Virginia Tech University’s Chapter of Women in Mining will host the national group’s 2013 meeting, April 25-27, at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center in Roanoke. Virginia Tech’s Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering faculty members Kray Luxbacher and Emily Sarver will chair the event, which will include a trip to the Lhoist Kimballton limestone mine in nearby Giles County and hazard training. “In an industry with increased demand, depletion of reserves, and environmental and social challenges, diversity of thought is critical,” said Luxbacher who, with Sarver, represents the first female faculty at the university’s Mining and Minerals Department in its 100-year history. http://www.womeninmining.org/