Christina Hicks, a Virginia Tech landscape architecture student, will participate in a national contest after winning the student division in the regional competition of the James River Green Building Council's 2009 Green Spaces Competition.

Her project, Fulton Culture Park, focuses on creating a greenway that connects the Fulton Culture Park in Richmond to the city's larger network of parks. It would also serve as a connector to access the James River.

Hicks will participate in the national competition in Phoenix.

Professor co-edits anthology on theater

Virginia Tech professor of Spanish Jacqueline Bixler is the co-editor of a new book -- "Trans/Acting: Latin American and Latino Performing Arts."

The collection of 14 essays focuses on the transformation of Latin American theater from local and national perspectives to global and transnational ones.

Bixler and co-editor Laurietz Seda, a professor of Spanish at the University of Connecticut-Storrs, each organized Latin American Theatre Today conferences at their universities -- Connecticut in 2007 and Tech in 2008. They invited specialists in the field of Latin American theater to contribute essays.

Recession won't stop public's travel plans

A national study conducted by a research team led by Nancy McGehee, a Virginia Tech professor of hospitality and tourism management, reveals that the recession is not negatively affecting most people's vacation travel plans this year.

Survey respondents were asked how the current economic situation might affect their travel plans this year. Nearly half -- 49.4 percent -- reported it would have no impact. Thirty-five percent said they would be less likely to travel, and 15 percent said they'd be more likely to travel.

Consumers more likely to travel cited lower gas prices and travel bargains while those who plan to keep earlier travel plans despite the economy said the importance of traveling for pleasure would lead them to make other sacrifices first.

McGehee's team surveyed 2,500 people in 48 states, with responses coming from more than 800 people in 44 states.

RU, Tech professors to head up land study

Virginia Tech professor Kirsten de Beurs and Radford University professor Grigory Ioffe will direct an international land abandonment study in Russia along with a South Dakota State University professor and a Russian researcher.

The study will use population trends, cultural factors and climate change to help determine which lands are most likely to be abandoned in the future.

The three-year study will begin in August. Researchers will visit regions of Russia to update demographic data and check on the state of agriculture in various areas. At the end of the project, they will develop a model and predict future abandonment based on climate change, population dynamics and cultural factors. The model will also examine how strategies could affect re-colonization and re-cultivation of areas.

Extension service offers training

The Virginia Cooperative Extension is offering training for teachers to learn about sustainable forest management and the importance of forests in its Trees to Products program.

The training, offered in collaboration with the Southwest Virginia Chapter of the Society of American Foresters and other members of the forest industry, will take place July 20-23. Those who complete the training will receive 30 hours of professional development credits and Project Learning Tree certification.

The effort is a multidisciplinary environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation for educators of K-12 students. It's designed to correlate with the Virginia Standards of Learning for grades four through six as well as life science and biology.

Participants must pay a $25 registration fee. The costs of all meals, transportation and lodging are included, except for transportation to the conference headquarters, the Holiday Inn in Norton.

For more information or to register, contact Bill Worrell at bworrell@vt.edu or 276-889-8056.