Geoffrey Vining, professor of statistics in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the title of professor emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

The emeritus title may be conferred on retired faculty members who are specially recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands in recognition of exemplary service to the university. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board receive a copy of the resolution and a certificate of appreciation.

A member of the Virginia Tech community for more than 25 years, Vining was the sole principal investigator on 23 contracts and grants in the fields of industrial statistics and quality engineering. Through his work, Vining secured over $2.3 million in awards with more than $1.5 million in direct and $800,000 in indirect funding. Vining authored or co-authored more than 85 refereed journal articles, book chapters, and books.

Vining brought international visibility to Virginia Tech through his extensive outreach work organizing or co-organizing international conferences in North America, Europe, and South America. In addition, Vining served as a Fulbright scholar to Brazil.

Vining served in various capacities including as the editor of two of the top journals in the fields of industrial statistics and quality engineering as well as in numerous roles with the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and the American Statistical Association. Vining served for five years on the ASQ board of directors and for one year as an executive officer as the treasurer.

Vining held many honors including his election as the 29th honorary member of ASQ and an honorary Doctor of Technology from Luleå Technical University in Sweden. In the classroom, Vining has taught a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate courses on statistics.

Vining received his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in statistics from Virginia Tech.

Written by Anja Hemesath, a student writer for Virginia Tech Marketing and Communications

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