College of Science

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.

Graduate profile: Life-altering injury set academic path in motion for graduating student

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

Sarah Gilbert of Goochland, Va., a graduating senior majoring in chemical engineering and minoring in chemistry, had a life-altering injury that caused her to pursue the field of biomedical research. She hopes to narrow her focus on neurological research after graduation.

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.

Graduation countdown: As students complete exams, preparations for 2013 spring commencement ceremonies are underway

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

Virginia Tech will provide live streaming video of both the Graduate School Commencement and University Commencement ceremonies off the university homepage.

Work of two undergraduate students recognized at regional research symposium

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

Jancarla Ocampo, a sophomore majoring in biological sciences, took first place in the poster competition. Alysha Simmons, a junior majoring in animal and poultry sciences and biological sciences, won second place in the oral competition.

Graduate profile: Kareim Oliphant leads Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets to new heights

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

Graduating senior and new U.S. citizen Kareim Oliphant led the largest corps since 1968, instituted new corps programs, and achieved marked successes with existing programs.

General education curriculum revision proposal for undergraduate students available for the university community to review and provide feedback

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

The "Proposal for an Integrated General Education Curriculum at Virginia Tech" emerged from a series of discussions held by faculty, students, and staff over the past three years, as there was a call for change to the current Curriculum for Liberal Education.

Students recognized for their commitment to civic engagement

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

Two students were awarded $750 each from the new John E. Dooley Student Engagement Grant program to support community-based civic engagement projects.

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

Swiss science and technology counselor Christoph Ebell to deliver 2013 Graduate School Commencement address

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

The Graduate School Commencement ceremony will begin at 8:30 a.m. in Cassell Coliseum. Approximately 1,000 Virginia Tech graduate students are expected to complete their degree requirements this spring and participate in the ceremony.

Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger to give 2013 University Commencement address May 17

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

University Commencement will begin at noon. More than 5,000 graduates will be honored at this ceremony. The ceremony will be streamed live on the university homepage.

Joseph Merola receives 2013 William E. Wine Award

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

Joe Merola is described as a phenomenal teacher but one who has also earned a reputation for rigor.

Linda Bland receives 2013 Staff Career Achievement Award

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Colleagues emphasized Bland’s dedication, contributions, support, guidance, and friendship that she brought to her position.

Diane Walker-Green receives 2013 President's Award for Excellence

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

Diane Walker-Green is known respectfully as the student "mom."

College of Engineering, College of Science to host the Virginia Science Olympiad

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

The event is a school-based program for students sixth grade through senior year in high school, offering them the opportunity to compete in teams, while learning to improve their understanding in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

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.

Nikki Giovanni announces Steger Poetry Prize winners

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

Undergraduates pen poems about the future and compete for cash in the Steger Poetry Prize event.

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.

University Honors student Julia Button awarded prestigious Goldwater Scholarship

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

Julia Button, a junior honors student majoring in biological sciences and biochemistry in the College of Science, has been awarded a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. Button is actively involved in undergraduate research and hopes to pursue biomedical research on cancer in graduate studies and her career.

Grace E. Mulholland named 2013 Outstanding Graduating Senior in College of Science

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

Grace Mulholland served as a Global Health Leadership intern, among many other honors.

Photos: Tom Wertalik, the university's scientific glassblower

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Wertalik provides glass containers and instruments for other laboratories on campus.

One of a kind: Glassblower's work keeps research moving

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Scientists at Virginia Tech have a competitive research advantage from an unlikely source -- a glassblower. Tom Wertalik, a master glassblower with the Department of Chemistry, can create scientific glass in-house, which saves not only money, but also time, allowing research to continue and for experimental modifications to be made quickly.

John Burns named Fellow of Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics

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

Less than one-half of 1 percent of the society's membership is selected for fellowship each year. John Burns is also a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Shernita Lee and Ryan C. Smith named 2013 Graduate Woman and Man of the Year

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

Ryan C. Smith is the first student to receive both of Virginia Tech's undergraduate and graduate man of the year honors.

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.

Nicholas Onopa and Darya Nesterova selected 2013 Undergraduate Man, Woman of the Year

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

The recipients exemplify the qualities and values important to a Virginia Tech education, captured in the university motto, "Ut Prosim" (That I May Serve).

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.

Graduate School names outstanding master's, doctoral degree students for each college

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Annually, the Graduate School selects a student from each college who exemplifies graduate education at Virginia Tech.

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.

Department of Geosciences receives software licenses from IHS Inc.

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

Virginia Tech geosciences students will enter the job market having had hands-on experience with a program that is commonly used in the oil-and-natural-gas industry thanks to IHS Inc., which provided the university licenses valued at $3.62 million for IHS Kingdom software.

