The College of Science is well known for its faculty experts and researchers, many of whom are recognized around the world as some of the best in their field. Below is a sampling of our recent newsmakers:

THE LOUISVILLE (KY.) COURIER-JOURNAL
Explosive evolution
Paleontologists at Virginia Tech are studying early periods of animal evolution.
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20091102/FEATURES/911020323/1010/FEATURES/Explosive+evolution

WDBJ7

Breast cancer research gets personal for some Virginia Tech students

Virginia Tech graduate students are conducting research for more information on the causes of breast cancer.
http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=11410067

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
Migratory birds’ compass: The ‘sixth sense’ of biology
John Phillips, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, is quoted about a recent study on migratory birds.
http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2009/10/28/migratory-birds-magnetic-compass-the-sixth-sense-of-biology.html

LifeScience.com

Why Halloween Terrifies Some Kids
... they might encounter a masked person, according to Thomas Ollendick, professor of psychology and director of the Child Study Center at Virginia Tech. ...

NBC 12.com

Va Tech chemist gets grant to study genetic drugs
Theresa Reineke from the Department of Chemistry is getting a $2.3 million grant to develop heart disease and cancer medicines with fewer side effects.
http://www.nbc12.com/Global/story.asp?S=11344729
This article appeared in approximately 20 media outlets.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Va Tech chemist gets grant to study genetic drugs
Theresa Reineke from the Department of Chemistry is getting a $2.3 million grant to develop heart disease and cancer medicines with fewer side effects.
http://www.nbc12.com/Global/story.asp?S=11344729
This article appeared in approximately 20 media outlets.

WSLS Channel 10

Touching face and catching flu
Klaus Elgert from the Department of Biological Sciences gives tips on avoiding the seasonal and swine flu.
http://www2.wsls.com/sls/lifestyles/health_med_fit/article/touching_face_and_catching_flu/55659/

PHYSORG
National Science Foundation fellow uses ultrasound to research bog turtles

N. Danielle Bridgers, a fisheries and wildlife sciences graduate student in the Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources, has been awarded a 2009 National Science Foundation (NSF) graduate research fellowship.
http://www.physorg.com/wire-news/17500642/national-science-foundation-fellow-uses-ultrasound-to-research-b.html

EurekAlert (press release)

Chemist receives NIH New Innovator grant for genetic drug research

Blacksburg, Va. -- A Virginia Tech chemist has been awarded a $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct research that will ...

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY (DALLAS, TX.)
NSC set to raise expectations
Scott Geller from the Department of Psychology will present the Motivational Keynote at the National Safety Council's Annual Congress.
http://ohsonline.com/articles/2009/10/13/nsc-set-to-raise-expectations.aspx

Novel Polymer Delivers Genetic Medicine, Allows Tracking
Science Daily (Oct. 6, 2009) — Theresa M. Reineke, associate professor of chemistry in the College of Science, and colleagues in her lab at Virginia Tech…

ETHIO PLANET NEWS
How neutrinos could revolutionize communications with submarines
Patrick Huber, of the Department of Physics, was quoted on improving submarine communication using neutrinos.
http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/10/06/how-neutrinos-could-revolutionize-communications-with-submarines/

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW (CAMBRIDGE, MA.)
How neutrinos could revolutionize communications with submarines
Patrick Huber from the Department of Physics says that sending messages underwater using neutrinos could improve data rates by up to three orders of magnitude.
http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/24203/

POPULAR SCIENCE (NEW YORK, N.Y.)
Neutrinos may someday provide high-speed submarine communication
Patrick Huber from the Department of Physics believes that neutrinos could provide a future method of communication with deep sea submarines.
http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-amp-space/article/2009-10/neutrinos-may-someday-provide-high-speed-submarine-communication

CHEMISTRY WORLD
Cancer-fighting bone implants
Michael Hochella, a University Distinguished Professor of geosciences Professor, is quoted.
http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/ChemScience/Volume/2009/11/Cancer_implants.asp

WTVR-TV CHANNEL 6 (CBS, RICHMOND, VA.)
Hanover earthquake
Seismological Observatory Director Martin Chapman, of the Department of Geosciences, says he received several "felt” reports of an earthquake in western Hanover County.
http://www.wtvr.com/wtvr-earthquake-hanover-093009,0,4319470.story

ZIKKIR WORLD (BLOG)
Disease Ecology To Be Studied By NIH Fellowship Recipient
Camille Harris, an alumna in biological science, has earned a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Graduate Research Fellowship for her study of the ecological impacts on the LaCrosse Virus.
http://zikkir.com/med/792?wscr=1280x1024


MILLER-MCCUNE (CA.)
Teen driving fatalities linked to alcohol ads
Ryan Smith and Scott Geller, both of the Department of Psychology, researched the impact of state laws prohibiting alcohol advertising that targets minors.
http://www.miller-mccune.com/news/teen-driving-fatalities-linked-to-alcohol-ads-1482


NEW SCIENTIST
Shower heads make a perfect home for bugs
Joseph Falkinham, a professor of biological sciences at Virginia Tech, is quoted.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17786-shower-heads-make-a-perfect-home-for-bugs.html


DISCOVERY CHANNEL
Dangerous pathogens live in showerheads
Joseph Falkinham, a professor of biological sciences at Virginia Tech, is quoted.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/09/14/showerhead-pathogens.html

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Showerheads may harbor bacteria dangerous to some
Virginia Tech microbiologist Joseph O. Falkinham comments on a study showing that showerheads can harbor bacteria. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090914/ap_on_sc/us_sci_germs_in_the_shower
This article appeared in over 200 media outlets.


