My visit to Hokieland ('Hokie' is the Virginia Tech nickname) is about over and it's been a great one.
I was even caught 'imbibing' the campus bottled water, Hokie Water!
I keynoted the Fourth Annual FREC Graduate Research Symposium ably co-chaired by graduate students Ms. Beth Stein and Ms. Amy Werner.
Download 2012_FREC_Keynote_Speaker
Thanks to Dr. Stephen H. Schoenholtz and Dr. Kevin J. McGuire, Director and Associate Director, respectively, of the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, who suggested that I be invited to speak.
Both these gentleman have connections to Oregon State University. Stephen was a faculty member in the College of Forestry who was leaving for VT just as I was arriving at OSU in late Spring 2006. Kevin received his PhD under the tutelage of OSU CoF faculty member Dr. Jeff McDonnell. I had unsuccessfully tried to recruit Kevin to UNM in the mid-1990s.
The Department of Forest Resources and Conservation (FREC) supported my travel. I am very grateful to Dr. Janaki R.R. Alavalapati, Head, for his generosity and hospitality, and Ms. Sue Snow, for flawlessly handling my travel details. Dr. Alavalapati presented me with a FREC mug and a copy of the beautiful book, Remarkable Trees of Virginia. Dean Paul M. Winistorfer of the College of Natural Resources and Environment (CNRE) welcomed me with cordiality.
It was great seeing Dr. Tom Burbey, whom I remember as a bright graduate student at the University of Nevada-Reno in the early 1980s, and meeting his colleague, Dr. Madeline (Maddie) Schreiber, whom I mistook for Tom's PhD student.
I enjoyed interacting with the graduate and undergraduate students I met. It was especially nice to see the very active AWRA Student Chapter led by President Rebecca Stewart, and 'the crew' (shown here: Beth, Cody, Trip, and JP), and the VT Engineers Without Borders chapter.
Here is my presentation:
Download Campana_VT-27March2012
And tomorrow morning I breakfast with high school and college classmate Jim Cavanaugh, who is on VT's football staff as Director of Recruiting and High School Relations. I have not seen him since we both graduated from W&M in 1970.
A trip I won't soon forget. And the weather!
"Never was there a man who so dragged his feet through the sands of time." - Unknown, said of Sen. Harry F. Byrd, Sr. upon his death on 20 October 1966
Comments