Author Archive

From VT News  |  December 11, 2020

William Hopkins, professor of wildlife in the College of Natural Resources and Environment, has been selected to receive a 2021 Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and Dominion Energy.

The award, which recognizes commitment to excellence in teaching, research, knowledge integration, and public service, is the highest honor awarded to faculty at Virginia colleges and universities.

Hopkins was named associate executive director of Virginia Tech’s Fralin Life Sciences Institute earlier this ...

From VT News  |  August 11, 2020

William Hopkins will join the Fralin Life Sciences Institute at Virginia Tech as associate executive director, effective immediately.

In his new role, Hopkins will assist Matt Hulver, executive director, and his leadership team as they develop and implement the vision and strategic directions for the Fralin Life Sciences Institute to tackle grand life science challenges at the interface of the environment and the human condition.

Hopkins will assist Hulver in identifying strategic opportunities that leverage and capitalize on existing expertise and infrastructure at Virginia Tech. Hopkins is ...

From The Scientist  |  SEPTEMBER 1, 2019

When Clemson University master’s student Lauren Diaz set out to study the ecology of hellbender salamanders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) in the streams of western North Carolina, she anticipated some challenges. Although they can grow to two feet long, hellbenders—also known as snot otters, devil dogs, and Allegheny alligators—are difficult to find in the wild due to effective camouflage and their habit of hiding under rocks. And it’s not unusual for the nest ...

From VT News  |  JULY 15, 2019

With support from the Fralin Life Sciences Institute at Virginia Tech and several other co-sponsors, the ninth Biennial Hellbender Symposium recently held three days of talks, exhibitions, and poster sessions.

The hellbender, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, is one of the largest salamanders in North America and the third largest salamander in the world after the closely related Chinese and Japanese giant salamanders. Two subspecies of hellbenders can be found along the Appalachian mountains and in the Ozarks of ...

JUNE 24, 2019

The 9^th Biennial Hellbender Symposium held in Blacksburg (June 17-20) was a huge success!!  With support from the Fralin Life Science Institute, the Virginia Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries, and several other contributors, Virginia Tech hosted ~90 people from academia, zoos/aquaria, NGOs, and state and federal agencies.  Scientists from as far away as Japan were in attendance.  Hopkins lab members Clara Frazier, Thomas Galligan, Sky Button, Brian Case, Jordy Groffen, Becca O’Brien, and Arden Blumenthal all presented their research ...