Felicia Spencer
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Article ItemGlobal change interdisciplinary Ph.D. program trains the next generation of leaders , article
Graduates of the Interfaces of Global Change Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program, which is celebrating its 10th year, return to the Blacksburg campus to share their experiences and offer advice to current students in the program.
Date: Nov 13, 2023 -
Article ItemGraduate students vie for top prizes in science fair with a twist , article
Elementary students judged Virginia Tech graduate students' research presentations at the Flip the Fair event held at the Melrose Branch Library in Roanoke.
Date: Oct 17, 2023 -
Article ItemTranslational Plant Sciences Center sows seeds for new research , article
The center recently awarded four projects seed grants of up to $10,000 a year for up to two years to support the development of innovative research leading to extramural support.
Date: Sep 26, 2023 -
Article ItemNot all viruses are harmful , article
An assistant professor of biological sciences, Bryan Hsu received a five-year $1.9 million Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to develop a model to test the role of viruses attacking bacteria within the gut microbiome.
Date: Sep 22, 2023 -
Article ItemU.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science director to speak at distinguished public lecture series , article
Asmeret Asefaw Berhe will speak on Oct. 3 at 5 p.m. at the Moss Arts Center.
Date: Sep 22, 2023 -
Article ItemResearchers cross international boundaries to predict better water quality , article
Awarded a $250,000 National Science Foundation grant, Virginia Tech researchers Cayelan Carey and Quinn Thomas have teamed up with researchers at three Australian universities to lay the foundation for a water quality forecasting center that can be scaled for all bodies of water.
Date: Sep 22, 2023 -
Article ItemUndergraduate students SURF into research this summer , article
Nine undergraduate students were paired with Fralin Life Sciences Institute-affiliated faculty mentors for the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program, a 10-week training program designed to give motivated undergraduates full-time research experience that mirrors real-world graduate work.
Date: Sep 13, 2023 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech has seismic role in earthquake center , article
The National Science Foundation has awarded a $15 million grant over five years for the establishment of the Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center, and Tina Dura is the principal investigator for Virginia Tech.
Date: Sep 08, 2023 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech is fertile ground for a new rural environmental health training program , article
A $500,000 institutional research training grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences will support Virginia Tech’s new Rural Environmental Health Ph.D. Fellowship Program by providing a two-year assistantship for six qualifying graduate students during the next five years.
Date: Sep 05, 2023 -
Article ItemResearchers prepare for the next earthquake in Oregon , article
The Cascadia Subduction Zone fault line last experienced an earthquake in 1700. Some 300 years later, geoscientist Tina Dura and her team are taking core samples to reconstruct the seismic history of the coastal region to help its residents prepare for the next earthquake and resulting tsunami and flooding.
Date: Aug 15, 2023 -
Article ItemInnovative entrepreneur melds personal and professional lives to mentor students , article
As the director of strategic initiatives for the Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Kiyah Duffey knows how to cultivate creativity, nurture growth, and implement innovative ideas. in her spare time, she's shared that knowledge with students in the Creativity and Innovation District.
Date: Aug 04, 2023 -
Article ItemTechnology-enabled water surveillance and control project earns grant , article
Atop a new wave of support from the Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Peter Vikesland is leading a research team in creating wireless sensor networks to survey microbial threats to water quality and to enable operational control and provide real-world feedback for public transparency.
Date: Jul 19, 2023 -
Article ItemCollaborative seed grants nurture high-impact social and environmental research , article
Each year, the Fralin Life Sciences Institute’s Global Change Center and the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment allocate seed funding program to support researchers who are interested in tackling major global change issues from both biophysical and sociological perspectives.
Date: Jun 23, 2023 -
Article ItemResearch faculty invested in economics of students success , article
Chanit'a Holmes cares so much about her students that her research focuses on how to best help them succeed in college. Holmes recently completed two studies exploring the success weekly electronic feedback and support might have on students’ academic success.
Date: Jun 22, 2023 -
Article ItemFralin Life Sciences Institute initiates long-term seed investments for future centers , article
Two research teams have been awarded the institute’s first center planning grants. The inaugural effort will provide a significant investment over three years in support of affiliated faculty’s quest to pursue federally funded, prestigious multi-million dollar center or program project grants.
Date: Jun 08, 2023 -
Article ItemSeed funding enables researchers to address environmental and societal challenges , article
For its signature seed funding program, the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment has awarded up to $30,000 each to seven interdisciplinary teams.
Date: May 03, 2023 -
Article ItemWhole Health Consortium expands traditional focus of health and well-being research and practices , article
Weaving together research, education, and practice, Virginia Tech faculty and community members are developing a consortium focused on the transformative concept of whole health.
Date: May 03, 2023 -
Article ItemA personal perspective on policymaking during the COVID-19 pandemic , article
Linsey Marr, the Charles P. Lunsford professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, recounted her experiences interacting with governmental and health policymakers as the guest speaker for this year’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Policy program.
Date: May 03, 2023 -
Article ItemLack of access to clean water impacts economic and health disparities , article
An interdisciplinary research team aims to quantify the economic and health implications of using multiple water sources, such as natural springs and bottled water, when in-home water is not accessible or the quality is questionable.
