The Veterinary Medicine Instruction Addition’s landscaping features native plants that do not need permanent irrigation.

The total of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified buildings on Virginia Tech’s campus has increased with the recent certification of the Veterinary Medicine Instruction Addition at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. The building has received the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Silver certification. Seven buildings on Tech’s campus now hold a LEED certification.

Here is the press release from Virginia Tech.

BLACKSBURG, Va., May 21, 2013 – The Veterinary Medicine Instruction Addition at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine has received the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification.

That brings the total of LEED-certified Virginia Tech facilities to seven, the third so designated this year. Read more »

Virginia Tech assistant professor Chao Wang has received a grant from the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program to create software that can find vulnerabilities in concurrent software that runs on a modern multi-core computer. The three-year grant will total a maximum of $510,000.

Here is the press release from Virginia Tech.

BLACKSBURG, Va., May 20, 2013 – Chao Wang, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Virginia Tech, has received a three-year Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program (YIP) 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. Read more »

Lavery Hall has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver certification for design, construction, operations, and management.

Another Virginia Tech building has been awarded a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver certification. Lavery Hall is the sixth building on Virginia Tech’s campus to earn a LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The building is home to a dining center, classrooms and offices.

Here is the press release from Virginia Tech.

BLACKSBURG, Va., May 2, 2013 – As innovative as it is inviting, Virginia Tech’s Lavery Hall has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver certification, as established by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Lavery Hall joins a growing list of university facilities that have been LEED certified.

LEED certification is a performance-oriented rating system designed to address specific environmental impacts inherent in the design, construction, operations, and management of a building. Read more »

High school students can now register for Virginia Tech’s Inside Architecture + Design 2013 program. Offered through the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, students in grades ninth through twelfth can attend the program June 23 through June 28 for $530. A $50 deposit is required with registration. The balance must be paid in full by May 15.

Students who attend the summer program will get to examine the college’s disciplines including architecture, industrial design, interior design and landscape architecture.

For more information, visit the program’s website.

Here is a press release from Virginia Tech.

BLACKSBURG, Va., April 19, 2013 – Each summer, Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies opens it doors to high school students from across the country, providing a first-hand look at the disciplines of architecture, industrial design, interior design, and landscape architecture.

Led by internationally renowned faculty from the college, the one-week program provides hands-on experience modeled on the curriculums of the School of Architecture + Design’s nationally ranked programs. Read more »

Students will present their research posters at the 10th annual Undergraduate Research Conference on April 19, 2012.

A group of Virginia Tech students will present their research topics in life sciences, engineering, math and more at the 11th annual Undergraduate Research Conference in Blacksburg on Friday. The Inn at Virginia Tech will be hosting the conference from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nearly 100 students will give presentations, covering such topics as the effect of corn gluten in lambs, bullying prevention in middle schools, and female fashion decisions. An events schedule can be found on the Office of Undergraduate Research’s website.

Here is the press release from Virginia Tech.

BLACKSBURG, Va., April 17, 2013 – Almost 100 students will present their research and creative scholarship at the 11th annual Undergraduate Research Conference from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, April 19, at the Inn at Virginia Tech and Skeleton Conference Center.

Family, friends, those affiliated with Virginia Tech, and the greater community are welcome to attend to see a showcase of student contributions to scholarship.

Presentation topics represent diverse areas of disciplines and focus areas from life sciences, engineering, and math to liberal arts. Student participants represent six of the undergraduate colleges at Virginia Tech. Read more »

The Jefferson College of Health Sciences will host an information session about its health and exercise science program on April 9. To attend this session, RSVP to Lauren Miley at 224-6911 or llmiley@jchs.edu by April 8.

Here is the press release from the Jefferson College of Health Sciences.

WHO:    Jefferson College of Health Sciences (JCHS)

WHAT:    JCHS will host, “Health & Exercise Science: A Healthy First Step to Your Graduate Career.”

