Tech 15th on list of 100 wired colleges
South African exchange begins
Tech partner in Internet Technology Innovation Center
Dining program wins top honors
Forestry class studies in Nicaragua
Tech scientists ready with fast information
Like father, like son for Ekirch Guggenheim Fellows
Tech becomes partner in Technology Learning Center
Virginia Tech researchers earn 20 patents
Tech's ATV wins international honors
Electric car surges ahead
Astronaut wins alumni achievement award
Tech gets IBM grant for Internet2
Two appointed to board of visitors
Tech to help set up state's public safety network
Symposium showcases student research
1998-99 Calendar of Events
DISTINCTIONS
After being left off the 1997 Yahoo! Magazine list of the 100 most wired colleges, Virginia Tech was vindicated in 1998 with a ranking of 15th, just ahead of 16th place UVa.
The survey looked specifically at Web access, computer availability, online registration, net training for students and faculty and distance learning. More than half of the classes at Virginia Tech have online materials available.
Virginia Tech, the university located in the "most wired town in the nation," was one of only two colleges recognized by the magazine for having the "most wired campus professors," sharing the honor with Carnegie Mellon.
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The South African high country will be temporary home for up to 10 Virginia Tech undergraduate agriculture students next spring.
They will be the first students from Virginia Tech to participate in an exchange program with the University of Orange Free State (UFS). This fall UFS students are attending Tech. Students and an accompanying faculty member will be exposed to agricultural production in the diverse climatic and agricultural zones, as well as to a very different culture that is experiencing its own social and economic evolution.
Alumnus Piet Gous (agronomy Ph.D. '69), president of the Free State Agricultural Union--roughly equivalent to the Virginia Agribusiness Council--was instrumental in urging UFS administrators to explore establishing a partnership with Virginia Tech.
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Virginia Tech will become a partner in an Internet Technology Innovation Center (ITIC) to nurture new information technology businesses and products.
Virginia's Secretary of Commerce and Trade Barry DuVal and the director of Virginia's Center of Innovative Technology (CIT), Robert Templin Jr., announced the establishment of a center to nurture Virginia's entrepreneurial environment for information technology and Internet-based businesses; accelerate the creation and deployment of network-based information technology; develop hardware/software infrastructure; and expand Virginia's high-skill workforce needed to develop, support, and market Internet-based electronic products and services.
The ITIC is a partnership of 12 research groups at the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Christopher Newport University, and George Mason University. The CIT is providing $2 million in seed money over five years for the center. University experts will analyze a client company's problems, recommend solutions, provide on-demand training, develop rapid prototypes, and deliver products or services.
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Virginia Tech's Department of Residential and Dining Programs (RDP) won first place for a beach bash event in a national competition among college and university dining services.
For Beach Bash '98, backdrops of beach scenes and 13 tons of sand were brought into Owens Dining Hall to promote a tantalizing menu of seafood including oysters Rockefeller, steamed shrimp, and crawfish etouffe.
Tech's dining program was also recognized for its catering division and a circus promotion last year. The RDP's awards earned Tech the grand prize at the national competition, a first for the university. Judges at the competition looked for menu selection, presentation, merchandising, marketing, and promotional activities.
Chef Jud Flynn won a gold medal, best in show trophy, and best display gold medal at the prestigious Nations Capital Chef's Association Culinary Salon in Washington, D.C. He also won a bronze medal at the East Coast Regional Chef's Competition, making him eligible for the U.S. Culinary Olympic Team.
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The "slash and burn" destruction of Central American rainforests prompted the College of Forestry to create its first international course. Issues in World Forestry and Forest Products was taught at the Lauguna de Apoyo field station in Nicaragua in June.
Reflecting the university's commitment to international issues, the course focused on the role forests play in environment and global economy, as well as the damage done when forests are burned to create less productive farmland. The course featured field trips to observe some of the ecological research, conservation activities, and environmental education programs going on there. |
Virginia Tech scientists are offering their services to public officials on a moment's notice to ensure officials have research-based information in order to make the best possible decisions.
