Richard F. Helm, associate professor of biochemistry in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the title of associate professor emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
The emeritus title may be conferred on retired faculty members who are specially recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands in recognition of exemplary service to the university. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board receive a copy of the resolution and a certificate of appreciation.
A member of the Virginia Tech community for more than 33 years, Helm made significant contributions to the university through his work in both the laboratory and classroom. He was the sole instructor for a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate biochemistry-based courses and created a new biochemical techniques course for biochemistry majors, placing strong emphasis on academic standards and student learning.
Helm established the Virginia Tech Mass Spectrometry Incubator and served as its director until his retirement. He also served as the interim manager for the Genomics Sequencing Center and managed the User Facility for the National Science Foundation-funded GlycoMIP laboratory. He collaborated with numerous researchers at Virginia Tech, providing biochemical data for multiple investigations. He also helped establish the infrastructure and operating principles of the Undergraduate Discovery Laboratory.
Throughout his career, he taught more than 3,000 undergraduate students and directly advised more than 80 students in undergraduate research, master’s degree work, and doctoral dissertations. His efforts were always directed at helping students develop successful careers in academic, medical and industrial settings. He authored or co-authored over 150 refereed journal articles, book chapters, and reviews and presented his research at numerous conferences and seminars.
Helm received his bachelor’s degree from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Contact:
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