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

Expert on how avian flu is affecting egg production

The avian flu outbreak affecting chickens in the United States goes back to 2022. But the effects of the shortage are being felt in earnest this winter, with stores rationing egg sales and photos of empty shelves going viral. The duration of the outbreak has made it hard to make up losses in egg production. “Over the past three years, we’ve seen significant reductions in our flocks, and at this point, there’s a bottleneck in that replacement, because the entire mechanism that generates all of these birds is stretched to the limit,” says poultry industry expert Mike Persia.

One week until President Trump’s inauguration

“Inaugurations are frequently viewed as unifying moments for the nation. President-elect Trump has indicated his unity message will use the American First Agenda as a foundation, which may be different in tone and substance from other inauguration speeches,” says Virginia Tech political communications expert Cayce Myers. “There is also a buzz around foreign leaders attending the event, which previously was not a custom for a president's inauguration. Beyond the peaceful transfer of power, the 2024 presidential inauguration will symbolize a culmination of the MAGA movement in a political era defined by Trump.”

Southern California wildfires: A growing threat in unlikely months

January isn’t typically associated with the fire season in Southern California, but Virginia Tech wildfire experts warn that this year’s conditions may reflect a changing paradigm. "Even in the winter months, the risks are rising," Virginia Tech fire ecology and management expert Adam Coates explains. "The region’s coastal shrublands are inherently prone to fire and have unpredictable weather patterns, so residents need to understand that nothing can completely prevent all wildfires." Coates is available to explain what’s fueling these fires, as well as how communities can fight them and be prepared for the future. More here.

The role of utility companies in wildfire prevention

As wildfires become more frequent and severe, preventing them does not just fall to residents and first responders. Ali Mehrizi-Sani, a Virginia Tech electrical engineering professor, explains that utility companies have a vital role in preventing wildfires. “It’s important that utility companies invest in proactive, preventive measures, such as undergrounding power lines, conducting frequent equipment inspections, and using smarter technologies to detect faults before they can cause wildfires,” says Mehrizi-Sani. He can discuss the research behind this and the specifics of what utility companies can do to mitigate disasters. More here.

What Meta ending fact-checking means for the platform

Last week, Meta announced they would no longer use third-party fact-checking on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, instead relying on users for a community notes system, similar to X. Megan Duncan, who has researched the effectiveness and limitations of crowdsourcing, says that “removing fact-checkers and replacing it with crowdsourced information checks are overall harmful for the information environment and democracy.”

Cayce Myers, a public relations and public policy expert, says the move “highlights the changing landscape of political attitudes, media consumption, and social expectations of media while also signaling Meta's strategic pivot to a more open and diverse discourse on its social media platforms.” Digital literacy expert Julia Feerrar can discuss what people can do to evaluate the information they see on Facebook and Instagram given this change.

Supreme Court seems inclined to uphold TikTok ban

A national ban of popular social media platform TikTok will take effect Jan. 19 unless the Supreme Court puts a stop to it. Virginia Tech communications expert Cayce Myers sees intervention by Supreme Court justices as unlikely. “It looks like they are likely going to uphold the ban,” he says. Myers can discuss what the legal result could look like and what the decision on the ban could mean for users.

Demand for salt in winter comes at a cost to the environment

Winter weather is here and whether it’s products you use around your home or on the roads when the weather gets icy, researchers at Virginia Tech say spreading salt for deicing comes at a cost to the environment. Megan Rippy says it’s “a slow-moving train wreck” because it plays out so slowly that it’s easy to overlook that our streams, lakes, and drinking water resources are becoming progressively saltier. She’s available to talk about what happens when all that salt hits our streams and what is being done to mitigate this problem. More here.

 

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