Benchmark study tracks trends in dog behavior

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 14:01:00 -0400

The Virginia Tech study, which seeks to understand the link between dog behavior and health, compiles four years of owner-reported data from over 47,000 dogs.

Naren Ramakrishnan honored as Association for Computing Machinery fellow

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 12:59:00 -0500

Ramakrishnan was recognized for his leadership in developing new algorithms and systems to forecast disease outbreaks and geopolitical events.

Team of scientists awarded prize for biomedical research innovation

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0400

A multi-university team including Jennifer Munson of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute earned a Complement Animal Research in Experimentation Challenge prize with a proposal for a novel platform for studying and treating neuro-immune infections including the flu, COVID-19, potential biothreats, and conditions such as Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, and brain cancer.

The virus that causes COVID-19 is widespread in wildlife, Virginia Tech scientists find

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Six of 23 common wildlife species showed signs of SARS-CoV-2 infections in an examination of animals in Virginia, as revealed by tracking the virus’s genetic code.

The virus that causes COVID-19 is widespread in wildlife, Virginia Tech scientists find

An animated simulation of how SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, adapts and mutates to survive in a new host, such as common wildlife.

Study traces an infectious language epidemic

Sat, 11 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

This is the first research using artificial intelligence to empirically link social media linguistic patterns to real-world public health trends, highlighting the potential of these large language models to identify critical online discussion patterns and point to more effective public health communication strategies.

Detecting COVID-19 in the air

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 09:55:00 -0500

A team of more than a dozen faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and student researchers are combining their expertise to develop a device that can assess the environmental risk of COVID-19 transmission in real time. Led by University Distinguished Professor Linsey Marr, the team has made great strides in figuring out how to successfully capture the necessary amount of air, filter it, deposit it onto a test strip, and identify virus particles.

Going viral: New models show how human behavior influences pandemic trends

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 10:26:00 -0500

Research published in the Health Affairs journal found including human behavior in pandemic modeling is a pivotal factor in predicting outcomes, revealing that cultural factors can drastically shape COVID-19's impact and mortality rates.

Detecting SARS-CoV-2 in the air

University Distinguished Professor Linsey Marr is leading a project to develop a sensor for SARS-CoV-2 detection. The project aims to identify the airborne virus in a room within fifteen minutes.

Graduate student researcher earns national award for study on COVID-19 vaccine candidate

Wed, 11 Oct 2023 12:19:00 -0400

Anna Hassebroek, a doctoral candidate and an anatomic pathology resident at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, received the Boehringer Ingelheim Research Award for Graduate Veterinarians.

Researchers link food insecurity, financial hardship during COVID-19 to trait associated with poor health choices

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 07:49:00 -0400

The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute study has implications for better understanding food choices and addictive disorders.

Not all viruses are harmful

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 15:07:00 -0400

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.

Public health expert offers advice re: new COVID-19 variants and fall vaccines

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 10:00:20 -0400

A late summer increase in COVID-19-related hospitalizations and the emergence of new coronavirus variants raises concerns about how best to counter infection and when new vaccines will become available. Lisa M. Lee, a professor of public health at Virginia Tech, discusses factors for concern and the importance of vaccination.

Virginia Tech researcher studies link between privacy regulations and vaccine hesitancy

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Anxiety over the amount of personal information an individual is required to share when receiving the COVID-19 vaccine could be partially to blame for vaccine hesitancy in the U.S., according to research by Idris Adjerid, associate professor in the Department of Business Information Technology.

Expanded perspectives give greater voice to invasive species working group

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 12:58:00 -0400

The Invasive Species Working Group is crowdsourcing resources and expertise to tackle global invasion species that are reshaping ecosystems, disrupting economies, and causing disease, costing an estimated $1.3 trillion globally each year.

Public health expert says annual COVID-19 vaccine will be an important disease prevention tool

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 10:56:00 -0500

Lisa M. Lee, a professor of public health at Virginia Tech, provides perspective on the FDA plan to have individuals receive a single bivalent COVID-19 shot each year, just like flu shots). An epidemiologist, bioethicist, and ethics educator, Lee worked for more than 25 years in public health and ethics, including 14 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Biological sciences’ Dana Hawley leads study showing how symptoms of illness help pathogens spread amongst songbirds

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 19:00:00 -0500

Hawley and a team of researchers have shown just how easily these pathogens — in this case, a form of conjunctivitis common in birds but harmless to humans — spread, suggesting similar scenarios for humans.

