Dr. Russell Jones, professor of psychology in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, will receive the first College of Science Outreach Award.

According to Nancy Ross, associate dean for research, graduate studies, and outreach, the reviewers voted unanimously to give the award to Jones. Jones has done extensive work dealing with the impact of trauma such as fires and earthquakes on children and families and ways to mitigate that trauma.

The reviewers noted that Jones "provides an outstanding example of how research and knowledge in a subject area can be put to use in an outreach context." Outreach is one of the three goals of Virginia Tech as a land-grant university, along with teaching and research, and Jones excels at all three.

"Dr. Jones's work is clearly of national and international significance," another reviewer said. "He is a world expert on the impact of trauma to children, and he is using his knowledge to help plan and develop strategies for the prevention of trauma and the treatment of children suffering from trauma."

The committee noted that Jones served on advisory committees at the national level. Recently, he was named a member of the Terrorism and Disaster Branch (TDB) of the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (NCCTS), a nationwide web to help protect children in times of trauma, disaster, or terrorism. The main goal of the group is to reach across the United States, "to foster a truly integrated, state-of-the-art readiness, response and recovery program for our nation's children and families," according to the NCCTS.

Jones also has worked extensively with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He is currently serving as chair of the CDC's Science and Program Review Subcommittee. The parent committee, the Advisory Committee for Injury Prevention and Control, located in the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), "provides second-level scientific and programmatic review for applications for research grants, cooperative agreements, and training grants related to injury control and violence prevention and recommends approval of projects that merit further consideration for funding support," according to Iris Lansing of NCIPC.

"I am continuing to apply my knowledge and clinical skills in the research domain to events of disaster and terrorism," Jones said. "It is my desire to apply my knowledge and experience to assist people who are hurting to cope with tragedy."

Jones will receive $500 in operating funds to continue his research and an award plaque. He also will be nominated by the college for the 2005 University Outreach Award, according to Ross.

Jones is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, a member of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Society for Research in Child Development, Association of Behavior Analysis; and has served on more on the editorial board of more than a dozen professional journals. He received his Ph.D. and master's degree from Pennsylvania State University, and a bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University.

The College of Science at Virginia Tech gives students a comprehensive foundation in the scientific method. Outstanding faculty members teach courses and conduct research in biology, chemistry, economics, geosciences, mathematics, physics, psychology, and statistics. The college is dedicated to fostering a research-intensive environment and offers programs in nanoscale and biological sciences, information theory and science, and supports research centers—in areas such as biomedical and public health sciences and critical technology and applied science—that encompass other colleges at the university. The College of Science also houses programs in pre-medicine and scientific law.

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