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Week of April 10-14

2023

We Remember: April 16 Day of Remembrance

This weekend, the Virginia Tech family remembers the 32 students and faculty members who were tragically taken from their loved ones and our community on April 16, 2007. They ranged in age from 18 to 76 and represented a variety of academic areas, faiths, and ethnic groups.

The We Remember website provides online resources, news and scheduled events, information about the April 16 Memorial, and an opportunity to reflect on the tremendous promise each of the students and faculty we lost embodied for our world with creativity, intelligence, humility, and humanity.

Schedule for Day of Remembrance (Saturday and Sunday events) includes:

Saturday, April 15:

  • 9:00 a.m. – 3.2 Mile Run in Remembrance: Virginia Tech campus (rain or shine). Online registration is now open. For more information, please visit the Rec Sports website. 
  • 1:45 p.m. – Day of Remembrance Service: A service to honor those who died on April 16, 2007, at the Wishing Tree at Solitude.

Sunday, April 16:

  • Midnight – Lighting of Ceremonial Candle: April 16 Memorial 
    A candle will be lit by representatives of the student body. The candle will remain lit for 24 hours. 
  • 9:43 a.m. – Wreath Laying: April 16 Memorial 
  • 11:27 p.m. – Cadet Guard: April 16th Memorial. Members of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets will stand guard at the April 16th Memorial for 32 minutes. 
  • 11:59 p.m. – Extinguishing of Ceremonial Candle: April 16 Memorial

Several other university events, including Black Alumni Reunion, Spring Family Weekend, and the Spring Game will be held over the April 15-16 weekend. Parking and transportation information is posted online to help those attending any event that weekend.

For more information on Day of Remembrance observances and ceremonies, please visit the We Remember website.

Provost’s Office: Call for proposals for 4-VA Collaborative Research Grants

The Provost’s Office invites proposals for funded research activity through a 4-VA Collaborative Research Grant. These awards are managed by Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies (TLOS). 4-VA is a collaborative effort of eight institutions in Virginia, including Virginia Tech, working together to realize Virginia’s goals for higher education.

Review of proposals will take place on a rolling basis through the deadline for submissions, April 24. Awards will be announced beginning May 8.

Collaborative Research Grants are intended to promote partnerships that leverage the strengths of each university, establish inter-institutional relationships, and prepare for proposals to larger external funding sources. Grants of up to $30,000 are available to support research projects headed by a Virginia Tech faculty member as principal investigator and require at least one named faculty collaborator from another 4-VA member institution. 

Funded research activity would begin after the start of the coming fiscal year (July 1, 2023) and all funds awarded must be expended by the end of that fiscal year (June 30, 2024). Funds can be applied to expenses such as graduate student positions (including salary and tuition), hourly student wage positions, supplies, materials, travel, and software. Software licenses requested must be currently approved for purchase by Virginia Tech.

To submit a proposal for a Collaborative Research Grant, interested faculty should complete the Spring 2023 4-VA Collaborative Research Grants Proposal Submission Form using the Proposal Template provided.

For more information on the 4-VA Collaborative Research Grants, please read this campus notice or email Lujean Baab, senior director of Grants and Awards and 4-VA Campus Coordinator.

Research and Innovation: Faculty invited to attend NSF CAREER program workshop

The Office of Research and Innovation is hosting a two-hour National Science Foundation CAREER program workshop for junior level, tenure-track faculty to learn how to prepare effective proposals for the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award program.

The workshop will take place April 19 from 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. in 310 Kelly Hall and virtually via Zoom. Registration for in-person or virtual (Zoom) attendance is required.

Randy Heflin, senior associate vice president for Research and Innovation, and Alex Leonessa, director of the Proposal Development Institute, will provide an overview of the CAREER program, strategies for developing a successful submission, and tips on creating a compelling Project Summary. Additionally, recent CAREER award recipients will discuss their experiences followed by Q&A session.

The Research Development Series is designed to help faculty in their journey to increase the scope and impact of their research, creativity, and innovation portfolio. With events focused on different facets of sponsored research, from sponsor-specific perspectives to how to work with partners, this webinar series is intended to answer researchers' biggest questions and enlighten scholars at every step in their career.

For more information on this and other Research and Innovation events, please visit their Events and Programs website.

TLOS: Reminders when considering ChatGPT, generative AI tools at Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech faculty continue to hear and learn more about ChatGPT, a generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) chat bot that was released in late November 2022 and has evolved quickly over the past few months. Faculty may also be hearing an array of opinions about the implications ChatGPT and similar generative AI tools might have for the future of teaching and learning.

In the midst of these competing and conflicting perspectives, Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies (TLOS) encourages a measured approach that doesn’t veer into either blind optimism or doom-and-gloom scenarios. Instead, TLOS asks faculty to consider the following suggestions when making decisions about the courses they teach.

  • Become familiar with these generative AI tools in order to have an informed perspective. 
  • Consider the Virginia Tech Honor Code and its applicability to generative AI tools. 
  • Avoid being drawn into a confrontational mindset regarding these generative AI tools. 
  • Set clear expectations for your students regarding the use of generative AI/ChatGPT. 
  • Explore potential changes to your individual course design and/or assessment strategies.

For further information on ChatGPT/generative AI and additional resources including a potential starting point for syllabus statements (fittingly, generated by ChatGPT), please visit the TLOS resources website.

ICYMI: Support for students, employees observing religious holidays

Many Virginia Tech students and employees engage in religious observances that may impact their workplace or classroom participation. As stated in the Faculty Handbook (section 9.6.2: Class Attendance), “in accordance with the Virginia Tech Principles of Community, faculty are encouraged to accommodate students when the observance of religious, cultural, ethnic, meaning- making or faith-based beliefs conflict with academic requirements.”

We acknowledge that every course section and class is different, and some are able to be adapted more easily than others. Recognizing that faculty are primarily responsible for making decisions on academic requirements for their courses, including modifying assignments and exam timelines, please do your best to support students and colleagues who are observing religious holidays and practices whenever it is academically feasible.

-Provost Cyril Clarke

Additional Resources and Updates

If you have comments or recommendations for how we can improve the Weekly Communications Update or suggestions for specific information and topics that should be shared with faculty, staff, and academic program personnel, please provide them through this Google form or email Provost Communications.

Please visit VT Ready and the Provost’s website frequently for new and updated university information. All members of the campus community should also read their VTx Daily email for further important updates, notices, and resources.