Hokie Stone in Place at VTC

Virginia Tech's hokie stone going up at the School of Medicine in Roanoke^

The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute (VTC) passed a symbolic milestone recently with the placing of the first batch of Hokie Stones in the façade of the new VTC building.

Hokie Stone, a type of dolomite limestone, is the traditional building material used on Virginia Tech buildings. Most of the stones come from a 40-acre quarry located near the Virginia Tech central campus in Blacksburg, Va.

"This milestone is exciting because it is something that you can actually see - and in many ways it represents the partnership between Virginia Tech and Carilion Clinic," says Dennis Dean, acting director of the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute. "We are carefully putting the pieces together to make VTC a reality. The partnership is impressive--people have already begun to collaborate on many levels."

Workers are hand cutting the stones on the VTC construction site in Roanoke. Approximately 170 tons of Hokie Stone will be used to cover about 5,570 square feet along the entrance to the VTC building.

"Virginia Tech is my alma mater, so this project is especially important to me," says Daniel DiMarco, project architect at AECOM. "Hokie Stone is a wonderful complement to the building, the visual appeal is obvious--but it is the emotional appeal that really makes a strong statement. The Hokie Stone serves as a foundation to the main entrance of the building, which reflects the academic foundation that Virginia Tech envisions for the new institution."

Research conducted at VTC creates a bridge between basic science research at Virginia Tech and clinical expertise at Carilion Clinic. Research conducted by scientists at the institute is aimed at understanding the molecular basis for health and disease, and development of diagnostic tools, treatments, and therapies that will contribute to the prevention and solution of existing and emerging problems in contemporary medicine.

In early June of this year, VTC's four-year doctorate of medicine program received preliminary accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) and in July the school received certification by Virginia's State Council of Higher Education. Later this fall VTC will be seeking approval from the State Association of Colleges. The school's first class of 42 aspiring physicians will begin their studies in the fall of 2010 and graduate with an M.D. degree in the spring of 2014.