Oct 10
Donald J. Leo named vice president and executive director of National Capital Region Operations
Virginia Tech has named Donald J. Leo vice president and executive director of National Capital Region Operations, effective Jan. 1, 2012. He succeeds James R. Bohland, who will step down from that position after 10 years. (read more...)
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Sep 20
Lou Madsen and Teresa Reineke Funded for Drug Delivery Research
Prof. Louis A. Madsen and Prof. Theresa M. Reineke (University of Minnesota) have received a three-year NSF grant ($420,000) to explore the biodistribution of polymeric drug delivery systems that include an image-enhancement "beacon" to indicate the location of the delivered drugs in medical diagnostic tests such as MRI. Dr. Madsen and his co-workers will study targeting into simulated tissues and cells using magnetic resonance measurements, which will facilitate the polymer design and synthesis efforts of the Reineke group.
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Sep 19
James McGrath Receives NSF Instrumentation Award
Prof. James E. McGrath received an NSF Major Research Instrumentation Award (MRI) totaling $255,265 for the "Acquisition of a Dual Size Exclusion Chromatography-Asymmetric Flow Field Flow Fractionation Instrument." Profs. Judy S. Riffle and S. Richard Turner, Prof. Kevin J. Edgar (WSFP), and Prof. Richey M. Davis (CHE) are co-PIs on the award. These faculty members are also affiliated with the Macromolecules and Interfaces Institute (MII). The instrument will allow measurement of absolute molecular weights, intrinsic viscosities, degrees of branching, aggregation characteristics, chemical stability, and biodegradation information for a vast collection of chemical compositions.
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Sep 12
Richard E. Weyers Honored With Emeritus Status
Richard E. Weyers, Charles E. Via, Jr. Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the “Charles E. Via, Jr. Professor Emeritus” title by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. (read more...)
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Sep 9
Judy Riffle Receives NSF Grant
Prof. Judy S. Riffle has received a grant from NSF ($381,000) to develop block copolymers that can form complexes with small-molecule or nanostructures ranging from metals to metal oxides, hydroxyapatite (bone), tooth enamel, and cationic drugs. The overall goal of the work is to find new materials that can engage in controlled binding with specific biomaterials or facilitate drug delivery.
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Sep 9
Gibson Funded for Supramolecular Polymers
Prof. Harry W. Gibson has received a grant from NSF ($420,000) to study macromolecules in which branch points, crosslinks, or repeat units are made from mechanical connections (rotaxanes or catenanes) instead of covalent bonds. Dr. Gibson and his co-workers will explore the unique physical properties of these supramolecular polymers, which have potential applications in biomedical materials, coatings, and composites.
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Sep 8
MII Poster Social
On September the 8th 2011, the first Macromolecules & Interfaces Institute (MII) poster social was held in Hahn South Atrium. It is a student self-organized MII event targeting on providing a communication opportunity for the MII community. 22 research posters were presented from 21 MII research groups across the campus. Over 60 students and professors participated in the poster social.
Lou Madsen Funded for Drug Delivery Research
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Sep 3
Alumnus Dean Webster receives Tess Award
Prof. Dean C. Webster, a VT alumnus (BS 1979, PhD 1984), has received the prestigious Roy W. Tess Award in Coatings for 2011 from the American Chemical Society. The award recognizes significant contributions to coatings science, technology, and engineering. Dr. Webster is a professor at North Dakota State University.
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Jul 18
Natural Sources Hold Key to Improving Medicine
Picture a tree. Its thick, rough trunk extends upwards, gradually tapering as it meets the sky. Powerful branches extend from its sides, covred in gently blowing leaves. The tree seems to ignore the most basic rule of life on earth -- gravity. In large part, this phenomonon is due to polysaccharides, which are organic moleculs that perfor functions as diverse as building strong, flexible trees and delivering nutrients through the bodies of animals. (read more...)
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Jun 28
PSTC Named Timothy E. Long recipient of the 2011 Carl Dahlquist Award
Timothy E. Long, professor of chemistry, associate dean of the College of Science, and a member of the Macromolecules and Interfaces Institute at Virginia Tech, has been presented with the Pressure Sensitive Tape Council (PSTC) 2011 Carl Dahlquist Award for his research relating to adhesive tape technology (read more...)
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Jun 22
New Insights on an Old Material Will Enable Design of Better Polymer Batteries, Water Purification / Stretching" Technology Could Improve Battery Performance
Designing new materials depends upon understanding the properties of today's materials. One such material, Nafion ©, is a polymer that efficiently conducts ions (a polymer electrolyte) and water through its nanostructure, making it important for many energy-related industrial applications, including in fuel cells, organic batteries, and reverse-osmosis water purification. But since Nafion was invented 50 years ago, scientists have only been able to speculate about how to build new materials because they have not been able to see details on how the molecules come together and work within Nafion. (read more...)
