Thirty-one years after joining the Virginia Tech College of Engineering's mining and minerals engineering department, Roe-Hoan Yoon has been named a University Distinguished Professor by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

Three industry-led teams that include Virginia Tech and four other major research universities have been awarded contracts to provide a range of research and engineering services to the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). The collective value of the three contracts is expected to exceed $465 million over a five-year period.

Dr. Roe-Hoan Yoon, Nicholas T. Camicia Professor in the Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering at Virginia Tech, is the recipient of the Pittsburgh Coal Mining Institute of America’s (PCMIA) 2009 Stephen McCann Memorial Award for Educational Excellence. The award consists of an inscribed commemorative clock which is presented to the recipient at the PCMIA’s annual luncheon.

The award was established by the PCMIA in 1986 as a way to honor instructors, teachers or professors of mining engineering curricula who have made significant career impacts on educational services to the mining industry. Candidates for the award are judged on their contributions, achievements, and commitment to quality mining education. Dr. Yoon is the fifth Virginia Tech mining engineering professor to have achieved this honor, with Professors Mike Karmis, Gerald Luttrell, Greg Adel and former department head Tom Novak having received it in previous years.