Spectrum - Volume 17 Issue 32 May 11, 1995 - Achievers

A non-profit publication of the Office of the University Relations of Virginia Tech,
including The Conductor , a special section of the Spectrum printed 4 times a year

Achievers

Spectrum Volume 17 Issue 32 - May 11, 1995

Diana L. Weigmann , interim director of the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, was elected to the board of the National Institutes for Water Resources. She will represent the Mid-Atlantic Region, which includes Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.

Weigmann also was invited to become a member of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC)/EPA Research Task Force. The purpose of the task force is to assist EPA in developing short- and long-term major research themes.

David Kapp, a Ph.D. candidate in the Bradley Department of Electrical Engineering, has received the Blackwell Award for the best seminar presented by a graduate student in the department. Kapp's seminar focused on his research into the development of new numerical techniques for accelerating the computation of electromagnetic scattering from rough surfaces. The research is conducted in university's ElectroMagnetic Interactions Laboratory, and is sponsored by the U.S. Army Research Office, the Office of Naval Research, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Blackwell Award is funded by donations made to Virginia Tech.

Donna Dunay and Robert Dunay, professors of architecture in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, were recently recognized by the Virginia Masonry Council at the group's 1994 Design Awards Program. The Dunays' entry, Pear Hall, won a 1994 Excellence in Masonry Award. The design, a children's addition consisting of a playroom and a pair of bedrooms, was cited for its innovative use of materials. This statewide competition is held annually to recognize the best projects utilizing masonry as a primary building material.

Eugene Cliff, a professor and eminent scholar of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering, served as a panelist for the 1995 National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship award program. Cliff and his fellow panelists reviewed all of the program applications and recommended 860 students nationwide for three years of graduate fellowship support.

E. George Stern , the Earle B. Norris professor emeritus of wood construction, represented the United States at a meeting of the International Standards Organization (ISO) Committee on Building Constructions in Louvain, Belgium, in April. He serves as secretary of the task group on terminology and harmonization of language.

Stern and Marshall S. White , professor of wood science and forest products and director of the Sardo Pallet and Container Research Lab, co-chaired in April the committee on pallets, slip sheets, and other bases for unit loads at the annual meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in Washington, D.C.

Stern, as coordinator of the task group on assessment of punched metal plate connectors for timber structures, attended the 13th International World Building Congress of the International Council for Building Research Studies and Documentation (CIB) in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in early May. He also chaired the meeting of the task group in Delft, Netherlands, and presented three papers of which he was the author or coauthor.

Five Virginia Tech members of the Virginia Press Women won awards in the association's latest state-wide communications contest.

The awards were presented by Virginia Press Women, an organization open to professional journalists, writers, journalism educators, and public-relations practitioners in the state.

The Virginia Tech winners are as follows:

Clara Cox , manager of public-service communications, won a first for the magazine Virginia Issues & Answers , of which she is managing editor. Meg Nugent is art director, Bob Veltri is photography editor, Harry Yeatts is assistant editor, and Larry Hincker is executive editor. Cox also won a third for the European Studies Center brochure, for which she was project director. Barbara Corbett was designer, Veltri was photographer, and Mary Holliman was copy editor.

Nancy Feuerbach of the Center for Intelligent Material Systems and Structures won third in the personal-column category for a humorous column she wrote for Galley Pruf , the newsletter of the Virginia Press Women.

Sally Harris , public-relations coordinator for the College of Arts and Sciences, won a first in news releases for a series of Christmas stories on Appalachian customs with Jeff Mann of English, and gift giving with William Snizek of sociology; a first for a feature photo of James Wightman of chemistry doing his Benjamin Franklin demonstration of surface chemistry at the Duck Pond; a second for a feature story in the Virginia Tech magazine about Civil War expert James I. "Bud" Robertson , history; a third for the college newsletter, Arts and Sciences , which Harris edits and designs, with Adelene C. Kirby providing editorial assistance and Susan Trulove contributing several stories; a third for the college poster done with Associate Dean Lucinda Roy , with Creed Taylor of Graphic Arts as the artistic director, Harris as the writer/project director, and Harry Yeatts as editor.

Lynn Nystrom , director of news and external relations for the College of Engineering, won a first for the Industrial and Systems Engineering graduate recruitment brochure for which she served as editor and co-designer with Dave Simpkins of engineering. Photographers were Rick Griffiths and Veltri of Visual Communications-Photo. She also won a first for faculty advisers for college student publications for her work with the Collegiate Times . Nystrom won second for direct mail for the Via Civil Engineering brochure for which she served as editor and co-designer with Simpkins. Photographers were Griffiths, Veltri, and Gary Colbert . She also won a second-place for the polymer brochure. Nystrom was editor, Michele Moldenhauer was designer, and Griffiths, Veltri, Colbert, Moldenhauer, and Mark Nystrom were photographers. Harry Yeatts was contributing editor.

Susan Trulove , public-relations coordinator for Research and Graduate Studies, won a second in the media-kit category for a column called "Science from Virginia Tech," which goes to 100 newspapers and 600 junior and senior high school science teachers statewide. The 12 columns a year about Virginia Tech research are written by Trulove and the college public-affairs officers. Trulove won second for a news release on the non- mercury switch developed by Virginia Tech scientists. She also won third for special articles on science topics for articles about 1) Ed Moore and Lillian Moore 's periodontal disease research; 2) Erik Nilsen 's research on "The Swampy Solution to Water Pollution," and 3) an article on safety in food packaging research by Ph.D. student Scott Keller .

Kenneth H. Martin , retired personnel officer of Virginia Cooperative Extension, has been named associate professor emeritus by the Board of Visitors. Martin was honored at a dinner and reception last month. More than 300 friends and colleagues have established the Ken Martin 4-H Service Scholarship Endowment. Awards will be given based on demonstrated leadership in 4-H programs and evidence of support and care of others through service activities. Financial need will not be an element of the selection process.

Joyce A. Martin , 4-H Extension agent for Montgomery County, received the Paul Harris Fellow Award from Rotary International last month. This is the highest award given by Rotary.

Martin has led Montgomery County 4-H'ers to awards and recognition for the projects in district, regional, state, national, and international competitions. She has received many awards and honors from Extension and 4-H.