Old Dominion University has partnered with the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative to win a $10 million grant from the Federal Broadband Stimulus Program for a project that will greatly expand the scope and speed of fiber optics communications networks in southeastern Virginia.

The grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration was announced in Washington Wednesday, Aug. 18, by Vice President Joe Biden.

MBC and ODU are each investing $1.2 million in the project, to cover total costs of nearly $12.5 million. Plans call for 170 miles of high-speed Internet infrastructure to be built during the next two years as part of the national Broadband Technology Opportunities Program.

For ODU, the project will provide more efficient and dependable high-speed communication technology to advance research and education on campus, and to support outreach services.

“Old Dominion University is pleased to have partnered with Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative to develop and sponsor this grant,” said the university’s president, John R. Broderick. “This is an investment that opens incredible opportunities for economic development and innovations for education program delivery in the region.”

“As an anchor institution and large consumer of broadband communication in Hampton Roads, Old Dominion will reach out to local communities and institutions to develop a collaborative effort for expanding the availability, reach and application of high-speed broadband communications.”

MBC is an independent and not-for-profit, open-access fiber optic backbone provider that already has installed 800 miles of fiber optic cable, most of it serving low-population and economically depressed localities in Southside Virginia. Tad Deriso, the MBC president and CEO, called the new project “really the linchpin of our entire strategy to help connect all of southern Virginia to the rest of the world.”

Internet infrastructure tends to support services to high-population and, therefore, high traffic areas. Many services are not available or too expensive in rural areas. That is why the federal and state governments since 2004 have supported MBC’s startup as a broadband wholesaler in an under-served Southside Virginia region that needs new economic development. The region has lost jobs in tobacco farming and warehousing, and in cotton mills and other manufacturing.

The 170 miles of new infrastructure will extend in a mesh from existing MBC network connection points in Emporia and Wakefield. It will be constructed in Southampton, Sussex, Surry and Isle of Wight counties and the cities of Suffolk and Franklin. Deriso said more than 60 community anchor institutions, such as schools, hospitals and emergency response departments, will be connected. This will allow those institutions to purchase new telecom services from MBC’s members, which are private-sector telecom providers.

But extending broadband infrastructure to underserved areas was not the only goal in MBC and ODU’s application for the stimulus grant. The new network will also deploy Infinera’s Digital Optical Network to extend the reach of MBC’s highly scalable, open-access transport network into the Norfolk market. This will enable diverse access to other MBC member networks in the region, including Intellifiber, Level3, Verizon and Qwest Communications.

“The open-access network will improve broadband communication speeds and options for the region, creating economies of scale for the cost of commodity Internet services,” said Rusty Waterfield, ODU’s assistant vice president for computing and communications services. “This provides network assets and services to help drive economic development, and enable collaboration among education, library, hospital and research institutions.”

Broderick and Deriso praised Waterfield and Wayne Jones, who directs network and communications services in Waterfield’s office, for their role in preparing the grant application. “We are grateful for the effort our team put into this,” Broderick said.

Jones said a major beneficiary of the new network’s reach into Hampton Roads will be the Eastern Lightwave Interconnect Enterprise (E-LITE) regional network, which provides high-speed connections between ODU and its Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC); the College of William and Mary; Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, and other federal agencies.

The five-year-old E-LITE, which supports research and education through 1-10 gigabytes per second connections, currently can access only one path to Internet service providers in Northern Virginia. “Right now we have a single linear path between Northern Virginia and Norfolk for the bulk of our commodity service,” Jones said. “This path is susceptible to service interruptions that can put us on our knees, such as one caused by a fire in Richmond.”

Jones said E-LITE will gain from the MBC network an alternate path to Northern Virginia, “providing system redundancies.” In addition, E-LITE will benefit from new ways to provide broader and cheaper services.

The redundant connection will give ODU’s Teletechnet distance learning program a more affordable and reliable broadband connection with community colleges in Virginia. This will be a boon to video conferencing, streaming video and other online interactive instructional delivery. The better service will also extend to ODU and WHRO public broadcasting’s delivery of educational content to public schools.

