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

Why voters were dissatisfied with the economy, despite growth


Despite many top-line economic indicators showing the American economy has been booming, that sentiment did not filter down to voters, whose discontent, especially with inflation, helped fuel former President Donald Trump’s victory at the polls. “Even though the economy is doing much better than it was two years ago, people don’t feel like they’re doing better,” said economist Jadrian Wooten. “Understanding the economy is about more than just numbers — it’s about people and their experiences.” More here.

How Trump might alter alliances and the Russian war on Ukraine

The second Trump administration may look drastically different than the outgoing one on matters of foreign policy, especially when it comes to Russia’s incursion into Ukraine. Foreign policy and international relations expert Paul Avey believes allies and partners will try to work with the administration, especially given their heavy reliance on U.S. military and economic capabilities. However, “If the administration undertakes significant policy shifts, then Allies and partners will face pressure to pursue stronger national capabilities, closer ties with one another, or accommodate rivals,” he says.

Avey says that U.S. policy during the Biden administration has consistently been to manage potential Russian escalation in Ukraine and deter escalation outside Ukraine. While the incoming Trump administration has indicated it will continue that policy, “it is more likely to break with current policy by putting pressure on Ukraine to accept territorial concessions to Russia in exchange for a cease fire or peace treaty,” says Avey. The U.S. may also be willing to foreclose potential future Ukrainian membership in NATO for an agreement, reversing U.S. policy dating to at least the George W. Bush administration.

Availability: Monday, Nov. 11 from 2 - 4 p.m. and Wednesday, Nov. 13 from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Exploring the consequences of power in transition, presidential appointments

Two Virginia Tech professors are teaching a seminar on power in transition, exploring “the consequences of the constitutional transition of presidential and congressional power for government leadership, policy-making, oversight, and democratic governance.” Karen Hult and Matthew Dull had planned the three-week winter term offering before the election, knowing that, no matter who won, there would be major changes with a new administration. More here.

Hult is also available to talk about the impact of Trump’s cabinet appointments and the political makeup of congress.

Navigating conversations about the election and its results


Navigating the outcome of elections, especially when it comes to friends and family with different views than your own, is crucial. Todd Schenk, an associate professor and chair of the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning, doesn’t believe that tough conversations should always be avoided – but that there is a time and a place for them and has suggestions for talking to others with differing viewpoints.

Availability: Available outside of Nov. 26 - Dec. 1

The annual United Nations Climate Change Conference begins today

The United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP29, began today in Baku, Azerbaijan. This meeting comes one year after a historic agreement to transition away from coal, oil, and gas and a year when Earth is on track to have its hottest year on record for the second year in a row. Carol Franco, an expert in climate change, its impacts, adaptation, and mitigation, is available to discuss headlines out of the conference and the discussion surrounding climate on a national and global level.

Wildfires push potentially dangerous smoke toward NYC

Wildfires in New York and New Jersey sent potentially dangerous smoke into New York City over the weekend. Both states face record-setting drought conditions after not seeing rain in more than a month. This comes as a new study finds that the frequency and intensity of extreme wildfires have more than doubled in the last two decades, driven by a hotter and drier climate. The unseasonably dry conditions and rough terrain make it especially difficult to contain the fires. Virginia Tech researcher Ali Mehrizi-Sani can speak to one possible solution to control the fire that power companies are already employing in California and other regions out west: Coordinated power shutoffs.

30 years on The Magic School Bus   

Thirty years ago, a crazy-haired teacher named Ms. Frizzle first transported a generation of children inside the human body and to the outer reaches of space. Last week, Bruce Degen, the illustrator behind the national experiment The Magic School Bus passed away, but his legacy of using cartoons to inspire children’s wonder for science lives one. The books and later a series were a pioneering effort to combine the forces of government and private industry in a new multimedia era. Historian Matt Wisnioski can speak about how The Magic School Bus scientific storytellers took chances, made mistakes, and got messy to produce one of the most impactful informal science initiatives ever made. Combining archival research and oral history, they investigate the lessons we can learn from this experiment and how those lessons can inform science education today.

Podcast: How fossilized algae can help predict earthquakes

Tina Dura, assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences and an affiliate of the Global Change Center, where she leads Virginia Tech’s Coastal Hazards Lab, joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about subduction zones, particularly the Cascadia Subduction Zone, earthquakes, and tsunamis. She explained the mechanics of earthquakes, and how both the geological record and fossilized algae are helping researchers better understand past occurrences and predict future ones. Dura emphasized the importance of translating scientific research into actionable information for the public, especially regarding tsunami preparedness and community resilience.

Research Highlight

Long-term impact of Hurricane Helene on Virginia agriculture could reach $630 million, Virginia Tech analysis shows

As of Nov. 8, Extension agents in 23 localities and the Virginia Department of Forestry had estimated $174.2 million in direct losses from Hurricane Helene. However, an economic analysis from associate professor John Bovay in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics worked with Virginia Cooperative Extension suggests the final price tag to Virginia’s agriculture, forestry, and related industries will fall between $416 million and $630 million. Those numbers include previous estimates of direct losses and replacement costs on farms as well as projected future income losses for farms and communities impacted by the hurricane. More here.

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