Employee exemplifies the limitless possibilities that come from hard work
and the Ut Prosim spirit
by LAURA NEFF-HENDERSON, APR
F
rom her desk at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), Laura Tollin spends her days
analyzing data to detect errors and improvements in vehicles out in the field.
Tollin works in the Data Reduction and Analysis Support Center at VTTI where she maintains spreadsheets that
track missing or misaligned camera and video footage and missing and/or inaccurate data from for hundreds of
different vehicles involved in various research projects. She also codes and maps data for other research projects.
The Virginia Tech graduate spends her free-time swimming and enjoys working out at McComas Gymnasium, but
in recent years, scuba diving has become her passion.
About this series
Her ability to juggle multiple projects is crucial to managing day-today operations while simultaneously monitoring the research coming
across her desk. She works closely with various principal investigators
to make sure they are aware of her findings as she analyzes the data
from their individual projects.
The Extraordinary Employee series
highlights the achievements of Virginia
Tech employees who go above and
beyond, making a difference in the lives of
others on campus and in the community.
Previously, she was responsible for video analysis and research involving fatigue in truck drivers. Her work
contributed to the institute’s integral role in the launch of the North American Fatigue Management Program
(NAFMP) for commercial vehicle drivers and carriers.
In the Water
Tollin first became interested in scuba diving in 2008 when a colleague, Andy Petersen, suggested she give it a try.
She began taking classes and earned her certification and, a short time later, went on dive trips to Bonaire, in the
Caribbean and Roatán, in Honduras.
A bad experience though, left her uneasy, and she took a break from the sport for three years before she decided to
give it a try again and went in search of a refresher course.
That’s when she met Scott Sanders, a 2011 graduate of Virginia Tech’s MBA program, and the owner of Tech Dive
Center in Blacksburg.
“I’d never trained anyone with a disability,” said Sanders
who admits he was hesitant, but says he agreed because he
could feel Tollin’s energy and excitement.
In January 2013, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute Computer Operations Technician Laura Tollin, along
with 20 other Virginia Tech employees and students who are all members of the Scuba Club, spent a week
diving in the Florida Keys.
And, while those characteristics alone don’t necessarily make her unique, the fact that she does it all despite two
disabilities, makes her incredibly rare and an example to those around her of the limitless possibilities of hard work,
determination, and optimism.
Tollin estimates that she just may be “the only person in the world with the Pendred Syndrome and Spastic
Paraplegia in one entity.”
Spastic Paraplegia is a degenerative disease that causes progressive stiffness and contraction in the lower limbs, as
a result of damage to or dysfunction of the nerves. This neurological disorder is slowly stealing her ability to move
her legs. She was diagnosed when she was 15 and began using a wheelchair full time in 2010.
“Essentially, I am slowly becoming paraplegic but with feeling in my legs,” said Tollin, who was born and raised
in Charlotte, N.C.
Tollin’s deafness is caused by Pendred Syndrome, a genetic condition in which Tollin inherited “bad” genes for
hearing from both of her parents – neither of whom is deaf. She wears a Cochlear Implant, is considered hard of
hearing, and communicates with others orally and by using sign language.
“It’s people like Laura that make the Virginia Tech community great. I’ve never seen her without a smile on her face,
ready for the next adventure, whatever it may be,” said James Dustin, operations coordinator at InnovationSpace
and Virginia Tech’s Scuba Club advisor.
In January, Tollin, along with 20 other Virginia Tech
employees and students who are all members of the Scuba
Club, spent a week diving in the Florida Keys. Sanders led
the trip, during which the group toured the USS Spiegel
Grove wreckage near Key Largo.
Tollin wears webbed gloves that help her swim without
using her legs and keep her balance and needs a
considerable amount of helping getting in and out of the
water, according to Sanders. But being able to help her
fulfill this dream and enjoy the peacefulness that come
with scuba diving, he says, are well worth it.
Greg Fansler, associate director for alumni relations, who
is also a member of the Scuba Club and a graduate of
Virginia Tech, was on the dive as well and documented
the experience with a video camera.
“The conditions and visibility were perfect 100 feet below
the surface, but our return to the boat was met with five
foot swells. Climbing a ladder in those conditions was
treacherous for all of us, but coupled with Laura’s inability
to use her legs – Scott and Laura were in a very dangerous
position,” said Fansler.
Several people help Laura Tollin get back onto
the boat after a successful dive in the Florida
Keys in January 2013.
“Laura’s gigantic, appreciative smile when we were finally able to pull her onto the boat was well worth the risk,”
he added.
At Work
One of three children in her family, Tollin graduated from Virginia Tech in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in biology.
In 2003, she began working at VTTI as a research specialist, and, in 2007, moved into a computer operations
technician position at the institute.
In addition to calming effects of the additional pressure on her nervous system, Tollin also finds the environment
calming.
First published July 23, 2013.
www.hr.vt.edu/extraordinary_employees/2013/laura-tollin.html
At work she doesn’t have a telephone, but answers emails with lightning speed and is able to focus in on the research
data she analyzes with precision focus.
Laura Neff-Henderson, APR, is the employee communications manager at Virginia Tech.