PHYSORG
Researchers evaluate resistance training for diabetes prevention
Brenda Davy associate professor of human nutrition, food and exercise, is quoted.
http://www.physorg.com/news170423515.html


BIOINFORM
Virginia Tech's caulobacter model enables in silico study of asymmetric
cell division
It’s  a collaborative research effort with Tech's Virginia Bioinformatics Institute
http://www.genomeweb.com/informatics/virginia-techs-caulobacter-model-enables-silico-study-asymmetric-cell-division


GENOME WEB DAILY NEWS
Virginia Tech’s caulobacter model enables in silico study of asymmetric cell division
John Tyson, computational biologists, is quoted about the mathematical model of cell division in aquatic bacteria.  
http://www.genomeweb.com/informatics/virginia-techs-caulobacter-model-enables-silico-study-asymmetric-cell-division


SCIENCE DAILY
Earliest complex organisms fed by absorbing ocean buffet, geobiologists propose
Shuhai Xiao and Michal Kowalewski, professors of geobiology in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, are mentioned.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090819113447.htm
This article was featured in nine media outlets.

Earliest Complex Organisms Fed By Absorbing Ocean Buffet ...
Science Daily
Xiao and Kowalewski are professors of geobiology in the College of Science at Virginia Tech. The rangeomorphs had a repeatedly branching system like fern ...

KINGSPORT TIMES NEWS (Kingsport, TN.)
Earthquake causes Scott County’s 911 switchboard to light up
Martin Chapman, a geophysics professor, said Tech’s network of seismic activity monitoring stations measured an earthquake in Scott County, Va. on Friday at a 2.9.
http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9016033

GENETIC ENGINEERING & BIOTECHNOLOGY NEWS
Math model accurately mimics cell division in carbon-cycling bacterium
Department of Biological Sciences and Virginia Bioinformatics Institute scientists have developed a model a bacterium DNA replication and cell division.  John Tyson, distinguished professor of biological sciences, is quoted.
http://www.genengnews.com/news/bnitem.aspx?name=60428178
This article was featured in six media outlets.

WTVR (Richmond, VA.)
Seismologist calls for possible larger earthquake in central Virginia
Martin Chapman, earthquake seismologist and research assistant professor of geosciences at Virginia Tech, is quoted.
http://www.wtvr.com/wtvr-seismologist--magnitude-5-earthquake,0,2170023.story

AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA MARKETPLACE
Effect of Iran’s politics on its economy
Virginia Tech economics professor Djavad Salehi-Isfahani talks about how Iran's politics may play out in its economy.
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/07/30/pm-iran-q/

SCIENCE DAILY
Algebra adds value to mathematical biology education
Research by Reinhard Laubenbacher, professor with the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, will be featured in an article in Science.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090730141605.htm

AXCESS NEWS
Iran’s hard-liners face off over cabinet
Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, professor of Economics at Virginia Tech, is quoted.
http://www.axcessnews.com/index.php/articles/show/id/18452


CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
Iran’s hard-liners face off over cabinet
Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, professor of economics at Virginia Tech is quoted.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0726/p06s12-wome.html


WASHINGTON TIMES
Iranian women take front and center
The article references the research of Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, professor of economics in the College of Science.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/23/iranian-women-take-front-and-center/?FORM=ZZNR8&page=3


Experiment could lead to better flood warning
Anthony Phillips, a rising senior in the Department of Geology, College of Science, is working on a project to better predict some of those problems.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/212635

Names and changes
E. Scott Gellar, professor in the Department of Psychology, has been recognized with the American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal Award for Lifetime Achievement in Psychology in the Public Interest.
http://www.roanoke.com/business/wb/212165

CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY (Chatsworth, CA.)
Virginia Tech and the MathWorks extend engineering student collaboration
The MathWorks will sponsor Virginia Tech’s Ware Lab.  Glenda Scales, associate dean for international programs and info technology, was quoted.
http://campustechnology.com/articles/2009/07/14/virginia-tech-and-the-mathworks-extend-engineering-student-collaboration.aspx

INFORMAZIONE.IT
Physics: A hands off process for filling fullerenes with radio-active material invented
Virginia Tech chemistry professor Harry C. Dorn is a co-inventor in a hands-off process for filling fullerenes with radio-active materials.
http://www.informazione.it/c/D05952C6-71B1-499A-B311-AEB17CE43513/Physics-A-hands-off-process-for-filling-fullerenes-with-radio-active-material-invented

SOFTPEDIA
Experts learn to insert radioactive atoms inside fullerenes remotely
Virginia Tech chemistry professor, Harry C. Dorn, is quoted.
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Experts-Learn-to-Insert-Radio-Active-Atoms-Inside-Fullerenes-Remotely-116171.shtml


RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH
Minor quake hits western Henrico
Martin Chapman, director of the Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory, is quoted.
http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/BOOM08_20090707-223205/278680/

ASSOCIATED PRESS
No injuries, damage from small quake in Va.
The Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory and the U.S. Geological Survey identified the magnitude of the quake to be 2.3.  Observatory Director Martin Chapman is quoted.
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1712379
This article was featured in 16 media outlets, including the Washington Post, the Daily Press, WDBJ, WSLS, and the Washington Times.

NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO/MARKETPLACE
How economy plays into Iran’s turmoil
Virginia Tech professor of economics, Djavad Salehi-Isfahani talks about the economy's role in the Iranian protests and how it is affecting business.
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/06/24/pm_iran_economy_q/

VIRGINIA BUSINESS (Richmond, VA.)
To mine or not to mine
Robert Bodnar, professor of geosciences, is quoted about the controversy on the uranium mining ban. 
http://www.virginiabusiness.com/index.php/news/article/to-mine-or-not-to-mine/200705/

ARIRUSILA
Iran – No revolution but potential for change anyway
Virginia Tech economics professor, Djavad Salehi-Isfahani is quoted.
http://arirusila.cafebabel.com/en/post/2009/06/29/Iran-no-Revolution-but-potential-for-Change-anyway

FOREIGN POLICY (Washington Post-Slate Group, Washington, D.C.)
The failed states index 2009
Trouble in Tehran
Virginia Tech economics professor Djavid Salehi-Isfahani writes about what went wrong in Iran.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/art/2009/06/22/2009_failed_states_index_trouble_in_tehran/


THE NEW YORK TIMES
Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, of the Department of Economics, talks about the Iranian educational system in relation to the post election unrest in the country.
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/behind-the-protests-social-upheaval-in-iran/#djavad


THE LOS ALAMOS MONITOR

Nuclear Power Proposed Without Headaches

ADNA Corp., a Los Alamos-based company, headed by Charlie Bowman, signed an agreement this month with Virginia Tech to develop an alternative nuclear technology that promises to deliver a safer, less costly supply of nuclear energy, while eliminating proliferation concerns about uranium enrichment and substantially reducing and postponing the burden of nuclear waste for hundreds of years.

http://www.lcni5.com/cgi-bin/c2.cgi?075+article+News+20090530124325075075007

Morning earthquake in Roanoke rattles the valley
"These earthquakes are fairly ordinary," said Martin Chapman, a Virginia Tech research assistant professor of geophysics in the College of Science.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/205071

THE INDEPENDENT (LONDON, ENGLAND)
Jack Good: Cryptographer whose work with Alan Turing at Bletchley Park was crucial to the war effort
In the 1960s, Jack Good, known in the United States as an academic working in statistics and mathematics, used to drive around the campus of Virginia Tech in a car which sported the personalised number plate 007 IJG. It was his oblique way of referring to what for decades he could not speak about – his important wartime role as a code breaker at Bletchley Park.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/jack-good-cryptographer-whose-work-with-alan-turing-at-bletchley-park-was-crucial-to-the-war-effort-1684506.html

Virginia Tech, company aim for safer nuclear energy
Virginia Tech is teaming with a company with Southwest Virginia ties on a project that could have far-reaching consequences in the field of nuclear energy.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/203552

Tech programs earn spots in U.S. News rankings
Graduate programs in four Virginia Tech colleges are ranked in the latest U.S. News & World Report list released last week.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/202778

Va. Tech geologist to study uranium deposit
The U.S. Geological Survey awarded a $60,000 mineral research grant to Virginia Tech geochemistry professor Robert Bodnar.
http://www.nbc12.com/Global/story.asp?S=10212056
Appeared in 10 media outlets, including USA Today and WWBT-TV, NBC Channel 12 (Richmond, VA.).

Va. Tech geologist to study uranium deposit
The U.S. Geological Survey awarded a $60,000 mineral research grant to Virginia Tech geochemistry professor Robert Bodnar.
http://www.nbc12.com/Global/story.asp?S=10212056
Appeared in 10 media outlets, including USA Today and WWBT-TV, NBC Channel 12 (Richmond, VA.).

LYNCHBURG (VA.) NEWS & ADVANCE
Va. Tech geologist to study Coles Hill uranium deposit
A Virginia Tech geologist was awarded a $60,000 grant from the U.S. Geological Survey to study the Coles Hill uranium deposit in Pittsylvania County.
http://www.newsadvance.com/lna/news/local/article/va._tech_geologist_to_study_coles_hill_uranium_deposit/15282/


Irving John Good to be honored in memorial service
Irving Good, who served as professor of statistics in Virginia Tech's College of Science from 1967 until 1994, was honored at a memorial service Sunday.
http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/lifestyles/announcements/obituaries/article/IGOB19_20090418-222407/259821/

Tech geologist to study deposit of uranium ore
A Virginia Tech geologist was awarded a $60,000 grant from the U.S. Geological Survey to study the Coles Hill uranium deposit in Pittsylvania County.
http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/state_regional/article/URAN20_20090419-212405/260228/
Also appeared in Madison Messenger (Danville, VA.).