Date: Apr 26, 2023 -
Article Item+Policy Network to sponsor half-day virtual symposium on the governance of new and emerging technologies , article
In a time when technological advancements are breaking new ground in health, artificial intelligence, and transportation, one factor that must be considered yet is often overlooked: the social impact. Virginia Tech faculty will discuss such social implications of emerging technologies in a variety of fields during the Governance of New and Emerging Technologies virtual symposium on April 6 beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Date: Mar 30, 2023 -
Article ItemSpring Forum focuses on new and emerging directions for behavioral and social sciences research , article
Christine Hunter, the acting director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research at the National Institutes of Health, will provide a virtual presentation during the event on March 31.
Date: Mar 20, 2023 -
Article Item+Policy Fellows program supports new research to improve lives globally , article
Rural farmers living in poverty in Zimbabwe and small-scale farmers in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and India are the ultimate beneficiaries of +Policy Fellow seed grants awarded to Virginia Tech faculty who proposed research with broad applications and strong policy implications.
Date: Feb 28, 2023 -
Article ItemTransdisciplinary research network addresses policy research and education , article
A new community has emerged as a result of the work of Virginia Tech’s Destination Areas. An outgrowth of the Policy Destination Area, the +Policy Network, reflects the original Destination Area’s mission and expands the breadth of engagement across Virginia Tech.
Date: Feb 16, 2023 -
Article ItemResearchers explore human-centered solutions to environmental grand challenges , article
Finding a solution to challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution requires addressing a host of transdisciplinary research and a human-centered approach. Convergence researchers aim to address such large-scale societal problems by working with a broad range of both scientists and stakeholders.
Date: Feb 08, 2023 -
Article ItemNutshell Games offer a fun speaking competition for graduate research students , article
Are cows afraid of the dark? Are bees OK with weedkiller? Do mothers really know best? These are only a few of the research topics that will be explained as 30 Virginia Tech graduate students compete for $500 in professional development funding in this year’s event.
Date: Feb 02, 2023 -
Article ItemSocial science faculty recipients of Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment’s first PREP awards , article
The institute launched the Preparing your Research for an Extramural Proposal Program this fall with a call for applications. The program helps faculty develop the skills and experience needed to lead projects regarding human, societal, and environmental research.
Date: Dec 20, 2022 -
Article ItemFulbright program brings 100 international students to Virginia Tech , article
The German Fulbright Summer Institute program Communicating across Disciplines was back in person for its “most exciting and robust year,” according to Patty Raun, director for the Center for Communicating Science. Over the summer, 26 German students immersed themselves in American culture and the Virginia Tech campus experience in Blacksburg.
Date: Nov 11, 2022 -
Article ItemTransformative whole health ambassador to speak at Virginia Tech , article
Tracy Gaudet, past executive director of the Veterans Health Administration's National Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation, will speak at Virginia Tech on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m. in the Fralin Hall Auditorium. Sponsored by the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment, Gaudet’s presentation is free and open to the public.
Date: Nov 04, 2022 -
Article ItemResearchers probe neural connections for age-related decline , article
Tae-Ho Lee and Ben Katz have earned a five-year $3.8 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to study attention networks in the brain with the goal of examining those networks when one is trying to focus in a distracting or stressful environment.
Date: Oct 26, 2022 -
Article ItemBlacksburg campus institute names liaison in D.C. area , article
The Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment welcomes Shalini Misra as its new administrative fellow. Misra is an associate professor of urban affairs and planning in the School of Public and International Affairs, which is located in the Virginia Tech Research Center — Arlington.
Date: Sep 20, 2022 -
Article ItemEminent researchers around the country help launch the new Center for Rural Education , article
Imagine a gathering of the most innovative and prominent scholarly researchers who are offering their intelligence, experience, and time. That describes the Rural Education Summit, held at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center on Aug. 26, which officially launched the new Center for Rural Education.
Date: Sep 20, 2022 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech sustainability research impacts retirement community residents , article
Through seed funding provided by the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment, Jennifer Russell and her students are working with a retirement company to study how it could increase its sustainability efforts.
Date: Sep 06, 2022 -
Article ItemNow is the time to work on improving cognitive health, Virginia Tech researcher says , article
Ben Katz studies executive function — working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility — throughout the lifespan. How people stay sharp as they grow older and what happens to the brain during the aging process are questions he contemplates.
Date: Aug 22, 2022 -
Article ItemScholars program supports research addressing critical human and societal concerns , article
With up to $30,000 each, the research teams will conduct preliminary studies to make themselves more competitive for external funding from agencies such as the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and other sources of public and private funding.
Date: Aug 01, 2022 -
Article ItemSTEP program keynote addresses climate change and policy solutions , article
Solving environmental and societal problems through scientifically backed policy was the focus of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Policy (STEP) keynote seminar featuring Claire Kremen, professor and President’s Excellence chair of biodiversity at the University of British Columbia.
Date: May 31, 2022