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ACHIEVERS
Richard Burian, professor of philosophy and science and technology studies at Virginia Tech, participated in a symposium on "The New Biology of Development" in the Twentieth International Congress of the History of Science, held in Liége, Belgium. His paper "Boris Ephrussi on the units of inheritance and of development" has been selected for a proceedings volume for the congress, and an extended version solicited for the Review of the Philosophy and History of Science. He is a one of eight participants in a web debate on the use of "Model Systems in Biological Studies," to be published in the web Magazine HMS Beagle, a journal published every other week with a readership of some 120,000 biologists and biomedical scientists. Burian also participated in the recent meeting of the History of Science Society in San Diego, serving as commentator on a group of three papers on "Fitting in: Assent and Dissent in the formation of the Evolutionary Synthesis." Revised versions of these papers and the comments have been solicited for publication by the Journal of the History of Biology.
Warren L. Stutzman, professor of electrical engineering and director of the antenna group in the Center for Wireless Telecommunications, recently had a book published by John Wiley. The book, the second edition of Antenna Theory and Design, was co-authored by Gary Thiele of the University of Dayton. First published in 1981, the book is one of the most widely read world-wide on the subject of antennas; it is used by universities as a text and by industry as a resource for wireless communications and other applications.
The Center for Transportation Research was represented at the 77th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board in Washington, D.C. Michel Van Aerde presented two papers, "Adaptive Coordination of Traffic Signals with INTEGRATION," and "Benefit Sensitivities of Adaptive Traffic Control Strategies at Isolated Traffic Signals." Hesham Rakha presented a paper titled "Construction and Calibration of a Large-Scale Micro-Simulation Model of the Salt Lake Area."
In addition, the following students from the center presented posters at the MAUTC Student Fair: Sergio Demarchi, "Microscopic Modeling of Truck Performance;" Angela Patterson, "Transit Research at Virginia Tech;" and Kyoungho Ahn, "Fuel Consumption/Emission Model." Civil-engineering students Brian Diefenderfer, Ramzi Khuri, James Bryant, Amara Loulizi, Walid Nassar, Alex Appea, Stacey Reubush, and Kessi Perkins also attended the fair, along with CTR students Dhruv Nanda and John Riley.
Center staff members attending the conference included Tom Dingus, Ray Pethtel, John Collura, Wei Lin, Ashwin Amanna, and Aaron Schroeder.
Woody Barfield, professor of industrial and systems engineering, and Tom Dingus, professor of industrial and systems engineering and director of the Center for Transportation Research, are co-editors of a new book titled Human Factors in Intelligent Transportation Systems by Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers. The book is part of a series of volumes on human factors in transportation.
Anthony M. Purcell, director of Personal Touch Catering, has been appointed to Blacksburg's Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
G. Frederick Fregin, director of the Equine Medical Center, has been named a member of Loudoun County's Rural Economic Development Task Force. The 24-member board seeks to foster economic growth which preserves natural resources, strives for a high value of agricultural production, supports the equine and tourism industry, maintains high-quality farmland, and recognizes the need for planned residential growth that preserves rural economy.
Fregin has also been elected a distinguished practitioner of the National Academies of Practice in Veterinary Medicine. Founded in 1981, the NAP is an interdisciplinary group of health care practitioners which seeks to provide the U.S. Congress and the executive branch of the federal government with policy advice on health-care issues.
Nathaniel White, professor and Theodora Ayer Randolph professor of equine surgery at the Equine Medical Center, recently presented lectures on medical treatment of colic, pathology of intestinal distention, and the diagnosis and treatment of thrombophlebitis at the Fifth Congress of Equine Medicine and Surgery in Geneva, Switzerland. White also presented lectures on the epidemiology of colic and intestinal impactions at the ACVS Symposium in Orlando.
Michael Murray, associate professor and Adelaide C. Riggs chair in equine medicine, presented 13 lectures on various aspects of equine internal medicine at the annual Finland Veterinary Congress in Helsinki. Murray also presented lecture and laboratory instruction on equine endoscopy at a meeting of the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association. At a meeting of the American Association of Equine Practitioners in Phoenix, he presented "Overview of equine gastric ulcer disease" and a poster entitled "Assessment of Pulmonary Gas Exchange Indices in Thoroughbred Race Horses After Treatment with Intravenously Administered Furosemide and Inhaled Albuterol."
