In the News

A Passion for National Defense: Kevin Linko ’23

Kevin Linko ’23, a physics major from Princeton, New Jersey, minored in mathematics and astronomy. Soon he will begin his professional career with CACI, a company that provides expertise and technology to customers in support of national security missions and government transformation.  

Female Cadets Participate in Physics Conference at Princeton

Four cadets participated in the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics at Princeton University in January. Grace Waters ‘23, Talli Tarring ‘24, Abby Fiorillo ‘25 and Angelina Garcia ‘25 were the four in attendance and are all members of the Women in Science Engineering (WiSe) group at VMI.

Post Briefs VMI overlay on fall foliage on post

Post Briefs, February 2023

Members of VMI's faculty have been hard at work not only on post, but also in providing off-post event support and leadership to cadets, as well as being featured on podcasts.

Photo of VMI cadets posing in front of conference at the 2021 SoCon Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF).

“SURFers” Share Research Projects

Maj. Sarah Patterson and Maj. Blain Patterson from the Department of Applied Mathematics had the privilege of accompanying 11 cadets as they presented their research on a variety of topics, ranging from identifying glycans with neural networks to women in counterterrorism.

Photo courtesy of Roanoke College Office of Communications and Marketing

TAPS—Col. D. Rae Carpenter Jr.

Col. D. Rae Carpenter Jr., former head of the physics department at VMI, passed away on May 26 at Kendal of Lexington at the age of 92.

Col. Greg Topasna shows off the new solar telescope dome installed atop Maury-Brooke Hall.

Telescope Offers a New View of the Sun

This fall, astronomy cadets will have a new tool to aid in their studies—a remotely controlled solar telescope just installed on the roof of Maury-Brooke Hall.

Col. Stacey Vargas, professor of physics/astronomy, received an award for “Innovation in Higher Education” from the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council in May. – Photo courtesy of James Madison University.

Vargas Wins Technology Award for Laser Research

Col. Stacey Vargas, professor of physics and astronomy, won the Innovation in Higher Education award from the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council for her research of ultra-short-pulse lasers.

Julianne Knoblett ’20, Eryn Daman ’18, and Marlene Haag ’18, each members of WiSE, look at an image taken by a telescope with Col. Daniela Topasna, professor of physics and astronomy. – VMI Photo by H. Lockwood McLaughlin.

Being WiSE to STEM Opportunities

There's a new group on post for female cadets majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Col. Greg Topasna talks astronomy with science fair participants.

‘Everybody Can Be a Scientist’

VMI professors were among those offering hands-on activities for the estimated 400 young people attending Sunday's Science Fest and Maker Faire in downtown Lexington.

VMI: Forging 21st Century Leaders