Mary Miller, founder and president of Interactive Design and Development, of Blacksburg, Va., is the Virginia Tech College of Engineering Distinguished Alumna for 2013. She earned her master's degree in 1985 in computer science, part of the College of Engineering

The Scieneering program, funded by a prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Science Education Grant awarded in 2010, is celebrating its first cohort of graduates.

The award recognizes future leaders in microbiology by giving them an opportunity to present their research on an international stage and experience the best of microbiology.

Insect geneticist Jean-Luc Imler will present a special lecture entitled "Antiviral immunity in 'Drosophila'" at 3:30 p.m. Monday, May 20, in the Fralin Life Science Institute auditorium. His research focuses on evolutionarily conserved aspects of immune response using fruit flies as a model organism. 

Researchers have identified leptospirosis -- the world's most common disease transmitted to humans by animals -- as a significant health threat in Botswana.

Nikolaos Artavanis, who will receive his doctorate in finance later this month, co-authored a recent study on tax evasion in Greece that found that professionals were the biggest tax dodgers. His research also received extensive coverage by the media in the United States and abroad.

Researchers at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have discovered how cholinesterase inhibitors might sharpen the performance of the brains of those with Alzheimer's disease.

Wayne "Bull" Durham, Virginia Tech associate professor emeritus of aerospace and ocean engineering, has authored a new book "Aircraft Flight Dynamics and Control" published by Wiley.

Two student teams from Virginia Tech's electrical and computer engineering program have qualified among the 15 finalists in an international competition to develop strategies for clear communication in spite of interfering signals on a radio channel.

Researchers at the Center for Injury Biomechanics compared the relative safety afforded by two 1930-vintage leather football helmets and 10 modern football helmets during impacts to players' heads.

Marc Edwards and Randi Brazeau, two researchers affiliated with the Virginia Tech College of Engineering, have published a paper which reports that hot water recirculating systems touted as "green" use more energy and water than their standard electric counterparts.

 

Thomas Dingus, director of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, will be honored May 8 by the White House as a Champion of Change, a group of Americans seen as making positive change. This year's theme is Transportation Technology Solutions for the 21st century. 

Doctoral student Derick Davis, who will graduate later this month, does research on homophones and consumer behavior that builds on theories of reading processes, comprehending written information, and priming.

Mahendra Singh has received a two-year, extendable distinguished visiting professorship at the Indian Institute of Technology at Roorkee, India.

Joe Pitt has pursued a distinguished academic career centered on the history and philosophy of science and technology.

Jeff Walters is best known for his work with the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker in the longleaf pine ecosystems of the southeastern United States

Associate Professor Daniel Hindman has dedicated the entire spring issue of Wood Design Focus to the issue of reducing falls in construction.

The Collegiate Aerial Robotics Exhibition is a sporting-like competition where unmanned model-sized quad copters and ground-based robots collect and launch tennis balls at set targets.

Russell Green's applied seismology and engineering research aims to lower the risk of damage from future earthquakes worldwide.

The second annual TEDxVirginiaTech event will be held Nov. 9, 2013.