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

Potential assassination attempt on Trump

Former president Donald Trump is expected to meet today with the acting Secret Service director following a potential assassination attempt at his Florida golf course. James Hawdon, director of the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention at Virginia Tech, is available to discuss political violence and what appears to be an uptick in this kind of violence and threats over the last decade.

Interest rate cuts, the economy, and why the Fed has so much power

The Federal Reserve Board is likely to cut interest rates at its Sept. 17-18 meeting — but experts from Virginia Tech agree that the adjustment will be small. Vijay Singal, George Morgan, and David Bieri are available to explain why and the reason there is so much attention attached to the Fed’s decision-making. More here.

Boeing workers turn down 25% raise amid rising tensions to go on strike

A strike by Boeing factory workers continues after contract negotiations broke down last week, with both managers and union leaders reportedly caught off guard by the depth of rank and file worker dissatisfaction. The development has sent the $97 billion aerospace company back to the drawing board. Economic experts David Bieri and Jadrian Wooten can share insights into the ongoing effects of the strike.

TikTok heads to court to appeal law banning app

TikTok will start making its case today in a federal appeals court against a law banning the social media app in the United States next year unless its Chinese owner ByteDance sells the app within nine months. President Biden signed it into law in April and ByteDance and TikTok sued to block it in May. They claim a ban would violate Americans’ free speech rights, but lawmakers say it is a potential national security threat, due to its surveillance capabilities. Professor of Public Relations Cayce Myers is available to address concerns surrounding the app and what a ban would mean.

Virginia Boar’s Head plant shuts down

The Boar’s Head plant in Jarratt, Virginia linked to a listeria outbreak is shutting down. This comes after the company recalled hundreds of thousands of pounds of liverwurst in July. Days later it expanded the recall to include all products made at that particular plant equaling 7.2 million pounds. At least nine people have died and 57 people have been hospitalized across 18 states according to the CDC. Food safety expert Katheryn Parraga-Estrada is available to speak about the outbreak, what makes this so concerning, and how this could have been prevented.

What’s behind why and how we tip and would eliminating a tax hurt or help?

Why do we tip? While some service jobs have been connected to tipping for generations, our cultural expectations around who we tip and how much has changed dramatically in recent years, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, both 2024 presidential candidates are proposing eliminating taxes on tips. Economics experts Sheryl Ball and Jadrian Wooten explain why the psychology behind tipping is complicated and the impact of eliminating a tax on tips.

Podcast: The future of wireless networks

Lingjia Liu joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the future of wireless networks and wireless communications. He explained the evolution of cellular networks from 1G to 5G, the potential for 6G, and how open radio access networks (O-RAN) can help advance innovation in this space. 

Liu is a professor of electrical and computer engineering and a member of the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus faculty. He is also the director of Wireless@Virginia Tech and a researcher with the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative. His research interests include 6G networks, machine learning for wireless, O-RAN, and dynamic spectrum access/sharing.

Research Highlights

Why don’t people with diabetes respond as well to exercise?

We know exercise is important in preventing and treating chronic disease. It improves lung function and helps protect against heart disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. It lowers the risk of cognitive decline in older adults and, for those with diabetes or prediabetes, helps make cells more sensitive to insulin. But while all exercise is beneficial, its benefits aren’t uniformly so. 

That imbalance is an important, unanswered question for Sarah Lessard, an associate professor at Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and a member of the institute’s Center for Exercise Medicine Research. Lessard is building a research program focused on uncovering the reasons people respond differently, improving exercise capacity for those with diabetes and prediabetes, and understanding muscle wasting that is common in aging and chronic disease. Her research is funded by the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

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