Summer 2012

Brooks M. Whitehurst (’51 B.S. in chemical engineering) was honored as the 2011-12 Friend of the College. He has been generous in his financial and personal support of the Wood Enterprise Institute.

Cari Lynn Squibb (Graduating Senior), Beth Stein (Master's Student), and Baojuan Zheng (Ph.D. Student) were honored for their exceptional work as natural resources students.

Doctoral student Daiqiang Xu of Beijing, China, received the 2012 Eastman Graduate Student Award from the Cellulose and Renewable Materials Division (CELL) of the American Chemical Society.

A team of eight graduate students won the 2012 national GeoLeague Challenge at the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing conference in Sacramento, Ca.

The Virginia Tech Meteorology Club has recently become a chapter of the National Weather Association and the American Meteorological Society.

Wildlife science graduate student Claudia Wultsch and her scat detector dog Bruiser have once again garnered international attention by being featured on the National Geographic website.

Katelin Shugart-Schmidt, a master’s student in fisheries and wildlife sciences, was named Virginia Tech’s 2012 Graduate Woman of the Year.

Senior wildlife science major Jarrett Wansley of Richmond, Va., was selected for a competitive STEP (Student Temporary Employment Program) position with the Appalachian Mountain Joint Venture, housed in the college’s Conservation Management Institute (CMI).

The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors has granted several college faculty promotions and approvals for tenure.

Michael Schwarz, an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, was recently presented with a letter of entrustment from the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province of South Korea, naming him an honorary ambassador for the island.

George Bumann (’02 M.S. in wildlife science) has made a name for himself with his stunning wildlife artwork. Since earning his degree, he has become a professional sculptor, working out of his studio in Gardiner, Mont., at the northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Edwin Jones (‘79 B.S. and ‘83 Ph.D. in fisheries and wildlife sciences), director of Virginia Cooperative Extension, received the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation’s Gerald H. Cross Alumni Leadership Award.

Members of both the Seattle and Portland, Ore., chapters of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association were treated to “An Evening With Alumni Distinguished Professor John Seiler” in June.

Tom Speaks (’79 B.S. in forestry and wildlife) was selected as the new forest supervisor of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, headquartered in Roanoke.