Research directors inform board of visitors on surging health science initiatives

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Two leaders of health-science research at Virginia Tech informed the Board of Visitors about advances in human health, novel research programs, technology licensing, start-up companies, and drug discovery and development.

Eight undergraduate students selected to present at the 2013 ACC Meeting of the Minds conference

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The eight selected students represent six colleges at Virginia Tech. The conference will be hosted at Wake Forest University April 4-6, 2013. Each of the 12 ACC member schools will send representatives.

Students explore faith, service, learning in international immersion experience

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The trip was developed as part of Virginia Tech's response to President Barack Obama's Interfaith Campus Challenge to "build understanding between different communities and contribute to the common good."

Fifth-graders from across Virginia experience 'Kindergarten to College' program

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Fifth graders from across the state visit Virginia Tech and participate in science labs, eat lunch with the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, and tour the athletic facilities in a higher education aspirations program entitled, "Kindergarten to College."

College of Science, University Libraries collaborate on SCALE-UP classroom

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The new SCALE-UP classroom, located in Newman Library, will be used for instruction and training for the library and the College of Science's Integrated Science Curriculum.

Google research award presented to Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The Google Research and Awards program has awarded $40,000 to the Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis. The grant, according to Eric Vance, assistant research professor in the Department of Statistics and principal investigator, will be used to fund a foreign statistician to train at Virginia tech for one year before going back to their home country to start a collaborate statistics research lab based on the Virginia Tech model.

U.S. News again hails Virginia Tech's graduate programs among nation's best

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Virginia Tech's College of Engineering for the third consecutive year ranks 24th among the nation's best engineering schools for graduate studies, according to U.S. News and World Report's America's Best Graduate Schools 2014 survey.

Kirk and Spock joined at the hip: The feeling of computing

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Kirk and Spock may not need a Vulcan mind meld to share cognition: Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists have found that our cold reasoning and hot feelings may be more intimately connected than previously thought.

Top scientific breakthrough opens door to understanding universe

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

As part of an international team, Virginia Tech researchers helped find the last known mixing angle of neutrinos which earned them a spot as one of Science Magazine's top breakthroughs for the year. But physicists in Blacksburg aren't stopping there. Now they're trying to find a fourth neutrino. A sterile neutrino. One that could help explain dark matter.

Cancer-slowing compound also combats malaria, researchers find

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500

The discovery, published online in the Journal of Natural Products, shows that a compound isolated from this common plant with low branches and creamy, white fragrant flowers appears to be useful for the development of drugs targeting the malaria parasite.

Six students to present at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Six students, representing four colleges, will present at the conference, which takes place April 11-13, 2013.

Polymer coating could be breakthrough in diagnostic technology

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Researchers at Virginia Tech are developing a diagnostic tool using polymer coated fibers, that could speed the diagnosis for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureau (MRSA) from three days to less than an hour.

Seven undergraduate students awarded 2012-13 ACC Creativity and Innovation Fellowships

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500

The grant program, coordinated by the Office of Undergraduate Research within the Division of Undergraduate Education, recognizes undergraduate students who are pursuing independent research projects or creative works under the mentorship of faculty. Selected scholars receive up to a $2,000 award.

'Little Princes' selected as university’s 2013-14 Common Book

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500

After receiving 180 book recommendations from the Virginia Tech community, Conor Grennan's "Little Princes," an account of the author's trip to an orphanage in a war-torn Nepal and his efforts to reunite the children with their parents, was selected as the 2013-14 Common Book.

Both sides benefit in surprising ways when students connect with refugees

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500

On weekly trek to Roanoke, Virginia Tech students help refugee children do homework and parents pass citizenship tests. The caring goes both ways.

College of Science freshman walks on to Hokies' hoops team

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Virginia Tech freshman Greg Donlon, a native of Midlothian, Va., and a biological science major, is a true student-athlete. He made the roster of the Hokie basketball team as a walk-on, but he's really shooting for an opportunity to work in medicine.

University departments to begin relocation to new North End Center in March

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Located adjacent to campus between Turner Street and North Main Street, the new facility will increase efficiencies through space and funding consolidations and provide better services for staff, faculty, and university customers.

Early education has been scientifically proven to help close the achievement gap

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Craig Ramey, the founder of a decades-long scientific study that has proved the enduring benefits of early education, recently applauded President Barack Obama’s call for universal access to high-quality preschool in the United States.

In memoriam: Robert Richardson, Virginia Tech alumnus and Nobel Laureate

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Virginia Tech alumnus and Nobel Laureate in Physics, Robert Richardson, died Tuesday in Ithaca, N.Y. He was 75.