Virginia Military Institute Newsletter, Volume XLIII, Number IV, December 2014 ‘Teaching is Just the Best Way of Learning’ Math Professor Guides Cadet to International Publication BY MARY PRICE The winner of the 2014 Jackson-Hope Prize for Excellence in Stanford, a civil engineering major and applied math minor, didn’t Published Scholarly Work is only in his fourth year teaching at VMI blanch at working outside of his field – and neither did Chalishajar, who – but he’s already guided one cadet to publishing his research in an at the time was new to the field of mathematical biology. international journal. “Teaching is just the best way of learning,” said Chalishajar of their Lt. Col. Dimplekumar Chalishajar, associate professor of applied collaboration. “I was not teaching my cadet. I was just learning new things mathematics, worked alongside Cadet Andrew Stanford ’16 to create a with him.” mathematical model of a diabetic’s response to insulin treatment. Their co- Stanford, meanwhile, was more than open to learning new things. He authored work, “Mathematical Analysis of Insulin-Glucose Feedback System and Chalishajar had discussed an engineering problem for an independent of Diabetes,” was published in the International Journal of Engineering study, but Stanford hadn’t yet had all of the necessary civil engineering and Applied Sciences in July 2014. coursework to complete such a project. He had, though, taken a college- At the time the two began working together, in the fall of 2013, Stanford level biology course in high school, since his alma mater, Gar-Field was only a 3rd Class cadet, but he’d impressed Chalishajar so much during Senior High School in Prince William County, Va., offered an International his 4th Class year that Chalishajar sought him out and asked if he’d like Baccalaureate curriculum. to do independent research. Please see page 10 Corps Thanksgiving Dinner Cadets select their desserts at the Corps Thanksgiving dinner Nov. 17 in Crozet Hall. – VMI Photo by Kevin Remington. VMI INSTITUTE REPORT Heading for McKethan Army ROTC cadets board Virginia National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters on the Parade Ground Nov. 8. The helicopters transported the cadets to McKethan Park, giving cadets and pilots valuable training in air assault maneuvers. – VMI Photo by John Robertson IV. For the Ring Rat Olympics Cadets compete in the pugil stick event during Rat Olympics Nov. 11. Company F won the overall event, while Band Company was voted to receive the Stockwell Cup as the company best exhibiting the mentoring, coaching, and teamwork the event is meant to teach. — VMI Photo by H. Lockwood McLaughlin. Institute Report Office of Communications and Marketing Col. Stewart MacInnis – Director Stewart Wilkinson, VMI Foundation assistant director of Maj. Sherri Tombarge – Editor annual and reunion giving, presents a check for $40,000 to Burton Floyd – Publications Coordinator Contributors: Scott Belliveau, Kevin Remington, John Robertson IV, Kelly Nye, Scott Beasley, president of the Class of 2016, on Nov. 13. Mary Price, H. Lockwood McLaughlin, Daniel Stinnett ’07 and Chris Floyd. Annually given under the auspices of the Barracks Program, this gift represents the $100 that each Brother Rat of the Class Printing – McClung Printing,Waynesboro, Va. Eight issues are printed during of 2016 received to support the purchase of his or her class the academic year. Inquiries, suggestions, news items, or address changes should be directed to: Editor, The Institute Report, VMI Communications ring. The Class of 2016 received their class rings on Nov. and Marketing, Lexington, Virginia 24450-0304, Telephone 540-464-7207, 21. – Photo courtesy of the VMI Foundation. Fax 540-464-7443 PAGE 2, DECEMBER 2014 VMI INSTITUTE REPORT ‘Uncommon Purpose’ Campaign Off to Good Start BY SCOTT BELLIVEAU ’83, VMI FOUNDATION The recently announced campaign to raise that the rest of the VMI family shares this initial funds for the Institute is off to a fast start, with enthusiasm.” enthusiasm evident among many members of For example, on their Facebook pages, the the VMI community. Donald M. Wilkinson ’61, Institute and the VMI Alumni Association posted campaign chairman, told those gathered Nov. 11 announcements that included a link to the video. for the Institute Society dinner that the campaign’s In a little more than 24 hours, almost 8,000 progress as of Founders Day was $183 million in people had seen the posts and watched the video, gifts and commitments. The funds were raised and hundreds of those alumni and friends shared during the campaign’s three-year “quiet phase.” the post with friends. Wilkinson’s remarks on the campaign, An Un- “Many years of careful planning and hard work common Purpose: A Glorious Past, A Brilliant by dozens of people on and off post, including Future: The Campaign for VMI, were followed Campaign chairman Donald Wilkinson the Institute’s senior leadership, volunteers like by a 13-minute video that provided an overview shakes Gen. Peay’s hand during the Mr. Wilkinson, and the staffs of the VMI alumni of the many reasons behind the campaign as well campaign launch. – VMI Photo by H. agencies – as well as the generosity of thousands as its overall goal – $225 million in gifts and Lockwood McLaughlin. of donors – have given this effort an undeniably commitments. The video, featuring testimonials of cadets and alumni, strong start,” said Crockett. “However, this event marks, to use a phrase was warmly received by the audience. from Winston Churchill, ‘the end of the beginning.’ The campaign “The reaction of this audience, which consisted of more than 600 of leadership set a deliberately ambitious goal for this effort, and, to meet the Institute’s most dedicated supporters, was quite enthusiastic,” said it, everyone associated with the campaign will be engaging every member Brian Scott Crockett, who, as CEO of the VMI Foundation, is respon- of the VMI family – and reaching out to expand the VMI family.” sible for campaign’s daily operations. “They left post excited about An For more information about the goals and the progress of the Uncommon Purpose and determined to see that it meets its goal – and campaign, visit www.vmi.edu/campaign. The campaign video may be exceeds it. In the days immediately following this event, it became clear viewed at www.vmi.edu/campaignvideo. Institute Society Dinner a Success BY SCOTT BELLIVEAU ’83, VMI FOUNDATION Six hundred alumni and friends of the for two-thirds of the Foundation Fund’s Institute attended the annual Institute total receipts – and $12.6 million to other Society Dinner in Marshall Hall on the funds that support the Institute and the evening of Founders Day, Nov. 11 Corps of Cadets. He also recognized the This event primarily recognizes the Class of 1963 and the Class of 1987 for members of The Institute Society, those the successes of their reunion campaigns. men and women who are leaders in the VMI’s superintendent, retired U.S. effort to provide private financial support Army Gen. J. H. Binford Peay III ’62, to VMI. They become members of the also addressed the guests, thanking society by making a minimum annual them for their support of VMI in the gift of $1,500 to the Foundation Fund or previous fiscal year. He then screened by donating at least $3,000 annually to a a video produced by the VMI’s Office of restricted fund or endowment managed Communications and Marketing, which by the VMI Foundation during a fiscal presented an overview of the current state Gen. Peay addresses Institute Society members during year. of the Institute. their dinner on Founders Day. – VMI Photo by H. Lockwood “Since The Institute Society was As is custom, the superintendent’s McLaughlin. established in the mid-1970s,” said remarks were followed by a spirited Brian S. Crockett, the VMI Foundation’s CEO, “its members – alumni performance from the VMI Glee Club, which the guests received and friends – have been those who realize that, in order for it to meet enthusiastically. The evening closed with the singing of “The VMI Spirit” critical needs, such as enhanced scholarship support of cadets, VMI and “The VMI Doxology,” led by the Glee Club. must have an increasing amount of unrestricted money.” “As always, the Institute Society Dinner was a success,” said Crockett. After Crockett welcomed the evening’s guests, the colors were posted “We were able to thank these donors on behalf of VMI as well as provide and the VMI Herald Trumpets played the national anthem, after which them an opportunity to hear directly from the superintendent about the Institute chaplain Col. James Park provided the invocation. After important role their generosity has at VMI. Also, because the event was dinner, VMI Foundation President Walton M. Jeffress Jr. ’68 thanked supported by 85 members of the Class of 2016 and 17 of the Class of the Institute Society’s members for their generosity to VMI in fiscal year 2015, our guests were able to see firsthand the powerful impact that 2013, specifically, $1.8 million to the Foundation Fund – accounting they have on the education, and, therefore, the lives of our cadets.” DECEMBER 2014, PAGE 3 DECEMBER 2014, PAGE 3 VMI INSTITUTE REPORT Cadet Project to Build a Supercomputer a ‘Humbling’ Experience BY MARY PRICE Come January, two VMI cadets single machine acting as will take a plane ride to San Antonio, the “brain” that tells the Texas – and give a presentation at a others what to do. Once national conference about how they the master machine has built the Department of Applied been given an assignment, Mathematics’ first supercomputer Poffenbarger explained, almost entirely out of recycled it allocates the task into parts. smaller chunks and assigns Traveling to the 2015 Joint each to a computer.