2024 Graduate Recruitment Weekend
BEAM Graduate Recruiting Weekend (Invitation Only)
February 29 - March 2
Blacksburg, Virginia
Message from your Recruitment Co-Hosts
We are excited to welcome you to our Graduate Recruiting Weekend. The event offers opportunities to meet with faculty members, tour lab spaces, explore campus and the Blacksburg area, as well as connect with fellow prospective students and current graduate students.
We look forward to getting to know you and showcasing all that our graduate programs have to offer. Also, the weekend is not just about us getting to know you; it's about you getting to know us. We want you to feel confident and excited about the prospect of joining our community.
Safe travels, and we can't wait to welcome you to our campus!
Travel Information
Please read the following travel information carefully and thoroughly. Contact the appropriate graduate coordinator with any questions.
*Note, if you are coming from Virginia, North Carolina, or the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area, we assume you will be driving. See the “Driving” section for details.
We look forward to your visit!
- Lodging for two nights (Thursday, February 29 and Friday, March 1) at The Inn at Virginia Tech. Rooms have already been reserved; there is nothing you need to do. Additional charges to the room will not be covered by Virginia Tech (room service, laundry, etc.). A credit card will be required at check-in for all incidentals.
- Meals: Dinner on Thursday, all meals on Friday, as well as breakfast and lunch on Saturday are included.
- Transportation to and from the Roanoke, VA airport for those who are flying. Transportation may be either a direct bus or a shuttle service and will be arranged once we have your detailed flight information.
- Travel costs: Virginia Tech regulations do not allow us to pre-pay your travel costs, only to reimburse you for those costs. We will complete the reimbursement paperwork while you are here and finalize the reimbursement payment once you complete your travel home.
If you are driving a roundtrip distance of more than 200 miles, then you will be reimbursed at the rate of .67 cents per mile. You may receive up to, but not exceeding, $402 (600 miles roundtrip at .67 cents per mile). If you are within driving distance but choose to fly, we will reimburse you at the corresponding mileage rate, which you can use toward the cost of your airline ticket.
If you are coming from Virginia, North Carolina, or the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area, we assume you will be driving. If your total roundtrip distance to Blacksburg is less than 200 miles (actual driving distance), then you will be reimbursed at the rate of .67 cents per mile.
Your driving destination is:
Inn at Virginia Tech
901 Prices Fork Road
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 USA
Parking at the hotel is free.
If you are flying to Blacksburg, you will be reimbursed for an economy class airline ticket with up to one checked bag. We cannot reimburse any travel upgrades, such as comfort plus, nor travel insurance. Due to the number of participants, our budget anticipates reimbursement up to $750.00. If you are unable to find a flight less than $750.00, contact the graduate coordinator listed above.
Once you have determined if you are driving or flying, please complete the appropriate form:
If you are flying, begin booking your flights right away, with this itinerary in mind:
Flight arrival at the Roanoke Regional Airport (ROA) on Thursday, February 29 by 2pm if possible. Return flight on Saturday, March 2.
- Students who plan to depart Roanoke after 11am should plan to leave the hotel at the 11am checkout.
- Students who plan to attend the Saturday information sessions/lab tours at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC or the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute/SLED lab should plan to leave after 2pm, if possible.
- The Roanoke airport is about 35 miles from the Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg campus requiring 45 minutes to get to the airport from the hotel. We will provide transportation to and from the airport; you do not need to arrange this transportation yourself.
As soon as your flight is booked, and preferably no later than Friday, February 9, send a copy of your flight booking paperwork to the appropriate graduate coordinator, including the following:
- Flight itinerary, showing the flight times, flight numbers, your name as passenger
- Proof of payment for ticket
- View this Flight Confirmation Example
You may not be fully reimbursed for your flight if you do not send us this information by Feb. 9.
Itinerary
Thursday, February 29, 2024
3:00 pm Check-in begins at 3pm. The Inn at Virginia Tech 901 Prices Fork Rd, Blacksburg, VA 24061
Note: The Inn will ask you for a credit card to put on hold in case you make any additional charges to the room. Virginia Tech will provide hotel stay and breakfast. You will be responsible for any additional charges.
5:45 PM Arrive in hotel lobby for welcome dinner. Dress is business casual.
6:00 PM Graduate Recruitment Weekend Welcome Reception
6:30 PM Dinner
8:00 PM End of activities for the day
Friday, March 1, 2024
6:30–8 AM Breakfast at The Inn at Virginia Tech (included with room) please identify yourself when being seated.
8:00 AM Meet in the hotel lobby. Dress is business casual. Transportation to campus will be provided.
8:15 AM Transportation will leave promptly at 8:15 AM
8:30 AM Welcome by Dr. Yong Lee, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program Director (310 Kelly Hall)
9:00 AM Lab tours (see schedule below)
10:00 AM Break
10:15 AM Lab Tours (see schedule below)
11:30 PM Lunch (310 Kelly Hall)
12:30 PM Q&A with VT-BMES (faculty leave to prepare for interviews)
1:30-4:30 PM Individual student meetings
For those students with downtime or finishing early, Kelly 310 will serve as a break room/meeting space for visiting students to interact with current BEAM students. There will also be current students available to give campus walking tours (ending at The Inn) or transport back to the hotel.
4:30 PM Students return to the Inn for break before dinner
5:30 PM Meet in hotel lobby. Dress is casual.
5:45 PM Transportation departs for evening activities
6:00 PM Dinner and Bowling at McClains/B&B Theatres Blacksburg 11
8:15 PM Students return to the Inn - End of GRW activities for the day
Saturday, March 2, 2024
7:00–8:45 AM Breakfast at The Inn at Virginia Tech (included with room) – please identify yourself when being seated
Return Home
For those students staying for the optional Saturday tours, there will one group departing for FBRI in Roanoke, then to the airport.
The second group will travel to VTTI/SLED Lab in Blacksburg.
Laboratory Tours
Group A
9am - 10am: Roberts Lab and Helmet Lab
10am - 10:15am: Break
10:15am - 11:15am: Vlaisavljevich Lab and Granta Lab
Group B
9am - 10am: Vlaisavljevich Lab and Granta Lab
10am - 10:15am: Break
10:15am - 11:15am: Roberts Lab and Helmet Lab
Explore the Area
Nestled between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains, Blacksburg has stunning natural attractions as well as historic and cultural sites. The city offers a wide range of outdoor activities, including hiking, mountain biking, fishing, tubing, and canoeing.
One can also visit several local restaurants, shops, or perhaps the Blacksburg Farmer's Market, take a stroll around the duck pond on the Virginia Tech campus, or maybe enjoy the roar of the crowd as players take the field to 'Enter Sandman'. From outdoor activities, to sports, local culture and more, there are so many opportunities to explore the area and enjoy life outside of the lab.
Questions? Please contact:
EM Graduate Coordinator: Renee Cloyd
BME Graduate Coordinator: Kelsey Wall or Michelle Darby