July 2010

Office of Information Technology names William H. Sanders director of technology in the arts

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

William H. Sanders has been named director of technology for the arts for the Learning Technologies Division of the Office of Information Technology at Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine names chair of emergency medicine

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Dr. John H. Burton has been named chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.

Pamplin College program helps develop new business faculty

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

On Friday, July 30, Virginia Tech's Pamplin College of Business will graduate its third group of participants in an annual program developed to help alleviate the critical national shortage of business-school faculty.

Matheson brothers share their love for music

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Kevin and Bryan Matheson, who recently attended the two-week festival Viva Virginia, teach schoolchildren in Southwest Virginia as part of Virginia Tech's Fine Arts Initiative.

Get your copy of new local foods directory from VT EarthWorks

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Want to buy food produced locally? Looking for farmers markets and local-foods restaurants nearby? The Roanoke Valley Locavore Directory is out, produced with the help of VT EarthWorks.

Scientists discover how deadly fungal microbes enter host cells

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

A research team led by scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech has discovered a fundamental entry mechanism that allows dangerous fungal microbes to infect plants and cause disease.

International Genetically Engineered Machines team helps prevent rogue use of synthetic biology

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Virginia Tech and a team of students from ENSIMAG, an engineering school in Grenoble, France, are using bioinformatics to implement federal guidance on synthetic genomics.

Google awards full graduate scholarships to Haitian computer science students

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Google, the Web search engine company, has provided funds to fully support four Virginia Tech students from Haiti to pursue graduate degrees in computer science.

Northern Virginia Center in Falls Church closed due to power outage

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 08:23:17 -0400

The Northern Virginia Center is closed today, Monday, July 26, due to a power outage.

Planning underway for 2011 Day of Remembrance

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Several student leaders are spending their summer in Blacksburg to work on plans for the 2011 Day of Remembrance.

Research to focus on children with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Researchers at Virginia Tech are seeking eligible families with obsessive-compulsive children to participate in a five-day intensive treatment program.

Gov. McDonnell appoints veterinary college's Judi Lynch to Longwood University Board of Visitors

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Judi M. Lynch, director of special initiatives in the Office of the Dean at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, has been named by Gov. Bob McDonnell to the Longwood University Board of Visitors.

Charla Lancaster, Rebecca Miller join University Libraries

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The University Libraries at Virginia Tech has named Charla Lancaster as director of assessment and library access services and Rebecca Miller as the college librarian for science, life sciences, and engineering.

Gut movements in caterpillars have impact on robotic design

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Weird movements in the abdomens of freely crawling caterpillars are making headlines in the fields of engineering and biology, says Jake Socha, Virginia Tech assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics.

Sycamore tree on Henderson lawn to be removed Tuesday

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The following is an open letter to the Virginia Tech community regarding the removal of the Sycamore tree on the Henderson lawn.

University photographer named photographer of the year

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Jim Stroup of Virginia Tech's Office of University Relations was named photographer of the year by the University Photographers' Association of America.

Video: From Figaro to Phantom, young performers grace the stage

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Singers and young musicians from around the world gathered at Virginia Tech for Viva Virginia, hitting some incredible high notes during their two-week stay.

Virginia Tech Rescue Squad appoints new captain, provides emergency medical service to university community

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Volunteering to save lives doesn't often come with the normal duties of being a student, but for Capt. Bob Almon and the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad it is an everyday occurrence.

In Memoriam: Associate Professor Emerita Peggy Skelton

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Associate Professor Emerita Margaret Groseclose "Peggy" Skelton -- a faculty member for more than 20 years who was also one of the university’s most dedicated and generous supporters, died Monday at age 79.

Graduate student elected chair of American Planning Association Student Representatives Council, to serve as board advisor

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Mary Catherine Barganier of Fort Deposit, Ala., a graduate student in the Master of Urban Planning Program in Virginia Tech's College of Architecture and Urban Studies, was recently elected chair of the Student Representatives Council (SRC) of the American Planning Association (APA).

College of Architecture and Urban Studies interactive, online magazine wins international awards

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Virginia Tech College of Architecture and Urban Studies interactive, online magazine has won a Gold 2010 Magnum Opus Award for Best Telecommunication Publication and a Silver 2010 Magnum Opus Award for Best School/University Publication.

University publishes Stroubles Creek watershed report

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Virginia Water Resources Research Center in Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources and Environment has published a history of Stroubles Creek, a waterway that runs underneath downtown Blacksburg and through the center of the Virginia Tech campus, and its watershed.

University receives $1.4 million science education award from Howard Hughes Medical Institute to support innovate undergraduate science education

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Virginia Tech was among 50 top research universities nationwide to receive a Precollege and Undergraduate Science Education Program award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) that will be used to encourage university faculty to develop new ways to teach and inspire undergraduate students about science and research.

In memoriam: J.D. Stahl, professor of English

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

John Daniel "J.D." Stahl of Blacksburg, Va., professor of English in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, died Thursday, July 15, after a long battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. He was 58 years old.

