Virginia Tech researchers have found a way to eliminate a step when converting biomass to fuel, reducing the cost of biofuel production. Here is a press release from Virginia Tech:

Conversion of biomass to fuel requires several steps: chemical pretreatment to break up the biomass, such as with dilute sulfuric acid; detoxification to remove the toxic chemicals; then microbial fermentation to convert the soluble sugars to fuels. Virginia Tech researchers have discovered an enzyme mixture that works in the presence of the toxin-infused liquid biomass, meaning that the detoxification step is unnecessary, reducing the cost of producing biofuels and increasing biofuel yields by avoiding the production of by-products and synthesis of cell mass.

The research will be published in the Feb. 25 print issue of the journal Chemistry & Biology.

“Enzymes self-assemble a cell-free synthetic pathway; that is, we can put the desired biological reactions to work without the other complex interactions that take place within a cell,” said Y.H. Percival Zhang, associate professor of biological systems engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech. “The cell-free synthetic pathway process increases efficiency and reaction rate.” Read more »

George Wythe Hotel

Smith Enterprises has acquired the George Wythe Hotel at 170 East Main Street in Wytheville. Here is a press release about the future of the historic building:

Smith Enterprises is pleased to announce the acquisition of the former George Wythe Branch of BB&T located at 170 East Main Street, Wytheville, VA.  Smith Enterprises began doing business in Wytheville in 1980 and is owned by Bill and Farron Smith.

Constructed in 1927, The George Wythe Hotel operated until 1973 when the Bank of Speedwell purchased it and converted the building to its headquarters.  In 1991, the Bank of Speedwell merged with other southwest Virginia banks, became Premier Bank and continued to occupy the building.  Since then the building has been home to First Virginia Bank (1997-2003) and then BB&T (2003-2010). Read more »

Ron Smith

Lawrence Eagleburger

Jeffrey Lacker

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Ferrum College has updated the list of speakers for its upcoming Forum on Critical Thinking, Innovation & Leadership on April 7. Here is a press release from Ferrum:

Ferrum College president Jennifer Braaten announced today that the College will host a Forum on Critical Thinking, Innovation & Leadership at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center early this spring.   The Forum will feature three nationally known keynote speakers, Lawrence Eagleburger, former United States Secretary of State; Jeffrey Lacker, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, and Ronald Smith, a founding partner in Verdant Power Inc., a renewable energy company commercializing kinetic hydropower systems that deliver hydro electricity without dams or impoundments, in the United States for global application.

Braaten noted that “colleges and universities are tasked with providing the information, research and critical thought that will help the next generation tackle the world’s important issues.” She said the speakers will draw upon their unique experiences to outline their vision for the future in the areas of technology, geographic and cultural change, public policy, and environmental and economic trends.

Kimberly Blair, Ferrum’s Vice President for Institutional Advancement, expressed enthusiasm about the Forum.  “We at Ferrum wanted to provide an opportunity for area business leaders and business students to hear what some of the nation’s best minds believe will be the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.  We are confident that this inaugural event will accomplish that goal.” Read more »

Dynax America announced this morning that it will expand its existing operations in Botetourt County, adding 95 jobs over three years and investing more than $15.6 million.

We have more details and photos in this post on our Botetourt County community news site.

The Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce is hosting its first Business After Hours of 2011 tonight at 5 p.m. No RSVP is necessary. Here are the event details from the chamber:

Business After Hours

TODAY!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
5:00 – 7:00 PM
Quality Inn Roanoke Airport
6626 Thirlane Road NW, Roanoke, VA 24019

$5/members; $15/non-members
Admission includes:
One beverage ticket, heavy hors d’oeuvres, and the chance to win great door prizes! Enter for your chance to win a 2 night stay at the  Hampton Inn Virginia Beach Oceanfront North!

No RSVP’s for attendance required!
Don’t miss out on the first Business After Hours of 2011!
For more information, contact Courtney at 540.983.0700 x231
or cpatterson@roanokechamber.org.

Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute are using new technology to discover genetic differences between the DNA of cancer patients and healthy patients. Here is a press release from Tech:

A group of researchers led by scientists from the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have developed a new technology that detects distinct genetic changes differentiating cancer patients from healthy individuals. The advancement could even serve as a future cancer predisposition test.

The multidisciplinary team has created a design for a new DNA microarray that allows them to measure the 2 million microsatellites (short, repetitive DNA sequences) found within the human genome. Microsatellites, which tend to vary greatly among individuals and have traditionally been used in forensics and paternity tests, are also used to uncover information related to a number of other genetic diseases such as Fragile-X or Huntington’s disease.

