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News by Supplier: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University From a meagre beginning in October of 1872, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech, has evolved into a comprehensive university of national and international prominence. As Virginia's largest university with 25,600 students and one of the top 50 research institutions in the nation, it is an institution that firmly embraces a history of putting knowledge to work. That tradition is rooted in our motto, Ut Prosim: "That I May Serve," and our land-grant missions of instruction, research, and solving the problems of society through public service and outreach activities. Scratching the surface: Researchers reveal insights on silicon semiconductors 30 September 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 'Smaller. Faster. Wildly complex.' This could easily be the motto for semiconductors-the materials that, among lots of other advances in electronics, allow cell phones to continuously shrink in size while increasing the number of their mind-boggling functions. A beagle was first patient to benefit from new underwater treadmill therapy 03 September 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Reupert, a beagle who could not walk immediately following surgery for a herniated spinal disk, was the first patient to benefit from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine's new underwater treadmill therapy. Veterinary researcher examines malignant melanoma in horses and people 03 September 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Malignant melanoma is a dangerous, aggressive form of cancer, and approximately 54,000 new cases are diagnosed every year, according to the American Cancer Society. Interestingly, there are many similarities between malignant melanoma in horses and malignant melanoma in people. Researchers study light activated anticancer drug targeted to DNA using cisplatin like sub-units 03 September 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University One of the most effective chemotherapy drugs against cancer is cisplatin because it attaches to cancer DNA and disrupts repair. However, it also kills healthy tissue. Many scientists are creating alternative drugs or cisplatin analogs in attempts to find treatments without side effects. One approach to analog development is light activated drugs, or photodynamic therapy. Now a Virginia Tech chemistry-biology research team that has been working on both non-cisplatin drugs and cisplatin analogs has combined their findings to create a molecular complex (supramolecule) that exploits cisplatins tumor targeting to deliver a light activated drug. Researcher says Swedish method of human cartilage repair shows good durability 02 September 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University As the population ages, arthritis will become more prevalent. It will be helpful to know more about the causes and treatments of cartilage wear. Michael Furey, professor emeritus of mechanical and biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, recently conducted the first study of wear in human cartilage. Researchers developing higher quality, disease-resistant wheat varieties 02 September 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Researchers at Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are part of consortium of public wheat breeders and scientists that have been awarded $5 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to implement modern breeding technologies enabling breeders to produce higher quality, disease-resistant wheat. A truck idles at a stoplight; when the light turns green, it roars away in a cloud of dirt and exhaust 02 September 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University For many years, researchers have studied tailpipe emissions as they correlate to human exposure and adverse health effects. Recently, however, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison learned that there's more to that cloud of roadway dirt than meets the eye: What looks like ordinary dirt actually is a potentially toxic mixture of non-tailpipe vehicle emissions, including microscopic metal particles from brake and tire wear. Study of urban roadside dirt reveals potentially toxic mix of metals 01 September 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University For many years, researchers have studied tailpipe emissions as they correlate to human exposure and adverse health effects. Recently, however, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison learned that there's more to that cloud of roadway dirt than meets the eye: What looks like ordinary dirt actually is a potentially toxic mixture of non-tailpipe vehicle emissions, including microscopic metal particles from brake and tire wear. Bringing quality control to systems biology modeling 01 September 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University An international group of scientists from 14 different organizations around the world are proposing a new quality standard for biochemical models. The background for this effort is the pressing need for a minimum standard of information that will allow scientists to build and use effective models of biological systems. If biological models are incompletely described, it causes major obstacles for scientists wishing to apply these models to their research efforts. By introducing a framework for quality control, the scientists hope to make it easier for researchers to reuse, modify, and combine computer models of biological processes. Studies reveal reaction pathways for ozone on organic surfaces 01 September 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University John Morris' group is studying the reactions of small molecules found in pollution of surfaces. Morris, associate professor of chemistry in the College of Science, and his students are looking specifically at hydrochloric acid and triatomic oxygen (O3, a toxic form of oxygen), pollutants known to play a major role in atmosphere chemistry. They are using functionalized self-assembled monolayers (thin films – one molecule thick) to simulate organic surfaces. Researcher reports more evidence that lightning strike coincides with West Virginia mine explosion 31 August 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Martin Chapman, director of the Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory and research assistant professor of geosciences in the College of Science, reported that the West Virginia digital seismic station recorded a seismic event at the time of the explosion at the Sago Mine that correlates with lightning strikes in that area. New processing steps promise more economical ethanol production 31 August 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Why isn't ethanol production growing by leaps and bounds in the face of higher gasoline prices? Ethanol production from cornstarch is a $10 billion dollar business in the United States and 4 billion gallons of ethanol will be produced in 2006. In his 2006 State of the Union address, President Bush called for doubling ethanol production by 2012, and replacing 75 percent of Middle Eastern oil with bioethanol from renewable materials by 2025. Researchers develop method for gene disruption in destructive fungal pathogen 30 August 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, Colorado State University and Duke University Medical Center have developed a new method to determine gene function on a genome-wide scale in the fungal pathogen Alternaria brassicicola. A. brassicicola, which causes black spot disease in cultivated Brassica, is a destructive fungus that may lead to considerable leaf loss in economically important crops including canola, cabbage and broccoli. Unlikely team--engineer, dentist, and veterinarian--build bone tissue 30 August 