Faculty members from four of the university's colleges will participate in a program to quickly get scientific information into the hands of policy makers when they are faced with sudden issues, such as last summer's Pfiesteria scare. That toxic microbe is thought to have killed thousands of fish and sickened people on the Eastern Shore.
"The purpose of this program is to let policy makers know we are here, that we have expertise, and that we can help," says Andy Swiger, dean of the university's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. "Our response can range from simply giving a news reporter some perspective on an issue, to advising policy makers, to organizing a research effort to address a particular topic."
The standing teams ready to respond include food safety, natural resources and water quality, biotechnology, tobacco, human and animal health, and intensive livestock
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Following in his father's footsteps, A. Roger Ekirch, professor of history, has received a Guggenheim Fellowship. The fellowship will enable Ekirch to finish writing his book At Day's Close: Night in Times Past, an exploration of the alternate world offered by nighttime in pre-industrial Western culture. Ekrich's research reveals that night, although rife with danger, was a sanctuary from the social hierarchy and convention of the daily world.
Ekirch's father, Arthur Ekirch, won a Guggenheim in 1953, making the Ekirches one of the small number of family pairs to receive this honor. |
Virginia Tech and Falls Church City Public Schools have become partners to establish the Technology Learning Center (TLC), a technology-enhanced learning environment for middle and high-school students and for graduate teacher-education students. The center started classes in September.
Located at George Mason middle and high schools and adjacent to Tech's Northern Virginia Center, the facility is used during weekdays by the school system and during evenings and Saturdays by Virginia Tech.
Programs at the TLC are related to K-12 education. Virginia Tech offers master's degree programs at the TLC, including one preparing math and science teachers to integrate technology into their classrooms. Another master's program in instructional technology for education professionals incorporates online modules and distance learning. George Mason High School teaches courses in computer science and vocational business at the TLC.
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A bird-like fiber optic accent light earned one of 20 patents granted Virginia Tech researchers in 1997. Michael Weber, a graduate student in architecture, designed the first lighting fixtures to use fiber optics, which he calls "phlights."
Another patent went to chemical engineering professor Donald Baird and his students who have chemically modified a polypropylene to provide an improved plastic at a reduced cost. Human factors engineer John Casali (psychology '77, M.S., Ph.D. industrial engineering) has invented a power drive and steering attachment that can be attached and removed from a wheelchair by the user.
Other patents include: a robotic wrist for use in manufacturing, a silicon-based film for computer memory chips, a new method of lubrication for ceramic materials, gene expression systems and products in plants and plant cell culture, and a device that would reduce aircraft engine noise.
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An all-terrain vehicle (ATV) called Tinker Bell by her student creators earned top honors in international competitions.
At the wheel of the land-roving vehicle was student Darian Grubb, of Floyd, Va., who races four-wheelers and works in NASCAR pit crews as a hobby.
Running obstacle courses on land and through deep water, the Virginia Tech Mini Baja team's ATV earned a first in safety and acceleration and a second in land maneuverability, sled pull, and endurance in a field of 50 North American teams in May. In June, the vehicle placed second, just behind a team from Brazil, in the Midwest Mini Baja competition.
The team's faculty advisory, Hayden Griffen, recommended this year's vehicle be 40 to 50 pounds lighter than last year's model--hence the name Tinker Bell. In addition to design and safety, cost is also a factor judged in the competitions. The budget for producing this year's design was limited to under $2,500.
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A team of Virginia Tech engineering students tied for first place in a national competition to design and build a low-emission, high efficiency car.
Tech's team of 60 students converted a Chevrolet Lumina donated by General Motors into an electric vehicle for the FutureCar Challenge by replacing the original engine with a battery pack and an electric motor that drives the wheels. A hydrogen powered fuel-cell system provides electricity to keep the 28-cell battery pack charged.
Using hydrogen as a fuel, the car emits no pollutants or carbon dioxide, only water vapor. Increased hydrogen storage capacity in the plans for the 1999 car will allow the vehicle to travel further before refueling.
