Good morning, Blacksburg.

The Virginia Tech Police Department took three reports of an individual filming female students in a state of undress at Slusher Hall on 201 Ag Quad Lane from the evening of May 3 to the evening of May 13 — the offender remains unknown.

Sejal Gupta, a Virginia Tech senior in Computational Modeling and Data Analytics and math, was honored with the 2025 Outstanding Senior award and will pursue a Ph.D. in applied math at the University of Washington.

She said the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program helped her learn through hands-on projects — including one to improve sleep for astronauts in space.

Graduation week at Virginia Tech ended with a memorable ceremony at Lane Stadium that honored thousands of graduates including Marisa Goodwin, who revealed she had served as a Hokie Bird mascot since her sophomore year—an experience that added to the day’s excitement.

Graduates celebrated their hard work and looked ahead to new beginnings.

Lauren Childs, a mathematical biologist in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, was appointed to the Archana S.

Sathaye Junior Faculty Fellowship in Mathematics—created in 2024 to boost research, teaching, and service in the department. She studies infectious diseases using models from epidemiology, immunology and ecology, and her work has informed policy decisions at Virginia Tech and beyond.

Virginia Tech instructor Laura Neser released the second edition of her free Earth science textbook, which now offers a new chapter on meteorology and expanded sections on oceanography, climate change, renewable energy, and astronomy—building on its global classroom success since December 2022. The textbook remains freely available online for digital, print, or print-on-demand use.

The university library held its annual Skills Showcase that celebrated student projects made with library resources and spaces like the Prototyping Studio and 3D Scanning Studio + the event showed how students and faculty turned creative ideas into art with expert help.

Virginia Tech received a Pratt and Whitney Canada PW308A turbofan engine as a donation to update its Advanced Propulsion and Power Laboratory—students and industry partners will use the fully digital engine for research on fuel efficiency and engine reliability.

A $112,000 grant from the Department of Defense will outfit a new test cell with digital controls and data acquisition systems for future testing.

Ashley Covitz, who won the 2025 Outstanding Senior award in the Computational Modeling and Data Analytics program, said Virginia Tech became her home because she studied abroad in Paris and Lancaster and worked as a sports analytics intern—she will soon start her career as a business intelligence analyst at Medpace.

Paint Nite: Perfect Spring Lookout

6-8 p.m. — Rising Silo Brewery — $45 per person, supplies included — Unleash your creativity in a fun painting party hosted by The Heartworks Co.

Summer Flora Candle Making Workshop

6-8 p.m. — Beliveau Farm Winery — $41 plus fees — Craft two custom candles with summer floral scents while enjoying a relaxing winery atmosphere.