CEE News

Anne Townsend ’24 studies young lettuce plants growing in horizontal hydroponics systems in the VMI greenhouse.—VMI Photo by Marianne Hause.

Cadet Aims to Grow Produce for VMI

Anne C. Townsend ’24 conducts research in hydroponic systems to discover an environmentally and economically feasible way to provide a permanent supply of fresh produce for Crozet Hall.

VMI Cadets construct a steel bridge under a time limit in the Corps Physical Training Facility.—VMI Photos by Col. Charles “Chuck” Newhouse

VMI Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Hosts ASCE Conference

VMI’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering hosted students from eleven institutions April 7-9 for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 2022 Virginias' Symposium.

Drone photo of Post

Cadet Discusses Future Road Funding at VMI

Most modern highways and roads are primarily funded through taxes paid at the gas pump, but with the increasing popularity of electric and hybrid vehicles, how will roads be funded in the future? Drew P. Melusen ’22 proposed alternative solutions in his senior thesis.

Christopher M. Hulburt ’22 defends his thesis of the significant contributions by enslaved African-Americans and free people of color.—VMI Photo by Kelly Nye.

Honors Week Held at VMI

This year's Honors Week showcased research and scholarship across all disciplines by 34 cadets who presented their research to the wider VMI community. The annual event also saw a large number of cadets inducted into academic honor societies.

Rachael Dickenson ’22 presents senior thesis on soybean cultivars during Honors Week.

Soybean Research at VMI

There are so many uses for soybeans. In fact, soybean yield was the subject of the senior thesis “Performance of Soybean Cultivars in Varying Rural Virginia Sites: Effect of Site Characteristics on Shoot Structure and Yield” presented by Rachael Dickenson ’22, during Honors Week at VMI.

Leon Thomas presents his senior thesis.

Honors Presentation Focuses on Conflict Predictability

Is it possible to know which country will start the next war? Leon M. Thomas ’22 posed this question as the basis of his senior thesis: “Democracies and Autocracies: Structural Factors that Determine Military Interventions” and presented his findings during honors week, held March 21-31.

Cadets taking Civil Engineering 121  practice flying Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or “drones”) used in surveying and mapping.

Civil Engineering in the Field

Cadets taking Civil Engineering 121, Surveying, took a field trip to McKethan Park before Thanksgiving furlough to practice flying Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or “drones”) used in surveying and mapping.

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.

Leon Thomas '22

Rigors of VMI Education Prepare Cadets for Commissioning

“There's so much knowledge here,” Leon Thomas '22 commented. “There's all this different military experience from different branches that you really would never have seen in many other places.”

Col. Matt Swenty answers a question from Braden Kerr ’23 in Swenty’s civil engineering lab.—VMI Photo by Mary Price.

CE Labs Show Breadth of Engineering

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.

VMI: Forging 21st Century Leaders