Research

Virginia Tech receives funding for middle school STEM programs

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The School of Education is implementing Studio STEM, an after-school project for three local middle schools, thanks to a million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation.

Researcher to study how students learn engineering concepts

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Holly Matusovich will use a $438,000 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award to study how students are motivated to learn engineering practices, including relearning concepts that are false that they previously thought true.

Shane Ross garners CAREER Award to advance understanding of fluid flows, from blood inside the body to oil spills in bodies of water

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

For the past eight years, Ross has focused his career on determining these various types of behavior and how to more successfully predict what many once believed to simply be chaotic motion.

Researchers study parenting behaviors of stressed-out birds

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Virginia Tech biologists recently received a $705,000 National Science Foundation grant to study how tree swallows respond to stress as well as the behaviors that stress produces.

New technology allows scientists to watch cancer cells in action at unprecedented resolution

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Researchers at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have developed a new affinity technology device that allows biologists to peer closely into the world of cells and molecules within a native, liquid environment.

Virginia Tech researcher seeks faster debugging process for software

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Virginia Tech College of Engineering researcher Chao Wang will use a five-year, $478,000 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development award to help solve the ever-complex problem of debugging computer software.

Virginia Tech wildlife ecologist links severe declines in Everglades mammals with invasive pythons

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Collaborative research, led by John "J.D." Willson of Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources and Environment and Michael Dorcas of Davidson College, has linked precipitous declines in formerly common mammals in Everglades National Park to the presence of invasive Burmese pythons.

Stone Phillips to discuss Stefan Duma's youth football head impact study on 'The View'

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Virginia Tech researcher Stefan Duma's work into making helmets safer against concussions for young football players will featured on "The View," with special story by Emmy Award-winning television journalist Stone Phillips.

Group settings can diminish expressions of intelligence, especially among women

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Research led by scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute found that small-group dynamics can alter the expression of IQ in some susceptible people, with women disproportionately affected.

Sam Easterling receives national special achievement award

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Sam Easterling, head of civil and environmental engineering, is the 2012 recipient of the Educator Special Achievement Award of the American Institute of Steel Construction.

Forum on human rights features student research

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

"Human Rights: Witnessing and Responsibility," a dean's research forum sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, will be held at Virginia Tech on Jan. 27.

Virginia Tech research magazine reports on saving wildlife, recovering coal from slurry ponds, treating brain tumors, who is running the country

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Articles in the winter 2012 Virginia Tech research magazine look at the human-wildlife interface, inventions to treat tumors and to remove coal from slurry ponds, and the role of appointees in the federal government.

Institute of Creativity, Arts, and Technology director's research wins international award

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The director of Virginia Tech's newest university-level research institute receives a presentation award for the discovery of a connection between human emotion and musical composition and performance.

Fred P. Piercy named editor-in-chief of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The journal is the flagship publication of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and the largest family therapy journal in the world

Student group promotes knowledge of intellectual property law as part of a well-rounded education

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Students who enjoy studies where disciplines overlap and where there is the potential for discovery and taking products to market formed the Student Intellectual Property Society at Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech researchers win Digging into Data Challenge

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

A team of faculty and graduate student researchers from Virginia Tech and the University of Toronto has won $250,000 from the Digging into Data Challenge for "An Epidemiology of Information: Data Mining the 1918 Influenza Pandemic."

Institute for Society, Culture and Environment announces senior fellow

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Sonia Hirt, the Institute for Society, Culture and Environment's first senior fellow, will focus her time on advancing debates on urban land-use policy reform in the U.S. and work with a team on energy sustainability at the urban scale.

Virginia Tech to host energy harvesting summit with goal of spurring job growth

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Virginia Tech's College of Engineering will host a Virginia Energy Summit Jan. 31, 2012, bringing together Virginia-based energy companies and related government agencies to identify industry opportunities. The meeting will pave the way for partnerships that could spur high-paying jobs in the burgeoning energy harvesting sector.

Erdogan Kiran selected as editor of book series

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Erdogan Kiran, professor of chemical engineering at Virginia Tech, is the editor of a new book series on supercritical fluid science and technology, published by Elsevier.

Researchers discover novel anti-viral immune pathway in the mosquito

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Scientists at Virginia Tech are working to understand the mosquito's immune system and how the viral pathogens that cause diseases are able to overcome it to be transmitted to human and animal hosts.

Kathleen Alexander receives NSF grant to research human-animal linkage in water quality

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Kathleen Alexander, of the College of Natural Resources and Environment, received a grant to investigate the links between humans and animals as they influence water quality and, in turn, how water quality affects their health.

Virginia Tech unveils HokieSpeed, a powerful new supercomputer for the masses

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Wu Feng of Virginia Tech's College of Engineering is unveiling HokieSpeed, a supercomputer that boasts enough computational capability to place it at No. 96 among the world's fastest supercomputers.

Glenn Moglen's research questions urban development planning relating to flooding

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Extreme weather can result in a violent act of nature, and in the past year much attention has been paid to the disastrous impacts of flooding during the spring and summer.

A promise to change bridge fabrication, inspection practices

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The Federal Highway Administration cited William Wright for his work on "high performance steel that led to reduced initial cost, lower maintenance, and longer life for many new bridges nationwide," according to the highway administration's press release announcing his award.

