Science & Technology

Blacksburg aims to become one of the few places in the country with lightening fast Internet and Wi-Fi for businesses and local residents.

It’s considered the next level of Internet technology, up to a gigabit of capacity to send information from a computer via a high speed fiber connection. What does a gigabit of capacity mean? Bob Summers, founder of Techpad, a shared workspace in downtown Blacksburg, explains.

A University of Virginia professor has won the Asian equivalent to the Nobel Prize for his research on energy, magnetism and black holes.  The news came by e-mail, and John Hawley is still buzzing.

“I grew up in the Gemini and Apollo era, and that was very exciting.  I had a cardboard box spaceship like many of my generation, and I was also inspired by reading the science essays that were written by  Isaac Asimov," he said.

Recently President Barack Obama announced a decade-long, $100-million  project to map the human brain.

At Washington & Lee University, Professor Tyler Lorig, chair of the Neuroscience program, offered mixed reactions.

Lorig says while he welcomes the attention to the new announcement—he knows the money won’t go nearly as far as the public might expect. He's  also concerned about misconceptions which stem from the language describing the project as “mapping”.

In Hollywood there’s the ‘Oscars.’   In Nashville, the Country Music Awards.  In the New River and RoanokeValleys, it’s the “Tech” Awards. 

Every year, the Roanoke- Blacksburg Technology council honors its stars. 

This Thursday (5/16/13) evening, 600 people will gather at the Hotel Roanoke for an awards ceremony and party announcing the  winners of the Roanoke/ Blacksburg Technology Council’s Tech Nite Awards.

For a list of TechNite nominees, visit  thetechnologycouncil.com

Scientists don’t often get involved in political campaigns, but in Virginia one of the nation’s leading men of science has stepped up to endorse a candidate for attorney general.

Three years ago, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli demanded to see all of the e-mails and documents written by Professor Michael Mann during his years at the University of Virginia.  Mann and his colleagues had created a graphic showing how quickly the Earth was warming.  It looked like a hockey stick set on its side.