Facilities

Main Lab

The lab includes approximately 2,200 sq. ft. of shared modern space located in Research Building XV in the VT Corporate Research Center on the southern part of campus. The location for visiting or shipping is:

VT School of Plant & Environmental Sciences
512 Latham Hall Room 1004
220 Ag Quad Ln
Blacksburg, VA 24061

The lab has been set up to facilitate research on the diversity, function, and transport of microorganisms in natural systems, particularly with regard to soil and water quality and nutrient cycling. Routine equipment for both culture-based and molecular approaches in microbial ecology includes clean benches, incubators, nutrient analysis, RNA and DNA extraction, conventional and quantitative PCR, electrophoresis and gel imaging. We also enjoy collaborative access to other labs on campus that are outfitted for soil respiration, gas fluxes, and enzyme activity. We have a Linux desktop computer in the lab that is capable of analyzing next generation sequencing data for microbial diversity and community structure from hundreds of samples.

VT Advanced Research Computing

For larger computational needs we maintain accounts and collaboration with theAdvanced Research Computing facility on campus. ARC maintains five different high performance computing clusters designed for a range of applications including parallelization, high memory needs, intensive graphical processing, and archival storage. Systems are free to use for all VT personnel and ARC researchers are available to assist with complex projects.

Greenhouses

Virginia Tech’s main greenhouse range is located on campus, just west of McComas Hall and east of the Horticulture Gardens. Eight departments and programs utilize the greenhouses’ 51,000 square feet of space for teaching, research, and extension activities. Ten wings of glass houses are joined by a central corridor, and eight self-contained fiberglass, polyethylene or polycarbonate houses supplement the main range. The Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences has guaranteed space assignments within this range.