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Oral and pharyngeal cancers rank among the most prevalent worldwide, although they account for only about three percent of all cancers in the United States. Unfortunately, most oral cancers are detected at advanced stages when combinations of surgery and radiation are required, and the most recent studies show the five-year survival rate of 53 percent has not changed in the past 30 years. Scientists develop process for creating biocompatible fibers 29 August 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Scientists at Virginia Tech have developed a single-step process for creating nonwoven fibrous mats from a small organic molecule,creating a new nanoscale material with potential applications where biocompatible materials are required, such as scaffolds for tissue growth and drug delivery. Study calls for safeguards against misuse of advances in life sciences 29 August 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Vigilance among the world's scientists, an expanded view of bioterrorism threats, and a stronger public health infrastructure are needed to reduce the growing risk that new advances in the life sciences and related technologies will be used to create novel biological weapons or misused by careless individuals, says a new report from the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. Scientists struggle to pinpoint how the drugs work in the brain 29 August 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Although millions depend on medications such as Ritalin to quell symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, scientists have struggled to pinpoint how the drugs work in the brain. Study reveals how ADHD drugs work in brain 28 August 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Although millions depend on medications such as Ritalin to quell symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, scientists have struggled to pinpoint how the drugs work in the brain. Researchers to develop computational diagnostic methods for viral pathogens 28 August 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University The Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech and Orion Integrated Biosciences Inc. today announced that they have signed an agreement to facilitate the development of new diagnostic methods for key viral pathogens. Under the terms of the agreement, information on encephalic and hemorrhagic viruses from VBI’s PathPort project will be integrated into Orion’s Integrated Computational Analysis System, a high-performance, portable computational tool that allows users to store, retrieve, and exchange molecular and diagnostic data on viral pathogens. Science and technology in society professor explores global emergence of engineering 28 August 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Gary Downey, a professor science and technology in society in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, has been awarded a pair of grants from the National Science Foundation. Research team to compare environmental performance of building systems 30 March 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University The head of the Virginia Tech College of Natural Resource’s wood science and forest products department professor, Paul Winistorfer, and wood products professor Earl Kline have joined a group of prestigious university professors and wood experts in a landmark research project directed by the Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials. Researchers say polymer composite provides better fire protection than steel for shipboard use 26 March 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University The U.S. Navy needs lighter materials so ships will go further faster. One way to do that is to use new composite materials. But how will these materials respond to fire, one of the most critical safety concerns on a ship? Virginia Tech material scientists have developed models to test composites for fire resistance, and have a recommendation. Researchers develop high-efficiency transformation of strawberry 16 March 2006 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute and the Department of Horticulture in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech have developed a new procedure for the efficient transfer of specific DNA sequences into the genome of strawberry. The scientists have used Agrobacterium tumefaciens, nature’s genetic engineer, to introduce DNA into the woodland or alpine strawberry Fragaria vesca. The work was funded by a Virginia Tech ASPIRES grant (A Support Program for Innovative Research Strategies). Study cites teens' mixed emotions about parent deployment 20 December 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Understanding how a parent’s deployment affects the emotional and behavioral development of their teenage children is the focal point of research conducted by Angela Huebner, associate professor of human development at Virginia Tech, National Capital Region, and Jay A. Mancini, professor of human development, Blacksburg campus. Professor says research shows slow progress in transportation equity 20 December 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Tom Sanchez of Dumfries, Va., associate professor of urban affairs and planning in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech, National Capital Region, was an invited panelist at a national workshop, “Transportation Equity: Past, Present, and Future,” sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation at Troy University in Montgomery, Ala., to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Researchers developing technology to protect children's online privacy 07 December 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Parents concerned about safeguarding their children's online privacy can look forward to better and more user-friendly technology for doing this. Technology is being developed by a team of Virginia Tech business and engineering researchers who recently won a $450,000 award for their work from the National Science Foundation’s Cyber Trust program. Researchers discover novel protein complex that enables survival in hostile environment 16 November 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Biswarup Mukhopadhyay and Eric Johnson from the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have discovered a novel enzyme that represents an ancient detoxification system and provides a clue to the development of early metabolism on earth. Virginia Tech to showcase high performance computing over new national network 08 November 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Tech will present advances in supercomputing and networking at the Supercomputing 2005 Conference in Seattle Nov. 12-18 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. In particular, the university will partner it's Apple-based supercomputer, System X, with other supercomputers to respond to a challenge involving high performance computing storage capability. Small Grains Breeding Program develops winter hulless barley 03 November 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Tech's Small Grains Breeding Program is developing a new type of barley that lacks the fibrous covering. This new hulless barley offers producers an alternative grain for both traditional and new markets, including food, feed, and ethanol. Computer program helps farmers make decisions about pastureland 03 November 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University A team in Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is leading the development of the Pastureland Management System, a free, practical, and portable computer-based aid program that helps livestock farmers compare different strategies for managing their land and livestock. Researchers looking at how neighborhoods contribute to healthy lifestyles 01 November 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Families