August 2024 Inside the Institute Newsletter

A Message from Rob McCarley
Executive Director, The Fralin Life Sciences Institute

You can feel the energy in the air with the buzz of activities of a new semester. It is always exciting to see the new students as they begin to find their place here at Virginia Tech. 

The new-semester vibes made me feel a little nostalgic about my own journey to Virginia Tech, with this December marking my two-year anniversary. Here's a photo of me straight from the laboratory of my high school Chemistry 2 sophomore class in Illinois, safety goggles and all.

I know it is early into the semester, and before we know it, we will be wondering where the semester went. I hope you have had some time to recharge during the summer and feel re-energized, whether teaching a new class, taking time for research, starting a new collaboration, or being a part of a special project or team. Know that all of us at the Fralin Life Sciences Institute are cheering your successes and new endeavors. 

Speaking of cheering, I would like to congratulate the two recipients of the 2024 John Johnson Award for Excellence in Microbiology/Molecular Biology, established in 1996 in recognition of Dr. John L. Johnson who was a professor of anaerobic microbiology at Virginia Tech from 1968 to 1996.

• Prashasti Agrawal, School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, mentored by Dr. Brian Badgley
• Kaylee Petraccione, Department of Biomedical Science and Pathobiology, mentored by Dr. Kylene Kehn-Hall

I look forward to seeing you over the semester. Please mark your calendars for September 27th at 10 AM for the first Fralin Friday of the fall semester. 

Let’s go Hokies, and let’s go FLSI!