This advancement aided the discovery of a unique pattern of microsatellite variation in breast cancer patients that were not present in the DNA of patients who are cancer-free. Through their evaluation of global changes in the genome, the researchers determined that this pattern change alludes to a new mechanism disrupting the genome in cancer patients and represents a new breast cancer risk biomarker. There are indications that this could also serve as a general cancer signature.

The results of the work, which includes contributions from researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, will be featured in an upcoming edition of the journal Genes, Chromosomes and Cancer. The study is currently available online. Read more »

The first lecture in Virginia Tech’s  Community Voices series will be given by organic farmer Anthony Flaccavento, who received an award from the Ford Foundation for his work in sustainable development. Here is a press release from Virginia Tech:

Anthony Flaccavento will kick off the Spring 2011 Community Voices series with “Economies, Community and Love: Renewing the American Dream from the Ground Up” on Feb. 24 from 4 to 5 p.m at The Lyric Theater.

The hour-long talk with Flaccavento will focus on his work in sustainable agriculture and development in rural communities. An Abingdon organic farmer and recipient of the Ford Foundation Leadership for a Changing World Award, Flaccavento created Appalachian Sustainable Development and was recognized as a Fellow on National Food and Society Policy by the Kellogg Foundation.

The Community Voices series will focus on Creative Leadership for Community Resilience and Innovation by inviting leaders from all sectors to discuss their approaches to leadership and problem solving.  Each talk will be recorded and available to the public through the Institute for Policy and Governance website.

Future Community Voices talks will be held at The Lyric Theatre, at 135 College Ave. in Blacksburg on

*   Thursday, March 30, 4 to 5 p.m.; and
*   Thursday, April 21, 4 to 5 p.m.

The events are free and open to the public.

Virginia Tech has fallen out of the top 10 “best value” public universities list by The Princeton Review, but remains in the top 50. Here is a press release from Tech:

Virginia Tech was ranked among the top 50 “best value” public universities for 2011, according to The Princeton Review, who teamed with USA Today, to present its list, “‘The Princeton Review Best Value Colleges for 2011.”

The list, which features 100 schools in all, includes 50 public and 50 private colleges and universities. Of the 50 schools chosen in each category, the top 10 are ranked one to 10, and the remaining 40 are listed in alphabetical order and unranked.

The Princeton Review selected the institutions as its “best value” choices for 2011 based on its surveys of administrators and students at more than 650 public and private colleges and universities. The selection criteria covered more than 30 factors in three areas: academics, costs of attendance, and financial aid, using the most recently reported data from each institution for its 2009-10 academic year.

Virginia Tech was ranked eighth in the 2010 survey.

“It is unclear why we slipped out of the top 10, but as it is with most of these rankings, any slight change in factors can move one’s ranking,” said Larry Hincker, associate vice president for university relations. “Still, our inclusion indicates a quality academic offering at a competitive price.” Read more »

The new headquarters building has two new features including a 1,440 square foot training room and a fitness facility accessible to all employees seven days a week.

Member One Federal Credit Union’s new corporate headquarters in Roanoke has earned a LEED silver green building certification. Here is a press release from Member One:

Member One Federal Credit Union is please to announce it has been awarded LEED Silver Certification established by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). LEED is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

Allen Whittle, the President of Thor General Contractors and Engineers, offered some insight to the project stating “The new 15,900 square foot 3-story LEED Silver Certified Corporate Headquarter building was designed to maximize the multiple views of Downtown Roanoke and the surrounding mountains, as well as to filter natural daylight throughout the entire building. All elements of the building utilized high efficiency components to maximize energy savings. In addition to building in an environmentally friendly manner, Member One supported the local economy by utilizing local contractors for most aspects of the project.”

The headquarters building achieved LEED certification for energy use, lighting, water and material use as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies. By using less energy, LEED-certified buildings save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community. Read more »

Kirk Cameron

Virginia Tech computer science professor Kirk Cameron’s energy saving hardware “Granola” has been named to Time magazine’s list of Top 20 Green Tech Ideas. Here is a press release from Virginia Tech:

One year ago, Kirk Cameron decided his company MiserWare would give away its main product, Granola.

He picked this common cereal name for his computer software product because “it puts the personal computer or your laptop on an energy diet, ensuring you only use what you need,” Cameron explained.

Using social media and one university press release, the Virginia Tech computer science faculty member and his partner and former student Joseph Turner found they had an overnight success. Within 100 days, Granola was downloaded 100,000 times. Today, it exceeds 200,000 downloads.

Recently, Cameron found out exactly how valuable his software giveaway program was when he googled Granola and learned to his surprise that Time magazine had named it a Top 20 Green Tech Idea. Read more »