Craig D. Thatcher, professor and head of the Department of Large Animal Clinical Studies, made a presentation entitled "Nutritional Management of the Growing Horse" at Newbury Racecourse in Newbury, England. Thatcher also presented papers entitled "Feeding and Care of the Equine Athlete" and "Nutritional Management of the Broodmare and Stallion" at the 134th Annual Convention of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
John Dascanio, assistant professor, Department of Large Animal Clinical Studies, made presentations entitled "How to perform and interpret uterine cytology," "AAEP World Wide Web home page review and new equine web sites," and "CD ROM and other continuing-education materials available on the computer" at the annual meeting of the American Association of Equine Practitioners in Phoenix. Dascanio also presented "How the Internet can benefit the equine practitioner" at the AAEP Practice Management Seminar in Saratoga.
William B. Ley, professor, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, made a presentation entitled "Privatization of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Practice Acts in the United States" at a Joint Meeting of the Mongolian National Veterinary Medical Association and the Private Herders Association of Mongolia in Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia.
David Moll, associate professor, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, presented a paper entitled "Management of Masses of the External Genitalia" at the 1997 American College of Veterinary Surgeons Symposium in Orlando. He also chaired the Urogenital Surgery Section and moderated the Urogenital Surgery panel discussion program. Moll also moderated the section on Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis at the annual meeting of the American Association of Equine Practitioners in Phoenix.
David Kronfeld, the Paul Mellon distinguished professor of agriculture and professor of veterinary medicine, was awarded the Tom Cooley Prize of the International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association at its AGM, September 20, Nashua, NH. He was cited for developing optimal proportions of protein, fat and carbohydrates to promote stamina, for demonstrating the value of vitamin C supplementation, and for introducing interval training to the sport. He gave a talk on nutritional supplementation of diets for racing sled dogs. Kronfeld also made a presentations on the evaluation of acid/base status at the Second Equine Exercise Research Symposium in East Lansing, Michigan and on fat adaptation and exercise at the annual meeting of the American Association of Equine Practitioners in Phoenix.
Kent Scarratt, associate professor, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, presented a paper entitled "Alterations in blood ammonia and fecal pH in normal horses treated with lactulose" at a meeting of the Equine Nutrition and Physiology Society in Fort Worth, Texas.
Nathaniel White, professor and Theodora Ayer Randolph professor of equine surgery at the Equine Medical Center, and Scott Pleasant, associate professor, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, presented 18 lectures on different aspects of equine lameness during a four-day symposium presented through the Universidad Austral de Chile in Valdivia, Chile.
A paper presented by Annette Sysel, a surgical resident in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences entitled "Efficacy of epidural combination of morphine and detomidine in alleviately experimentally induced hindlimb lameness in horses" won the Outstanding Resident Research Publication Award during the American College of Veterinary Surgeons' 1997 ACVS Symposium in Orlando. Two other VMRCVM surgical residents presented papers at the meeting. Kim May presented "Permanent urinary bladder fistulization for the treatment of obstructive urolithiasis in small ruminants" and Hoyt Cheramie presented "Evaluation of detachable, self-sealing, latex balloons for occlusion of the distal internal carotid artery in horses."
Thomas J. Inzana, a professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, has been elected a fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology. Inzana operates a laboratory in the VMRCVM's Center for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease.
Michael Leib, a professor in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, recently presented 17 hours of continuing education lectures at the Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Leib, a veterinary gastroenterologist, presented a series of independent lectures before veterinarians and veterinary technicians. Leib also presented lectures on chronic diarrhea, acute pancreatitis, inflamatory bowel disease, and Helicobacter gastritis at a meeting of the Montana Veterinary Medical Association in Bozeman.
