Highlander Highlights: Week of April 20, 2026
April 24, 2026
Radford senior is ALL IN on campus voting efforts
Radford University senior political science major Devin VanDyke has been selected to the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge 2026 Student Voting Honor Roll.
VanDyke joins 168 students from across the United States who were selected for their impact on nonpartisan voter engagement.
At Radford, VanDyke serves as a student democracy fellow for the Campus Vote Project and communications director for Highlanders Vote. He is also a student assistant for the Highlander Center for Character and Public Impact, which empowers students to address societal needs and serve others in their communities and throughout the world.
In 2025, VanDyke was instrumental in initiatives to develop voter education plans and increase student voter turnout at the polls, all of which helped Radford earn a Voter Friendly Campus designation from the Campus Vote Project.
“I see this as not just a personal recognition, but something that reflects the strong commitment Radford has to civic engagement and student leadership,” said VanDyke, of Richlands, Virginia. “A lot of this work has come through Highlanders Vote and the Highlander Center for Character and Public Impact, and I’m proud of what that represents for the university.”
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student civic engagement. Through an intentionally designed program that provides structure, support and recognition, ALL IN works to improve civic learning, voter participation and ongoing engagement in our democracy at more than 1,000 campuses nationwide.
“Devin is an outstanding young leader, and I was thrilled to see him recognized by ALL IN on the student voting honor roll,” said Chapman Rackaway, professor and chair of Radford’s Department of Political Science. “Devin has been an active leader in Highlanders Vote since he came to campus two years ago.”
VanDyke has “excelled in creating a dynamic social media presence that has expanded Highlanders Vote's profile significantly,” continued Rackaway, pointing to VanDyke’s contributions to the Highlanders Vote Instagram page. “Devin has a great eye, a fun sense of humor and has given the Highlanders Vote social presence a unique voice.”
IMPACT staffers win award from CCI
The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) awarded its signature Impact Award to Tom Bennett and Svetlana Filiatreau, both of the Vinod Chachra IMPACT Lab, for their statewide leadership in cybersecurity workforce development.
The award reflects the broader work of the IMPACT Lab team, whose collaborative efforts helped advance the Professional Accelerated Cyber Education (PACE) program – an online, competency-based initiative designed to strengthen cybersecurity capacity among incumbent IT professionals in public-sector and community-serving organizations across Virginia.
Bennett is the senior director of operations and planning for the Economic Development and Corporate Education Division and Vinod Chachra IMPACT Lab. Filiatreau is the senior business development director of the IMPACT Lab.
Presented at the CCI Symposium this month, the annual CCI Impact Award recognizes accomplishments made during 2025.
“This honor reflects a true team effort and highlights Radford University’s impactful work to improve cybersecurity training and advance workforce readiness across the commonwealth,” said Gretchen Matthews, CCI Southwest Virginia Node director.
Supported by two CCI grants in 2024 and 2025, the PACE initiative delivered flexible, industry-aligned cybersecurity education. The program served professionals working in local governments, school divisions, healthcare systems, and other organizations across the commonwealth.
A key driver of this success was the academic strength of the program’s cybersecurity curriculum. Professor Prem Uppuluri, co-principal investigator and faculty lead for the cybersecurity certificate curriculum, played a central role in shaping the program’s instructional foundation. Additional course development was provided by professors Hwajung Lee and Jeff Pittges. Their contributions further strengthened the program’s quality, rigor and workforce relevance.
Bennett led the grant oversight and statewide coordination of the initiative. Filiatreau supported the effort through outreach to partner organizations and recruitment of participants. The broader IMPACT Lab team – including Jon Allen, Jerrold Bennett, Katie Thomas, Belinda Nuckols and Krista Turner – contributed through multimedia support, instructional design, learner support and program delivery, helping translate CCI investment into measurable workforce outcomes.
“This recognition reflects the IMPACT Lab team’s commitment to building practical, accessible cybersecurity workforce solutions for organizations across Virginia,” said Bennett. “Just as importantly, it reflects the strength of the academic content behind this work. This recognition truly belongs to everyone who contributed to its success.”