Broderick said he envisions the project with MBC also supporting the Business Gateway office that ODU opened earlier this summer to strengthen entrepreneurial ties between the university and regional businesses. “This initiative supports our recent launch of Business Gateway as a business-friendly entry point to the intellectual capital, innovative technologies and world-class infrastructure of the university,” he said.

As an example, Deriso said he could see the new broadband service allowing ODU’s VMASC to do computer simulation work with a tire research center in South Boston.

Jones suggested that new direct communications with the city of Franklin might allow ODU to take a greater role in retraining the workforce of the International Paper (old Union Camp Corp.) pulp and paper plant that closed there recently.

Outside of economic development, Jones added, the project will give ODU the opportunity to purchase more bandwidth at affordable rates, allowing students on the Norfolk campus greater freedom in accessing online applications and services. “This can be for research, as well as for recreation,” he said.

MBC’s advanced open-access fiber optic backbone network provides wholesale optical transport services, collocation, dark fiber, and tower construction/leasing. More than 55 private sector telecom providers are members of MBC. They use MBC’s open access network to expand their network reach, reduce their transport costs, enable new services and applications and drive advanced broadband services in Southern Virginia.

The cooperative’s mission is economic development, job creation and private sector investment in Southern Virginia. For more information about MBC, visit www.mbc-va.com.

From ODU News

Download the articles from the September 2010 issue of Southwest Airlines’ Spirit Magazine:

• Part 1) Meet Hampton Roads:  Virginia’s hub of convenience, commerce, and coastal charms. History, commerce, military power, and hometown hospitality intersect in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Freedom was won here, and independence was conceived here. Rob Cross, Virginia Arts Festival’s Executive and Artistic Director, is featured as Hampton Roads’ very own music man.
• Part 2) Live:  From waterside condos to downtown Victorians, lifestyle choices abound.
• Part 3) Work:  A strong military presence sets the pace. Hampton Roads is at the forefront of the art-meets-science modeling and simulation industry, initially supported by the military and now heavily used in commercial transportation, medicine, and other fields. A hub for healthcare, too.
• Part 4) Play:  From boardwalks to Broadway, there’s no shortage of entertainment in Hampton Roads. The Sporting Life: Hampton Roads takes sports seriously. Passionate fans make up for the absence of a big-league franchise with their support for a wide range of collegiate and amateur athletics as well as minor league competition.
• Part 5) Eat:  Seafood naturally, but so much more.
• Part 6) Sleep:  The past never sleeps at these historic inns, but you can.

Link to more on “Meet Hampton Roads from the air“

In his recent Virginian Pilot Op-Ed piece, “A Vital Spinoff from JFCOM”, Jack Ezzell pointed out many of Hampton Roads’ strengths in the area of modeling and simulation.  He defined modeling and simulation as:

“Modeling and simulation refers to the process of developing a mathematical model of a real-world process, such as the flow of containers through a port facility and solving the model under different conditions. The information extracted from the model can be used to enhance the effectiveness of the real-world process and increase efficiency and profitability.”

This excellent example from the economically critical ports extends to traffic and transportation analysis.  Still other current modeling and simulation applications that should be of interest to Hampton Roads’ citizens include tidal level predictions for hurricanes and nor’easters being developed at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at William & Mary (VIMS); innovative designs for aircraft carrier landing systems at Northrop-Grumman Newport News (NGNN); design and development at NASA Langley Research Center (NASA-LARC), of launch pad abort systems to save astronauts’ lives in the event of a rocket anomaly during launch; design of particle accelerators and instrumentation at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab); a “virtual stethoscope”, developed at the Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) in collaboration with Old Dominion University’s Virginia Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center (VMASC), as a training device that simulates the sounds of the human body’s circulatory and respiratory systems;  and many, many others.

While modeling and simulation only approximates real-world behaviors and does not simply replace physical experiments, it does allow for extensive insights into system behaviors where full scale experimentation is not possible such as with hurricanes, or where experiments might involve human safety such as possible changes to the air traffic control system to allow the integration of drones with piloted aircraft, or are too expensive such as with NASA’s pioneering missions aimed at landing scientific instruments on other planets in the solar system.  We know that hurricane prediction is not perfect, but with the data collected and analyzed from each unique storm, scientists improve the mathematical models making predictions for the next storms better.  So it is not only the capabilities of modeling and simulation, but also the implications and limits of the model used that today’s student must learn.

