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

The two sides of tariffs

The U.S. pulled in a record $22.3 billion in tariff revenue in May of 2025, the highest monthly total ever. But despite inflation also being down, what appears to be a win for trade policy might actually be a warning sign, says economist Jadrian Wooten. According to the most recent data, U.S. imports fell by 19.8% this April compared to just a month earlier, also a record. Companies are now paying more to bring in less. “In other words, we’re not trading more,” says Wooten. “We’re just spending more to trade less.”

[Available through Thursday.]

Tips to avoid ticks this summer

Everyone heading outdoors to enjoy the warmer weather needs to be aware of ticks and the serious illnesses they transmit. In Virginia, common ticks like the blacklegged or deer tick, the lone star tick and the American dog tick carry diseases such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever and can pose other dangers.

Emergency medicine physician Stephanie Lareau shares tips on prevention and treatment of tick bites. “I’m seeing the impacts of tick-borne diseases,” she said, “and I urge everyone to take preventative measures.” Read more here.

President Trump’s “big beautiful bill” faces Senate pushback

A Trump-endorsed bill advancing tax cuts and border security that passed the House of Representatives is facing pushback in the Senate, which returns to Capitol Hill this week. Political scientist Karen Hult can discuss the significance of the bill’s progress, what is likely to change, and how long it might be before the bill returns to the House. Read more here. [Available starting Tuesday afternoon.]

Northern lights return to North America

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, was visible once again across lower latitudes than usual this weekend, spotted as far south as Alabama. The unusually strong solar storms we’ve experienced recently are part of the peak of the current 11-year solar cycle, which is expected around this summer. Nahum Arav, astronomical science expert, can explain why the storms are so strong right now and how much longer we can expect the opportunities to see the fantastical light display.

Life-saving blood transfusion unites dog owners

Two dogs may have not fully understood the significance of meeting one another at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, but their owners certainly did. With the gift of a blood donation, Indie saved Arya’s life.

“This case was unusual because we have blood in the bank, and we keep blood products ready to go, but we can't keep fresh whole blood ready to go,” said Melanie Gevedon, special procedures and blood bank veterinary technician. “This case was different because they had to bring the dog in and donate immediately and then give the blood immediately. And that's because they needed platelets, which are damaged and lose function during cold storage.”

Gevedon said the teaching hospital currently has 16 dog blood donors and three cat blood donors, numbers she would like to see grow. The need is stronger for donor dogs because the teaching hospital does purchase some cat blood externally. More here.

Research Highlights

Bed bugs are most likely the first human pest, new research shows

Ever since a few enterprising bed bugs hopped off a bat and attached themselves to a Neanderthal walking out of a cave 60,000 years ago, bed bugs have enjoyed a thriving relationship with their human hosts. But bed bugs that stayed with the bats have seen their populations continue to decline since the ice age, which was about 20,000 years ago.

A team led by two Virginia Tech researchers recently compared the whole genome sequence of these two genetically distinct lineages of bed bugs. Published in Biology Letters on Wednesday, May 28, their findings indicate the human-associated lineage followed a similar demographic pattern as humans and may well be the first true urban pest.

“We wanted to look at changes in effective population size, which is the number of breeding individuals that are contributing to the next generation, because that can tell you what’s been happening in their past,” said Lindsay Miles, lead author and postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Entomology.  

According to the researchers, the historical and evolutionary symbiotic relationship between humans and bed bugs will inform models that predict the spread of pests and diseases under urban population expansion. More here.

Virginia Tech expert tells legislators that innovation could drive down housing costs in U.S.

As the national median home price soared to $459,826, pricing out three-quarters of U.S. households, a Virginia Tech expert told Congress that innovation in construction could be key to ending the housing affordability crisis.

Andrew McCoy, the Yvan J. Beliveau Professor in the Myers-Lawson School of Construction and director of the Virginia Center for Housing Research, testified on May 14 before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services’ Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, telling lawmakers that technologies such as 3D printing, augmented reality, robotics, and artificial intelligence could be pivotal to increasing housing supply and reducing costs.

“Construction technology is especially compelling right now because it doesn’t replace human workers, it amplifies them,” McCoy said. “It is time to harness these tools for progress in the housing industry.”

Virginia Tech is already stepping up to answer this call, with researchers driving innovation around cutting-edge building technologies and equipping the future workforce to harness them. More here.

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