Virginia Tech Southwest Center

Our team spent time in Town of Abingdon, Virginia and Visit Damascus, Virginia last week conducting surveys as part of a project with Virginia Highlands Festival. We had a great time talking with attendees and enjoying all of the festival offerings! Virginia Tech Center for Economic & Community Engagement

The third session of the educator “Power Hour” professional development series concluded this week. This series focused on energy, community, and the future of Appalachia. We were happy to host Amy Azano and Clint Whitten from the Virginia Tech Center for Rural Education and send thanks to our Advisory Council member, Will Payne from Energy DELTA Lab, to talk about energy projects in Southwest Virginia.

FREE Environmental & Heavy Equpment Career Training! Access the QR code to sign up for an information session. Contact [email protected] with any questions or for more information! Program funded by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency FY25 Brownfields Job Training Grant Program.

The Octagon House stands as one of Southwest Virginia’s most distinctive historic landmarks, offering a unique window into the region’s architectural, cultural, and social history. Through the perspectives of descendants, preservation advocates, and researchers, the project highlights the importance of safeguarding historic places and ensuring that their stories remain accessible to future generations.
Octagon House Foundation Community Design Assistance Center at Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance Virginia Tech Center for Economic & Community Engagement

Preserving one of Virginia's most unique historic homes The Octagon House stands as one of Southwest Virginia’s most distin...

Valuable information for farmers from our colleagues at Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Join VCE for the August Drought Management Webinar on Wednesday, August 5th, 2026, at 7pm via Zoom.

Topics will include:
• Government assistance programs
• Early weaning strategies
• Planning ahead to manage hay shortages

The zoom link to join the webinar is below:
https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/81564971726

Recordings of previous Emergency Drought Management Webinars, along with additional resources, are available on the Virginia Tech Beef Extension website at https://sas.vt.edu/extension/vtbeef.html

Even though the common pronunciation in Southwest Virginia is "apple-atch-uh," there are many ways to pronounce "Appalachia." At least, that's what Virginia Tech research has found.

Don't throw an apple at us. 🫣

Even though the common pronunciation in Southwest Virginia is "apple-atch-uh," there are many ways to pronounce "Appalachia." At least, that's what Virginia Tech research has found. The Speech Lab, a network of Virginia Tech faculty members whose work involves linguistics or language science, partnered with the "Appodlachia" podcast to explore the differences in dialect across the 13-state Appalachian mountain region.

🔗: go.vt.edu/urKdG

🌟KEYNOTE SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED🌟 We Impact Virginia 2026 Summit: Moving Forward Together is being held on October 27, 2026, at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center. We hope to see you there!
Early bird registration is open➡️ https://www.outreach.vt.edu/engagement/wiv/register.html

👷‍♂️🚜 FREE Environmental & Heavy Equipment Career Training now available through the Virginia Tech Southwest Center. Earn industry credentials at no cost! For more information, scan the QR code or email Allison Mays at [email protected]. Funding for this program provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Job Training Program.