RICHMOND, Virginia, Dec. 11 -- Virginia Commonwealth University issued the following news: * * * Class of 2025: Katie Walker carries a childhood friend's spirit into her second career in nursing * By Olivia Trani For Katie Walker, the decision to go back to school to pursue a career in nursing felt like a calling. It had been years in the making - ever since her childhood friend was diagnosed with leukemia. "I grew up in a very small town, and when I was in high school, a number of kids   more

RICHMOND, Virginia, Dec. 11 -- Virginia Commonwealth University issued the following news: * * * Class of 2025: Serena Perales Soto makes dedication, inspiration and education an art form * By Leila Ugincius When Serena Perales Soto says, "Believe me, it was extremely exhausting"... well, believe her. It was through sheer will, framed by the spirit of her grandmother, that the 38-year-old is graduating this month with her bachelor's degree in art education from Virginia Commonwealth Univ  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, Dec. 11 -- Virginia Commonwealth University issued the following news: * * * Commencement speaker Timmy Davis reflects on lessons learned during his high-stakes career * By Tom Gresham Timmy Davis has several lifetimes' worth of experiences. As a U.S. Marine, Davis served in the Horn of Africa and was part of the invasion of Iraq. Then, during his two-decade career as a diplomat, Davis returned to Iraq to help with reconstruction efforts, worked in a series of high-prof  more

MCLEAN, Virginia, Dec. 12 -- Hilton Worldwide Holdings posted the following news release: * * * Hilton Arcadia Los Angeles Is Officially Open Introducing contemporary guest rooms, refined dining, signature rooftop venue and more than 17,000 square feet of event space in the heart of Arcadia * LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Hilton Arcadia Los Angeles, a 173-room contemporary retreat at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, is officially open, expanding Hilton's footprint in Southern California and m  more

MCLEAN, Virginia, Dec. 12 -- Hilton Worldwide Holdings posted the following news release: * * * Slackline Moab, Outset Collection by Hilton Marks Debut of Company's Latest Brand Slackline Moab, a modern basecamp for explorers, is now open * Hilton debuts Slackline Moab, the first Outset Collection hotel, offering a modern basecamp near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks * Slackline Moab features guided outdoor experiences, gear-ready rooms, trail-friendly dining and amenities designed fo  more

FAIRFAX, Virginia, Dec. 11 -- George Mason University issued the following news: * * * The run that changed a program: George Mason marks the 20th anniversary of its 2006 Final Four appearance * The 2006 Final Four run by the George Mason University men's basketball team was an achievement so improbable, so unprecedented, that it transformed how the college basketball world viewed possibility itself. Now, 20 years later, the Patriots will honor that magical postseason journey on Saturday,   more

FAIRFAX, Virginia, Dec. 10 -- George Mason University issued the following news: * * * The un-forgotten founder: How George Mason's legacy lives on * "That all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society...namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty...pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety." The Virginia Declaration of Rights, penned by George Mason IV, begins with this bold proclamation. It's a famil  more

LYNCHBURG, Virginia, Dec. 12 -- The University of Lynchburg issued the following news: * * * University of Lynchburg to offer 'applied' degrees in public health, educational studies The University of Lynchburg has launched a program through which students can complete bachelor's degrees in public health or educational studies in 96 hours, or three years, versus the traditional four-year, 120-hour model -- saving students time and money. The five-year pilot programs for Lynchburg's new Bachel  more

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, Dec. 12 -- The University of Virginia issued the following research news: * * * 10 minutes of play can create holiday joy By Audrey Breen, audreybreen@virginia.edu When the holiday season gets hectic, a technique teachers use may help frazzled families reconnect and strengthen their positive relationships. For more than a decade, researchers at the University of Virginia's School of Education and Human Development have been developing, testing and disseminating a  more

