Neal Castagnoli honored with emeritus status
Neal Castagnoli of Blacksburg, Va., the Harvey W. Peters Professor of Chemistry in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, was conferred with the title "Harvey W. Peters Professor Emeritus" by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors during the board’s quarterly meeting June 12.
The title of emeritus may be conferred on retired professors and associate professors, administrative officers, librarians, and exceptional staff members who have given exemplary service to the university and who are specially recommended to the board of visitors by Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board of visitors receive an emeritus certificate from the university.
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1988, Castagnoli was a devoted teacher to both undergraduate and graduate students, and researcher, who studied the biological properties of organic molecules with respect to neuroprotection of and neurotoxicity in the central nervous system. The author of 236 publications, four books and 50 book chapters, Castagnoli has been honored with numerous awards, including Virginia’s Outstanding Scientist Award in 2000.
Castagnoli has served in a number of international professional technical societies, including being a Fellow of the American Academy of Science. He received his master’s degree from the University of California at San Francisco and a bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.
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 nano-scale 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.
Founded in 1872 as a land-grant college, Virginia Tech has grown to become among the largest universities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Today, Virginia Tech’s eight colleges are dedicated to putting knowledge to work through teaching, research, and outreach activities and to fulfilling its vision to be among the top research universities in the nation. At its 2,600-acre main campus located in Blacksburg and other campus centers in Northern Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Hampton Roads, Richmond, and Roanoke, Virginia Tech enrolls more than 28,000 full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries in 180 academic degree programs.
