Experts available: Federal government shutdown, Israel-Hamas negotiations, National Guard, World Mental Health Day, more
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
No end in sight yet for federal government shutdown
The federal government shutdown begins its sixth day this morning, with no signs of the impasse between Republicans and Democrats in Congress coming to an end. The Senate is expected to vote today on a stopgap spending bill that’s backed by Democrats and opposed by Republicans. Political scientist Karen Hult and political communications expert Cayce Myers can discuss the situation.
Israel and Hamas prepare to enter indirect peace talks
Israel and Hamas are preparing to enter indirect negotiations in Egypt in the wake of Hamas’ partial acceptance of a proposal from the Trump administration to end the war in Gaza. The negotiations raise hope that Hamas will release the remaining Israeli hostages. Middle East political expert Ariel Ahram can discuss the stakes.
Trump administration's National Guard deployment blocked in Oregon
President Donald Trump continues efforts to deploy National Guard troops in Democratic-led cities, even as a federal judge blocked the administration from sending out-of-state National Guard troops to Oregon. Political scientist Karen Hult can offer insight into the historical precedent.
World Mental Health Day is Friday, experts discuss anxiety and chronic stress
Adrienne Means-Christensen, director of the Psychological Services Center at Virginia Tech, discusses how chronic stress can mimic depression, and how to tell the difference. Meanwhile, Wynn Legon, assistant professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, is testing whether low-intensity focused ultrasound targeting the brain’s “alarm centers” can reduce anxiety.
MSNBC’s first day split from NBC: Expert weighs in on the risks and opportunities behind the move to MS NOW
After more than 29 years of association with NBC News, MSNBC is splitting off—no longer relying on NBC correspondents for coverage. Over the next few weeks, it will transition to a standalone news operation and eventually rebrand as MS NOW. Virginia Tech marketing expert Donna Wertalik is available to share why the rebrand offers both advantages and drawbacks for the future of the network. More here.
Curious Conversations Podcast
Julia Basso joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about her research at the intersection of mind-body movement and neuroscience, particularly through the lens of dance. She explained how the Embodied Brain Lab explores the effects of dance on brain function, mental health, and social connections. She also shared the unique aspects of dance that make it an ideal activity for these studies.
Julia Basso is an assistant professor of human nutrition, foods, and exercise in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of the Embodied Brain Laboratory. Her research investigates the effects of exercise on brain function and physiology, and the neurobiological underpinnings of exercise motivation.
“Curious Conversations” is available on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.
Research Highlights
Researcher develops tool to boost transit ridership in Virginia
Virginia Tech researchers are leading an effort to develop an easily usable, Virginia-specific tool, to forecast which strategies can move commuters out of cars and onto buses, trains, and bikes.
Sami Hasnine, assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering, is working with researchers from the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation to build the tool based on their study of existing programs and policies that promote alternative transportation. The project lead from the VDOT side is Peter B. Ohlms, a senior research scientist at the Virginia Transportation Research Council, the research division of VDOT.
The implications for Virginia are significant. The evaluation tool will allow communities debating incentive programs or expanding bike-share stations to make data-driven decisions. Instead of relying only on national studies or trial and error, agencies will soon have a Virginia-built tool to forecast outcomes in their own communities.
Researchers investigate how political campaigns use and abuse email addresses
Researchers at the Virginia Tech National Security Institute recently used active open source intelligence techniques to gain a better understanding of how presidential campaigns use email addresses. The team within the institute’s Spectrum Dominance Division found the emails sent during the 2024 primary elections generally focused on donors, as opposed to issues. They also found that user donations resulted in an increased volume of future emails. Using artificially created IDs, the team hosted email accounts and phone numbers, signed up for candidate mailing lists, and studied the interaction from November 2023 to April 2025. They found it would take on average 50 hours to read all of the content sent to each account.
This research is just one aspect of the institute’s Use and Abuse Project, a multi-year effort that includes both faculty and students investigating how personal information propagates during online transactions, which began in 2020. The project has been funded in-part by the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative. Abuse of personal information typically comes in the form of sharing the email address without express permission or sending excessive numbers of spam emails.