Irving John Good to be honored in memorial service
Richmond Times Dispatch - Richmond,VA,USA
At the end of his career, he served as professor of statistics in Virginia Tech's College of Science from 1967 until 1994, when he retired as university ...
See all stories on this topic

Va. Tech geologist to study Coles Hill deposit
Madison Messenger - Danville,VA,USA
By Sarah Watson A Virginia Tech geologist recently was awarded a $60000 grant to study the Coles Hill uranium deposit in Pittsylvania County near Chatham. ...
http://www.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/danville_news/article/va._tech_geologist_to_study_coles_hill_deposit/10496/

LONDON TIMES

Professor Jack Good: mathematician and wartime codebreaker http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article6100314.ece

LOS ANGELES TIMES

NIH funds development of resistance-breaking insecticides to ...
EurekAlert (press release) - Washington,DC,USA
The research team led by Paul Carlier (www.files.chem.vt.edu/chem-dept/carlier/), professor of chemistry in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, ...
See all stories on this topic

Passings
Irving John "Jack" Good, 92, a retired Virginia Tech statistician who helped break the Nazi Enigma code for his native England during World War II
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-passings13-2009apr13,0,3844936.story

BALTIMORE SUN
Deaths elsewhere
Irving Good, a retired Virginia Tech statistician who helped break the Nazi Enigma code during World War II, died Sunday.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/obituaries/bal-md.ob.delse09apr09,0,2239957.story

The Telegraph (United Kingdom). 
Professor Jack Good-Obituary
Professor Jack Good, who died on April 5 aged 92, made fundamental contributions to probability theory, drawing on ideas developed while working as a code breaker at Bletchley Park during the Second World War.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/special-forces-obituaries/5132599/Professor-Jack-Good.html

Virginia Tech professor, WWII code-breaker Irving Good dies
WSLS.com - Roanoke,VA,USA
He also held adjunct professorships at Virginia Tech in the Center for the Study of Science in Society and the Department of Philosophy. ...

ASSOCIATED PRESS
National AP story
Obituaries in the news
Irving J. "Jack" Good
Irving John "Jack" Good, 92, a retired Virginia Tech statistician who helped break the Nazi Enigma code for his native England during World War II, died Sunday in Radford, Va.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jj4yj37U9DWYfLMh8iNpt2MokknAD97E0IJ00
Appeared in five media outlets including the Philadelphia Inquirer.

TRICITIES (BRISTOL, VA.)
Emory & Henry professor shows passion for science
Mentions Harry Dorn a professor in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Science. http://www.tricities.com/tri/news/local/article/emory_henry_professor_shows_passion_for_science/22627/

SUSSEX EXPRESS (UNITED KINGDOM)
Bletchley Park scientist dies
Although a UK citizen, he had been professor of statistics at Virginia Tech since 1967. http://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/latest-south-east-news/Bletchley-Park-scientist-dies.5148336.jp
Also ran in Wales Online

THE PRESS ASSOCIATION (UNITED KINGDOM)
Enigma Code scientist dies, age 92
One of the scientists at Bletchley Park who helped break the German Enigma Code during the Second World War has died. Irving John "Jack" Good and others
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5gY-vr-F4NPhuzrzICPfl-GTlJFqw
Ran in three other publications.

ASSOCIATED PRESS
IJ Good, retired professor, code-breaker, dies
Irving John "Jack" Good, who advised Stanley Kubrick on the science related to the film "2001: A Space Odyssey," has died in Virginia.
http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-va--obit-good0406apr06,0,1789164.story
Article ran in seven publications, including USA TODAY.

RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH
Va. Tech professor, who helped break Nazi Enigma code, dies
Irving John "Jack" Good was a retired Virginia Tech statistician who helped break the Nazi Enigma code for his native England.
http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/state_regional/article/OBITGAT07_20090407-82812/250709/
WSLS-TV CHANNEL 10 (NBC)
Virginia Tech professor, WWII code-breaker Irving Good dies
Irving John (Jack) Good, one of the founders of modern Bayesian inference and a member of the World War II code-breaking team.
http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/local/new_river_valley/article/virginia_tech_professor_wwii_code-breaker_irving_good_dies/32642/

ROANOKE TIMES

Jack Good, ex-Va. Tech professor, dies at 92
Virginia Tech on Monday reported the death of the professor emeritus, who also had been part of the World War II code-breaking team in his native England.
By Associated Press

COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS (WASHINGTON, D.C.)
Poor policy, not sanctions, weaken Iran’s economy
An interview with Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, professor of economics at Virginia Tech and former economist at the Central Bank of Iran.
http://www.cfr.org/publication/18937/poor_policy_not_sanctions_weaken_irans_economy.html?breadcrumb=%2F

ROANOKE TIMES
Studying the sun from deep within the Earth
Virginia Tech researchers are conducting experiments to better understand how the sun works.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/199311

Nobel Laureate James M. Buchanan to give BB&T Distinguished Lecture at Virginia Tech
http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2009&itemno=219

WDBJ-TV, CHANNEL 7 (CBS)
What does it mean to live green?
Virginia Tech Biological Sciences Department Head, Dr. Bob Jones says being green is a philosophy of understanding that people have a relationship with their environment.
http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=10011882&nav=S6aK

TIME MAGAZINE
Will the economy be Ahmadinejad’s downfall?
Story quotes Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, an economics professor in the College of Science
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1884238,00.html

Names and changes
Roanoke Times - Roanoke,VA,USA
EDWARD VALEEV, assistant professor of chemistry in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, has been awarded a 2009 Sloan Research Fellowship to further his ...

