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

 

Do vice presidential candidates matter?

Potential voters may be watching who Vice President Kamala Harris picks as her running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket as a first indication of the kind of leadership she’ll exhibit if elected. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump’s VP pick, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, has come under fire for controversial comments made in past interviews. Looming over both selections is a question as to whether the choice of a vice presidential candidate has ever had a significant impact on an election’s outcome. Political scientist Karen Hult and media communications expert Cayce Myers have insights to offer on these questions.

“VP candidates rarely make notable differences in election outcomes. This election may well be an exception, however,” Hult says. “The recent assassination attempt underscores the more general vulnerability of any president. This in turn may highlight the need for a vice president who is prepared and has relevant experience to serve as president.”

“Vice presidential candidates can make a difference in elections, although that varies,” Myers says. “Sometimes it is thought that a VP pick will bring a certain state into play during the election, as with the selection of Texas Senator Lyndon Johnson as Kennedy's VP in 1960. Other times the VP selection is meant to unify factions within a political party. The selection of Harris in 2020 is one such example as she was part of the more progressive wing.”

How might changes in the presidential race affect Virginia elections?

The rapid developments in the presidential election cycle on both sides of the aisle have potential repercussions for statewide races in Virginia, including the Senate contest and the next gubernatorial election. Political scientists Karen Hult and Nicholas Goedert can speak to that subject.

Interest rate cuts, election impact to expect from July Fed meeting

All eyes in the financial world are on the Federal Reserve Meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, which could lead to one or more interest rate cuts before the end of the year, if economic conditions continue to stabilize. Virginia Tech economist David Bieri and finance expert Andrew MacKinlay can discuss why the Fed has taken a more cautious approach than anticipated, what we should expect for the rest of the year, and how it will impact the economy and the 2024 election. More here.

Storylines from the 2024 Paris Olympics

The 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris are in full swing. Virginia Tech experts can speak to:

  • Why the 2024 Games will define the legacies of some of Team USA’s biggest stars, from Simone Biles to Katie Ledecky

  • How aerodynamics and hydrodynamics can be the difference between winning gold and missing the podium

  • From Olympians to weekend warriors, how peanuts can deliver the lean mass muscle gains athletes seek

  • Olympic athletes consume more than a gallon of water a day. But how much do we really need?

  • Can exercise be better than medicine at preventing diseases?

  • How AI is impacting your Olympic travel plans

  • A first-person view of how the ‘greenest Games’ are shaping up

Read more here.

Olympic swimming cancellations highlight the importance of water quality

August is National Water Quality Month, but the availability of clean, safe water stays important year-round, as demonstrated by recent cancellations of Olympic swimming practices because of water quality concerns in the Seine River. Many researchers at Virginia Tech lead teams that pursue better water quality for all, whether through teaching communities how to detect problems and protect their water sources, pioneering new approaches to removing pollutants, or even seeking new understanding of how water moves across the ocean floors. More here.

Research Highlights

Innovative modeling aims to curb teen drunken driving fatalities


Drunken driving claims 37 lives daily in the U.S., with teen and young adult drivers disproportionately involved. Niyousha Hosseinichimeh in the College of Engineering has partnered with researchers across the U.S. to create a simulation model — the first of its kind in adolescent drunken driving prevention — that examines how numerous public health interventions affect fatalities.

Utilizing the simulation model, the team tested single intervention factors, such as increasing alternative transportation through both public or ride-sharing services, enacting new restrictive laws across the U.S., and higher law enforcement presence. More here.

The virus that causes COVID-19 is widespread in wildlife, Virginia Tech scientists find

SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, is widespread among wildlife species, according to Virginia Tech research published today in Nature Communications. The virus was detected in six common backyard species and antibodies indicating prior exposure to the virus were found in five species. Genetic tracking in wild animals confirmed both the presence of SARS-CoV-2 and the existence of unique viral mutations with lineages closely matching variants circulating in humans at the time, further supporting human-to-animal transmission, the study found.

The highest exposure to SARS CoV-2 was found in animals near hiking trails and high-traffic public areas, suggesting the virus passed from humans to wildlife, according to scientists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, the Department of Biological Sciences in Virginia Tech’s College of Science, and the Fralin Life Sciences Institute. More here.

Contact:

Tags

Share this story