What has allowed for this recent explosion of
modeling and simulation applications?

The past decade in computer and software advances – greatly increased memory and computational speed at substantially lowered cost – has made the development and exercising of such mathematical models part of the standard toolbox for today’s business people, scientists and engineers and, now, is even accessible to students in all grades K-12.  In addition to the analysis of mathematical models, the industrial applications of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) have also become accessible to our middle and high school students in curricula programs such as Project Lead The Way (PLTW), a four-year turn-key engineering curriculum led in Virginia out of ODU’s Batten School of Engineering; and extra-curricula activities such as “F1 (Formula One) in Schools”, in which open-wheel race car models are designed and fabricated using CAD/CAM software/hardware.  Even a K-5 primer on the principles of modeling and simulation, “The Shape of Change”, is available at www.clexchange.org.   This book, written by two Massachusetts elementary school teachers provides classroom activities that demonstrate such system dynamic behaviors fundamental to modeling and simulation, as mammoth herd extinction, deforestation, and disease-spread.

These broad applications often tie together the previously disparate areas of theory-based K-12 math, science, social studies, and health with the hands-on K-12 area of CTE (Career and Technical Education) – formerly known as vocational or technical education.

The Commonwealth of Virginia and, particularly, Hampton Roads is actively engaged in growing our K-12 students’ knowledge of modeling and simulation.  A few selected examples:

• In its recent 2010 revision of Science Standards of Learning (SOL), the Virginia State Board of Education added modeling and simulation as a required skill in the laboratory investigation objective (grade 6, life science, physical science, biology, chemistry, and physics) for virtually all middle and high school science students in Virginia.
• In a collaboration between the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) and Virginia Beach Public Schools, Ocean Lakes High School science and math teachers have developed and piloted cross-discipline modeling and simulation curriculum that is now being spread throughout the region.
• NASA Langley Research Center in collaboration with Old Dominion University and VMASC has provided workshops led by national leaders in K-12 modeling and simulation to teachers from throughout Hampton Roads and as far west as Charlottesville.
• The Virginia Governor’s Academy at Pruden Center in Suffolk in collaboration with Tidewater Community College, provides regional instruction in CAD/CAM, including rapid prototype fabrication for high school students. READ THE STORY
• NASA Langley has provided modeling and simulation training to teachers from schools throughout Hampton Roads including Title 1 schools such as Campostella Elementary School in Norfolk and the Achievable Dream Academy in Newport News.

These are just a few of the actively growing K-12 modeling and simulation initiatives in the Commonwealth and Hampton Roads.  As curricula have developed, discussions are now starting to center around embedding K-12 teachers in industry during the summers so that they may experience first-hand applications of modeling and simulation at the real-world high tech work places in Hampton Roads.  This cross-training is aimed at enabling teachers to further develop a modeling and simulation curriculum that is both relevant and contemporary to prepare our 21^st century citizens for success in the globally competitive economic realities of their world.

Photo caption:  Kids don’t question, they just flow, which is why they are often experts on computers. It seems to indicate that it is not so much the technical skills but the ability to creatively explore that gets them there. Taken at MacWorld EXPO 2007, Moscone Center, San Francisco.

Photo credit:  David Pham on Flickr

Click HERE for a complete Hampton Roads Resource Page on Joint Forces Command with links to organizations such as the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance, local and state resources such as Congressman Forbes webpage, regional strategies such as Vision Hampton Roads and the Hampton Roads Modeling and Simulation Strategy 2020, events such as MODSIM World 2010, JFCOM news and more…

On 8-9-10, Secretary of Defense Gates recommended closure of Joint Forces Command (JFCOM), headquartered in Hampton Roads. JFCOM develops and employs modeling and simulation tools, the centerpiece of joint training. Modeling and Simulation (M&S) refers to the process of developing a mathematical model of a real world process, such as the flow of containers through a port facility, and solving the model under different conditions. The information extracted from the model can be used to enhance the effectiveness of the real world process and increase efficiency and profitability.

M&S is not a military-only tool.

