Looking back: 22* things we learned in 2022
As President Tim Sands noted in his year-end message to the Virginia Tech community, 2022 marked "a year full of wonderful experiences and milestones." Here are 22 things — in random order — that stood out for this year.
The * means there were way more than 22 things to highlight. See this page for the larger list.
- Geophysical data collected from helicopter flyovers have helped create images of the subsurface “plumbing” system in Yellowstone National Park.
- Early in her career as a faculty member, Nikki Giovanni organized a fish fry on the Drillfield to bring students and faculty together. Then-head football coach Frank Beamer and several athletes attended.
- An assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry received a two-year $430,000 R21 grant from the National Institutes of Health to research the sleep habits of mosquitoes with the thought that if sleep-deprived humans have trouble functioning, maybe sleep-deprived mosquitoes do too.
- Wood from the Merry Oak, a white oak tree that stood on the grounds of Smithfield Plantation for centuries, was used to create two art installations.
- A mother and son each received their doctoral degrees during spring commencement.
- Five Virginia Tech faculty joined the list of Highly Cited Researchers.
- A conversation between President Tim Sands and Monacan Chief Kenneth Branham during 1872 Forward led to the creation of Virginia Tech’s Tribal Match Scholarship.
- The future of disease detection could be determined by a wearable skin detector thanks to research from one of Virginia Tech’s electrical engineering professors.
- A doctoral student named a millipede species he discovered in honor of Taylor Swift.
- More than a million visitors toured Virginia Tech’s FutureHAUS at the World’s Fair in Dubai.
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC scientists found that how we view the future may hold the key to recovery from alcohol use disorder.
- Research led by an assistant professor of marketing in the Pamplin College of Business shows a connection between the belief that appearance reveals character and support for facial profiling technology.
- Researchers in the College of Natural Resources and Environment are studying vampire bats to better understand what conditions accelerate the risks of animal-to-human disease transmission.
- Industrial design students in the School of Design are providing design support for aging in place.
- This May, 80 percent of graduates enrolled in the Corps of Cadets Citizen-Leader Track received job offers and graduate school acceptance letters before they crossed the stage at graduation.
- Virginia Tech earned its inaugural Bee Campus USA certification for its commitment to sustaining native insect pollinators – a designation that further cements the university’s Climate Action Commitment to create a green and sustainable campus.
- Close to 6,000 grilled cheese sandwiches were served over four nights as part of Cheesy Nights in December, the end-of-semester event hosted by University Libraries.
- There were 6,916 applicants for the 49 spots in the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine’s Class of 2026, making it one of the most selective medical schools in the country.
- Staff at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, which is run by the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, performed a successful emergency caesarean section on a llama who encountered trouble in natural delivery.
- Craig Walsh’s “Monuments” projected the faces of impactful community members in the New River Valley onto Drillfield trees, transforming the trees into living sculptures.
- In June, Boeing announced a new partnership with the Commonwealth of Virginia and Virginia Tech to establish The Boeing Center for Veteran Transition & Military Families, a new hub for veterans and their families.
- In late April, four middle-aged moms in Hokie gear stood on the Drillfield next to a sign that read, “Need a mom hug?” Any student who agreed was immediately swooped into a big, warm embrace — free of charge, unlimited refills available.