This information session about the JCHS Health & Exercise Science Program (HES) is an opportunity for those attending to:
•    Learn more about the flexibility of a degree in HES and the wide array of employment opportunities available to graduates,
•    Hear how the current obesity epidemic is creating high demand for exercise science trained professionals,
•    Interact with faculty from the JCHS Physical Therapist Assistant and Occupational Therapy Programs, as well as Radford University’s Doctor in Physical Therapy Program,
•    Explore the diverse internship opportunities
available to HES students,
•    Gather information about the curriculum,
costs and the process for application.

Everyone is welcome to attend this informative event!

WHERE:    Room 617 at Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital on the JCHS campus at 101 Elm Avenue, SE in downtown Roanoke, Virginia. Directions to the JCHS campus can be found on the College’s website at: http://www.jchs.edu/page.php/prmID/20.

WHEN:    Tuesday, April 9, 2013, at 6:30 p.m.
CONTACT:    To attend this information session, RSVP to Lauren Miley at (540) 224-6911 or llmiley@jchs.edu by Monday, April 8, 2013 by 5 p.m.

A painted horse at last year’s Annual Open House teaches children about equine anatomy.

An open house for the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech will take place April 6. Tours, demonstrations, lectures about veterinary medicine will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is a family-friendly event that will feature face paining, a wildlife exhibit, the Hokie bird and more.

Here is the press release from  Virginia Tech.

BLACKSBURG, Va., March 27, 2013 – The Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech will open its doors to the public during its Annual Open House on Saturday, April 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors will have opportunities to learn about veterinary medicine and the college through tours, demonstrations, and lectures.

During the Open House, veterinary students will offer guided tours of the college’s 270,000-square-foot complex, including the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and the Veterinary Medicine Instruction Addition with state-of-the-art surgery suites and student laboratories. The hour-long tours will begin at 11 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 11:45 a.m., noon, 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Read more »

The undergraduate financial planning program at Virginia Tech has received recognition from several national publications. A citing in the top 25 programs list in Financial Planning magazine and a citing as one of the top two programs in Financial Advisor magazine are among the recognition that the program has received.

Here is the press release from Virginia Tech.

BLACKSBURG, Va., March 27, 2013 – Virginia Tech’s undergraduate program in financial planning stands out nationally, thanks to its teaching and advising strengths, placement success, and active student group.

The program, which educates financial planners and prepares them for CFP® (Certified Financial Planner) certification, has received several national recognitions, including being listed among the top 25 programs in Financial Planning magazine and cited as one of the top 2 programs in Financial Advisor magazine.

Courses are offered through two colleges — the Pamplin College of Business, where financial planning is one of five specializations in finance, and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, where financial planning is one of four options — and students receive a bachelor’s degree in either finance or applied economic management when they complete their studies.

They also are eligible to take the exam to earn the CFP® designation, the premier credential in the financial advisor profession.
The program is run as a single initiative by the two participating colleges, with Derek Klock, assistant professor of practice, as the Pamplin coordinator and agricultural and applied economics professor Ruth Lytton as the director.

Both teach courses, provide academic and career guidance to students, and lead students on trips to visit companies, attend conferences, and participate in competitions.

Currently enrolling about 150 students, the program and its faculty have won kudos from students and alumni alike.

The program’s graduates are in demand in the job market, say Klock and Lytton. “Placement has always been another strength of our program,” Lytton says.

“That trend seems sure to continue,” she says, “as the Bureau of Labor Statistics is projecting a 32 percent growth in the employment of personal financial advisors through 2020, much higher than for most career paths.”

Klock says that a number of the program’s graduates, including Honeigh Meletis, a 2010 finance graduate, have been hired at leading firms such as Sullivan Bruyette Speros & Blayney (SBSB) and Glassman Wealth Services — “two of the three firms honored by Charles Schwab at its annual conference last fall as the best in the business.”

