Outstanding graduates

Graduating senior: Ashley Lohr

Hometown: Purcellville, Virginia
Major: Wildlife conservation (entomology minor)

Main accomplishment: Getting involved with various research projects was one of the best things I did at Virginia Tech. I participated in two Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships in entomology and served as a mentor in the program during my second year. I worked on several projects with Dr. Marcella Kelly, such as camera trapping and black bear research, and traveled to Belize for her project analyzing jaguar densities. I am so grateful for the experience I have gained thus far, and I know it will serve as a solid foundation for future jobs and graduate school.

Master’s student: Ashley Athey

Hometown: Danville, Virginia
Majors: Geography (meteorology)

Research focus: My thesis research was born from my experience as a weather analyst with a private weather company, Meteorological Connections LLC. For my research I have assessed the accuracy of satellite-derived precipitation estimates across the complex topography of Nepal. My research will work towards improving the accuracy of satellite-derived precipitation products for remote mountainous regions.

Doctoral student: Wei Zhang

Hometown: Weifang, China
Major: Sustainable biomaterials (macromolecular science and engineering)

Research focus: I worked on the isolation, purification, and structural characterization of wood polymers after processing the wood on polymer extrusion equipment. The purpose is to understand how thermal energy combined with a “protectant” solvent changes molecular connections while preserving the backbone structure of bio-macromolecules. The isolated biopolymers with specific functionality have potential applications as synthetic polymer replacements. Results of my additional research on biomass conversion to liquid fuel like ethanol indicated that biomass can be efficiently transformed into sustainable feedstock for biofuel production, as well as used to isolate high-quality fiber.