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

Scheduled presidential debate once again in doubt

The sole presidential debate scheduled between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump now appears uncertain to happen, with Trump reversing course on previous statements and implying he won’t attend the event, scheduled to be hosted by ABC News on Sept. 10. Meanwhile, tightening polls now show Harris with the edge in an extremely close race. Political scientist Karen Hult and media communications expert Cayce Myers can provide context for these developments and more.

New plan to bring home Starliner astronauts

NASA says it is bringing home the stranded Starliner crew in rival SpaceX’s Dragon capsule in February. The two have been on the International Space Station since June, unable to return on Starliner due to safety concerns. Aerospace expert Ella Atkins can speak to why this decision was made, how the return of the Starliner without the astronauts onboard will be telling about the safety of the spacecraft, and the risks of flying into space. 

Israel and Hezbollah pull back from escalating conflict

Over the weekend, Israel launched strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the militant group launched rockets of its own in response — but both sides eased off rather than escalating the conflict. The events render the possibility of a cease fire even more distant. “Israeli and Hezbollah leaders have now repeatedly walked to the brink of a larger conflict, peered over the edge, and thought better of it,” says international affairs expert Ariel Ahram. “Both sides have a lot to lose from a larger war. Nevertheless, the risk of accident or miscalculation is severe.”  Ahram can further contextualize the continuing conflict.

Football season is here: Tips for tailgating

College football season kicks off this Labor Day weekend and for a lot of football fans, that means preparing their elaborate tailgates.  Between the red solo cups and grilling, Virginia Tech sustainability expert Jennifer Russell is available to talk about ways to make your pre-game fun more eco-friendly and reduce our impact on the environment. Food safety expert, Melissa Wright is able to discuss everything from keeping hot food hot, cold food cold, and how to package food safely to ensure everyone enjoys the day.

How to enjoy healthier pumpkin spice foods and beverages this season

We may be in the dog days of August, but the pumpkin spice menu is back at Starbucks. While the sweet treats are a fall favorite for many – with their familiar cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove spices –  they can pack a lot of calories, fat, and even ultra-processed food components. Virginia Tech expert Brenda Davy, a professor and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, offers suggestions for more healthy ways to lean into the flavors of the season. More here.

Planting your fall garden: what to plant and when to water

This summer has brought record heat, but that won’t stop knowledgeable home gardeners who know that now is the best time to plant fall crops: beets, carrots, kale, cauliflower, peas, lettuce, spinach, cilantro, and more. “Fall gardening is a great time to think about irrigation and possibly upgrading your system,” said Shawn Jadrnicek, Virginia Cooperative Extension agent whose work has focused on farming in a variety of climates and landscapes. Read more here.

Podcast: Making motorcycle riding safer around the globe

Richard Hanowski joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations”  to talk about harnessing research to help make motorcycle riding safer in low- and middle-income countries. He shared the difference in riding culture in those areas as opposed to the United States and explained how his team is utilizing some of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute’s pioneering technology to help increase rider safety.  

Hanowski is a senior research scientist and the director of the Division of Freight, Transit, and Heavy Vehicle Safety at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. His research has impacted national transportation policy on issues such as truck driver fatigue and hours-of-service and driver distraction.

Research Highlights

Researchers develop tool to assess health hydration recommendations

Adequate water intake is essential for human health and well-being. But around the world, the consumption of sugary beverages has risen and accelerated health challenges including obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay. After studying healthy beverage guidelines for countries that enacted sugary beverage tax legislation from 2000-23, Virginia Tech researchers in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise designed an innovative tool that assigns a healthy hydration recommendation score that governments can use to improve their message clarity, justification, actionability, specificity, and visual content to encourage healthier hydration and discourage sugary beverage intake. 

The researchers recommend that governments develop and promote strong healthy hydration recommendations to reduce health risks for populations globally.

Additional recommendations include the following:

  • Drink at least eight glasses of water a day.

  • Limit the intake of sugary beverages, including soda, fruit drinks, energy drinks, and sport drinks.

  • Enact taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages and earmarking the revenue for health-promotion programs and media campaigns that encourage drinking water.

  • Limit the intake of artificial and zero-calorie sweeteners.

NASA funds research to investigate space weather

Rain delays at a sporting event. Tornado damage to a rural town in the Great Plains. Icy roads during a morning work commute in the winter months. We’ve all experienced the impacts of inclement weather, but did you know weather conditions high in our atmosphere also can affect our everyday lives? 

Virginia Tech researchers in the College of Engineering, along with several partners and collaborators, are seeking the answers to these relatively unexplored impacts that loom just beyond the clouds. It’s well known that space weather can interfere with satellite communications, GPS signals, and even our electrical grid, but there has been limited research about these complex factors in the upper atmosphere and how these factors are impacted by effects from the Earth’s surface. With the help of a $2 million grant from NASA, they hope to use next generation instrumentation to shed light on the upper atmosphere and how its motions are driven by both the sun and weather at the Earth’s surface. More here.

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