Maj. Jonathan Jones, assistant professor of history, recently received two awards for his dissertation, "Opium Slavery: Veterans and Addiction in the American Civil War Era.”

Members of VMI's distinguished faculty have been hard at work not only on post, but also in the larger realm of academia, publishing essays, poetry, and cartoons.

This academic year, 2nd Class cadets majoring in civil and environmental engineering (CEE) are the first to experience lab classes purposely designed to teach engineering as it’s encountered in the real world and make better use of the academic day.

On Sept. 16, Col. Pongrácz Sennyey began his new job as director of Preston Library. “When I saw the job ad for VMI, and it emphasized innovation and collaboration, it piqued my attention,” Sennyey explained. “I know for a fact that innovation cannot happen without collaboration.”

On Monday, Sept. 20, the history department, in conjunction with the English department, sponsored a Constitution Day event supporting VMI’s emerging Constitutional history program. Constitution Day, which commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, is observed on post and

Lt. Col. Pennie Ticen, associate professor of English at Virginia Military Institute, will discuss the sometimes controversial British-American author Salman Rushdie on public radio’s With Good Reason Sept. 4-10, in an episode titled “Reading and Writing Ourselves.”

Maj. Molly Kent’s neuroscience lab is a busy place this summer, with multiple cadets working on multiple projects split over the two summer sessions. But despite their wide-ranging projects, the cadets share a common bond: a desire to learn lab skills and grow as scientists.

Lt. Col. Patrick Rhamey, associate professor of international studies and political science at Virginia Military Institute, will discuss U.S.—China relations on public radio’s With Good Reason July 31-Aug. 6 in an episode titled “Entangling Alliances.”

Col. Marcelo Goncalez has a well-worn passport and a track record of travel to a multitude of international competitions. At the end of this month, he will travel to Tokyo, Japan, as a technical delegate for modern pentathlon, a lesser-known Olympic sport that is a personal passion.

Maj. Tim Passmore, assistant professor of international studies at Virginia Military Institute, will discuss how the changing composition of United Nations peacekeeping forces may signal a larger shift on public radio’s With Good Reason April 24-29, in an episode titled “Protecting Human Rights.”