Plus, it was based in affordable Roanoke, Virginia, 50 minutes from Virginia Tech University.

FORBES: The Race To Embrace

Rabbits and foxes have disappeared, while raccoon, opossum and bobcat populations have dropped as much as 99%, researchers at Virginia Tech University, Davidson College and the U.S. Geological Survey reported in 2012.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Some observers such as Dr. Robert Lang, an expert on urban affairs and planning at Virginia Tech University, say the gas crunch could be a turning point in perceptions of public transportation and how cities plan development.

CNN: U.S. cities scrambling to meet rising mass transit demands

Rock the Vote, which has been mobilizing young voters, reported that a polling place closest to Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg had been consolidated with another miles from campus, causing long lines that spilled onto a highway.

WSJ: Big Turnout Stresses Election System

Working with researchers from Virginia Tech and the University of Colorado, Mr. Adams recently examined returns from 226 mutual funds between 2003 and 2009.

WSJ: When Funds Lend Out Securities, Do Investors Get a Fair Share?

Then in December, a student from a nearby university killed a Virginia Tech police officer before committing suicide.

WSJ: Virginia Tech Is Liable in Shootings

Relay launched in 2009 with the help of legwork from interns from local colleges like the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech, and then expanded to Richmond.

FORBES: Relay Marches On Washington: Grocery Delivery Startup Gets $8 Million For Metro Expansion

After the shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007, in which 33 people died, and at Northern Illinois University, where 6 were killed in 2008, debates on campus gun policies in state legislatures soared.

FORBES: Do We Really Need More Guns On Campus?