.

“Jur has been key in securing industry sponsor support for this program. He works tirelessly engaging with industry partners and ensuring optimal communication between the sponsor and the student team,” said co-instructor Dr. Russell Gorga, associate department head for TECS and director of undergraduate programs.

The outcome of successful Senior Design projects isn’t just student learning. The benefits for industry sponsors are numerous and measurable: new products being brought to market, new markets being created, patents filed and technology licensed.

In addition, Jur’s role with the NSF Nanosystems Engineering Research Center on Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST) bring him opportunities to engage with other institutions, local educators and students. Starting in 2013, he helped organize and lead the NSF sponsored Research Experience for Teachers and Young Scholars program. In 2014, his program initiated the ASSIST ‘One Health Challenge’, an in-class and after-school design competition for wearable electronics that aimed to meet the growing needs of the human and animal health. In 2015, the program supported 200 students from 10 schools, culminating in a wearable design competition of 75 students (17 teams) at NC State.