EUREKALERT (WASHINGTON D.C.)
Press release
Chemistry professor wins CAREER Award for analysis of advanced fuel cell polymers
Louis A. Madsen, assistant professor of chemistry in the College of Science and the Macromolecules and Interfaces Institute at Virginia Tech, has earned a $475,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-03/vt-cpw022709.php
Also appeared on WSLS-TV Channel 10 (NBC).

RED ORBIT (TEXAS)
New research questions old assumptions about how many molecules it takes to control cell division 
Mark Paul, professor of mechanical engineering; and John Tyson, University Distinguished Professor of biological sciences, and their colleagues have created a mathematical model to explore the roles of noise in controlling the basic events of the cell cycle.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1644951/new_research_question_old_assumptions_about_how_many_molecules_it/

SCIENCE DAILY (ROCKVILLE, MD.)
New models question old assumptions about how many molecules it takes to control cell division
Virginia Tech biologists and engineers have created a mathematical model to explore the roles of noise in controlling the basic events of the cell cycle.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090224154904.htm
Appeared in seven additional media outlets.

CHECKBIOTECH
The cost of the biofuel boom: destroying Indonesia’s forests
Fnu Sunarto, a Virginia Tech doctoral candidate in wildlife biology, is working in Sumatra to working with oil palm managers to save endangered Sumatran tigers.
http://bioenergy.checkbiotech.org/news/cost_biofuel_boom_destroying_indonesia%E2%80%99s_forests

Newsmakers 2008

The College of Science is well known for its faculty experts and researchers, many of whom are recognized around the world as some of the best in their field. Below is a sampling of our recent newsmakers:

NEWS & OBSERVER (RALEIGH, NC)

Joe Desimone – 2008 Tar Heel of the Year
Acclaimed UNC professor earned his Ph.D. in chemistry at Virginia Tech.
http://www.newsobserver.com/1061/story/1347455.html

Earthly organisms developed in fits and starts - study

The South African Star - Johannesburg,South Africa
... in size occurred in two distinct time-intervals," said Michal Kowalew-ski, a co-author of the study and professor of geosciences at Virginia Tech. ...

Joe DeSimone - 2008 Tar Heel of the Year

TMCnet - USA
Both processes sprang from an idea DeSimone originally had as a graduate student at Virginia Tech, where he studied polymer chemistry -- the science behind ...

AFP(AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE)

Earthly organisms developed in two sets of fits and starts

Story about collaborative research by Michal Kowalewski, a co-author of the study and professor of geosciences in the College of Science.
http://howrah.org/sci_tech_htm/37421.html
Ran in 14 media outlets including Science Daily and the Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald

INSCIENCES ORGANISATION (SWITZERLAND)

Life got bigger in two, million-fold leaps, scientists say... through the National Story about research by Michal Kowalewski, College of Science geoscientist, and Jennifer Stempien, recently of Virginia Tech and now at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
http://insciences.org/article.php?article_id=1009
Stanford University release ran in three other media outlets.

SCIENCE DAILY

Glacial erosion changes mountain responses to plate tectonics
Talks about research by Aaron Berger and James Spotila of the Department of Geoscience in the College of Science.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081114201603.htm

Clear water revival

Virginia Tech biologists helping find a way to prevent livestock litter from washing into the regions streams and rivers.
http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/local/article/clear_water_revival/31806/

Glacial Erosion Changes Mountain Responses to Plate Tectonics

Newswise (press release) - USA
The paper was a partnership of Aaron L. Berger, whose Ph.D. research it encompassed, his major professor, James A. Spotila, both with the Virginia Tech ...

FORBES

Virginia commission OKs study of uranium mining
Collaboration of Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research at Virginia Tech and the National Academy of Sciences. Michael Karmis, is the VT center’s director and a Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering professor.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/11/06/ap5660931.html

Chatham (Va.) Star-Tribune

Coal, energy commission moves forward on uranium study
Includes mention of Virginia Center for Coal and Energy at Virginia Tech.
http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2008/11/11/chatham/news/news39.txt

Franklin (VA) News Post

Meeting focuses on cleaning up rivers, streams in county
Karen Kline, of biological systems in the College of Science, works with state environmental department in explaining the various funding programs available to assist farmers with cleaning up livestock operations
http://www.thefranklinnewspost.com/article.cfm?ID=12203

Chemie de (Germany)

Bare bones of crystal growth: Biomolecules enhance metal contents
Article about research by Patricia Dove, professor of geoscience in the College of Science at Virginia Tech.
http://www.chemie.de/news/e/89034/
Ran in six other media outlets

Nature News

A study of how marine organisms take up minerals into their shells could help scientists better understand past environments. Features research by Allison Stephenson, PhD student of Patricia Dove

http://www.nature.com/news/2008/081030/full/news.2008.1197.html

Ars Technica

Peering into the past is always fraught with uncertainty, and historic climate reconstructions are no exception. Built from data gleaned from things like ice cores, tree rings, and sea floor sediments, these models acknowledge the fickle nature of some data and often account for it. Features research by Allison Stephenson, PhD student of Patricia Dove.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081031-paleoclimatologists-give-a-nod-to-peptides.html

Chemical and Eng. News

An aspartate-rich peptide enhances magnesium uptake into calcite, a calcium carbonate mineral, a finding that raises questions about factors influencing estimates of ocean temperatures during prehistoric times (Science 2008, 322, 724). Features research by Patricia Dove.

http://pubs.acs.org/isubscribe/journals/cen/86/i44/html/8644scic4.html

AZOM

Biomolecules offer new insights into materials synthesis
Talks about research by Patricia Dove, professor of geoscience in the College of Science
http://www.azom.com/news.asp?newsID=14373

Medical News Today

Bacteria follow the crowd in decision to grow
Discusses research on which David L. Popham, professor of biological science, collaborated.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/127628.php

'One Health' aims for holistic science outlook

Virginia Tech Collegiate Times Online Edition - Blacksburg,VA,USA
... were discussed during Monday's daylong Dean's Forum on Infectious Diseases, particularly in regard to research Virginia Tech professors and faculty are ...

