The Loss is Staggering

As details about those who died in Blacksburg come to light, the loss is simply staggering. Of course, the immediate loss of life is difficult to imagine. Yet, the loss not just to the immediate family and friends, but to the world at large. Among the dead were two faculty members:

The head of the engineer science and mechanics department says two professors were among the 32 people gunned down by a lone gunman, who then took his own life.

One of the professors was Liviu Librescu (LIV'-yoo li-BRES'-coo), a Romanian who was known internationally for his research in aeronautical engineering. Engineering department chief Ishwar Puri (ISH-wahr PYUR'-ee) says Librescu's research made aircraft better.

The other professor killed was Kevin Granata. He conducted orthopedic research in hospitals before coming to Tech. Puri says Granata was one of the top five biomechanics researchers in the country working on movement dynamics in cerebral palsy.

The contributions of these two men were significant and real. But the potential in each student who died is also real and cannot be quantified. Virginia Tech has produced thousands of America's best engineering minds and the loss of even one person who could have changed the world simply cannot be measured.