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

Meta announces end of fact-checking

On Tuesday, 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.

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. Virginia Tech researcher 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.

FBI says New Orleans attacker used Meta smart glasses to survey area

The FBI says the man who rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans on New Year’s Day recorded footage of the area during a bike ride in October with the same Meta smart glasses he wore during the attack. Walid Saad, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and artificial intelligence expert at Virginia Tech, is available to discuss the good and bad aspects of the technology, and the potential security risks it poses as the technology advances.

Exploring the consequences of power in transition, presidential appointments

Two Virginia Tech professors are teaching a winter seminar from Dec. 27–Jan. 16 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, the political makeup of Congress, and historical precedents for and implications of the much-discussed possibility of “preemptive pardons.”

Tips for building better reading habits in the year

What’s the key to reading more books in a year? Don't hold too tightly to a numeric goal, says Jared Gibbs, an English instructor at Virginia Tech. Instead, Gibbs suggests that people keep a list of what they read and note details, such as title, author, and thoughts on a certain book. When the year is up, people can look back on their list and feel a sense of accomplishment, no matter the number. Plus, reviewing a list helps one to see clearly their reading habits. “This approach helps me to both read more and feel more satisfied with the reading that I do,” he says.

After all, reading is like exercising a muscle, Gibbs says. It takes time to build a habit. 

“Choose books that keep you reading,” he says. “Don’t worry about reading the right type of book. Read what interests you, what keeps you coming back. And if you just can’t get into a book, put it down and find a new one. There’s no shame in leaving a book unread.”

Getting Beyond Quitter’s Day

The second Friday in January is referred to as Quitter’s Day, when many people give up on their New Year’s resolutions. Trying to stop smoking? Eat better? Exercise more? Researchers with Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute are conducting research on a wide range of health behaviors and are available to talk about their research: 

  • Roberta Freitas-Lemos: Her lab’s research into tobacco provides insight into how regulations and policies affect purchase decisions and use.

  • Alex DiFeliceantonio: We know what we should be eating, but lack the ability to promote change. The DiFeliceantonio Lab seeks to understand the basic mechanisms of food choice, with a focus on ultra-processed foods.

  • Zhen Yan: Looking for more reasons to prioritize exercise? Yan, director of the Center for Exercise Medicine Research, explores how exercise benefits human health and protects against a range of deadly and debilitating human diseases, including heart disease, metabolic disease, cancer, and cognitive decline.

  • Allison Tegge and Rafaela Fontes: The Addiction Recovery Research Center can share recently published research confirming that relapse is common when someone is trying to quit, regardless of whether they’re giving up opioids or alcohol or cigarettes. They found significant differences in the number of quit attempts before successful recovery, based on the substances used, the length of use, and the severity of the use disorder.

New year, new cell phone policies in Virginia's schools

The start of the year marks some changes for schools across the Commonwealth after an executive order tasked school districts with implementing cell-phone free policies by Jan. 1, 2025. Nancy Bradley, education expert and former Salem City School Board member, along with Chuck Lowery, educational policy specialist and former school administrator, can shed light on what this executive order will look like in schools from implementation to impact. 

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