Collegiate Times

'Hokies Thank The World,' which will take place Saturday, Nov.17 on the Drillfield, will bring together students, faculty, community members and others in spelling out a message of thanks to the global community for their support after the events of April 16.

The event, sponsored by the department of geography, will be recorded by ground and aerial photographers and also by satellite and then shared with the world through www.HokiesThankTheWorld.org.

"We've been getting a lot of support from around the world and we needed to send a message back," said Peter Sforza, event coordinator and department of geography faculty member.

People who participate in the event will fill in letters spelling out the message "VT Thanks You." Sforza said that his initial idea was to think of a phrase that both students and administration would approve of.

"This is an idea I've had for a while. I've worked with satellite imagery a lot in the past, and I've been thinking for a while about how to connect satellite imagery and people," Sforza said.

Photography for the event will come from a variety of locations, including ground level, airplane, and helicopter photography as well as satellite imagery. Randy Dymond, director of the Center for Geospatial Information Technology at Virginia Tech, said that one of the major logistical difficulties in preparing for the event was setting up the pictures

"It has been hard for us getting everything to look right and scaled right," Dymond said. "You got to get the timing right."

Sforza said he worked a lot with the photographers to try to set up the shots they were going to take. For photographers in the air, there are a variety of challenges that come with getting the right shot.

"The weather could be a problem while up in the air," said Michael Kiernan, photography manager for University Relations and one of the photographers for the event. "If it's a windy day, the helicopter won't be as stable. Lighting will also be a challenge while up in the air."

David Robinson, one of the pilot's assisting photographers during the event as well as the founder of Hooptie Ride, agreed that weather would be a major factor in the success of the event.

"If the weather isn't good, it may make it harder or even impossible to do the flyover," said Robinson.

Sforza said that they decided to take other pictures besides satellite in case there is cloudy weather that could block the picture.

Organizers will work quickly to unveil the pictures taken at the event.

"Though the satellite photos will not be available until the Monday or Tuesday after the event, we're going to take a handful of the best pictures from the aerial and ground photography and display those in Lane Stadium during the Virginia Tech versus Miami football game," Sforza said.

Dymond said that, according to preliminary calculations, participation will need to be close to 9000 people. The responsibility for getting the word out about the event has fallen mainly to the Student Government Association.

"We've done a whole marketing blitz for the event, with posters, flyers and table cards all around campus," said Brandon Carroll, marketing co-director for the SGA. "We've taken care of most of the distribution of promotional materials."

Reaction to the event has been very strong so far, Sforza said.

The "Hokies Thank The World" event will be taking place from 10:35 a.m. to 11:12 a.m. Though not required, participants are asked to wear orange and maroon.