Regardless of the outcome of Sec. Gates’ recommendation, the region-wide comprehensive economic development strategy, Vision Hampton Roads, has a structure already in place to coordinate existing and future efforts to grow the M&S community in Hampton Roads.

Hampton Roads is one of the country’s three leading regions in M&S along with Orlando, FL and Huntsville, AL. The unique strength in the Hampton Roads region is in three areas:

1. M&S education from high school through PhD. The Hampton Roads region is the only place you will find that continuum of M&S education.
2. Training. Significant expertise exists in how to employ M&S to perform all types of training from the military to medical and healthcare.
3. Decision support command and control. The Hampton Roads region is set apart by its expertise in employing M&S to analyze complex problems and to help individuals or groups make better decisions because of the insight they gain from the models.

The Virginia Modeling Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC) at Old Dominion University is a key contributor to this sector of the economy with the past help of JFCOM.

The following are on-going M&S diversification efforts in the region that deserve to be championed and supported:

• MODSIM World Conference & Expo, now in its fourth year and franchised in Canada, has seen a 25% annual growth and focuses on promoting M&S activity outside of DoD, encouraging the transfer of technology and information across domains.
• Senator Mark Warner’s M&S Taskforce has put a special focus on medical M&S for 2011.
• Hampton Roads M&S Strategy 2020 pays special attention to entrepreneurship, commercialization, research and development, expanding into new markets, educational linkages and leveraging unique assets.  The Strategy is designed to capitalize on, not rely on, existing DoD M&S work to expand and grow the industry base in Hampton Roads.
• Hampton Roads M&S Leadership Council was developed to coordinate the implementation of the M&S Strategy 2020 and has taken active steps to operate in-line with Vision Hampton Roads.
• Vision Hampton Roads specifically includes M&S as a cluster which deserves attention and support to continue its growth in the region as it presents tremendous opportunity to diversify the economy while providing clean, high-paying jobs.

A 2007 technology survey identified over 2,000 direct M&S jobs paying an average of $82,733 per year (more than double the region’s average salary) spread throughout the region, with nearly 60% on the Peninsula and 40% on the Southside. Although strongly supported by the military, jobs have expanded to transportation, port operations, education and the medical world.

The survey also noted many M&S research strengths in the region: ODU, Eastern VA Medical School, Hampton University, National Institute of Aeronautics, NASA Langley Research Center, Jefferson Lab, Norfolk State University and Christopher Newport University.

And, according to Virginia’s Economic Development Partnership, Virginia’s M&S industry employs 11,500 people in the private sector while government and military is estimated at another 2,900 people. The top two regions by employment are Northern Virginia (5,900) and Hampton Roads (5,200) and account for 97% of all M&S employment in Virginia.

So what is the region’s next step? Focus M&S efforts with the existing region-wide strategic plan already in place led by the Vision Hampton Roads Innovation Task Force (Dr. Joe Bouchard, Lead) and the Hampton Roads M&S Leadership Council (VMASC’s Dr. John Sokolowski, Chair) which aligns with designated community leaders in specific areas of interest (ex: higher education, healthcare) for implementation of Vision’s strategic actions.

Engage directly with the M&S community and learn more by attending the MODSIM World Conference and Expo, October 13-15, 2010, at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, http://ModSimWorldConference.com.

IPads, Text Messaging Enhances Communication Efforts in Williamsburg, Va.

Posted Aug 18, 2010, By Russell Nichols, Staff Writer for Government Technology

As iPads and smartphones continue to transform ideas of how governments communicate, officials in Williamsburg, Va., have realized the power of touch.

In July, the city chose to adopt iPads to eliminate printed materials for City Council meetings and enhance e-mail and Web access for council members. And this week, local officials launched CITY411, a text messaging system that allows residents to text problems that need to be fixed around the city.

In both cases, the idea is to move beyond traditional methods of communication so city workers and citizens can better navigate the digital landscape with the latest tech tools and save money, time and resources.

With iPads, for instance, the city cuts out the $2,000 a year spent on printing council meeting agenda and work sessions, said Mark Barham, IT director. The iPads cost about $600 each, and the city paid $17 per device for third-party software to enable specific functionality and uses standard Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet. The elimination of printed council packets alone, Barham said, would pay for the five iPads in 18 months.