living in the Nellies Cave Park area of Blacksburg are helping researchers learn about healthy lifestyles and in return are getting information about their own health. The project by nutrition researchers from Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is part of efforts to learn how a neighborhood influences physical activity and diet. Researchers active in two recent international tribology conferences 31 October 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Tech faculty and former graduate students, in collaboration with researchers in Poland and Sweden, co-authored five papers presented at the international World Tribology Congress III held in Washington, D.C. Michael Furey of Blacksburg, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering and co-author of four of the papers, presented one on tribopolymerization as a novel mechanism of lubrication and one on triboemission of electrons. A paper on the wear of repaired human articular cartilage was given by one of his former graduate students, Nils Steika, in a session on biotribology. This paper, the first 'in vitro' study of the wear of human articular cartilage, was the result of collaborative research with Mats Brittberg of Goteborg University in Sweden and Hugo Veit of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. Engineers design composite bracing system for injured Hokie running back Cedric Humes 28 October 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Tech’s starting running back Cedric Humes fractured his ulna, a bone in his arm, almost three weeks ago. Thursday night, against Boston College, he was able to play thanks, in part, to a prototype composite brace designed for him by Virginia Tech engineers. Virginia Tech researchers create nanoparticle as diagnostic, therapeutic agent; VCU researchers target brain tumor cells 19 October 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Researchers working with a man-made, metal-filled nanoparticle are developing the material for use as a diagnostic and therapeutic agent that may boost the sensitivity of MRI techniques and improve the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumors. Researchers identify influences in information technology career choices for women 14 October 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University A Virginia Tech team of researchers has identified five factors that influence girls’ informational technology career choices. Backed with more than $882,000 in funding by the National Science Foundation, the statewide project “Women in Information Technology: Pivotal Transitions from School to Careers” evaluates the impact of family, peers, school, and community on girls’ perceptions of IT careers. Electrical engineer works on personalizing medical treatment 12 October 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University As cancer remains a leading cause of death in the United States, early detection and treatment are critical keys to improving the survival rate. Yet, an individual’s response to treatment varies considerably, even among cancers of the same histological type. Given these variables, individualized patient assessment becomes a very challenging procedure. Virginia Tech biologists create protocol to track how land use influences the way streams work 10 October 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Tech biology researchers have applied tools from geology, geography, and hydrologic modeling to determine the effect of different land uses on stream quality across 10 watersheds of the French Broad River in the North Carolina mountains. The result is a new protocol for determining the health or condition of huge land-water systems. The research has also resulted in a set of tools for predicting the effect of development decisions in the watersheds studied, which are near Ashville, N.C. Geologists use biotools to understand geosystems; goal is to control toxin mobility 09 October 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University If you have pathogenic bacteria in the groundwater, flowing through the soil, are those bacteria going to attach to a mineral surface or are they going to reach your well? Virginia Tech researchers find tiny bubbles a storehouse of knowledge 09 October 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Fluid inclusions, tiny bubbles of fluid or vapor trapped inside rock as it forms, are clues to the location of ores and even petroleum; and they are time capsules that contain insights on the power of volcanos and hints of life in the universe. Emotional intelligence may be good predictor of success in computing studies 06 October 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University The emotional intelligence of students indirectly contributes to academic success in information technology studies, preliminary results from a study led by Virginia Tech researchers show. Researchers use smart radios to advance cognitive network capability 29 September 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Cognitive radios present an exciting new frontier for the world of wireless telecommunications. Virginia Tech’s Center for Wireless Telecommunications has received a three-year National Science Foundation grant to extend its work in the field of cognitive radio to advance cognitive network capability. Virginia Tech radio telescope will search sky for astronomical explosions 20 September 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Tech has received a $273,000 National Science Foundation grant to search for low-frequency radio pulses associated with gamma ray bursts, neutron stars and black holes. The grant will fund construction of a radio telescope at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, located in a mountainous, radio-quiet area southwest of Asheville, N.C. Enhanced imaging techniques could provide improved medical diagnosis 16 September 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Chris Wyatt is a Virginia Tech electrical engineer who is attempting to provide the medical community with better, quicker, and more relevant images of the human body. The side effects are not bad either , lower medical costs, new treatments, and earlier disease detection. Study shows companies in Arlington County capture largest share of homeland security dollars 31 August 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Private contractors based in Arlington, Va, earned more than $818 million or 29.5 percent of all Department of Homeland Security contracts during 2004, capturing a greater amount of homeland security dollars than any other single jurisdiction in the United States. This was the finding of a study conducted by Heike Mayer, assistant professor in the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech, in partnership with Arlington Economic Development. Researchers seek to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of Chesapeake Bay 30 August 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Tech researchers in the Department of Dairy Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences have been awarded an $882,910 Conservation Innovation Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service to assist dairy farmers in reducing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Researcher seeks to discover what really happens when a virus enters the body 17 August 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University A well-respected researcher who is now a chief of an immunology laboratory of the National Institutes of Health has rocked the boat in the past few years for the experts in the understanding of the autoimmune system. Electrical engineers invent wireless Internet connection 03 August 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University An antenna for WiFi, invented by Warren Stutzman of Virginia Tech’s Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and his