David Moore, university veterinarian, director of the Office of Animal Resources, and associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, recently presented a lecture entitled "An Overview of Alternative Technologies for Disposal of Pathogenic and Infectious Wastes" at the Fourth Pharmaceutical Research and Development Conference in Deerfield Illinois. Conference participants represented 26 major domestic and international pharmaceutical firms.
Thomas Bailey, an assistant professor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, has been elected president of the Society of Theriogenology, a national organization of veterinarians who specialize in animal reproduction.
Bernie Feldman, professor, Department of Biomedical Science and Pathobiology, chaired the recent annual meeting of the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology Alburquerque, New Mexico. Feldman was president of that society in 1997; in 1998 he will serve as chairman of the board. Feldman also presented lectures on Clinical Hematology before the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association in Chicago, and on Clinical Hematology and Cytology for the Swedish Academy of Small Animal Practice in Stromsholm, Sweden. Feldman also presented a lecture on clinical pathology for the Irish Companion Animal Veterinary Academy In Dublin, Ireland.
Neels van der Schyf, a research associate professor in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and the Peters Center for the Study of Parkinson's Disease and Disorders of the Central Nervous System, recently contributed a chapter in a new textbook entitled "Highly Selected Neurotoxins-Basic and Clinical Applications." He was also appointed an adjunct professor in the School of Pharmacy at Potchefstroom University in South Africa, and re-appointed to a three-year term on the Complementary Medicines Expert Committee of the Medicine's Control Council of South Africa (the South African equivalent of the FDA).
Mitzi Nagarkatti, associate professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, presented "Fas-deficient mice are more resistant to TCDD-mediated apoptosis and immunotoxicity" at the 7th International Congress of the European Association for Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology in Madrid, Spain. Nagarkatti also received the American Cancer Society Service Award for meritorious service towards cancer prevention and treatment and she has been invited to serve a four-year term on the National Institutes of Health Pathology Study Section, a body which reviews grant proposals. In association with graduate student Asimah Rafi and Prakash Nagarkatti of the Department was awarded the J. Shelton Horsley Research Award from the Virginia Academy of Sciences for the paper "Hyalurante-CD44 interactions can induce murine B cell activation."
Ansar S. Ahmed, associate professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, co-chaired a session entitled "Sex hormones and Sjogren's Syndrome at the 6th International Symposium on Sjogren's Syndrome in Avon, Connecticut. He also presented "Estrogen modulates the functions of both T and B cells in normal mice" at the First International Conference on Experimental and Clinical Reproductive Immunobiology in Charlottesville.
Beverly Purswell, associate professor, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, presented a lecture on canine theriogenology at the Washington, D.C. Academy of Veterinary Medicine, a continuing-education association for approximately 600 veterinarians in the greater Washington D.C. metropolitan area.
Jeryl C. Jones, assistant professor, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, presented "A work station providing access to computed tomographic images in a cross-platformed, Internet-transferrable format" at a meeting of the American College of Veterinary Radiology in Chicago. She also made a presentation on veterinary radiology at the Northeastern Forestry University and Northeastern Agricultural University in Harbin, People's Republic of China.
Thomas Inzana, professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, has published two chapters in academic textbooks. A chapter entitled "Diphtheria and other corynebacterial and coryneform infections" has been published in Topley & Wilson's Microbiology and Microbial Infections and a chapter entitled "The Haemophilus somnus Complex" has been published in Current Veterinary Therapy: Food Animal 4.
Robert Duncan, assistant professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, presented "Optimization of polymerase chain reaction technique to detect hemorrhagic enteritis virus genome in vaccinated turkey poults: Comparison to agar gel precipitin test" at the annual meeting of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
David S. Lindsey, associate professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, has published "Examination of extraintestinal tissue cysts of Isopora belli in the Journal of Parasitology.
Carl Pfeiffer, professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, presented "Diving Adaptations of Marine Mammals: at the Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Laboratory in Honolulu, Hawaii, one of the world's leading centers for the study of the cognitive abilities and training of dolphins. An article written by Pfeiffer entitled "Renal cellular and tissue specialization in the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatas) and beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas)" has been published in the journal Aquatic Mammals.