The Southern Economic Development Council has recognized the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development for its Falling Branch Corporate Park website and 2010 Annual Report.

This is the second straight year the SEDC has recognized the department. Here’s the full  news release from the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development:

The Montgomery County Department of Economic Development was recognized earlier this month at the 2011 Southern Economic Development Council’s (SEDC) Annual Conference in Asheville, NC. The Department won a Superior Award for its Falling Branch Corporate Park website and a Merit Award for its 2010 Annual Report.

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DePaul Community Resources has announced it will continue the Women of Achievement Awards, begun in 2003 by the YWCA of Roanoke Valley, after the YWCA announced earlier this year that it will merge with DePaul Community Resources. DePaul Community Resources has added two new categories, foster parenting and social services, to the awards. Nominations for the 2011 awards are due Sept. 23 and the awards luncheon will be held Nov. 1. Here’s the full news release from DePaul Community Resources:

DePaul Community Resources announces the 2011 Women of Achievement Awards, continuing a proud tradition begun by the YWCA of Roanoke Valley in 2003 to recognize women of the Roanoke Valley who have made significant contributions to the community through career, leadership and volunteer activities. Earlier this year, the YWCA announced it would be dissolving but their mission would continue through a decision to merge with DePaul Community Resources. 

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LewisGale Hospital Alleghany’s new Senior Transitions Unit will feature murals by photographer Chuck Almarez designed to inspire tranquility and positive memories in the unit’s patients. The inpatient unit will treat patients 65 and older with emotional and behavioral health issues. There will be an open house for the artwork and unit 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sep. 9 and the unit is scheduled to begin treating patients in mid-September. Here’ s the full news release from LewisGale Regional Health System:

As LewisGale Regional Health System puts the finishing touches on its new Senior Transitions Unit at LewisGale Hospital Alleghany, Photographer Chuck Almarez is finalizing the murals that will canvas the walls and create a more serene environment for patients.

Almarez is creating five murals and three prints that will be displayed in the treatment area and waiting room. Two of the murals are large in scale, four feet by 15 feet, and are landscape images photographed by Almarez of Douthat Lake and Lost River Farm. Another mural captures the rich history of the community with an image of the C & O Railway Heritage Center in the foreground and the Town of Clifton Forge and Alleghany Highlands in the background. One of the canvas prints reflects Falling Spring from the top of the falls.

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Steven Goldstein, an interventional cardiologist and a member of LewisGale Physicians, is now accepting patients at his Alleghany office every third Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Here’s the full news release from LewisGale Physicians:

Patients in need of treatment for cardiovascular diseases now have a new choice for specialized care. Steven Goldstein, D.O., is accepting patients at his Alleghany office every third Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

As an interventional cardiologist, Dr. Goldstein specializes in procedures such as coronary angiography, cardiac catheterization and stent placement to open blocked arteries. He also performs echocardiography for detecting heart abnormalities. Dr. Goldstein is board certified in Internal Medicine with subspecialties in cardiology, interventional cardiology and critical care medicine.

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SunTrust will be accepting donations to the American Red Cross at offices in Roanoke, New River Valley, Bedford and other areas in Western Virginia. Here’s the full news release from SunTrust Banks:

SunTrust Banks, Inc. (NYSE: STI) announced it is making a $100,000 donation from the SunTrust Foundation to the American Red Cross to assist with its hurricane relief efforts. SunTrust also will be accepting donations to the American Red Cross at branch offices across its Western Virginia region to include the geographies of Winchester, Front Royal, Culpeper, Warrenton, Orange, Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Staunton, Waynesboro, Lexington, Lynchburg, Bedford, Martinsville, South Boston, Roanoke and New River Valleys of Virginia and Charleston, West Virginia.

“The efficiency and effectiveness of the American Red Cross makes them an ideal partner during times such as these,” stated Brenda Skidmore, representing the SunTrust Foundation. “The breadth and capabilities of the Red Cross ensure immediate relief and a strong presence in those areas of greatest need.”

Brown, Edwards & Company LLP, a regional accounting firm with offices in Roanoke, has been named to INSIDE Public Accounting’s “Beyond the IPA’s 100,” a listing of the country’s largest accounting firms based on fiscal performance. Here’s the full news release from Brown Edwards:

Brown, Edwards & Company, L.L.P. has been named to INSIDE Public Accounting’s (IPA) Beyond the IPA’s 100.  The rankings are based on 2010 U.S. net revenue.  IPA is the industry’s leading trade newsletter, and the report is the most accurate listing of the nation’s largest accounting firms based on fiscal performance. 

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The Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute is sponsoring a new free series of scientific talks, called the Distinguished Visiting Scholars Series, that will feature experts from around the country throughout the academic year. Each lecturer will give two talks, one for the general public and one more technically geared. The series will kick off Sep. 8 with Ron Davis’s lecture, “You Must Remember This: The Principles of Memory Formation,” on how the brain forms and stores memories. Other lectures include “The Development of the Criminal Mind,” “Seeing What the Nose Tells the Brain: Imaging the Sense of Smell,” “What is Addiction?” and more. Here’s the full news release from Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute:

The biology of the criminal mind, the development of childhood obesity, and the mechanisms of chronic pain are among the many topics that will be explored in a new series of scientific talks in Roanoke. Sponsored by the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, the Distinguished Visiting Scholars Series will feature top experts from across the country throughout the academic year.

In the season kickoff event on September 8, Ron Davis, Ph.D., one of the nation’s leading experts on the biological basis of learning and memory, will discuss how the brain forms, stores, and retrieves memories. On September 29, Nora Volkow, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, will explore how the brain becomes addicted. And on October 6, Matt Wachowiak, Ph.D., a neurobiologist at the University of Utah’s Brain Institute, will follow with a presentation on understanding our relationship with the world through our sense of smell.

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A researcher in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine has been awarded a two-year, $130,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus. The virus causes reproductive failure and respiratory problems in sows and piglets and is estimated to have increased the cost of raising pigs by up to $18 per head. Here’s the full news release from Virginia Tech:

A researcher in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine has received a prestigious U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) postdoctoral fellowship grant to investigate the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis behind porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus.

Scott Kenney, postdoctoral associate in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology in the veterinary college, received the two-year, $130,000 grant from the USDA earlier this month to study how the virus causes reproductive failure in sows and respiratory diseases in piglets.

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Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business has been ranked eighth out of the top 100 universities for hospitality and tourism research by a student published in the August issue of the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research. Four faculty members in the college were also named in the study among the most prolific authors in their field. Here’s the full news release from Virginia Tech:

Faculty in the hospitality and tourism management department of the Pamplin College of Business are among the world’s top scholars in the discipline, according to a study in the August 2011 issue of the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research.

The study identified the 50 most prolific authors and institutions worldwide in hospitality and tourism as two separate fields as well as the top 100 authors and universities in the combined field.

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The current issue of Virginia Tech’s College of Science Magazine features the college’s initiatives to increase interest in STEM fields, including new design in classroom layout and an integrated science curriculum. Here’s the full news release from Virginia Tech:

The latest issue of the College of Science Magazine features the college’s newest initiatives to help bolster interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

“We are moving the college forward by addressing the challenges in front of us in what many would call a crisis in our education system,” said Lay Nam Chang, dean of the college.

Some of these initiatives include an integrated science curriculum, a new design in classroom layout and pedagogy, and the college’s annual Center for Talented Youth outreach event.

Other topics covered in this issue include newly named endowed professors, the vision and work of Seong K. Mun at the Virginia Tech Research Center in Arlington, and the college’s celebration of student and faculty excellence.