Elder financial abuse heightens during holidays

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Older adults need to know the warning signals of financial abuse and exploitation, how to prevent it, and what to do if it does occur.

New study shows evacuation plans need to incorporate family's perspectives

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Willingness to accept shelter in emergency situations has been shaped by past evacuation failures.

Translational medicine turns Virginia Tech's innovations in the life sciences into clinical solutions

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Virginia Tech is developing plans for a Translational Medicine Building, which will include an expansion of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital as well as research laboratories and training spaces for interdisciplinary research among three colleges.

Virginia Tech to break ground on first building in new Biosciences Precinct

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Virginia Tech will break ground on the first building in the new Biosciences Precinct at the corner of Duck Pond Drive and Washington Street later this month.

The paradox of gift giving: More not better, says new study by Pamplin marketing professor

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Holiday shoppers, take note. Marketing and psychology researchers have found that in gift giving, bundling together an expensive big gift and a smaller stocking stuffer reduces the perceived value of the overall package for the recipient.

Computer science doctoral student sweeps honors at national conference

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Hari Pyla also presented a research paper co-authored with two Virginia Tech faculty members at the same conference.

Virginia Tech researchers using new technology to study breath for toxins

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Virginia Tech researchers Andrea Dietrich and Masoud Agah have published a paper in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, it takes a new look ways to study toxins and everyday impurities that enter the body through the air we breathe.

Researchers describe how critical protein activates plant immune system

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Virginia Tech Professor John McDowell describes how two papers in Science provide breakthroughs in understanding plant immune systems.

A study of strong ground motion may show need to modify building codes

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Due to population growth and lack of undeveloped land, people and buildings are more susceptible to damage caused my earthquakes.

Virginia Tech biomedical program receives two of Toyota's research safety projects, honored for its brain trauma research

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Toyota announces two new research projects will be spearheaded by the Virginia Tech -- Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences

Green500 shows continuing trend toward environmentally friendly supercomputers

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The November 2011 Green500 List shows two continuing trends despite seven of the world’s Top 10 greenest supercomputers changing up from the previous June 2011 rankings.

Virginia Tech team to investigate the genomics of wood for biofuels production

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

A team of Virginia Tech researchers is working to characterize the genes involved in wood formation in poplar trees with the goal of improving the quality and quantity of wood as a feedstock for biofuels production.

Mild cognitive impairment distresses health of caregiver

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

When a person with mild cognitive impairment is agitated or restless, caregivers can expect to find they are more edgy as well.

Brain imaging, behavior research reveals physicians learn more by paying attention to failure

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

All the physicians in the study included irrelevant criteria in their decisions about treatment.

Parent of new Southwest Virginia clean energy company wins French, international CleanTech competitions

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The French company that will use Virginia Tech technology as the basis of a clean energy business in Abingdon, Va., has won an award for using plant-based biotechnolgy to create sustainable, clean fuels and other chemicals.

Mary Ann McCrackin named university veterinarian

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The new university veterinarian is a former small animal veterinarian and a certified manager of animal resources.

Undergraduate researcher in tissue engineering receives scholarship

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Chemical engineering student, Reisha Parham, has received a 2011-12 American Institute of Chemical Engineers' Minority Scholarship Award.

University receives Grand Challenges Explorations funding

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Peter Vikesland's project, "Inkjet Imprinted Paper for Polio Virus Detection and Differentiation," is one of 110 Grand Challenges Explorations grants. He is associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech

Bats show ability to change their ear shapes, making their hearing more flexible

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Researchers found ear deformation in horseshoe bats that could be substrate for adapting spatial hearing of the animals on a very short time scale. Various ear shapes among different species of bats, affects how their navigation functions.

VT Navigate maps university's presence, projects throughout the world

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

A new website shows, at a glance, Virginia Tech's international projects.

Research team explores how microbial diversity defends against disease

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Lisa Belden, a researcher affiliated with the Fralin Life Science Institute at Virginia Tech, is leading a team of researchers from Virginia Tech, James Madison University, Villanova University, and the Smithsonian Institution who will study the microbial communities living on the skins of frogs that are surviving a fungal scourge.

Frank Beamer to spread Hokie Fever 'fandemic' campus-wide

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

University Open House attendees can join the "fandemic" on Saturday, Nov. 12. At the end of their stay, each participant can check in to learn how widespread "Hokie Fever" is and be included in chances to win prizes.

Virginia Tech to launch engineering and science ethics course

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The course emphasizes the importance of seeking out and listening to the concerns of diverse stakeholders as a "best practice" for engineers and scientists.

Board of visitors approves graduate degree offerings in nuclear engineering

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The proposed starting date for the new degree programs is spring semester of 2013.

Electronic health records save money but pose privacy risks, says Pamplin business law professor

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Electronic health records can potentially save billions of dollars in health care costs and increase patient safety, but have considerable risks to individual privacy in the United States, more so than the European Union, says a new study by Pamplin College of Business professor Janine Hiller.

Research team unravels tomato pathogen's tricks of the trade

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Virginia Tech scientists sequenced the genome of several isolates of a bacterial tomato pathogen in order to track the pathogen's ability to overcome plant defenses and to develop methods to prevent further spread.