1 . o 4, n 3 VirginiaTech l. o v magazine 11 fall 20fall HOW VIRGINIA TECH WAS WON Fisticuffs, growing pains, and the Hokie way Comfort Food 21st-century Extension A resurgence in local foods The enduring relevance of and urban gardening Virginia Cooperative Extension Message from the President Contents Fall 2011 Vol. 34, No. 1 Virginia Tech, 14 5 Ways to Foil Online Thieves A Job-Development Don’t draw a bull’s-eye on your (virtual) chest. Keep yourself protected when it comes 18 to computer security. From Facebook no-no’s and password strength to the latest cyber- threats, Virginia Tech experts weigh in on an issue that won’t go away until the FarmVille Engine BY CHARLES W. steger ’69 cows come home. 18 Comfort Food: A resurgence in local foods and urban gardening Recently, the Commonwealth of Virginia deservedly gar- Supplying graduates to firms, small and large, around the In response to a growing sense of disconnect between the consumer and the food nered yet another award for its business-friendly policies and globe, Virginia Tech prepares students who are in high demand. producer and in the wake of food-related public health crises, local foods and urban reputation. Organizations such as Forbes and CNBC, among But the strong tech sector deserves special notice here. No longer gardening are taking root as safer, more transparent, and more sustainable approaches others, have singled out Virginia for its strong job-creation an “emerging” component of the local economy, technology com- to food production. climate. If universities were accorded such accolades, I suspect panies comprise 18 percent of regional employment, according 24 21st-century Extension: The enduring rele- that Virginia Tech would be near the top of the list, too. to a 2009 study by the Roanoke Blacksburg Technology Council vance of Virginia Cooperative Extension Land-grant universities like Tech began in order to make (RBTC). The local economy added 382 new tech companies Extension has come far since it sprang from a few demonstration farms and corn and America’s farms and factories more productive and so always between 2002 and 2009, growing from 1,312 to 1,694 business tomato clubs near the turn of the century. Almost 100 years later, Virginia Cooperative have had strong programs linked to job development. Virginia units. These new businesses are concentrated in four categories: Extension weathers changing times and budget cuts, continuing to fulfill its mission of 24 putting university knowledge to practice across the commonwealth. Tech takes it a step further into the 21st century. We proudly computer/networks; systems engineering; software development; cultivate our entrepreneurial culture and institutional focus on and scientific, engineering, or technical consulting. 30 How Virginia Tech Was Won: Fisticuffs, growing job creation. Total tech-sector employment in the region approaches pains, and the Hokie way Indicators abound. The Virginia Tech Corporate Research 40,000 jobs. From my standpoint, the RBTC study yielded this An 1878 dispute over how Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College—now Virginia Center (CRC), the most visible manifestation of the academy/ very important fact: Proximity to Virginia Tech and its talent Tech—should be structured ended in a fistfight between President Charles L.C. Minor jobs linkage, just completed its successful 25-year build-out of was the most frequently mentioned factor for prompting busi- and the commandant of cadets, Gen. James H. Lane. The quarrel made headlines in the original concept. Now home to more than 140 companies in nesses to locate to the region. its day—and brought to the forefront a debate that would shape the university com- munity for years to come. 1 million square feet of space and employing more than 2,200 Alumni who have been gone for more than a few years people, the CRC is entering its next phase by creating facilities might be surprised by the vibrant entrepreneurial business 37 Living Pylons: Why We Fight that will more than double the current research park’s size. sector in Blacksburg and Southwest Virginia. There is a strong In the first of an ongoing series featuring alumni-penned essays about living the Pylon The newly formed Virginia Tech Carilion Research Insti- business-development infrastructure. Outside venture funds are values, Capt. George Flynn (business information technology ’01) discusses how a Hokie tute already has snagged some of the nation’s leading scholars taking notice and making headway. The CRC and VT Knowl- football-inspired lunch pail became a symbol of service for Echo Company Marines. and scientists; its annual budget exceeds $20 million and grows edgeWorks also serve as venture funds. VT KnowledgeWorks, rapidly with each new research contract. With the emergence a full-spectrum business acceleration center, currently is work- 40 Alumnus builds a city in the hills of Palestine 30 of the