The team's advisor, mechanical engineering professor Doug Nelson (mechanical engineering '70, M.S.), received the 1998 FutureCar Challenge Faculty Advisor of the Year Award from the National Science Foundation. The $20,000 prize will support continuing research by the team.
The Tech team has a history of honors at FutureCar Challenge, placing first overall in 1996 and second in 1997.
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Roger Crouch (physics M.S.'70, Ph.D.), the man who took the Virginia Tech pennant into space, was recognized at commencement with the 1998 University Distinguished Achievement Award. In turn, Crouch gave the university back the pennant that flew with him on the shuttle Columbia, where he performed experiments under low-gravity conditions.
The university award acknowledged the far-reaching effects of the research Crouch conducted on two NASA space flights in 1997. One study looked at the development of protein crystals, paving the way for improved understanding of diseases such as cancer, AIDS, or diabetes. His studies on combustion may reduce pollution, mitigate fire damage, and reduce deaths from carbon monoxide. His research also could effect the production of semiconductors, non-corrosive metals, or high-performance alloys.
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Virginia Tech is one of four institutions of higher education to receive resources from IBM to create leading edge applications for the Internet2 environment.
Internet2 is the next generation of computer communication--the brainchild of a consortium of more than 100 U.S. universities--designed for online collaborative research, distance teaching and video-conferencing. Internet2 will deliver information at 100 to 1,000 times faster than today's Internet -- fast enough to transmit a 30-volume encyclopedia in less than one second. Internet2 will someday operate along side today's Internet as a sort of high speed passing lane on the Information Superhighway.
Tech's work on a state-wide distribution of information for K-12 schools attracted IBM's attention and a share of the $3.5-million grant to Blacksburg. Resources provided by IBM will include hardware, software, and materials for the network infrastructure.
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Gary Clisham (political science '75, M.A. educational administration) and Michael G. Miller (agricultural economics '76) were appointed by Gov. Jim Gilmore to four-year terms on the 15-member Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. Rector James E. Turner Jr. (agricultural engineering '56) of Fairfax, and board member Donald Huffman (industrial engineering '49) of Roanoke were reappointed.
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Clisham is the chief executive officer of Medical Marketing Resources Inc. He is chairman of the Goochland County Republican Party and was a 1996 delegate to the Republican National Convention. |  |
Miller, of Richmond, owns Miller & Associates, a commercial and residential property appraisal firm and is a partner in MCR Management Co., which manages low income housing in Virginia. Miller served as chairman of the Virginia Housing Development Authority under former Gov. George Allen. |
The new appointees, both contributors Gilmore's campaign, replace Robert Delano (animal science '45) of Warsaw and Mitchell Carr (dairy science '55) of Staunton.
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Emergency services, law enforcement agencies, and other state and local public services around Virginia currently operate a patchwork of wireless communication systems.
These independent systems don't always have the ability to communicate with each other or with state authorities. Virginia Tech has entered into an agreement with Virginia's secretary of public safety to develop a plan for a state-wide-wireless-communication network that will change all that. This upgraded system would facilitate the installation of mobile computer terminals in police cars.
Virginia Tech was selected for its international reputation in wireless communications. Associate professor Brian Woerner, director of the Mobile and Portable Radio Research Group, will lead the efforts to evaluate alternative radio technologies
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Master's degree student Dorinda Smith responded to a National Health Institute request to refrain from using mammals in research and was recognized with a first place for her work Virginia Tech's Annual Research Symposium. Smith and her colleagues replaced mice with fish in studies designed to detect problems in the environment by testing the fishes' immune systems.
Tech's research symposium also awarded a first to Julien Guillaumot, a student in applied psychology, for his study that determined lower self-esteem students are likely to leave social gatherings with higher blood-alcohol concentration than those with higher self-esteem.
Other first place awards went to research on developing an embryo recovery process for sheep, the effects of aspirin and other pain medication on dogs, a study on the design of aircraft wings, and a study of the effects of movement of bobwhite quail eggs on the development of the chicks.