Vet school forum focuses on infectious diseases

New River Valley Current - Christiansburg,VA,USA
The forum is sponsored by the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and Tech's College of Science. Gerhardt Schurig, dean of the vet ...

WDBJ-TV CHANNEL 7 (CBS)

Specialist from CDC to speak at Virginia Tech
Dr. Lonnie King with the Centers of Disease Control spoke at Virginia Tech Saturday.

http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=9087605

Vet school forum focuses on infectious diseases

A national expert on diseases that are transferable from animals to humans will speak Sunday at Virginia Tech to kick off the university's Dean's Forum on Infectious Diseases.

http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/178337

WJLA-7(DC)

Virginia Tech Share of Science Grant $1.75 million

Tech geosciences and civil and environmental engineering researchers are part of a consortium of four principal universities and five other schools that will share in the grant from the National Science Foundation.

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0908/554678.html

Tech share of science grant $1.75 million

Daily Press - Newport News,VA,USA
Virginia Tech's portion of the grant is $1.75 million. The science will study the behavior of nanomaterials and their interaction with the environment.

NSF funds multi-university center to study environmental ...

EurekAlert (press release) - Washington,DC,USA
Researchers from geosciences and civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech are part of a consortium of four principal universities and five other ...

Key Protein Molecule Linked To Diverse Human Chronic Inflammatory Diseases

Article about Liwu Li, associate professor of biological sciences at Virginia Tech.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080915143332.htm

Key protein molecule linked to diverse human chronic inflammatory ...

EurekAlert (press release) - Washington,DC,USA
Liwu Li, associate professor of biological sciences at Virginia Tech, has revealed a common connection between the cellular innate immunity network and ...

Virginia Tech physics professor not worried about Big Bang machine

Some skeptics warn the experiment could create black holes and lead to doomsday, but Leo Piilonen, a Virginia Tech professor of physics and a particle ...

http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=8995138

Mountain Lake water level drains to small pool

Article includes commentary from retired Virginia Tech biologist Bruce Parker.

http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/176270

Virginia Tech scientists, students conduct research at Coles Hill

Chatham Star Tribune - Chatham,VA,USA
"Our goal with Virginia Tech is to turn the science on," he said. "Before you can answer a lot of questions you've got to collect a lot of information. ...

Names and changes: Week of Sept. 7
Roanoke Times - Roanoke,VA,USA
RUSSELL JONES, professor of psychology in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, has been named to a new subcommittee in the department of health and ...

Living in Fear

PEOPLE Magazine

Sept. 8, 2008

Tom Ollendick, University Distinguished Professor of Psychology and one of his former research participants are featured in an article about phobias.

WSET-TV CHANNEL 13 (ABC)

VT Professor Studies Hurricane Victims

Virginia Tech psychology Doctor Russell Jones is part of a team studying the mental impact of these large storms.

http://www.wset.com/news/stories/0908/550707.html

VT professor weighs in on psychological impact of Gustav and Katrina

Article includes commentary from Russell Jones, professor at Virginia Tech and clinical psychologist.

http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/local/new_river_valley/article/vt_professor_
weighs_in_on_psychological_impact_of_gustav_and_katrina/16723/

WDBJ-CHANNEL 7

VT professor warns of traumatizing effects of hurricanes

Article includes commentary from Russell T. Jones teaches psychology at Tech

http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=8938611&nav=menu368_1

WRVA Radio (Richmond)

Mental Health an Issue after Gustav
Even though the physical impact from Hurricane Gustav was far less
than what the Gulf Coast saw from Hurricane Katrina, a Virginia Tech
psychology professor says there could be far-ranging mental impacts.

http://www.wrva.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=128979%26article=4180731

ROANOKE TIMES

Study to look at overlap of ADHD, anxiety

A Virginia Tech graduate student is hoping to find a treatment program that will help children who have both afflictions.

Article about the work of Matthew Jarrett, a Virginia Tech graduate student in psychology.

http://www.roanoke.com/community/virginia/health/wb/174715

Water Technology Online

Oxidation-resistant RO membranes under development
Virginia Tech’s Dr. James McGrath, university distinguished and ethyl corporation professor of chemistry, said in the press release, “This partnership is a ...

THE TECH HERALD

Google Earth used to discover cows' innate magnetic sense

Article features commentary from Professor John Phillips, a sensory biologist from VirginiaTech..

http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php/200835/1851/Google-Earth-used-to-discover-cows-innate-magnetic-sense

SCIENCE NEWS

Cows, deer line up with Earth’s magnetic field

Article includes commentary from John B. Phillips, a sensory biologist at Virginia Tech

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/35797/title/Compass_creatures

RedOrbit – Dallas, TX

Names and Changes
ROBIN PANNETON, associate professor of psychology and director of development and biological psychology in Virginia Tech's College of Science, ...