institute’s partner, the Virginia Tech Carilion School ing with more than 60 firms at all stages of corporate maturity Building a city from scratch is no easy task anywhere in the world, let alone in Pales- tine, where lasting peace is hard to come by. Yet Bashar Masri (chemical engineering of Medicine, as well as the fact that the CRC-based Virginia to launch them into the marketplace. ’83) isn’t worried about the obstacles—a resolve that’s indicative of his commitment to College of Osteopathic Medicine graduates more than 200 doc- Additionally, the RBTC actively nurtures startups and pro- growth and development in his native country. tors annually, this region is positioned to develop a significant motes the region to attract tech companies. The Virginia Tech medical technology infrastructure and biomedical clusters. We Foundation invests in venture funds, often with the proviso that 48 Alumni Association News Letters to the Editor ....... 2 expect to see spin-offs or high-tech firms quickly attracted to the funds work with local businesses. Indeed, the foundation page 49: Commentary Around the Drillfield ....... 3 page 50: 2010-11 Alumni Association Annual Report the area. is engaged with many economic development ventures, too nu- How Tech Ticks .......... 10 When Rolls-Royce elected to make its $170 million invest- merous to mention here. Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties page 52: Alumni Association awards page 54: 2012 Drillfield Series Professor Profile ......... 12 ment in its first U.S. aircraft engine component factory built maintains and markets a portfolio of university scholars’ inven- page 55: Alumni travel tours Corps of Cadets ......... 17 from the ground up, it cited access to intellectual capital at tions. [Editor’s note: In future issues, Virginia Tech Magazine Philanthropy ............ 44 Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia as decision driv- will present a more in-depth picture of the university’s role as a ers. Working with Rolls-Royce, our universities will develop a catalyst of economic development.] Book Notes ............. 56 Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing near the Actively inventing the future, your university is playing a DEPARTMENTS Class Notes ............. 59 On the cover: The dispute between President Charles L.C. Minor and Gen. company’s plant south of Petersburg and a jet propulsion lab vital role in creating the jobs of today and tomorrow. This short James H. Lane, the commandant of cadets, resulted in a fistfight at an here on campus. Eventually, Rolls-Royce expects to employ as column just scratches the surface. Contact us for ways in which 1878 faculty senate meeting and left an indelible impression on Virginia many as 500 people in Virginia. you can be part of the Virginia Tech job-development engine. Agricultural and Mechanical College. Illustration by Steven White ’92. Virginia Tech Magazine | Fall 2011 1 Letters to the Editor Around the Drillfield Virginia Tech Magazine Architecture memories Pete Dye River Hardwick said the “champion- Fall 2011, Vol. 34, No. 1 The article “The Raw Course ranked No. 9 ship layout and the first-class Editor Materials of Creativity” in in college courses facilities afforded with it have Jesse Tuel the summer edition of Vir- The Pete Dye River Course helped the Hokies remain Assistant Editor ginia Tech Magazine was of competitive in an extremely Denise Young at Virginia Tech earned high considerable interest to me. I competitive conference and col- Art Director marks from Golfweek magazine Robin Dowdy [earned bachelor’s and mas- when the publication ranked legiate golf landscape.” Graphic Designers ter’s degrees] in architectural Tech’s course ninth among cam- Tiffany Pruden, David Stanley engineering in 1942 and was pus golf courses. Built in 1998 New lecture series Creative Services Manager on the faculty of the depart- brings medical Glen Duncan and renamed The Pete Dye Riv- ment from 1947-59. science to life Graduate assistants and interns er Course of Virginia Tech in Rommelyn Conde, Olivia Kasik, In the time before and 2006, the course climbed from The biology of the crimi- Chad O’Kane M.A. ’11 after World War II, the De- its position at No. 18 in Golf- nal mind, the development Copy Editors of childhood obesity, and the Juliet Crichton, partment of Architectural En- week’s ranking last year—mak- Richard Lovegrove gineering was on the top floor ing it the fastest riser on the list mechanisms of chronic pain The tiniest tackler went about his day in North- Webmaster of Patton Hall. There we were and the highest-ranked Atlantic are among the many topics that Juliet Crichton My husband, Seth Milans ern Virginia. assigned a desk and a stool. Coast Conference course. will be explored in a new series Contributors (finance ’03), and I have two Teddy was a true Hokie To that, we brought our draft- The course hosted the of scientific talks in Roanoke.