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October
10-11
UNIVERSITY CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES, Chamber Music Breathes, Oct. 10, 8 p.m.; Oct. 11, 3 p.m., Squires Recital Salon
16-17
HOMECOMING Virginia Tech vs. Temple
30-31
APPLYING VIRTUAL REALITY TO ARCHITECTURE seminar, Corporate Research Center (540) 557-6096
31
FOOTBALL, West Virginia at Tech
November
6
NEW RIVER VALLEY SYMPHONY, 8 p.m., Burruss
14-15
UNIVERSITY CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES, Opera Gala, Nov. 14, 8 p.m.; Nov. 15, 3 p.m., Squires Recital Salon
13-15
YMCA CRAFTS FAIR, Nov. 13, noon - 7 p.m.; Nov. 14, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Nov. 15 noon - 5 p.m., Squires
9-15
THEATRE ARTS--UNIVERSITY THEATER, "Threepenny Opera," Nov. 9-14, 8 p.m.; Nov. 15, 2 p.m., Squires
21
FOOTBALL, Rutgers at Tech
28
FOOTBALL, University of Virginia at Tech
December
12-13
UNIVERSITY CHAMBER MUSIC, Bach Plus, Dec. 12, 8 p.m.; Dec. 13, 3 p.m., Squires
19
FALL COMMENCEMENT
January
30-31
UNIVERSITY CHAMBER MUSIC , Audubon Quartet, Jan. 30, 8 p.m.; Jan. 31, 3 p.m., Squires Recital Salon
February
12-13
MILITARY BALL WEEKEND, Squires
20-21
UNIVERSITY CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES, Special Guest Selection, Feb. 20, 8 p.m.; Feb. 21, 3 p.m., Squires Recital Salon
25-27, 29 & 3/2
THEATRE ARTS--UNIVERSITY THEATER, "Into the Woods," Feb. 25-27 and Feb. 29-March 2, 8 p.m.
27
NEW RIVER VALLEY SYMPHONY, 8 p.m., Burruss
27
VTU 8TH ANNUAL WINTERFEST CELEBRATION, Squires
March
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH (540)231-7806
12-14
8TH ANNUAL CIVIL WAR WEEKEND, Donaldson Brown (540)231-9617
19-21
BLACK ALUMNI REUNION
26-27
RING DANCE, 8 p.m., Squires
27-28
UNIVERSITY CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES, Grand Piano, Opus V Sat., 8 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m., Squires
April
3-10
INTERNATIONAL WEEK STREET FAIR
4
NEW RIVER VALLEY SYMPHONY, 8 p.m., Burruss
9
FOUNDER'S DAY
15-18
THEATRE ARTS--UNIVERSITY THEATER, "Dream of a Common Language," April 15-17 and 20-24, 8 p.m.; April 18, 2 p.m., Squires
CORPS OF CADETS, CHANGE OF COMMAND, Parade and Ceremony, 11 a.m., Drillfield
May
20-21
OLD GUARD REUNION
1-2
UNIVERSITY CHAMBER MUSIC, Audubon Quartet, Sat.1, 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m., Squires Recital Salon
15
COMMENCEMENT
June
23-27
SUMMER AROUND THE DRILLFIELD, activities for alumni and their families
August
6-7
STEPPIN' OUT FESTIVAL, downtown Blacksburg
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Theater program in top 50
U.S. News and World Report has ranked Virginia Tech's master's program among the top 50 in the nation in the magazine's first ranking of theater programs.
High ranking engineers
Virginia Tech's College of Engineering ranked 25th nationally, along with Harvard, Ohio State, and Rice University in a survey by the U.S. News & World Report. In an opinion poll of engineering school deans, the industrial engineering department was ranked ninth.
EE students excel in worldwide contest
An electrical engineering graduate-student team has been named one of nine semi-finalists in a worldwide competition sponsored by Texas Instruments. The group illustrated theoretically how to triple the cellular communications system capacity depending on the particular wireless system.
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