MARKETWATCH

Franklin, Virginia Native Recognized Among NASA Best, Brightest
She was accepted and studied at Virginia Tech receiving a bachelor's degree last year in aerospace engineering with a minor in mathematics. ...

UT The Daily Texan - Austin,TX,USA

Clean water more accessible thanks to UT professor

... don't last long when these disinfectants are used, even in small amounts," said James McGrath of Virginia Tech, with whom Freeman worked on the project. ...

Science Daily

New Insight To Demineralization: Amorphous Silica Dissolves By Pathway Similar To Crystals

Article about the work of Patricia Dove, professor of geosciences in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, and postdoctoral scientists Nizhou Han and Adam Wallace.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707171744.htm

The News and Observer

Inventor nabs $500,000 MIT prize
Article about Joseph DeSimone who received a doctoral degree in chemistry from Virginia Tech.
http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/1120716-p2.html

New York Times

The June 23, 2008 edition of the New York Times featured a front-page article about youth in Algeria. Djavad Salehi Isfahani, professor of economics, contributed to a companion piece to this article found here:
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/ask-the-experts-about-algeria/

Media Newswire

Team Teaching from a Distance Works for Emerging Nanotechnology Field
The 142 miles between Virginia Tech and University of Virginia were not a deterrent as the two began a distance-teaching course that involved 23 students in ...
http://media-newswire.com/release_1068074.html

Virginia Tech researchers suggest road to better health just a ...

WSLS.com - Roanoke,VA,USA
Psychologists in Virginia Tech’s College of Science http://www.science.vt.edu/ are looking for participants in a free Internet program that helps people ...

Two Explosive Evolutionary Events Shaped Early History Of Multicellular Life

SCIENCE DAILY
Now Virginia Tech paleontologists, using rigorous analytical methods, have identified another explosive evolutionary event that occurred about 33 million years earlier among macroscopic life forms unrelated to the Cambrian animals.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080103144451.htm

Physicists and engineers search for new dimension

TECH JOURNAL SOUTH (NORTH CAROLINA)
Article about the research of John Simonetti, associate professor of physics in the College of Science and Michael Kavic, graduate student and one of the investigators on the project.
http://www.techjournalsouth.com/news/article.html?item_id=5313

Speaker Connects Faith and Science

Planet Blacksburg - Blacksburg,VA,USA
Kingston joined the Virginia Tech Department of Chemistry in 1971. The American Chemical Society named Kingston the 2008 recipient of the Ernest Guenther ...

look who's talking

Roanoke Times - Roanoke,VA,USA
A lecture by Dan Lizarralde as part of the Virginia Tech Geosciences Lecturer Series. 3:30 pm Friday. 4069 Derring Hall, Virginia Tech. geos.vt.edu. ...

ACS Award In Polymer Chemistry

CHEMICAL & ENGINEERING NEWS
"An icon in the field of polymer science," is how one colleague describes James E. McGrath, a University Distinguished Professor and Ethyl Corp. Chair in Chemistry at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. "I cannot imagine a more highly qualified scientist to receive this important recognition," another says.
http://pubs.acs.org/isubscribe/journals/cen/86/i04/html/8604awards5.html

Water Needed To Produce Various Types Of Energy

Science Daily (press release) - USA
Virginia Tech professor Tamim Younos and undergraduate student Rachelle Hill are researching the water-efficiency of some of the most common energy sources ...

Living in Tech tragedy's shadow

Richmond Times Dispatch - Richmond,VA,USA
Professor Ezra A. Brown is a professor of mathematics at Virginia Tech University. Photo By: EVA RUSSO/TIMES-DISPATCH A year to reflect: How have you ...

UD nanomineral research featured in ’Science’

University of Delaware - Newark, DE, USA
The lead author, Michael F. Hochella Jr. of the Center for NanoBioEarth, Department of Geosciences at Virginia Tech, serves on the external advisory board ...

Convection may have made Mercury's cliffs

Science
Professor Scott King of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University based his finding on an examination of computer simulations of the ...
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2008/03/31/convection_may_have_made_
mercurys_cliffs/5317/

New Theory Explains Mercury's Mysterious Cliffs

SPACE.COM
About research by Scott King, a planetary geophysicist at Virginia Tech.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/080325-st-mercury-cliffs.html

Professor To Explore The Paranormal Universe

Planet Blacksburg - Blacksburg, VA, USA
That’s why Nahum Arav, astronomer, and associate professor in Virginia Tech’s physics department, loves studying paranormal phenomenon as a hobby and is ...

Nanoscience Will Change The Way We Think About The World

Science Daily (press release) - USA
Adapted from materials provided by Virginia Tech, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS. Need to cite this story in your essay, paper, or report? ...

Nanominerals, Mineral Nanoparticles, and Earth Systems

SCIENCE MAGAZINE
Article mentions the work of Steven K. Lower, Center for NanoBioEarth, Department of Geosciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/319/5870/1631

Streams 'are the world's kidneys'

Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
Prof Jack Webster, Virginia Tech, adds: "Eutrophication in the Chesapeake Bay has damaged the oyster industry in Virginia and in the Gulf of Mexico, ...