Meletis, a senior associate financial planner with SBSB, says she realized, shortly into her career, just how much the program had prepared her for her current job duties and responsibilities.
“I knew the language and had the strong financial planning knowledge I needed to hit the ground running as a new hire in a successful and highly esteemed, comprehensive wealth advisory practice.”

Virginia Tech’s nationally ranked Pamplin College of Business offers undergraduate and graduate programs in accounting and information systems, business information technology, economics, finance, hospitality and tourism management, management, and marketing. The college emphasizes the development of leadership, technology, multicultural, and international business knowledge and skills and is committed to serving business and society through the expertise of its faculty, alumni, and students. It is named in honor of two alumni: the late Robert B. Pamplin, retired CEO of Georgia-Pacific, and businessman and philanthropist Robert B. Pamplin Jr.

Danfeng Yao

An assistant professor at Virginia Tech has received a $450,000 grant to research cyber security. Danfeng “Daphne” Yao, assistant professor of computer science at Virginia Tech received the grant from the Office of Naval Research. The three-year grant will help Yao detect abnormalities in Department of Defense computers, mobile devices, command and control servers, and embedded systems in hopes to  decrease cyber attacks and cyber espionage.

Here is the press release from Virginia Tech.

BLACKSBURG, Va., March 20, 2013 – Danfeng “Daphne” Yao, assistant professor of computer science in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, has received a three-year, $450,000 grant from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) for research on cyber security.

Specifically, Yao will quantitatively detect anomalies in Department of Defense (DOD) computers, mobile devices, command and control servers, and embedded systems.

Read more »

John Casali, of the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, has helped ensure funding by delivery giant UPS for the college every year since 1996.

A donation from the United Parcel Service Foundation was awarded to Virginia Tech’s GradoDepartment of Industrial and Systems Engineering for the 17th consecutive year. The $40,000 grant will support students in the Human Factors Engineering Ergonomicsgraduate program. John Casali, of the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, is responsible for ensuring funding from UPS every year.

Here is the press release from Virginia Tech.

BLACKSBURG, Va., March 12, 2013 – The United Parcel Service Foundation has for the 17th consecutive year awarded an academic grant to Virginia Tech’s GradoDepartment of Industrial and Systems Engineering in the amount of $40,000 for 2013.

Thus far, the Atlanta-based delivery giant has given approximately $800,000 to support doctoral students in the department’s Human Factors Engineering Ergonomicsgraduate program.

“The principal use of the UPS award is to support Ph.D. students who are undertaking practical, applied research in ergonomics and human factors engineering,” said John Casali, the John Grado Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering. “We recognize that these areas of workplace safety and health have long represented hallmarks of UPS. The UPS grant allows our human factors program to attract and retain graduate students of the highest caliber, and to perform cutting-edge research during their tenure at Virginia Tech.”

Casali made his first UPS grant proposal in 1995, and has since served as the foundation’s coordinator at Virginia Tech. He estimates that more than 40 doctoral degree students have received funding to continue their studies and research because of the support from UPS.

Casali’s relationship with UPS also has resulted in other areas of support. Don Wittke, UPS corporate engineering manager, continues to serve on the Grado department’s advisory board. As with past years, he was again instrumental in assisting with this year’s grant, Casali said, adding that representatives from UPS have served on the board for the past 30 years.

Established in 1951, the UPS Foundation identifies specific areas in nonprofit effectiveness, economic and global literacy, encouraging diversity, community safety, and environmental sustainability in issuing its grants.

The College of Engineering at Virginia Tech is internationally recognized for its excellence in 14 engineering disciplines and computer science. The college’s 6,000 undergraduates benefit from an innovative curriculum that provides a “hands-on, minds-on” approach to engineering education, complementing classroom instruction with two unique design-and-build facilities and a strong Cooperative Education Program. With more than 50 research centers and numerous laboratories, the college offers its 2,000 graduate students opportunities in advanced fields of study such as biomedical engineering, state-of-the-art microelectronics, and nanotechnology. Virginia Tech, the most comprehensive university in Virginia, is dedicated to quality, innovation, and results to the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.