Radford University physics professor Rhett Herman and eight students plan to travel to Barrow, Alaska, to continue to study the melting of the polar ice cap, according to a university news release.

The group will spend two weeks in the tiny town 330 miles above the Arctic Circle and face extreme cold as they conduct measurements of sea ice using ground-penetrating radar and other devices.

They will analyze their data and spend their nights at the Naval Arctic Research Labs.

The trip will expand upon research begun in 2003 on a similar excursion.

Herman wants to use the data collected so far to apply for a National Science Foundation grant to fund and expand the trips, the release stated.

Currently, students must pay a portion of their costs. The rest is funded through donations.

Radford boosts its recycling rates

Halfway through the 2010 national RecycleMania competition, Radford University has boosted its recycling rate to 21.7 percent. That's up from 12.9 percent last year, according to a university news release.

Overall, Radford has cut its per capita waste production in the past year, averaging 9.41 pounds of cumulative waste per person in 2010, compared with 15.63 in 2009.

Radford currently ranks sixth among the 12 Virginia colleges and universities, including Virginia Tech, which are participating in the eight-week competition, the release stated.

Criminologist to visit Radford University

Historian and author Sam Walker will give a talk titled "100 Years of American Presidents and Civil Liberties" at 6 p.m. March 30 at Radford University.

Walker is professor emeritus of criminal justice at the University of Nebraska and a noted criminologist. He has written 11 books on crime, justice and civil liberties.

Other events with Walker will include a 9:30 a.m. talk on "Presidential Speeches that Never Happened" and a 2 p.m. meet-the-author event.

The visit is part of Radford's 2010 centennial celebration and is sponsored by the criminal justice, history and political science departments, Pi Gamma Mu, the Criminal Justice Club, Lambda Alpha Epsilon and the Club Programming Committee.

Radford University grad tapped for federal post

The White House recently announced the pending nomination of Radford University alumnus Jonathan Hatfield to the post of inspector general for the Corporation for National and Community Service, the university announced.

Hatfield, a 1992 Radford graduate, has served as the deputy inspector general of the Federal Election Commission since 2005 and has been with the Federal Election Commission Office of Inspector General since 1994, according to a university news release.

Veterinarian program to boost public health

The Center for Public and Corporate Veterinary Medicine, part of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg, recently announced it will work with the U.S. Animal Health Association to boost the number of veterinarians working in public health, public policy, international veterinary medicine and organizational leadership.

Located on the University of Maryland campus near Washington, D.C., the Center for Public and Corporate Veterinary Medicine trains veterinary students for careers in public practice.

The U.S. Animal Health Association works with state and federal governments, universities, research scientists, veterinarians and others to protect animal and public health, and control livestock diseases across the globe.

Technology education grant targets girls

A five-year, $2.4 million Virginia Tech initiative to support technology education for young women is off to a promising start, the university announced.

In the first year of the project, Tech researchers Peggy Meszaros and Elizabeth Creamer estimate they've reached about 365 people through the newly formed Appalachian Information Technology Extension Service.

In 2008, the researchers demonstrated that interactions with others often dissuade young girls with an interest in technology from considering a careers in that field, a university news release stated. Based on those findings, the team qualified for National Science Foundation grant to fund the program.

The program seeks to support localized economic development by training parents, teachers, school counselors and others in the best ways to encourage middle and high school girls to pursue careers in information technology.