Ph.D. post-graduate researcher Michael Barts, allows users to receive signals in remote locations such as airports and hotels to log on to the Web. University to develop hazard mitigation plan 20 July 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Tech has begun the process of developing a University Hazard Mitigation Plan and will involve many members of the university community in the development of this important document. Engineer develops DynaPro, a production planning tool 15 July 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Manufacturers have long been plagued with planning problems related to production and inventory decisions, labor requirements and capacity adjustments. DynaPro, a new software tool developed by Subhash Sarin, an engineering faculty member at Virginia Tech’s Center for High Performance Manufacturing, could help manufacturers make those types of decisions. Researchers discover half-billion-year-old fossils 13 July 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Scientists interested in ancient life have a wealth of fossils and impressions frozen in rocks that they can study from as far back as 540 million years ago, when animals with shells and bones began to become plentiful. But evidence of complex life older than 540 million years is scant and difficult to study. Virginia Tech partners in discovery of quark interaction 01 July 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Physics researchers working at the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization Laboratory in Japan have observed a new type of interaction among the most fundamental of particles, the quark. The scientists reported at the Symposium on Lepton-Photon Interactions at High Energies, June 30 to July 5 in Uppsala, Sweden, that they had produced first evidence of a beauty quark converting to the lightest of quarks, the down quark. High hydrostatic pressure research will inactivate Hepatitis A Virus in Shellstock Oysters 06 June 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Sea Grant announced an award of $119,000 to study the effects of high hydrostatic pressure in inactivating Hepatitis A virus in both shucked and unshucked oysters. The project, led by Dr. Daniel Holliman, M.D., research scientist and director of research for the HPP lab, and Laura Douglas, a research associate and manager of the HPP lab, will identify one or more high pressure processing schedules resulting in inactivation of the virus. Understanding how bacteria communicate may help scientists prevent disease 03 June 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Rahul Kulkarni, assistant professor of physics at Virginia Tech, has been awarded a Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from Oak Ridge Associated Universities to continue his research on quorum sensing in bacteria. He is modeling the sequence of events that initiate activity, such as virulence, by a bacteria colony once it has reached a critical size. Embodiment awareness research to help the blind learn math more quickly 24 May 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Francis Quek, director of the Center for Human Computer Interaction in the Virginia Tech College of Engineering’s Department of Computer Science, has received a $750,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study embodiment awareness, mathematics discourse and the blind. CAREER researchers merge game theory with wireless networks, create 25 April 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Using economic theory to improve wireless communications networks and designing garments that can sense their own shapes are among the goals of two National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program Award projects recently funded at Virginia Tech. Research team to compare environmental performance of building systems 30 March 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Both Winistorfer and Kline contribute to the Journal of the Society of Wood Science and Technology’s special issue, “CORRIM Reports on Environmental Performance of Wood Building Materials,” which publishes the project’s findings. Researchers develop chemical process to use cotton-gin residue 11 March 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University About 100,000 acres of cotton are grown in Virginia. The ginned cotton residue left at the processing plants contains the chemical ingredients commercially valuable products. The residue accumulates at the site and must be removed, otherwise it's a hazard because it easily ignites and can contribute to air pollution if it burns. Engineering students design robotic arm for competition 03 March 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University The robotic arm will face a straight A high school senior, Panna Felsen, who was selected by the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. The San Diego high school student also will use her physical strength against two other artificial arms, one of which was developed by the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research, and the second by Environmental Robots Inc. of Albuquerque, N.M. Virginia Tech breaks new ground with alumni magazine 01 March 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University With the exception of its class-notes section, the winter issue of Virginia Tech Magazine was released in DVD format to 100,000 alumni and friends of the university. The class notes, a listing of achievements and other news about the university's alumni, were published in the magazine's standard printed format, which was shrink-wrapped with the DVD for distribution. Coal cleaning technology to be used to recover coal from waste 27 January 2005 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Billions of tons of coal that have been considered waste for decades can now become an energy source, thanks to the advanced separation technologies developed at Virginia Tech. Patented MicrocelTM technology, developed in the mid-1980s by Roe-Hoan Yoon, Gerald Luttrell, and Gregory Adel, professors of mining and mineral engineering, and their group at Virginia Tech, has been in use worldwide for many years to separate coal and other minerals from impurities. In the mid 1990s, Yoon developed chemistry that can be used to dewater clean coal. Researchers develop chemical process to use cotton gin residue 20 December 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Tech researchers are working on technologies that could create a new industry from a problem in the state's cotton-growing region. 'Our goal is to add a value to the cotton crop by using the residue from the cotton to make a valuable product,' said Foster A. Agblevor, professor of biological systems engineering in Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Chemical process developed to use cotton gin residue 17 December 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Tech researchers are working on technologies that could create a new industry from a problem in the state's cotton-growing region. Coal cleaning technology to be used to recover coal from waste 08 December 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Billions of tons of coal that have been considered waste for decades can now become an energy source, thanks to the advanced separation technologies developed at Virginia Tech. Researchers create free, downloadable software radio design tool 19 November 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University The Mobile and Portable Radio Research Group in Virginia Tech's Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has developed the fundamental software for use in designing software radios and is offering this tool free to other wireless communications researchers throughout the world. Researchers create free, downloadable software radio design tool 19 November 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University The