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Jun 20
Donald J. Leo Named Vice President and Executive Director of National Capital Region Operations
Patricia M. Dove, C.P. Miles Professor of Geosciences in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, has been selected as a Virginia Outstanding Scientist for 2013. (read more...)
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May 12
Tim Long Named Mark Scholar
Prof. Timothy E. Long has received the 2011 Mark Scholar Award from the American Chemical Society. This national award, named for legendary polymer scientist Herman Mark, recognizes Dr. Long's achievements in polymer synthesis and characterization for emerging technologies, including engineering thermoplastics, functional surfaces, fibers, and nanostructures. His interdisciplinary research approach interfaces developments in polymer science with biology and engineering.
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Mar 28
Chemistry Welcomes Tijana Grove
The Chemistry Department is delighted to announce that Dr. Tijana Z. Grove will be joining the faculty in Fall 2011 as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Grove earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Belgrade and her Ph.D. at Iowa State. She is presently a posdoc working with Prof. Lynne Regan at Yale. Bioimaging and biosensors, and the design of nano-scale, ordered scafolds for tissue engineering and drug delivery, are among the projects Dr. Grove and her group will pursue at VT.
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Mar 24
Judy Riffle Receives 2011 Alumni Award for Research Excellence
Judy S. Riffle, Professor of Chemistry and Director of the VT Macromolecular Science and Engineering program, has been awarded the 2011 Alumni Award for Research Excellence. This premier university award recognizes her significant accomplishments in polymer science and her interdiscplinary contributions to polymers in medicine. Dr. Riffle's research has led to new materials for arterial grafts, and to highly oxygen-permeable contact lenses. More recently she has focused on nanostructures comprising a therapeutic or diagnostic core surrounded by a biocompatible polymeric shell.
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Mar 23
Prof. Tim Long Joins COS as Associate Dean
Prof. Timothy E. Long has been named Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives in the College of Science. Dr. Long is responsible for catalyzing new educational, research, and outreach programs with a focus on promoting interdisciplinary collaborations across the college and university. He will work with research institutes, departments, faculty, and other colleges to develop interdisciplinary initiatives. The 50% administrative appointment will enable Dr. Long to maintain his highly active research program in the Chemistry Department.
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Mar 23
VT Spotlight Shines on Prof. Harry Dorn
Professor Harry C. Dorn's research program is featured on Virginia Tech's home page as a "Spotlight on Impact." The article describes the discovery and development, by Dr. Dorn and his team of collaborators, of methods to prepare tiny "buckyballs" of carbon that contain metal atoms. These nanomaterials show promising medical applications, including imaging and radiotracing.
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Mar 1
McGrath to Develop Membranes for Navy
Prof. James E. McGrath is one of ten winners of the Chief of Naval Research Challenge, a competition organized by the Office of Naval Research to identify research programs with the strongest potential to meet the current and future technological needs of the US Navy. Dr. McGrath and his co-workers in the Chemistry Department and the Macromolecules and Interfaces Institute (MII) will use the $100,000 award to investigate chlorine-resistant membranes for reverse and forward osmosis, nanofiltration, and waste water purification.
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Feb 21
Productive University, Industry Research Partnership Recognized
Researchers from Virginia Tech and Kraton Polymers LLC have been awarded the American Chemical Society Division of Polymeric Materials' 2011 Award for Cooperative Research in Polymer Engineering and Science, sponsored by the Eastman Kodak Company. (read more...)
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Feb 3
Riffle Named POLY Fellow
Prof. Judy S. Riffle has been named a Fellow of the American Chemical Society Polymer Division. POLY is the second division (after PMSE) to have bestowed this title upon Dr. Riffle. The award recognizes her many contributions to research and education in polymer science, as well as her long record of service to the Division.
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Feb 1
Romesh Batra: The Measure of Success
The collision was offset from the center by 1.2 millimeters, the Ph.D. student said, but noted that the authors of the paper he was citing didn't explain whether the offset was along the X axis or the Y axis or both. (read more...)
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Jan 27
Virginia Tech's Engineering Professor Romesh Batra Earns Outstanding Scientist Award
Romesh C. Batra, Virginia Tech professor of engineering science and mechanics (ESM), is a 2011 recipient of the Virginia Outstanding Scientist Award. He will be honored at an awards reception today with the Virginia General Assembly and sponsored by the Science Museum of Virginia. (read more...)
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Jan 25
Prof. Tim Long Serves as the Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives
Tim Long, professor of chemistry in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, serves as the associate dean for research and international outreach. (read more...)