The Virginia Tech media relations office has the following experts available for interviews this week surrounding issues in the news. To schedule an interview, please contact mediarelations@vt.edu.

Virginia Tech experts available to discuss headlines in the news

Historic trial of former President Trump begins today

Opening statements start today in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president in the nation’s history. In a complex case, Manhattan’s district attorney seeks to prosecute Donald Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records. The trial is expected to last several weeks, disrupting the presumptive Republican nominee’s campaign to retake the presidency. Political science expert Karen Hult can discuss the historic and governance aspects of this unprecedented trial, while public relations expert Cayce Myers should shed light on how the trial hurts and helps Trump’s reelection efforts. Read more here. 

Passing foreign aid package puts U.S. House Speaker’s job in jeopardy

Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson over the weekend worked with Democrats to orchestrate the passage of a $95 billion aid package to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Throughout the process, former allies in the most pro-Trump wing of his own party threatened to depose him, and with the aid package approved in defiance of their wishes, those threats could now come to fruition. Political science expert Karen Hult can provide analysis.

What the House TikTok ban bill means for users, social media

Over the weekend, the House of Representatives passed a bill that could lead to a nationwide ban of the popular social media app TikTok. It now moves to the Senate, and President Biden has said he will sign the bill should it reach his desk. TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, which some lawmakers say makes it a potential national security threat, due to its surveillance capabilities. Professor of public relations Cayce Myers says that “targeting a specific company like this is unusual, but it may signal a new approach to social media regulation.” More here.

Supreme Court to weigh bans on sleeping outdoors

The Supreme Court will hear today for what’s considered one of the most significant cases concerning homelessness in decades. The question is whether banning homeless people from sleeping outside when shelter is lacking amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. Political science professor Brandy Faulkner is available to speak about the case and its implications.

Veterinary experts offer update and advice on avian influenza outbreak

Experts are calling the avian flu the worst in U.S. history. The outbreak has now been detected in poultry and cattle and is raising significant concerns within the agricultural and public health communities. The Virginia Tech Animal Laboratory Services (ViTALS) lab at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, as part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN), along with federal and state organizations are monitoring the situation. Dr. Tanya LeRoith is available to discuss the work being done in the lab and Virginia’s response to the outbreak. Michael Persia with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is available to speak to the precautions poultry owners and industry members need to take to protect their flocks. More here.

Earth Day 2024: Experts available to discuss environmental issues and how to solve them

Virginia Tech has a number of Earth Day experts available for interviews surrounding a variety of topics and research, including sustainable transportation, 3D printing wind turbines, plants that pollute the air, AI and sustainability, and more. Story ideas are available here.

Podcast: Earth’s most pivotal moments explained

Ben Gill joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about piecing together Earth history through a combination of geology and chemistry. Gill explained how studying the cycles of different elements can tell a story and help us better understand the planet’s most pivotal moments, such as mass extinctions. He also shared how studying both the worth and best times of our planet can provide us valuable insights for the future.  

Gill is an associate professor in the Department of Geosciences and a faculty affiliate of the Global Change Center in the Fralin Life Sciences Institute. As a geochemist and sedimentary geologist, Gill specializes in reconstructing the present and past chemical cycles on our planet. His research combines classic sedimentologic and stratigraphic methods with both proven and novel geochemical and numerical modeling techniques.

Research Highlights

Researchers develop a new way to safely boost immune cells to fight cancer

Cancer is the monster of our society. Last year alone, more than 600,000 people in the United States died from cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. The relentless pursuit of understanding this complex disease has shaped medical progress on developing treatment procedures that are less invasive while still highly effective.

Rong Tong, associate professor in chemical engineering, has teamed up with Wenjun "Rebecca" Cai, associate professor in materials science and engineering, to explore a cancer immunotherapy treatment that has long been of interest to researchers. In their newly published article in the journal Science Advances, Tong and Cai detailed their approach, which involves activating the immune cells in the body and reprogramming them to attack and destroy the cancer cells. This therapeutic method is frequently implemented with the protein cytokine. Cytokines are small protein molecules that act as intercellular biochemical messengers and are released by the body's immune cells to coordinate their response. Read more here.

Wind turbine blades get a sustainable upgrade

The average wind turbine generates enough electricity in 46 minutes to power a home in the United States for an entire month, according to the United States Geological Survey. And with more than 70,800 turbines scattered throughout the country, wind power has now surpassed hydroelectric power as the largest producer of renewable energy.

With a $2 million grant from the Department of Energy, researchers from Virginia Tech are pioneering processes to make this sustainable energy source even more sustainable. The grant is part of a $72 million initiative to innovate manufacturing processes for wind technologies and create sustainable solutions for harnessing wind energy. The research team at Virginia Tech will be using new methods of additive manufacturing, computational design, and a recyclable, high strength thermoplastic material. Read more here.

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