Mobile and Portable Radio Research Group in Virginia Tech's Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has developed the fundamental software for use in designing software radios and is offering this tool free to other wireless communications researchers throughout the world. Researchers working to protect state's largest crop from disease 11 November 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Tech's agricultural scientists are taking additional steps in the plan to protect the commonwealth's soybean crop from major yield reductions caused by Asian soybean rust, an aggressive fungal disease. Researchers tracking sources of arsenic contamination in water 04 November 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Since health data have demonstrated that arsenic is a carcinogen, the U.S. standard for arsenic in drinking water has been lowered from 50 to 10 parts per billion, which is the same as the European Union standard, said Madeline Schreiber, assistant professor of geosciences. She and associate professor of biology Maurice Valett are lead investigators on a National Science Foundation-funded project that began in 2002 on 'Transport, transformation, and retention of arsenic in a headwater stream: hyrdrologic, biological, and geochemical controls.' Scientists move closer to linking embryos of the Earth's first animals to adult form 03 November 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University In 1998, Shuhai Xiao and colleagues reported finding thousands of 600-million-year-old embryo microfossils in the Neoproterozoic Doushantuo Formation, a fossil site near Weng'an, South China (Xiao, S., Zhang, Y., and Knoll, A.H., 1998, 'Three-dimensional preservation of algae and animal embryos in a Neoproterozoic phosphorite,' Nature, v. 391). Researchers unlock mysteries of toxic metals in the largest contaminated site in United States 02 November 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Copper mining in Butte and Anaconda, Montana, starting in 1860's, poisoned the air, the land, and the water; well over 100 years later, contaminants are still found as far as 300 miles down the Clark Fork River, whose headwaters are in that area. Do lead bullets continue to be a hazard after they land? 01 November 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University There were 20 million metric tons of lead bullets fired in the United States in the 20th century. Is that lead having an environmental impact? Researchers identify influences in information technology career choices for women 14 October 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University A Virginia Tech team of researchers has identified five factors that influence girls’ informational technology career choices. Backed with more than $882,000 in funding by the National Science Foundation, the statewide project “Women in Information Technology: Pivotal Transitions from School to Careers” evaluates the impact of family, peers, school, and community on girls’ perceptions of IT careers. Virginia Tech biologists create protocol to track how land use influences the way streams work 10 October 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Tech biology researchers have applied tools from geology, geography, and hydrologic modeling to determine the effect of different land uses on stream quality across 10 watersheds of the French Broad River in the North Carolina mountains. The result is a new protocol for determining the health or condition of huge land-water systems. The research has also resulted in a set of tools for predicting the effect of development decisions in the watersheds studied, which are near Ashville, N.C. Virginia Tech leads effort to develop new, shape-changing materials 29 September 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Over the next 17 months, Virginia Tech will lead a team of researchers exploring the development of a new class of materials that will use plant protein structures in an attempt to mimic biological systems. The Defense Science Office of the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency is funding the $2.1 million project. Researchers to release new findings on Smith River Project 30 August 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University The Smith River Research Project will present its research findings at the Henry County Administration Building, 3300 Kings Mountain Road. Researchers from the Virginia Tech Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences will be presenting results from the five-year study of the Smith River entitled: 'Influences of Fluctuating Releases on Stream Habitat for Brown Trout in the Smith River below the Philpott Dam.' Researchers monitor crop-killing soybean disease 13 August 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Asian Soybean Rust, an aggressive fungal disease that has caused major yield reductions in the soybean-growing regions of Brazil is being carefully monitored by Virginia Tech scientists and is not expected to cause any major problems in Virginia in 2004. Researcher eyeing tobacco for factory of biopharmaceuticals 13 August 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University The economics of producing biopharmaceuticals from transgenic plants such as tobacco is still a roadblock to producing large quantities of urgently needed medicines, especially for people in underdeveloped nations. University-industry alliance to advance fuel cell discoveries 11 August 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia universities will partner with Battelle and other industry partners, Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology, and Los Alamos National Laboratory, to build upon Virginia Tech discoveries in a program called 'Bridging the Gap Between New Materials, Fuel Cell Devices and Products.' New Hokie/ACC apparel unveiled; Crazy for the Hokies sweepstakes launched 29 June 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University A new line of Virginia Tech and ACC co-branded apparel will be introduced as Virginia Tech prepares to become an official member of the Atlantic Coast Conference July 1. In addition, a new 'Crazy for the Hokies' sweepstakes will be held with prizes totaling more than $10,000. New designed paclitaxel analog kills more cancer cells 26 June 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University A multi-university research team led by Virginia Tech University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry David G. I. Kingston and his collaborators Professor Susan Bane at the State University of New York Binghamton and Professor James P. Snyder at Emory University has succeeded in enhancing the structure of paclitaxel (Taxol) to make it more effective in killing cancer cells. Cuban expert laments recent developments that further restrict travel to the Caribbean Island 25 June 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Joseph Scarpaci, professor of geography in the College of Natural Resources at Virginia Tech, has just returned from his 43rd educational tour to Cuba and says that the federal government's latest tightening this week of study travel is a sad development for students and scholars Virginia Tech researcher advances fight against sudden oak death disease 10 June 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Bioinformatics researcher Brett Tyler and his colleagues are one step closer to controlling a disease affecting California oak trees that is now showing up in nurseries in a dozen states, including Virginia, and threatening woody ornamentals and East Coast forests. New surgical device for long bone repair reduces X-ray exposure 25 May 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Collaboration between Virginia Tech students and faculty has led to the invention of a new medical tool that will reduce the harmful exposure of X-rays to patients with broken bones. Wireless sensor network