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Hampton University achieves prestigious R2 research status
Hampton University announced last week that it has obtained Research 2 designation — making it one of the few historically Black colleges and universities to do so. The university received the designation from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, which ranks research institutions based on the volume and breadth of their research activity. […]
George Mason’s Fuse tech hub opens to public
On the third floor of George Mason University’s new state-of-the-art Fuse tech hub, robots jumped, begged, rolled over and offered a mechanical paw to shake Friday while a small drone hovered above. The endearing welcome by George Mason’s RobotiXX Lab robots offered a brief glimpse into the future for the group of academics and students […]
J-Lab scientist to receive nuclear physics prize
Volker D. Burkert, a scientist at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News, aka the Jefferson Lab, has been chosen to receive the 2025 Tom W. Bonner Prize in Nuclear Physics, the lab announced Wednesday. Burkert has worked at the U.S. Department of Energy lab for 39 years of its 40-year history, and […]
VCU eyes purchasing Altria’s Richmond research facility
Officials with Virginia Commonwealth University are discussing with the Altria Group the possibility of buying its 450,000-square-foot research building in downtown Richmond, the two parties acknowledged separately this week. The Altria Center for Research and Technology, which opened in 2007, sits on more than four acres at 600 E. Leigh St. and is assessed for […]
Batten donates $100M to expand W&M marine, coastal research
Jane Batten, the matriarch of a Hampton Roads family known for its philanthropy, has pledged $100 million to William & Mary to boost coastal and marine science research towards finding global solutions for flooding and sea-level rise, the Williamsburg university announced Wednesday. The newly named Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences will expand the […]
Jefferson Lab names next director
The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has named a new director, Kim Sawyer, who will replace Stuart Henderson, the lab’s director since 2017. Sawyer will start her new post at the Newport News facility Aug. 2, according to a Jefferson Science Associates news release Monday. Having previously served as deputy laboratory director and chief operating […]
ODU hires new engineering dean
Old Dominion University announced Tuesday it has hired Jeffrey Fergus to be the next dean of the Batten College of Engineering and Technology, starting Aug. 10. Fergus is currently the associate dean for undergraduate studies and program assessment in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University in Alabama, where he’s worked as a […]
W&M receives $30M anonymous donation
An anonymous William & Mary alumna has donated $30 million to renovate and rename a building in honor of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, who is currently the university’s chancellor. Robert M. Gates Hall will house three academic centers — the Global Research Institute, the Institute for Integrative Conservation and the Whole […]
New options, new audiences
As more students and their families question which colleges present the best return on their big investments, many are choosing to play it safe. That often means starting at community college or public universities while living at home, with others postponing post-secondary education or considering other options. The impact of college loan debt and soaring […]
Health Care: A new horizon
Virginians could look back at 2024 a few years from now and see a turning point for health care in the commonwealth — the dawn of a “Virginia Research Triangle” in biotechnology, pharmaceutical manufacturing and medical research. In December 2023, the University of Virginia broke ground on the $350 million Paul and Diane Manning Institute […]
ODU promotes engineering dean to VP of research
Kenneth J. Fridley has been promoted to vice president for research, Old Dominion University announced Monday. He has been in the position on an interim basis since August 2023 while also serving as dean of ODU’s Batten College of Engineering and Technology. Fridley, who began his new role Wednesday, will continue as interim dean until […]
3 Va. universities make top 100 in national R&D rankings
The University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth University landed in the top 100 in the National Science Foundation’s fiscal 2022 rankings by expenditures on research and development. NSF determines the rankings with data from its annual Higher Education Research and Development Survey, which surveys U.S. colleges and universities that expended at least $150,000 […]
