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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 2, 1993                   TAG: 9304020445
SECTION: FOUNDERS DAY                    PAGE: FD-12   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

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SERVICE MEANS RETURNING FAVORS

Service to others is a matter of "paybacks," says Shannon L. Naboodri, a Ph.D. candidate at Virginia Tech who has initiated a science program for area schools, is active in Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and is a student leader.

"When I grew up, I had a lot of things available to me, so, I try to give back," says Namboodri. "It comes from my parents."

The Materials and Science Engineering (MSE) major has been voted to receive the university's Graduate Student Service Excellence Award during Founder Day ceremonies.

Namboodri launched a "Science on Wheels" program to Montgomery County elementary schools. The project brought university graduate and undergraduate students before fifth-grade classes to perform simple experiments to demonstrate basic science and engineering principles and excite the young pupils about science.

Namboodri is also MSE delegate to the Graduate Student Assembly, and graduate student adviser on the MSE faculty promotion and tenure committee.

Where does she get the time? "It's fun," says Namboodri. "Especially Big Brothers/Big Sisters because it's something my husband, Chet, and I do together." The couple spends many hours a week with their "little sister."

Namboodri came to Virginia Tech from Clemson University. She is the top Ph.D. student in the MSE program at Virginia Tech.

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