design and deployment research wins NSF CAREER grant at Virginia Tech 25 May 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Thomas Hou of Blacksburg, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, has won a five-year National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program Award worth $449,295 for research on wireless embedded sensor networks. Fuel cells will power new Virginia Tech hands-on learning project 06 May 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University The Virginia Tech Student Engineers' Council is providing $4,300 to the 2004-2005 engineering freshmen for a new hands-on laboratory that introduces them to the operation and applications of fuel cells as an alternative power source. The money will purchase equipment for hydrogen generation and storage. Research evidence supports three major glaciation events in the distant past 21 April 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Glaciers reached Cape Cod, Mass., in the most recent ice age about 20,000 years ago. But much harsher ice ages hit the Earth in an ancient geological interval known as 'the Cryogenian Period' between 750 and 600 million years ago. A team of geologists from China and the United States now report evidence of at least three ice ages during that ancient time. New MRI service launched at Virginia Tech's Marion duPont Scott equine Medical Center 18 April 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University A new Magnetic Resonance Imaging system, made by Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging, is in operation at Virginia Tech’ Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, Va. Researchers look at soy oil to replace petroleum for a range of products 01 April 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Tech researchers are mixing air and soybean oil to create new polymers to replace petroleum-based materials. 'These natural polymers could be used in biocompatible or biodegradable ways,' says Tim Long of Blacksburg, chemistry professor in the College of Science at Virginia Tech. 'We are looking for natural products derived in the United States.' How minerals react in the environment depends on particle size 30 March 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University One of the most common groups of minerals on earth is the iron oxides, found in soils, rusting iron, and the dust of Mars. Due to their importance in the environment, iron oxide minerals have been widely studied, providing insight into their properties and reactivities. But when the size of minerals decreases to 1 to 10 nanometers (billionths of a meter), many of their properties change. Student creating polymers to chaperon DNA across cell membrane 30 March 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Ordinarily, the cell membrane prevents invasion by foreign genetic material, which is why genetic engineers often have to use a pipette and forced air to jab a new piece of a gene through the cell wall into the genome in order to carry out gene therapy or introduce particular attributes into a crop or organism. Chemists seek light-activated glue for vascular repair 30 March 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Surgeons battle time and the body's defenses as they stitch together veins and arteries, whether after an injury or in the course of such treatments as transplants or bypasses. Loss of blood before a site is closed and too much clotting soon after challenge medical care. Undergraduate research experience advances education may lead to more rapid DNA identification 29 March 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University DNA is often used to identify mysterious materials or match a suspect with a crime. However, identification can be slowed while a trace amount of DNA is increased so there will be enough to test. Polymerase chain reaction is the series of steps necessary to amplify DNA. In the pocket: New paclitaxel analog kills more cancer cells than natural product 29 March 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University A multi-university research team led by Virginia Tech University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry David G.I. Kingston has succeeded in enhancing the structure of paclitaxel (Taxol) to make it more effective in killing cancer cells. New family of polymers enhance mechanical, rheological, processing performance 29 March 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Hyperbranched polymers, tree-like molecules, are not particularly useful for the creation of plastic films and molded parts because they don't entangle. So Virginia Tech researchers have created segmented hyperbranched plastics, which do entangle and result in high-performance polymers. Devastating parasitic weed may be felled by toxin borrowed from flies 29 March 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University The parasitic weed, broomrape, attaches to the root of such vegetable crops as tomato, potato, beans, and sunflowers. With no need for leaves of its own, it produces only a floral shoot above ground. Meanwhile, its host is barely able to survive, much less be productive. Now, the defense mechanism of another pest, the fly, may provide a weapon against parasitic weeds. DNA-binding strands used to create molecular zipper 29 March 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Tech students and faculty members at Virginia Tech are creating releasable coatings and thin films using the same chemistry that nature uses to bind the double helix of DNA. Calcium intake associated with milk consumption; soft drinks not linked to decreased calcium rate 25 March 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University A new study by researchers at the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy at Virginia Tech published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that calcium intake among U.S. adolescents although inadequate, has remained a constant since the 1970s and does not appear to be linked to soft drink consumption. Virginia tech researcher aims to use nano-particles in environmental cleanups 18 March 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University The National Science Foundation has awarded a $400,000 grant to Peter Vikesland of Blacksburg, Va., an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, to study the use of nano-particles in removing hazardous solvents from groundwater. Innovative study clarifies evolutionary history of early complex single-celled organisms 16 March 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University A billion years ago (the Neoproterozoic age), complex single-celled organisms, acritarchs, began to develop, grow, and thrive. Almost a billion years later, the study of the evolutionary history of acritarchs began to bog down amid inconsistencies in the reporting of the diversity of species. Computer scientist designs immersive tools for designers 29 January 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University VE software tools have not been particularly intuitive or user friendly, and do not include high-level functionality, says Doug Bowman of Blacksburg, assistant professor of computer science in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. He is addressing the problem by designing three-dimensional interaction techniques and a software framework explicitly targeted to design and construction. Veterinary College researchers seeking to clone mad cow disease resistant cattle strains 07 January 2004 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University As federal and state government officials grapple with strategies to limit the economic and health risks associated with the troublesome discovery of the nation's first case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or Mad Cow Disease, Drs. Will Eyestone and Bill Huckle are conducting important research with the little understood