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Cutting-edge research is helping to prevent pollution and improve Virginia's economy by altering plants such as peanuts, working to conserve wildlife by studying changes in a frog's feeding habits and energy allocation, and curbing diseases such as malaria by designing new insecticides.

Researchers from Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Natural Resources are using Latham Hall as their center of operations for conducting studies that will improve human health and nutrition, sustain agriculture and the environment, and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.

There are currently seven core areas of research being conducted in Latham Hall:

• Biodesign, or breeding of plants, which will fundamentally alter plants and plant production, and minimize adverse impacts on the environment;
• Bioprocessing, which converts biological materials into biofuels which will promote economies and reduce waste;
• Fisheries, wildlife, and geography research aids in understanding how environment affects the health of declining wildlife groups;
• Forestry and water research studies development and physiology of trees which might lead to increasing speed at which superior trees can be bred for various purposes;
• Infectious diseases research is working on ways to control insects that spread human and animal diseases in a way that's affordable in developing areas of the world;
• Plant-pathogen-environment interactions research studies the genetic basis of disease resistance and susceptibility in plants; and
• Soils research is concerned with studying water quality, pollution, and fundamental soil processes for the development of better soil management practices.

Elizabeth and William Latham

The research being conducted at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences attracted the attention of William C. and Elizabeth Latham, who recently created a $5 million endowment to provide scientists in the college with laboratory equipment and future support that is critically needed for sophisticated research.

"I am proud to foster interdisciplinary research and the college's collaboration with other institutions," says William Latham.

The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors recently honored the Lathams for their outstanding service and extraordinary generosity. Last month, the board unanimously passed a resolution to name the new agriculture and life sciences building the William C. and Elizabeth H. Latham Agriculture and Life Sciences Building.

The facility was dedicated September 22, 2006.

William Latham, a 1955 Virginia Tech graduate, has served two terms on the university's board of visitors, is an active member of the William Preston Society, and served on the National Leadership Campaign Committee for the Alumni and Conference Center. He also is a 1996 recipient of the Alumni Distinguished Service award in recognition of his remarkable service to the university.

The Lathams have supported a number of initiatives and programs on campus, including WVTF public radio, Virginia Tech Athletics, the William C. and Elizabeth H. Latham Histopathology Laboratory in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and the William C. and Elizabeth H. Latham Scholar-In-Residence Endowment for the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies.

• Learn more about the research being conducted in Latham Hall