Research

Sanjay Raman named associate vice president, National Capital Region

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Sanjay Raman will be responsible for planning and executing region-wide initiatives to enhance the university's research, education, and outreach missions. This new position supports the goal outlined in the National Capital Region Strategic Plan to develop programs in research and innovation that will link all Virginia Tech campuses to the nation and to the world.

Engineer secures award to detect vulnerabilities in concurrent software

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Chao Wang, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Virginia Tech, has received a three-year Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program grant for up to $510,000 to develop methods and software tools that can detect security vulnerabilities in concurrent software that runs on a modern multi-core computer.

Luke F. Lester named head of Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Luke F. Lester, who currently holds an endowed professorship of electrical and computer engineering at the University of New Mexico, has been named the head of the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering effective Aug. 10, 2013.

The HHMI-funded Scieneering program celebrates its first set of graduates

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The Scieneering program, funded by a prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Science Education Grant awarded in 2010, is celebrating its first cohort of graduates.

Veterinary college’s Clayton Caswell receives travel award for early career scientists

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The award recognizes future leaders in microbiology by giving them an opportunity to present their research on an international stage and experience the best of microbiology.

World-renowned insect geneticist to deliver lecture at Fralin Life Science Institute

Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Insect geneticist Jean-Luc Imler will present a special lecture entitled "Antiviral immunity in 'Drosophila'" at 3:30 p.m. Monday, May 20, in the Fralin Life Science Institute auditorium. His research focuses on evolutionarily conserved aspects of immune response using fruit flies as a model organism.

University researchers find widespread but neglected disease as real health threat in Africa

Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Researchers have identified leptospirosis -- the world's most common disease transmitted to humans by animals -- as a significant health threat in Botswana.

Graduate profile: Finance Ph.D. student's research on tax evasion in Greece gets worldwide attention

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Nikolaos Artavanis, who will receive his doctorate in finance later this month, co-authored a recent study on tax evasion in Greece that found that professionals were the biggest tax dodgers. His research also received extensive coverage by the media in the United States and abroad.

Scientists discover how Alzheimer's drugs sharpen the brain's performance

Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Researchers at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have discovered how cholinesterase inhibitors might sharpen the performance of the brains of those with Alzheimer's disease.

Wayne Durham writes book on aircraft dynamics and control

Fri, 10 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Wayne "Bull" Durham, Virginia Tech associate professor emeritus of aerospace and ocean engineering, has authored a new book "Aircraft Flight Dynamics and Control" published by Wiley.

Electrical engineering student teams qualify for international competition

Thu, 09 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Two student teams from Virginia Tech's electrical and computer engineering program have qualified among the 15 finalists in an international competition to develop strategies for clear communication in spite of interfering signals on a radio channel.

Comparison of the biomechanical performances of old-fashioned leather and modern football helmets

Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Researchers at the Center for Injury Biomechanics compared the relative safety afforded by two 1930-vintage leather football helmets and 10 modern football helmets during impacts to players' heads.

Researchers find that some 'green' hot water systems fail to deliver on promises

Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Marc Edwards and Randi Brazeau, two researchers affiliated with the Virginia Tech College of Engineering, have published a paper which reports that hot water recirculating systems touted as "green" use more energy and water than their standard electric counterparts.

White House to honor Virginia Tech Transportation Institute's Tom Dingus as 'Champion of Change'

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Thomas Dingus, director of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, will be honored May 8 by the White House as a Champion of Change, a group of Americans seen as making positive change. This year's theme is Transportation Technology Solutions for the 21st century.

Graduate profile: Doctoral student researches word sounds and consumer behavior

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Doctoral student Derick Davis, who will graduate later this month, does research on homophones and consumer behavior that builds on theories of reading processes, comprehending written information, and priming.

Mahendra Singh receives honorary professorship at Indian Institute of Technology

Fri, 03 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Mahendra Singh has received a two-year, extendable distinguished visiting professorship at the Indian Institute of Technology at Roorkee, India.

Joseph Pitt receives 2013 Alumni Award for Excellence in Research

Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Joe Pitt has pursued a distinguished academic career centered on the history and philosophy of science and technology.

Jeffrey Walters receives 2013 Alumni Award for Excellence in Research

Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Jeff Walters is best known for his work with the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker in the longleaf pine ecosystems of the southeastern United States

University researcher supports campaign to reduce construction falls

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Associate Professor Daniel Hindman has dedicated the entire spring issue of Wood Design Focus to the issue of reducing falls in construction.

Engineering students win aerial robotics competition

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The Collegiate Aerial Robotics Exhibition is a sporting-like competition where unmanned model-sized quad copters and ground-based robots collect and launch tennis balls at set targets.

Russell Green receives 2013 Alumni Award for Excellence in International Research

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Russell Green's applied seismology and engineering research aims to lower the risk of damage from future earthquakes worldwide.

TEDxVirginiaTech 2013 seeking speakers for second annual event

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The second annual TEDxVirginiaTech event will be held Nov. 9, 2013.

Study shows human-wildlife microbe exchange and multidrug resistance in wildlife in protected areas in Africa

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The research team found that multidrug resistance among banded mongoose at the Botswana study site was higher in animals that live in a protected area than in village areas.

Scientists image nanoparticles in action

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

A newly developed technique captures the movements of nanoparticles in a liquid environment with atomic resolution.

ICAT Day showcases research generated by the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The collection of events on May 6, which are free and open to the public, showcase the work and ideas that have been generated from the institute's faculty and students during the spring semester.

Research uses mirrors to make solar energy cost competitive

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

If the current national challenge to make solar energy cost competitive with other forms of energy by the end of this decade is met, Ranga Pitchumani will have played a significant role in the process.