molecules believed to cause the deadly brain-wasting disease. Virginia Tech researchers' work to help prevent balcony and deck collapses 15 October 2003 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University A team of Virginia Tech researchers produced an inspection manual for residential wood decks and balconies in an effort to curb the numerous collapses that typically occur nationwide and prevent needless tragedies. The new Manual for the Inspection of Residential Wood Decks and Balconies will be available at the end of October from the Forest Products Society. New high performance computing over new national network 08 October 2003 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University The university will partner it's Apple-based supercomputer, System X, with other supercomputers to respond to a challenge involving high performance computing storage capability. Talented Hokies research brain impacts while battling aggies 24 September 2003 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University While they were busy overpowering the Texas A&M Aggies Sept. 18 in Lane Stadium, the Virginia Tech Hokies became the first athletes in the world to test a new brain injury monitoring system. Every year in the United States, thousands of athletes suffer traumatic brain injuries and many die as a result. Virginia Tech researchers and sports medicine professionals have launched the monitoring project in an attempt to help prevent these injuries. Virginia Tech engineering researcher aims to tame the wild chip 22 September 2003 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University We delight in the way that each new generation of computers can perform increasingly complex tasks and operate at faster speeds, from surfing the Internet in real time to solving differential equations. But most of us don't realize that our gain comes at a high price for the semiconductor industry in terms of more complex designs and tests for speedier computer chips. Researchers get NSF grant to develop digital library aor archaeology 10 September 2003 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University A research team from Virginia Tech and Case Western Reserve University has received a National Science Foundation grant to develop a digital library for archaeology. Researchers demonstrate new wireless disaster response system 18 June 2003 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Members of the Center for Wireless Telecommunications of Virginia Tech demonstrated their newly developed broadband communications system at the Digital Government Research Conference (DGO 2003) in Boston recently. This system will provide vital connectivity in disaster response situations such as 9-11. They also gave a similar demonstration at Science Applications International Corporation's Public Safety Integration Center in Herndon. Natural resources research helps HIV/AIDS victims 30 May 2003 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Tech associate professor A.L. 'Tom' Hammett and research associate Marc Barany are studying the role of natural resources, specifically forests and non-timber forest products, in the strategies of rural communities and households coping with the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. Virginia Tech study of dynamic systems could lead to fewer falls and smoother rides 20 May 2003 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Harry Dankowicz's development of methods to predict changes in stability and design against instability in dynamic systems is based in the abstractions of differential equations, but aimed toward practical applications, such as improved ride comfort in automotive suspension systems or wearable devices that could reduce the number of fall-related injuries. Making cell phones user-friendly for the disabled 07 May 2003 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Cell phones are still a work-in-progress with regard to meeting the needs of disabled individuals, who are missing out on wireless communication opportunities because of usability problems. Researchers developing technology to protect children's online privacy 07 May 2003 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Parents concerned about safeguarding their children's online privacy can look forward to better and more user-friendly technology for doing this. Technology is being developed by a team of Virginia Tech business and engineering researchers who recently won a $450,000 award for their work from the National Science Foundation’s Cyber Trust program. Virginia Tech inventions and creations can improve our lives 14 April 2003 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Tech faculty members, students, and staff who received 26 patents during 2002 will be honored by the university and Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties Inc. 'The creativity, contributions to knowledge, and technology transfer that patents signify are an important form of scholarship,' says university president Charles Steger. Taking ultra-wideband communications to the next phase is the goal of Virginia Tech Project 08 April 2003 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University A team of Virginia Tech researchers is attempting to push ultra-wideband technology into the next phase, where military communications can completely elude detection by nearby enemy troops and all manner of home electronics systems can be operated wirelessly. Needle and thread molecules connecting materials in new ways 26 March 2003 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Determining details of attraction in mechanically-linked molecules allows chemists to fine-tune shapes, capabilities of supramolecules for improved and new polymers Blacksburg, Va., March 26, 2003 -- Virginia Tech chemistry professor H.W. Gibson and his students have been able to take advantage of self assembly to create new chemical structures from mechanically-linked molecules. Gibson will give an invited talk in the Division of Polymer Chemistry at the 225th national meeting of the American Chemical Society March 23-27 in New Orleans. Study of insecticide neurotoxicity yields clues to onset of arkinson's Disease 04 March 2003 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University A grant from the U.S. Army has led Virginia Tech researchers to discover that exposure to some insecticides may cause a cascade of chemical events in the brain that could lead to Parkinson's Disease. Virginia Tech Bear Researchers Ensure Populations 28 February 2003 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University The Cooperative Alleghany Bear Study was initiated in 1994 as a 10-year study to ensure survival of Virginia's hunted black bear population of western Virginia. During the first six years of the study, researchers have placed radio collars on 376 of the 746 bears captured. Eighteen-wheelers may be a thing of the past, thanks to researchers 14 February 2003 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Pavement researchers at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute are examining the use of cost-effective single wide-base tires in place of dual tires on big rigs. Sponsored by a grant from the Michelin Americas Research and Development Corporation, the research uses field-test data and computer simulation to address the concerns of U.S. pavement engineers that wide-base tires may cause a significant increase in pavement damage on roadways. Virginia Tech researchers find tiny bubbles a storehouse of knowledge 09 January 2003 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Fluid inclusions, tiny bubbles of fluid or vapor trapped inside rock as it forms, are clues to the location of ores and even petroleum; and they are time capsules that contain insights on the power of volcanos and hints of life in the universe. Researchers discover novel protein complex that enables