VT College of Science Quarterly August 2014 Vol. 1 No. 2 | Page 2

On the cover: Lucy Howey-Jordan and
a member of her team attach a satellite
tag to an oceanic whitetip shark.
Photo by Lance Jordan

ADMINISTRATION
Lay Nam Chang Dean
Gary Long Associate Dean for
Curriculum & Instruction
Tim Long Associate Dean for
Research & International Outreach
J.P. Morgan Associate Dean for
Graduate Studies & Strategic
Initiatives
Janet Sanders Assistant Dean for
Finance & Administration
Jerry Via Assistant Dean for
Undergraduate Instruction

ADVANCEMENT
Jenny Orzolek Director of
Development
Donna Wardell Director of Alumni
Relations
Rosaire Bushey Director of
Communications
Tim Howland Associate Director of
Corporate and Foundation Relations
Erin Woodard Assistant Director of
Development

DEPARTMENT HEADS
Peter Kennelly Biochemistry
Brenda Winkel Biological Sciences
Jim Tanko Chemistry
Nic Tideman Economics
Nancy Ross Geosciences
Peter Haskell Mathematics
Leo Piilonen Physics
Bob Stephens Psychology
Eric Smith Statistics

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discrimination or accessibility should contact the
Office of Equity and Access.

2

College of Science Quarterly

Message from the Dean

Past, present, future share
passion for discovery
By Lay Nam Chang
Dean

This month I had
the distinct pleasure
to see the very best
of the College’s past,
present, and future.
On Nov. 1 we held
our annual CelebraDean Lay Nam Chang
tion of Excellence
Dinner where we
present a number of awards and scholarships
to our undergraduate and graduate students.
This is a fantastic evening because it highlights
what we are now as a college, and the future,
as these young scientists and leaders continue
their educations and prepare to help solve the
world’s problems.
That same day I also was honored to present
the first 12 members of the newly formed College of Science Hall of Distinguished Alumni.
These men and women have taken their Virginia Tech education and gone on to achieve
remarkable things in all areas of society.
They have written books, started companies,

achieved positions at the pinnacle of corporations and foundations, won prestigious international awards, and have earned presidentially-appointed positions within our government.
Having both groups together was special because it put in perspective how important what
we do is. We don’t merely teach or educate. We
provide the foundation for the future, across
many disciplines – foundations that will have
an impact far beyond the Blacksburg area.
Our past is an amalgamation of the College
of Arts and Sciences and the College of Science
and it’s obvious those who came before us did
an exceptional job.
Our future is bright. Before our eyes they are
accepting the challenges thrown before them
and asking always for more.
That is our present - to comply with the
needs of the future. We are integrating programs, leaving our historical paradigms, and
pushing science education forward.
The line that runs through it all, from our
undergraduates to our most senior alumni, is a
love of science, of understanding, of searching,
questioning, and ultimately, of discovering.

Hall of Distinction

Award honors excellence

As part of its 10th anniversary celebrations,
12 alumni were inducted into the inaugural
class of the College of Science Hall of Distinction. The honor is given to those people who
embody the college goals of enhancing the
well-being and development of their community, the commonwealth, the nation, or
the world, and who exemplify Virginia Tech’s
motto Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).
“Alumni of the College of Science, and the
College of Arts and Sciences before that, have
had a tremendous impact on our world,” said
Dean Lay Nam Chang. “The Hall of Distinction
is one way we honor an exceptional group
whose talent, dedication, enthusiasm, and success have set a standard of excellence for our
current students.”

The 2013 Hall of Distinction recipients are:
Mary Nolen Blackwood, of Midlothian, Va.,
psychology, Class of 1973; Patricia Caldwell,
of New York City, N.Y., mathematics, Class of
1971; Jean Gibbons Fielden, of Vero Beach,
Fla., statistics, Class of 1962; David Henderson, of Spicewood, Texas, geophysics, Class
of 1973; Theresa Koehler, of Houston, Texas,
biological sciences, Class of 1981; William
Lewis Jr., of Washington, D.C., physics, Class
of 1963; A. Clifton Lilly Jr., of Chesterfield,
Va., geological sciences, Class of 1956, and
physics, Class of 1989; Kimbley Muller, of
Houston, Texas, general science, Class of 1969;
G. Robert Quisenberry, of Richmond, Va.,
statistics, Class of 1963; Robert Richardson,
of Ithaca, N.Y., physics, Class of 1958 and