JoAnn M. Emmel honored with emerita status
JoAnn M. Emmel, associate professor in the Department of Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the title of “associate professor emerita” by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
The title of emeritus may be conferred on retired professors and associate professors, administrative officers, librarians, and exceptional staff members who are specially recommended to the board of visitors by Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board of visitors receive an emeritus certificate from the university.
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1997, Emmel contributed to the understanding of housing and consumers through her research on residential energy and appliance use, kitchen design, and consumer behavior.
Emmel co-authored two editions of the books, Kitchen Planning and Bath Planning, and conducted industry sponsored research. She served on national and international appliance testing and standardization committees and held leadership positions in several professional organizations, including president of the Virginia Association of Family and Consumer Sciences and the Association of Home Equipment Educators.
Emmel served as a reviewer for national and international journals and as an associate editor of the journals Housing and Society, and the Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal. She presented papers at numerous conferences and was frequently called on to review conference proceedings.
A dedicated teacher, Emmel taught through lecture, laboratory, and online methods, undergraduate courses on housing and residential technology. She provided critical support in the accreditation of the university’s housing option.
Emmel received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Iowa State University and a doctoral degree from New Mexico State University.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