With Birmingham, Ala., recently announcing its plans to put iPads in the hands of council members, the tablet computer is making a strong impression in public-sector circles. In addition to the savings element, Williamsburg officials agreed that the iPad would enable council members to have constant access to the Internet, calendars and contacts, but also preserve traditional hands-on techniques.

“The iPad has annotation software available (at a cost of $7 per copy) that will enable City Council members to make notes, highlight information, apply reminder tags, etc., in the same fashion that they would mark up a printed copy for use in the council meeting,” City Manager Jack Tuttle wrote in a July memo to Mayor Jeanne Ziedler and the City Council.

But Tuttle didn’t find inspiration for the city’s text messaging system in an Apple store. He was in Kettering, England, when he came across a system for citizens to text any municipal issues to local officials, and thought why not in Williamsburg?

The text messaging trend has become more attractive to governments in recent months, especially in local law enforcement agencies, such as the Marion County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office, which started accepting distress calls via text message this summer. In Williamsburg — where the latest citizen survey showed that 91 percent of city residents own cell phones — the latest texting service makes a lot of sense.

The city found a vendor, Mobivity, and now pays $79 for up to 500 messages a month, Tuttle said. To use CITY411, users create a new text message from their phone and send it to 95495. In the body of the text, enter CITY411, followed by a space and then type the message. The sender will receive an initial automatic response saying the message has been received. Each message comes in to the IT department and gets routed to the appropriate department, which will respond once the issue has been addressed.

The service is designed for residents to report non-emergency issues: a crooked stop sign, a pothole, a missed trash pickup, an abandoned vehicle, etc.

If it’s an emergency, citizens will be directed to call 911. Standard text messaging rates may apply, depending on the user’s mobile phone plan. The service has been online for a week, but one person has already texted in an issue.

“The first one we received was someone asking about synchronizing traffic lights outside the city limits,” Tuttle said. “We got back to them and said, ‘It’s outside our limits, but it’s handled by the [Virginia Department of Transportation] and here’s the number.’”

Citizens can also register their mobile phones to receive occasional text messages from the city about upcoming events, weather advisories or other critical information. To date, 38 citizens have subscribed.

“It’s one more way of getting the word out,” Tuttle said, adding that he believes it will be especially popular with the younger generation. “We’ll see what kind of volume we get. I think, over time, it will grow.”

Futurists, visionaries, entrepreneurs and technologists will explore those questions at “Aviation Unleashed,” a three-day forum sponsored by NASA’s Langley Research Center (NASA LARC) and National Institute of Aerospace (NIA), both in Hampton, Virginia. The conference will be held at the Hampton Roads Convention Center, 1610 Coliseum Drive in Hampton, Oct. 18-20.

“The goal of Aviation Unleashed is to spark conversation and collaboration about what’s possible in aviation, given changes in society and advancements in technology,” said David Hinton, deputy director of Langley’s Aeronautics Research Directorate. “We have invited experts from private industry, government agencies and universities to share their visions of the future so we can work together to transform our aviation system to accommodate new flying vehicles, manned and unmanned.”

Some of the speakers expected to share ideas at the October conference include Peter Norvig, director of research at Google; futurist John Petersen, founder of the Arlington Institute; forecasting expert Marvin Cetron, president of Forecasting International; Neil Gershenfeld, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Bits and Atoms; Bill Halal, Professor of Science, Technology & Innovation at George Washington University and founder of TechCast, a virtual think tank; and visionary Dennis Bushnell, chief scientist at NASA Langley.

During Aviation Unleashed participants are expected to learn more about how video and tele-technology may shape travel and how advanced aircraft, made of new materials, propelled by innovative engines, some remotely piloted, will give people and goods efficient on-demand mobility – opening up new markets and missions. They’ll also get the chance to hear various future scenarios and how those scenarios could impact current aviation development.

The final day of the forum technology experts will lead breakout sessions so participants can envision what aviation could become and how technologies being created today will be able to lead to a revolution in access to the skies for civil, defense and security missions.

“This is an exciting opportunity for interested minds to listen and engage in the discussions about where the aviation industry is going and how we might get there,” said Calvin Lowe, vice president of research and program development at NIA.