survival in hostile environment 16 December 2002 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Biswarup Mukhopadhyay and Eric Johnson from the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have discovered a novel enzyme that represents an ancient detoxification system and provides a clue to the development of early metabolism on earth. Geologists use biotools to understand geosystems; goal is to control toxin mobility 09 November 2002 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University If you have pathogenic bacteria in the groundwater, flowing through the soil, are those bacteria going to attach to a mineral surface or are they going to reach your well? Using natures command and control network to develop ways to engineer organisms 09 September 2002 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Peter Kennelly, a professor of biochemistry at Virginia Tech, is probing nature's own command and control network to understand how it functions and to develop new strategies for genetically engineering organisms. By mapping the mechanisms already in place to find the switch that controls a certain action, Kennelly is working to find ways to turn on processes that normally would not be active. New microscope technology allows study of biomolecules interacting with minerals 06 August 2002 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Every living thing needs iron. The strategies some organisms use to accumulate iron can impact the quality of our environment and could be adapted for our use. Imagine a falconer releasing his falcon to nab pigeons for his dinner. That is somewhat how the bacteria, Azotobacter vinelandii, acquire iron. It releases a siderophore molecule, called azotobactin, which nabs iron out of minerals. With what what you see is not always what you get 09 July 2002 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Many factors influence the quality of drinking water and a burgeoning new problem is raising concern. Metallic plumbing materials, capable of lasting for centuries, are occasionally corroding at a very fast rate. This deterioration is producing some extraordinary costs and environmental problems to consumers and to industry. Improving water use in growing corn possible, study shows 17 June 2002 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Farmers growing corn in the mid-Atlantic region will have a new tool to help them identify appropriate cultural practices for the types of soils in their fields, thanks to research conducted by researchers from Virginia Tech and Colorado State University. First major review article on horseshoe crab research 02 May 2002 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Faculty from the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences in the College of Natural Resources and the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech had the first ever major review article on horseshoe crabs published in the journal, Review in Fisheries Science journal. Wireless treasures to be unveiled at Virginia Tech 25 April 2002 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University A one-of-a-kind display of wireless communications treasures will be unveiled in Torgersen Hall at Virginia Tech during a dedication ceremony on May 6, 2002 at 11:30 a.m.Ê This memorial exhibit honoring Al Gross, a wireless pioneer, will chronicle the advances made in this technology.Ê Ethel Gross of Phoenix, Ariz., will attend the ceremony in honor of her late husband and his many inventions. Race & ethnicity, age, obesity, & heavy alcohol consumption are strongly associated with hypertension 24 April 2002 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Race and ethnicity, age, obesity, and heavy alcohol consumption are strongly associated with hypertension in both men and women over the age of 40, according to the results of a study by Virginia Tech researchers presented at the Experimental Biology 2002 conference in New Orleans through April 24. Electronic interlibrary loan system now used in one-third of Nations Research Universities 24 April 2002 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University In five short years, an electronic interlibrary loan and document delivery system known as ILLiad has grown from being a lending and borrowing system merely for its creators in Virginia Techâs University Libraries to being the system of choice at 225 libraries across the country.Ê In the past year alone, the percentage of American research libraries having acquired licenses to use ILLiad has grown from 20 percent to 32 percent. Thinner materials improve flexible solar cells, flat panel displays 09 April 2002 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Tech researchers' ability to create films in one-nanometer-thick layers is bringing flexible solar cells closer to reality, and has resulted in a thin film that can be changed from transparent to deep violet and back as rapidly as 20 times per second. Higher molecular weight polymer synthesized; means stronger materials 07 April 2002 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University A Virginia Tech graduate student is synthesizing polymers at higher molecular weights than previously seen, opening the door for stronger elastomer materials, such as are used in tires. Adhesive science can help optimize use of timber resources 20 March 2002 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University The North American supply of large trees and timbers has diminished from harvest and environmental regulation, but the demand continues to rise. Chip Frazier, associate professor of wood science and forest products at Virginia Tech, is working to advance technology used in composite materials, which he says offer us an ability to use our timber resources more efficiently. Study cites teens' mixed emotions about parent deployment 20 March 2002 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Understanding how a parent’s deployment affects the emotional and behavioral development of their teenage children is the focal point of research conducted by Angela Huebner, associate professor of human development at Virginia Tech, National Capital Region, and Jay A. Mancini, professor of human development, Blacksburg campus. Unique fleet of underwater vehicles to gather elusive environmental data 14 February 2002 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University A fleet of miniature underwater vehicles being developed by Virginia Tech researcher Dan Stilwell will enable scientists to gather environmental data off the coast of Virginia and in the Chesapeake Bay. Chemical from the controversial horseshoe crab vital to human health 30 January 2002 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Over the past several years, management of the horseshoe crab population has become increasingly controversial. Director of Virginia Tech’s new Horseshoe Crab Research Center Jim Berkson claims that the environmental controversy is three-pronged. Professor says research shows slow progress in transportation equity 20 January 2002 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Tom Sanchez of Dumfries, Va., associate professor of urban affairs and planning in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech, National Capital Region, was an invited panelist at a national workshop, “Transportation Equity: Past, Present, and Future,” sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation at Troy University in Montgomery, Ala., to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Researchers seeking to clone mad cow disease resistant cattle strains 07 January 2002 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University With about $300,000 in funding from the National Institutes of Health, scientists in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech are trying to clone cattle that are genetically incapable of developing Mad Cow Disease.