Virginia Tech names Melinda West university bursar

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Melinda West, assistant to the vice president of finance at Virginia Tech, has been named university bursar.

Professors Dennis Hong, Naren Ramakrishnan honored by alma mater Purdue University

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Two faculty members in Virginia Tech's College of Engineering have been honored as "Top 40 Under 40" alumni by Purdue University in its publication "Purdue Alumnus."

Virginia Tech welcomes students to campus with annual Hokie Hi event series

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Hokie Hi is a tradition at Virginia Tech that incorporates activities designed to help build the campus community.

Professor Reinhard Laubenbacher testifies at congressional hearing on 21st century biology

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Reinhard Laubenbacher, professor at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute and the Department of Mathematics at Virginia Tech, testified before the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology's Subcommittee on Research and Science Education on Tuesday, June 29 in Washington, D.C.

Office of Economic Development spearheads team that lands $4.7 million grant

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Twenty-five partners in a Virginia Tech-led team will help make health care workers proficient in the new world of electronic medical records.

Biologist awarded Human Frontier Science Program grant

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

A biologist is the first researcher from Virginia Tech to be awarded a collaborative international grant from the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP).

Statement by Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger on passing of George Steinbrenner

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The following is a statement by Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger on the passing of George Steinbrenner.

A new spin on gene delivery

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Chang Lu and his chemical engineering research group at Virginia Tech have discovered how to "greatly enhance" the delivery of DNA payloads into cells.

University biosecurity, forensics expert testifies before Congressional subcommittee on new legislation

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

In testimony before a U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security subcommittee hearing on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology, Randall Murch, said he strongly supported the development, coordination, and implementation of a National Intelligence Strategy for Countering the Threat from Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).

University recognizes Ronald J. Kendall with alumni leadership award

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Virginia Tech’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences in the College of Natural Resources and Environment presented Ronald J. Kendall, director of Texas Tech University's Institute of Environmental and Human Health and a leader in the field of wildlife toxicology, with the Gerald E. Cross Alumni Leadership Award.

University takes first place with flying rescue vehicle design for NASA contest

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Ten Virginia Tech undergraduate aerospace engineering students took the top prize in a NASA aeronautics competition for college students to develop a multipurpose amphibious aircraft.

University names interim director of Office of Economic Development

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

John Provo, six-year veteran of the Office of Economic Development at Virginia Tech, has been named its interim director.

Equine medical center receives U.S. Park Police Horse Mounted Patrol Award of Excellence

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The United States Park Police (USPP) Horse Mounted Patrol recently presented an Award of Excellence to Virginia Tech's Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center "for the truly exceptional veterinary services received from this nationally-recognized equine health care facility."

Student research provides new insights into cellular machinery of Chagas' disease parasite

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Michelle Oppenheimer of Charlotte, N.C., a Ph.D. student in biochemistry in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech, has received a two-year $46,000 fellowship from the American Heart Association to advance her research on a parasite that causes Chagas' disease, which can lead to swelling and inflammation of the heart.

Undergraduate students place among finalists in Disney design competition

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

This summer, two Virginia Tech students got to sample the magic at Walt Disney Imagineering as finalists in Disney’s 19th ImagiNations Design Competition, winning a 10-day trip that took them to the fantasyland of Imagineering’s Southern California studios.

University posts beta version of Smart Grid Information Clearinghouse Web portal to invite comments, suggestions on usability

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Virginia Tech announced today that it has posted a beta version of the Smart Grid Information Clearinghouse (SGIC) Web portal to invite comments and suggestions on usability from both consumers and the smart grid community.

University researchers, partners create data mining algorithm that explains complex temporal interactions among genes

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Researchers at Virginia Tech, New York University (NYU), and the University of Milan in Italy, have created a data mining algorithm they call GOALIE that can automatically reveal how biological processes are coordinated in time.

2010-11 parking permits go on sale July 6

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

As Virginia Tech starts the 2010-11 academic year, faculty/staff parking permits will increase $41 and student parking permits by $53 to help pay for several campus parking improvement projects.

Feride Daku named director of finance and administration for Office of the Vice President and Dean for Undergraduate Education

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Feride Daku of Blacksburg, budget manager in the Office of Budget and Financial Planning at Virginia Tech, has been named the university’s director of finance and administration for the Office of the Vice President and Dean for Undergraduate Education.

Graduate students garner praise for recommendations to revitalize site in City of Falls Church

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

"This is the best conceptual development plan I have ever seen for Falls Church," said local developer Bob Young during a recent meeting of City of Falls Church officials. "It is wonderful and realistic. You could pay a professional $250,000 and not get something as creative as this."

New world Helicobacter pylori genome sequenced, dynamics of inflammation-related genes revealed

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

An international team of researchers led by scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have sequenced the genome of an Amerindian strain of the gastric bug Helicobacter pylori, confirming the out-of-Africa migration of this bacterial stowaway to the New World.

Summer 2010 edition of university's research magazine features international research

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The summer 2010 issue of Virginia Tech Research is now available online.