For more information and to register for Aviation Unleashed, visit: http://www.NIAnet.org/Aviation-Unleashed.aspx

Click on graphic above for larger view Photo credit: VMASC

VMASC is modeling the contagion effect* of foreclosures and fine-tuning their model to include foreclosure probabilities. This data is important for policymakers and financial experts to explore impacts, develop strategies to minimize effects and discover emergent human factor and market behaviors.

* Contagion effect:  The adverse consequences of one firm’s actions that can spread throughout the industry in which it operates.

Click on graphic above for larger view Photo credit: VMASC

From the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Jeff Lacker’s speech on July 15th to the Hampton Roads Regional Forum:

It’s a pleasure to discuss the economic outlook tonight. I think the most useful tack to take to get started is to survey the broader economic context, and then set our sights on some of the supporting details. For the last year or so, we have been recovering from a very severe recession, and despite the unique features of the contraction, this recovery resembles many that we’ve seen in the past; some sectors are expanding, while some sectors are still struggling. Signs of strength are evident in manufacturing, business equipment investment and consumer spending, while weakness persists in the labor market, construction, and state and local government spending. And as was the case in many past recoveries, this one is proceeding at an uneven pace; growth was quite strong in the fourth quarter, but more moderately paced over the last two quarters. Thankfully, inflation has remained low and fairly stable. The most likely scenario is for this pattern to continue – that is, for the recovery to continue at a pace that is generally moderate, but variable over time and across sectors. That’s the broad aerial view, and now I’d like to come down to sea level to get a closer look at some of the particulars. I’ll be speaking mainly about the national outlook, with occasional comments about the Hampton Roads region. Complete speech

Tom Shean of The Virginian-Pilot interviewed Lacker during his visit to Hampton Roads: Lacker interview

Save the Hampton Roads Film Office

The Southeast Virginia Tourism Alliance (SEVTA), Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce (HRCC), Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance (HREDA), and Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce (VPCC) have announced that Southwest Airlines will feature Hampton Roads in the September 2010 issue of its award‐winning in-flight magazine, Spirit.

Consisting of 20+ pages, “Meet Hampton Roads” – as an in-depth feature – will take a comprehensive look at the economic drivers and industry sectors that shape the lifestyles and business landscape of the region and highlight local economic development initiatives with specific focus on the tourism industry, education and healthcare resources, real estate and technology. Unique characteristics of Hampton Roads that heighten the quality of life here will also be featured, such as award-winning attractions, numerous dining and shopping options, festivals and special events.

This is an ideal opportunity to showcase the unique combination of culture, business and lifestyle that make America’s First Region, in the Heart of the Mid‐Atlantic, one of the nation’s most viable and vibrant places to visit, live, work, and prosper.

It is phenomenal editorial coverage for our area. Support for this effort may be made through the submission of story ideas or through the purchase of advertising space in the publication. By taking advantage of the promotional potential of this feature, we can differentiate the region and its unique competitive advantages and help answer the question: “Where (and What) is Hampton Roads?”

According to materials provided by Southwest Airlines, they are the number one domestic airline with over 11 million monthly passengers and the market leader in and out of Norfolk International Airport. Spirit Magazine has a measured monthly readership of 3.2 million, making this a powerful venue for promoting our area’s businesses, schools, and organizations. Southwest Airlines Spirit readers are sophisticated, upscale consumers and business leaders who fly regularly. This feature will put Hampton Roads front and center, reaching higher-tier business leaders and corporate decision-makers who are directly responsible for their companies’ purchasing, expansion and relocation to new areas. Spirit readers are nearly five times more likely to be C-Level leadership than the average U.S. consumer. Plus, airline customers are the most active leisure travelers who will bring tourism dollars to our market.

In addition to being featured in the September issue, which will be available in the seat-back pockets on all aircraft in the Southwest fleet, “Meet Hampton Roads” will also be available for one year on Spirit Magazine’s website, spiritmag.com.

This is a strong opportunity to present Hampton Roads to a broad national and international audience. Editorial questions or suggestions may be submitted to destinationpubs@paceco.com. For questions about advertising with the feature, please contact Chris Denby with Spirit Magazine and the Destination Publishing Group at chris.denby@paceco.com. Magazine staff is teaming with local writers for this effort.