Streams are natural filters

Science Centric - Sofia,Sofia Town,Bulgaria
Learn more about the Virginia Tech Stream Team at www.biol.vt.edu/research/streamteam/. The National Science Foundation funded the research. ...

Search for a tiny fourth dimension

Scenta.co.uk - London,England,UK
Now, a team of physicists at Virginia Tech believe they could find it using a very large Eight-meter-wavelength Transient Array radio telescope. ...

Committee assists Tech with April 16 research

Virginia Tech Collegiate Times Online Edition - Blacksburg,VA,USA
Months after the Virginia Tech shooting last April, the university's office of the provost established a group that would supplement the traditional process ...

Searching For A Tiny New Dimension, Curled Up Like The Universe Before The Big Bang

SCIENCE DAILY
Article featuring John Simonetti, associate professor of physics in the College of Science and Michael Kavic, graduate student and one of the investigators on the project.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310151949.htm

Virginia Tech Researchers Study Effects of Shootings on Their Campus

CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Some professors there may find themselves compelled to process the recent mass shooting in the best way they know how: by studying it.
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v54/i26/26a01001.htm

Surprising Patterns of Coping After Virginia Tech and Other Calamities

CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
“Welcome to the high point of the afternoon,” said Robert S. Pynoos of the University of California at Los Angeles, standing at a podium at the AAAS meeting. “We have three-quarters of an hour on suffering and loss.”
http://chronicle.com/blogs/conference/1670/surprising-patterns-of-coping-after-virginia-tech-and-other-calamities

Two Oxygenation Events In Ancient Oceans Sparked Spread Of Complex ...

Science Daily (press release) - USA
To test the interaction between biological evolution and environmental change, an international team of scientists from Virginia Tech, the University of ...

At Virginia Tech, Researchers Study the Effects of Shootings on Their Own Campus

CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
When the last television news trucks pull away from Northern Illinois University, some professors there may find themselves compelled to process the recent mass shooting in the best way they know how: by studying it.
http://chronicle.com/daily/2008/02/1795n.htm

Heavy work for green light

Nature.com (subscription) - London,England,UK
That’s what Virginia Tech student Clay Moulton thought. So he designed the Gravia, a metre high lamp powered by a slowly falling weight that users would ...

Unique Martian Formation Reveals Brief Bursts Of Water

Science Daily (press release) - USA
"There are no fans with steps on earth, so we had to build one," said Erin R. Kraal, now a geosciences research scientist at Virginia Tech. ...

Research Explains Formation of Unique Martian Fans

NEW YORK TIMES
Scientists believe they now know how sediment deposits spilling out of the mouth of some water channels on Mars were shaped in a series of terraces.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/science/space/21mars.html?_r=1%26oref=slogin

Water gushes created "staircases" on Mars

Reuters UK By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters)
Sudden, tremendous gushes of water from underground most likely carved out unusual fan-shaped geological formations ...
http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKN2038698720080221

River-Size "Flash Floods" May Have Carved Mars Craters

National Geographic
Using a classroom-size prop, a team of Dutch researchers says it may have demystified a handful of unusual Martian craters­and further complicated the story ...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/080220-mars-water.html

How Science Is Opening the Way to a New Form of Human Spirituality

Marketwire.com
However, according to astronomer Nahum Arav, a former astrophysics research professor at the University of Colorado, it is science that is opening the way to a new form of human spirituality.
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=820972

Christine George in USA Today

USA TODAY
USA Today honors Virginia Tech’ s Christine George as an All-USA College Academic First Team member (9/20)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/gallery/2008/n080214_collegeallstars/flash.htm?gid=397&aid=2026

Surprising Patterns of Coping After Virginia Tech and Other Calamities

CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Russell T. Jones, a psychologist at Virginia Tech, presented some of the first in-depth research on survivors of the mass murders—a topic made even more ...
http://chronicle.com/blogs/conference/1670/surprising-patterns-of-coping-after-virginia-tech-and-other-calamities

Exercise can make you feel better

ROANOKE TIMES
Interview with Richard Winett, a professor of psychology at Virginia Tech.
http://www.roanoke.com/wb/149684

Structure of important neurotransmitter regulator solved

NEWS-MEDICAL.NET
Researchers from Virginia Tech and the Brookhaven National Laboratory have solved the structure of an enzyme that is critical in the regulation of the neurotransmitter system in the human brain.
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=34908

Understanding the Economic Problem

BLUE RIDGE BUSINESS JOURNAL
If all this economics talk leaves you with a headache, let Virginia Tech professor Nicolaus Tideman offer an aspirin.
http://www.bizjournal.com/

Computers Used to Study Bacterial Cell Division

OBBeC
According to a recent report from Virginia Tech, a group of computational biologists at the institute have created a mathematical model of the process that regulates cell division in a common bacterium, confirming hypotheses, providing new insights, identifying gaps in what is understood so far, and demonstrating the role of computation in biology.
http://www.obbec.com/component/content/article/1135-computational-biology/1613-computers-used-to-study-bacterial-cell-division

Another Big Bang for Biology

Science Now
Researchers have uncovered what they think is a sudden diversification of life at least 30 million years before the Cambrian period, the time when most of the major living groups of animals emerged. If confirmed, the find reinforces the idea that major evolutionary innovations occurred in bursts.
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2008/103/1