Bireswar Laha and Min Li awarded prestigious IBM fellowship

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Bireswar Laha and Min Li, both computer science doctoral candidates in Virginia Tech's College of Engineering, have received an IBM Fellowship.

New book explores evidence for stress-induced gene mutation

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

A new book, "Stress-Induced Mutagenesis," published by Springer and edited by David Mittelman, an associate professor at Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, provides key evidence and reveals molecular details of stress-induced genetic and epigenetic mutation, integrating cross-disciplinary observations from a number of species and biological systems, including human systems.

Students awarded prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Six engineering students won Graduate Research Fellowships from the National Science Foundation, while another 10 engineering or science students received honorable mentions.

11th annual Undergraduate Research Conference to be held April 19

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Almost 100 students will present their research and creative scholarship at the 11th annual Undergraduate Research Conference on Friday, April 19. Family, friends, those affiliated with the university, and the greater community are welcome to attend.

Students develop skills and build relationships through summer undergraduate research programs

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The scholar's program is 10 weeks long, during the summer and ends with a multidisciplinary symposium where students present posters and abstracts. In 2013, six students will be funded and the symposium will be held on July 31.

Research team creates potential food source from non-food plants

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

This new development opens the door to the potential that food could be created from any plant, reducing the need for crops to be grown on valuable land that requires fertilizers, pesticides, and large amounts of water.

Day or night, driving while tired a leading cause of accidents

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

April is Distracted Driver Awareness month and research demonstrates that fatigue is the leading form of distracted driving resulting in crashes and near crashes.

Graduate student award-winning research documents road surfaces that quiet tire noise

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

A graduate student's award-winning research on the measurement of tire noise identifies quieting road surface treatments.

Expert in aging to discuss ways elderly stay sharp for 35th anniversary of Center of Gerontology

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

A distinguished scholar and nationally recognized expert in the field of aging and cognition with the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois will deliver the keynote lecture for the Virginia Tech Center for Gerontology's 35th anniversary.

Researchers find Salmonella to be more resilient than originally thought

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Virginia Tech scientists have provided new evidence that biofilms -- bacteria that adhere to surfaces and build protective coatings -- are at work in the survival of the human pathogen Salmonella.

The subtle hallmarks of psychiatric illness can reveal themselves even remotely

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Most people are so attuned to the nuances of social interaction that they can detect clues to mental illness while playing a strategy game with someone they have never met.

Virginia Tech study finds virus promising for prostate cancer treatment

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Researchers at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine have discovered that a genetically engineered Newcastle disease virus, which harms chickens but not humans, kills prostate cancer cells of all kinds, including hormone-resistant cancer cells.

University awarded $1.59 million to pursue agricultural research in developing countries

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Virginia Tech has won a total of $1.59 million for three federal contracts to continue agricultural research in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Nepal. The awards represent a vote of confidence in development work that has been ongoing since 1993.

Breakthrough in hydrogen fuel production could revolutionize alternative energy market

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

"Our new process could help end our dependence on fossil fuels," said Y.H. Percival Zhang, an associate professor of biological systems engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Engineering. "Hydrogen is one of the most important biofuels of the future."

University sponsors symposium offering inside look at new developments in embedded security

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The symposium at the Virginia Tech Research Center -- Arlington covered current directions in research and development related to secure and embedded systems. All sessions were also simulcast to Blacksburg.

Collaborations forged to create innovative solutions to children's health issues

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Virginia Tech, Children's National Medical Center, and George Washington University have partnered in a unique program to create research breakthroughs in children's health.

Virginia Tech researchers unveil large robotic jellyfish that one day could patrol oceans

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Virginia Tech College of Engineering researchers have unveiled a life-like, autonomous robotic jellyfish the size and weight of a grown man, 5 foot 7 inches in length and weighing 170 pounds, as part of a U.S. Navy-funded project.

Virginia Tech partners on education effort with U.S. Navy research division Carderock

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The Virginia Tech College of Engineering has signed five-year educational partnership agreement with the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center's Carderock Division, allowing students to work directly with Navy engineers at naval facilities and research centers.

New study explores role of social responsibility in drug development

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Management assistant professor Olga Bruyaka co-authored a new study that explores how social responsibility factors drive the development of "orphan drugs", which treat rare diseases.

Kathleen Alexander finds climate change likely to worsen public health threat of diarrheal disease in Botswana and other arid African countries

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Dr. Kathleen Alexander's study, which is based on three decades of historical data, has important implications for arid countries around the world struggling with poverty and increasing health challenges.

Virginia Tech engineers explain physics of fluids some 100 years after original discovery

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Sunghwan Jung is a fan of the 19th Century born John William Strutt III, also known as Lord Baron Rayleigh. An English physicist, Rayleigh, along with William Ramsay, discovered the gas argon, an achievement for which he earned the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1904.

Laura Gambrel, Justin Lemkul receive 2013 Outstanding Dissertation Award

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Two awards are given each year; one in science and engineering, the other in humanities and social sciences. The awards are based on originality of the idea, contributions to the field, presentation of the ideas, and the quality of writing.

Researchers identify a potential new therapeutic target for E. coli infections

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

A new study by researchers at the Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens at Virginia Bioinformatics Institute provides novel insight into how enteroaggregative Escherichia coli, also known as EAEC, interacts with its host. This new knowledge could be used by scientists to devise new therapeutic strategies against E.coli. The study was published in PLOS One.

Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science headquarters building renamed

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Virginia Tech has renamed the headquarters building of its Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science in honor of Hugh and Ethel Kelly in recognition of his pioneering work in telecommunications and her extraordinary philanthropic support.