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

How could severe weather impact humans and farms?

Major severe weather events wreaked havoc both domestically and internationally last week, from deadly storms across the South and Midwest to a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea. Recent research shows the average person experienced 26 more days of abnormally high temperatures than they would have without climate change. What does it mean for the summer ahead for not just living conditions, but farming conditions? Alba Yerro-Colom is an expert in soil stability and why landslides happen. And Eric Bendfeldt specializes in community and regional food systems and can speak to the impacts of climate change on crop growing seasons.

Historic trial of former President Trump enters closing arguments

Former president Donald Trump’s Manhattan hush money trial heads into closing arguments this week. Today, Trump’s attorneys will present their final arguments, with the case heading to the jury as soon as Wednesday. The former president is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records, interfering with the presumptive Republican nominee’s campaign to retake the presidency. Political science expert Karen Hult can speak to the 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.

Tensions rise between Israel and allies over Rafah invasion

After an Israeli missile strike hit a refugee camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah, French President Emmanuel Macron called for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict. He was joined by leaders from Spain and Germany in calling out Israel, a more pronounced shift on the heels of the International Court of Justice appearing to order Israel to immediately halt its offensive in the city. Middle East expert Ariel Ahrem can speak to the implications of this change in rhetoric.



During summer travel season, expert offers tips on how to plan ahead

With the summer travel season officially underway, we’ve already seen how unexpected weather can upend vacations and send trips into disarray. If you’ve got travel plans, Mahmood Khan preaches patience above all, and has tips on how to navigate crowds and delays, as well as how to best plan ahead to avoid headaches.  

Sun safety tips for Skin Cancer Awareness month 

Dr. Stephanie Lareau with the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine can discuss the many ways to protect yourself from too much ultraviolet radiation outdoors with tips ranging from how to choose sunscreen, how to dress for best sun protection, and more.   

2024 Summer Olympic Games

The Olympic Games in Paris are rapidly approaching, and there is no shortage of stories. Did you know that the gold medals are also, really, silver medals? Or whether we should all be eating as much protein as Olympic athletes? Experts can speak to all that and more as the Games approach. More here.

Podcast: The intersection of veterans and incarceration

Jason Higgins joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the intersection of United States military veterans and mass incarceration and his book, “Prisoners After War: Veterans in the Age of Mass Incarceration.” He shared what led him to work at this intersection, some of the reasons he thinks it’s often overlooked, and factors he believes lead many veterans to being in prison. Having interviewed more than 60 veterans whose service ranged from the Vietnam War to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Higgins also compares and contrasts their reported experiences and shares some of the efforts veterans are undertaking to support each other.

About Higgins
Higgins is the digital scholarship coordinator for Virginia Tech Publishing and an assistant professor, jointly affiliated with Virginia Tech University Libraries and the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. He teaches the Vietnam War, African American History, and Oral History. Higgins is also the author of ”Prisoners After War”, which was made into an open-access e-book thanks to a TOME grant.

Research Highlights

Virginia Tech researcher’s breakthrough discovery uses engineered surfaces to shed heat


The team of Jiangtao Cheng, associate professor in the Virginia Tech Department of Mechanical Engineering, has discovered a method to create the aquatic levitation known as the Leidenfrost effect at a much lower temperature. The discovery has great potential in heat transfer applications such as the cooling of industrial machines and surface fouling cleaning for heat exchangers. It also could help prevent damage and even disaster to nuclear machinery. Currently, there are more than 90 licensed operable nuclear reactors in the U.S. that power tens of millions of homes, anchor local communities, and actually account for half of the country’s clean energy electricity production. It requires resources to stabilize and cool those reactors, and heat transfer is crucial for normal operations. More here.

Research to uncover the impact of water use in the Colorado River Basin

Persistent overuse of water and long-term drought has depleted the Colorado River and highlighted the need for a comprehensive understanding of how waters are allocated and used to develop effective management strategies. Landon Marston, assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering, and his students are part of a group analyzing consumption to help guide these strategies. The group filled in gaps in federal records using a collection of models and data detailing crop-specific water consumption, water exported out of the basin by canals and pipelines, and evaporation from reservoirs and wetlands. These records serve as the basis for decision-making by local, state, and federal stakeholders concerned about the allocation of the Colorado River. More here.

Contact:

Tags

Share this story