BLACKSBURG, Va., March 9 -- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University issued the following news release:
It was winter 2009. Snow blanketed southwest Virginia.
On Virginia Tech's Blacksburg campus there was enough snow to cancel class - a rarity.
McKenzie Tate, now a senior in meteorology from Norton, Virgina, was glued to the television. She was enthralled by the impact nature could have on her home region, something she hadn't seen before.
A loud crashing sound came from outside her window. Weighed down by the snow and ice, a tree branch crushed her swing set, demoralizing for a 5-year-old.
After the initial anger at Mother Nature wore off, fascination remained, along with a lifelong motivation to help people improve warnin...