Radford represented at RBTC annual awards
Radford University administration and alumni were represented among the winners at this year’s Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council (RBTC) Technite awards ceremony, honoring the year’s standouts among researchers, leaders and visionaries in the regional tech and life sciences community.
Angela Joyner, vice president of Economic Development and Corporate Education, was honored with the Ruby Award, which recognizes an RBTC member who has proven to be an asset to the Roanoke-Blacksburg region. She shared the award with Ken Nicely, outgoing superintendent of Roanoke County Public Schools.
Also receiving accolades at the May 7 ceremony were Cullen Danilowicz ’25 and Maxell Collignon ’12, who were named Entrepreneurs of the Year. Their company, Narro Trucks Inc. of Dublin, Virginia, designs and manufactures 100% electric, high-performance utility vehicles for use in municipalities, commerce and agriculture with a mission to reduce carbon emissions without sacrificing strength, reliability or capability. Danilowicz and Collignon shared the award with Webster Santos, a Virginia Tech professor and biotech entrepreneur.
Four earn emeritus faculty status
Four retired Radford faculty members have been newly designated as emeritus faculty by the Board of Visitors.
- Elizabeth Altieri, School of Teacher Education and Leadership, professor
- Carol Bland, School of Teacher Education and Leadership, associate professor
- Sara Brown, College of Nursing, professor
- Kristan Morrison, School of Teacher Education and Leadership, professor
Criteria for emeritus status include a minimum of 10 years of service to Radford University, evidence of effective teaching and significant professional contributions. The privileges and responsibilities attached to emeritus status include the use of McConnell Library, a university computer account, the use of athletics facilities available to the university’s current faculty, a Radford University ID card and special events discounts and attendance at university functions that are open to all current faculty.
SURF researchers get the go-ahead
These 20 projects are being funded through the Office of Undergraduate Research’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF), which encourage students to make original, intellectual or creative contributions to a discipline. Each SURF provides $6,000 to the student (half at the beginning of June and the second half at the beginning of August), $1,500 for the faculty mentor (paid at the beginning of August), and supplies.
Joseph Caylor – Expanding Radford University’s participation in the North American Insect Abundance Network by conducting standardized insect biomass monitoring at Wildwood Park and Selu Conservancy to assess whether Southwest Virginia reflects broader continental trends in insect decline. Mentor: Chet Bhatta
Trinity Roberts – Exploring how Appalachian crayfish adapt their foraging strategies under varying social and environmental conditions, revealing how animals make strategic decisions that support resilience in dynamic stream ecosystems. Mentor: Jason Davis
Haley Taylor – Investigating species boundaries among Central, Eastern and Hybrid rat snakes in Virginia by analyzing DNA, morphology and habitat differences. Mentor: Matthew Close
Elisjsha Wade – Testing whether the skin microbiome communities of Appalachian salamanders are explained by evolutionary relationships or environmental factors. Mentor: Tara Pelletier
Seth Kane – Conservation efforts are more effective for species when multiple key factors, such as genetic diversity and ecological niche breadth, are considered to assess conservation status. Mentor: Tara Pelletier
Daniel Juilfs – Developing a web-based interactive audio annotation platform that integrates streaming music with timeline-linked markers to enhance music theory learning. Mentor: Jesse Harden
Claire Daniel – Applying the “birefringence” light-microscopy method to 90-million-year-old chalk samples from the Normandy cliffs to measure ancient shell thickness, transforming microscopic fossils into a geological diagnostic tool in order to understand how marine life responds to global warming. Mentor: Ryan Sincavage
Morgan Rife – Understanding the structure and evolution of the crust and upper mantle in the Colombian Andes, the northwestern section of a subduction-related mountain range that is responsible for the largest earthquakes in the world, via the quantification of seismic velocity variations in the subsurface using earth’s background vibrations. Mentor: Hannah Krueger
Tyler Stanhope – Analyzing how water scarcity has changed across United States counties and watersheds from 1990 to 2025, identifying regions where increasing water demand and declining availability are intensifying long-term water stress. Mentor: Naveen Joseph
Morgan Cash – Investigating the dependence liability of Delta-8 THC by assessing how Delta-8 THC withdrawal impacts reward motivation in rodents. Mentor: Matthew Eckard
Katie Purnell – Hurricane Helene Landscape Alteration and Recovery: A Comparative Study of Appalachian Watersheds. Mentor: Jason Davis
Haley Gilley – Using LIWC-22 to analyze how National Association of Colleges and Employers career readiness competency language is articulated across public discourse to identify alignment and articulation gaps in how undergraduate research is framed within workforce conversations. Mentor: Joseph Wirgau
Jillian Hunt – Studying the legal governance gaps presented by the International Seabed Authority under the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea that could lead to environmental destruction by deep sea mining in international waters. Mentor: Tay Tan
Therese Root; Courtney McMahan, Lilly Porter, Katie Rose – Developing a formal, research-grounded coalition model, policy briefing and external grant proposal to establish the structural foundation for a sustainable student-led housing insecurity coalition at Radford University. Mentor: Heather Keith
Ryan Tarvin – Understanding the influence trait mindfulness has on sustainable behavior in a limited resource game by measuring MAAS scores and observing participants’ management of a shared resource when exposed to selfish, neutral or pro-environmentally social pressure. Mentor: Daniel Berry
Haley Thornhill – Investigating how Relationship Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder impacts the emotional well-being, social involvement and overall academic success of Radford University students. Mentor: Tanya Mitropoulos
Keriann Kleinhenz – Conducting interviews with veterans and analysis to determine the link between the military and substance use. Mentor: Sarah Rakes
Sarah Sydnor – Examining litigation dealing with child custody and adoption disputes involving LGBTQ+ individuals in the state courts of last resort, hereafter the state supreme courts. Mentor: Andrea Barrick
Kristina Wagner – Examining the effects of high utility costs on low-income residents of Radford. Mentor: Morgan Montanez
Reagan Adams – Exploring gender bias experienced by female sport management students and professionals. Mentor: Tiesha Martin
We Are Radford winner for June 2026
The We Are Radford employee recognition program is a monthly honor recognizing an individual whose daily interactions with students and colleagues represent the best of the Radford University experience. The winner for June is Ethan Jones '17, human resources generalist.
“Ethan Jones exemplifies university core values with his excellent customer service skills," his nominator wrote. "He is highly dependable and knowledgeable in his field of expertise. If he doesn't know the answer, he will consult his superiors for a response in an expedient manner. Ethan fosters a culture of service by not only serving current employees but also potential new hires who may have questions a well. We are lucky to have Ethan as a human resources representative. “
Employees who have served at least one year at Radford are eligible to be recognized for upholding the university’s core values.