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, Dec. 11 (TNSjou) -- The University of Virginia issued the following research news: * * * Preteen smartphone use may be unhealthy. But there are solutions By Jane Kelly, jak4g@virginia.edu Children given a smartphone before the age of 12 are at higher risk for depression, obesity and insufficient sleep, according to a new study in the journal Pediatrics. "The important finding is that kids who got smartphones earlier exercised less, slept less and socialized in pe  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, Dec. 11 -- Virginia Commonwealth University issued the following news: * * * VCU launches the Office of Medicaid Evaluation * By Maggie Christ The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Public Health has established the Office of Medicaid Evaluation to more formally provide analysis and guidance on state and federal Medicaid programs. The OME officially launched on July 1 this year, but VCU's collaboration with the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Servic  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 12 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: * * * Mohamed Seleem elected fellow of the National Academy of Inventors By Andrew Mann Mohamed Seleem Ph.D. '06, whose patented drugs and diagnostic technologies aim to combat antimicrobial-resistant infections that kill more than 1.27 million people worldwide each year according to a 2022 Lancet study, has been named a 2025 fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Seleem, the Tyler and Frances Young Endow  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 12 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: * * * Unexpected impact: Ph.D. student Nipun Thamatam revamps a key part of microfluidic research An ordinary day Thamatan's life led to a discovery that transformed decades of micro-electrical-mechanical systems research. By Niki Hazuda When Nipun Thamatam joined Masoud Agah's micro-electrical-mechanical systems (MEMS) lab six years ago, he had no idea he would change the course of his advisor's research. Thamatam   more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 12 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: * * * New Virginia Bird Atlas opens window into conservation Virginia Tech and partners unveil a digital atlas mapping decades of bird data to guide conservation, research, and land-use decisions across the commonwealth. By Max Esterhuizen For more than a decade, hundreds of volunteers, scientists, and conservationists across Virginia have worked together to document the commonwealth's bird life. Their shared effort  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 12 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: * * * Zeta Beta Tau alumni gift fuels brain cancer research Nicole DeFoor, a graduate student working at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, is examining glioma cell lines with a goal of stopping brain tumor invasion. By Leigh Anne Kelley As an undergraduate, Nicole DeFoor was introduced to the scientific process while studying sociolinguistics with Abby Walker in Virginia Tech's Speech Lab. She moved   more

LEXINGTON, Virginia, Dec. 12 -- Virginia Military Institute issued the following news: * * * VMI Unveils New Hub for Postgraduate Scholarships and Pre-Professional Programs A webpage dedicated to national postgraduate scholarships and pre-professional programs in law and health professions available to Virginia Military Institute cadets, regardless of their commissioning status, was recently unveiled to 1st and 2nd Class Institute Honors cadets. Col. Robert McDonald, associate dean for acade  more

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 11 -- William and Mary issued the following news: * * * William & Mary, Williamsburg agree to mutually beneficial land swap * William & Mary and the City of Williamsburg today announced their intention to exchange parcels of land, mutually advancing the interests of both institutions. The two parcels include an approximately 34-acre site owned by William & Mary behind the city's Cedar Grove Cemetery on South Henry Street and 24 acres owned by the city between t  more

MCLEAN, Virginia, Dec. 12 -- Hilton Worldwide Holdings posted the following news release on Dec. 10, 2025: * * * York Medellin Opens as Hilton's First Curio Collection by Hilton Hotel in Medellin The debut demonstrates Hilton's ongoing commitment to expanding its lifestyle brands in key markets across the region * Today, Hilton (NYSE: HLT) announces the opening of York Medellin, Curio Collection by Hilton, marking the lifestyle brand's debut in Colombia's vibrant second-largest city. The ho  more

ROANOKE, Virginia, Dec. 11 -- The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech posted the following news: * * * Zeta Beta Tau alumni gift fuels brain cancer research * As an undergraduate, Nicole DeFoor was introduced to the scientific process while studying sociolinguistics with Abby Walker in Virginia Tech's Speech Lab. She moved into experimental neuroscience and cancer biology in the lab of the late J. Michael Bowers, the first faculty member in the School of Neuroscience, and  more