“I am grateful to have been a part of this effort through collaboration with partner organizations and participating professionals,” said Filiatreau. “Through work with school divisions, local governments, and workforce and industry partners, the PACE initiative expanded access to meaningful cybersecurity education and career pathways across Virginia.”
Cybersecurity major’s creativity leads to Virginia intern award
Radford senior Cody Safewright is the winner of the Creative Award, given in April by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) as part of its celebration of interns who attend the commonwealth’s colleges and universities.
SCHEV announced Safewright as an individual award winner in its list of the 2026 Top 50 Interns. The cybersecurity and networking major from Dublin, Virginia, has interned twice with Triple Point Security, a cybersecurity consulting firm based in Leesburg, Virginia.
At the firm, Safewright created capture-the-flag challenges for Virginia Cyber Range and developed numerous challenges “involving encryption mechanisms and reconnaissance using image metadata and hidden files within images,” he explained. In addition, Safewright helped create the Cyber Basics course quizzes that will be used in schools throughout Virginia.
“Winning this award shows that the work I’ve put in is noticed and appreciated by my coworkers at Triple Point Security,” Safewright said. “I feel as though what I’ve learned at Radford has been put to good use, and I’ve been able to really advance my career by coming here. I am blessed to be a part of such a great company and the Radford Cyber Defense Club.”
Professor earns top nurse practitioner award
Eunyoung "Euna" Lee, a professor in the College of Nursing, recently earned the Distinguished NP Award from the Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners (VCNP) for her exceptional contributions to the nurse practitioner role, demonstrating excellence in clinical practice, research, leadership and service to the VCNP.
“Throughout my career, I have dedicated many years to nurse practitioner education and research focused on improving cardiovascular health and advancing nursing education,” Lee said. “This recognition is especially meaningful because it reflects what defines our profession – being present for and serving our patients, families, and communities.”
As a family, adult and acute care nurse practitioner with expertise in cardiology, critical care, internal medicine and dermatology, Lee serves as a fellow of the American Heart Association (AHA) and worked on the AHA task force. Her cardiac surgery research has informed clinical protocols and improved cardiovascular care nationwide.
Additionally, Lee's published works highlight innovative, inclusive pedagogical approaches that strengthen nurse practitioner education through curriculum design, teleconferenced grand rounds and peer‑engaged clinical evaluation models, focusing on student engagement and competency development.
During her time as a professor at Radford University, she has developed 17 courses for doctoral and undergraduate programs. Lee has served as chair of numerous doctoral projects addressing critical health issues, including PTSD, chronic pain and rural health disparities. Her initiatives have transformed NP education, leading to publication in leading journals and presentations at international conferences. “I share this honor with my mentors, colleagues, and patients who inspire my work every day,” Lee said.
Waldron symposium highlights interprofessional learning
Waldron College of Health and Human Services held its 11th annual Interprofessional Symposium on April 9, showcasing innovative teaching, research and community engagement across health professions.
Six of Radford University’s seven colleges were represented, along with Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, highlighting Waldron’s continued dedication to interprofessional education.
With around 300 student and faculty participants, the daylong event was filled with 90 in-person and virtual presentations, including posters, workshops and roundtables.
“Incredibly energizing” is how Jenny Hall, associate dean of interprofessional education, described the event. Hall appreciated the opportunity for students and faculty from across disciplines and colleges to connect and collaborate. “The symposium highlighted what’s possible when we intentionally create space for interprofessional learning,” Hall said.
Of the many student participants, Chad Hyatt, associate athletics director for sports medicine at Radford University Athletics and a doctoral student in health sciences, was recognized for his presentation "Navigating the Complex, Uncertain Nature of Injury Management: A Scaffolded Interprofessional Team-Based Simulation Model."
His talk proposed an experiential learning activity called “Simulation Saturday,” in which groups of students work through active case studies under the observation of a professional panel that assesses their teamwork across disciplines. This exercise focuses on ‘how’ students work together in an injury scenario rather than ‘what’ interventions are taken.
“I realized that young professionals are often proficient with technical skills but lack interprofessional communication skills,” Hyatt noted.
Students and faculty left the symposium with fresh knowledge about research and teaching innovations, as well as increased confidence in their presentation and interprofessional collaboration skills.
Compiled by Joya Garris and Chad Osborne