ODU Named a Top STEM School by Virginia Living Magazine

September 15, 2015

A researcher is pictured at work in the Old Dominion University physics department clean room.

Old Dominion University was recently selected as one of the Commonwealth's top schools in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) by Virginia Living Magazine.

In its State of Education 2015 edition, published this month, Old Dominion was lauded for having one of the most innovative STEM programs in Virginia.

"ODU's Center for Sea Level Rise was tasked by the White House to undertake a two-year pilot project aimed at developing a 'whole of government, whole of community' approach to mitigating and adapting to life with rising seas," the magazine stated. "The project, which began in June 2014, will create a template for a model community response that can be adapted by other coastal regions in the future."

The magazine also noted:

• Old Dominion University research generates $48 million in annual funding from sources such as the National Sciences Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense.
• Old Dominion University graduates the second-most students in the STEM and health care fields in the Commonwealth. Its state-of-the-art Engineering Systems Building, opened in 2014, provides hands-on collaborative learning spaces along with advanced laboratories.
• Construction has also been authorized for a $71-million Life Sciences Building, and a $74-million Health Sciences Building is in the University's 20-year Master Plan.

"These facilities represent our unwavering commitment to the Governor, the General Assembly and the business community to help shape a new economy in Virginia, with more high-paying, private-sector jobs here in Hampton Roads," Old Dominion President John R. Broderick said in August during his annual State of the University address.

Virginia Living celebrates all things Virginia - from people and places, to the state's deep history and traditions - making it the highest quality, most-widely read lifestyle magazine in the Commonwealth. The magazine is published six times per year, plus two bonus special issues: Medicine & Wellness in March and Best of Virginia in May. Besides the State of Education supplement in September, the magazine publishes four special supplements: Weddings, Dental Care, Law and Hospitals & Health Care.