Spotlight Archive

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Guests at the fifth annual Garden Gala on Saturday, June 13, bid on plants, art, and other garden items during a silent auction. The Hahn Horticulture Garden hosted the “Red Carpet Gala” to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the garden’s founding in 1984. The HokieBird and clamoring paparazzi greeted guests as they entered along the red carpet. While strolling through the garden, they also enjoyed gourmet hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and live music. Garden founders Robert Lyons and Robert McDuffie were the honorary hosts, and Peggy Lee Hahn was the honorary gala chair. Photo by Jim Stroup

Monday, June 15, 2009

More than 600 teens, volunteer leaders, and Virginia Cooperative Extension agents are on campus this week attending the 89th annual 4-H State Congress. This year’s theme, “Constructing the Future Through 4-H,” aims to motivate 4-H’ers to interact with their local communities through service and leadership. Speakers include the Power Team—an inspirational group of world-class athletes—and recent Virginia Tech graduate and motivational speaker Rayna Dubose. As always, 4-H State Congress will feature an opening and closing assembly, workshops, service-learning projects, tours, sporting events, and award competitions.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Apple and peach growers in Virginia are learning ways to decrease the environmental impact of their insect pest management practices, and they are getting financial help to do it. The producers are enrolled in the national Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), funded through the Farm Bill and administered through the National Resources Conservation Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The program aims to demonstrate to farmers that profitable agricultural production and improved environmental quality are compatible goals. 

Monday, May 18, 2009

Susan Sumner (left), associate dean and director of Academic Programs, recognizes Meagan Meyers (right), a biochemistry major from Greencastle, Pa., as the 2009 Outstanding Senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. While completing her degree with minors in chemistry and Spanish, Meyers juggled a rigorous academic schedule with multiple leadership positions and extracurricular activities and maintained a cumulative GPA of 4.0. In 2007, she was recognized as an Honors Scholar, which gave her the opportunity to study rural medicine in Honduras and the Dominican Republic. Meyers was one of 538 undergraduate students in the college that graduated on May 16.

Monday, May 11, 2009

David Moore (right), unit coordinator and agriculture and natural resources Extension agent in Middlesex County, examines white rust on sunflowers during a 2007 trip to study plant disease management in South Africa. Virginia Tech honored Moore with the 2009 Alumni Award for Excellence in Extension for the leadership and technical knowledge he has offered Eastern Virginia’s commodity groups for the past 16 years. The Lunenburg County native assists Virginia grain producers in developing management strategies that will optimize production and maximize economic yields while minimizing negative environmental impacts. This on-farm research impacts more than 800,000 acres of grain and soybeans in Eastern Virginia, worth an estimated $145 million.