Study: Pandemic challenges compounded work-related stress for parents of children with special needs

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 08:09:00 -0400

In a new study, Virginia Tech psychologists Charles Calderwood and Rosanna Breaux found that when parents who worked in jobs that were more chronically stressful, the daily family challenges they faced at home had a greater impact on their emotional well-being and sense of work-life balance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Virginia Tech researchers address the grand challenges of pandemic prediction and prevention

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 07:00:00 -0400

T.M. Murali, a professor in the Department of Computer Science, along with several colleagues from across Virginia Tech, has received a $1 million National Science Foundation grant to identify expedient, efficient, cost-effective options for the prevention and containment of zoonotic viruses.

Engineering researchers are partners in the lab — and in life

Mon, 22 Aug 2022 09:32:00 -0400

Virginia Tech researchers Padma Rajagopalan and T.M. Murali go beyond the boundaries of engineering disciplines to gain insights into emerging viral infections, such as COVID-19.

Class of 2022: Psychology’s Kameron Cummings named 2022 Outstanding Senior in College of Science

Fri, 06 May 2022 09:36:00 -0400

Cummings, majoring in psychology with a double minor in disability studies and sociology, has been a star researcher during her four years at Virginia Tech.

Lauren Childs to create improved models for tracking spread of disease

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 11:35:00 -0400

Childs, an assistant professor of mathematics, will use a five-year $550,000 National Science Foundation CAREER Award to develop mathematical frameworks that can decipher the dynamics of disease and suggest earlier, more effective interventions to mitigate the spread of disease.

Linsey Marr participates in White House virtual conversation on indoor air quality

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 09:15:00 -0400

At the event related to COVID-19 and indoor air quality, Marr touted ventilation and filtration as two proven tools that reduce the spread of airborne viruses and other harmful aerosols indoors.

Surviving remotely – what impact did remote work have on employee psyche?

Fri, 18 Mar 2022 08:30:00 -0400

William Becker’s research investigates the impact of job control – or a person’s ability to influence what happens in their work environment – and work-related loneliness on employee work behaviors and well-being during the massive and abrupt move to remote work amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Team of researchers led by Virginia Tech seeks to mitigate flu and other respiratory viruses for children in indoor environments

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 08:35:00 -0500

Linsey Marr is leading a team of researchers that hopes to understand how behavioral and environmental factors affect transmission rates of the flu in order to identify the most effective interventions.

Institute's COVID-19 Reset Program supports social science faculty

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 06:31:00 -0500

Created by the Institute for Society, Culture and Environment, the program offers both funding and mentoring for a cohort of five social science faculty whose research has been interrupted during the pandemic. The program began last fall and will continue this spring as the five faculty develop and submit proposals for external funding.

Are contact tracing apps tracking me? Not at all, say Virginia Tech researchers

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 11:18:00 -0500

Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) researchers from Virginia Tech investigated the security of digital contact tracing technology. Their findings offer reassurance to those leery of privacy risks.

International leader from Cambridge, UK, to discuss COVID-19 variants in virtual public lecture

Tue, 11 Jan 2022 10:58:00 -0500

Sharon Peacock, executive director of the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium (COG-UK), professor of public health and microbiology at the University of Cambridge, and an elected member of the National Academy of Medical Sciences, will talk about the importance of genetic sequencing of viruses in battling pandemics during the next Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture on Jan. 20, 2022.

New study shows differences in how men and women perceive risks of COVID-19 pandemic

Thu, 11 Nov 2021 09:58:00 -0500

When survey responders were asked during a Virginia Tech study to rate their fear of the pandemic on a sliding scale, nearly 20 percent of women chose the highest possible option compared with 9.3 percent of men. However, previous studies have shown that men are more likely to experience severe illness or die of COVID-19.

Molecular Sciences Software Institute receives $15 million grant from National Science Foundation

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 11:47:00 -0400

The Molecular Sciences Software Institute (MolSSI), based in Virginia Tech’s Corporate Research Center, has received a $15 million renewal grant from the National Science Foundation.

Data-Driven Research Accelerator Workshop jump-starts social science research

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 09:26:00 -0400

The Policy Destination Area and University Libraries collaborated to offer a research accelerator workshop in July to help social scientists refocus their research efforts after a year affected by the pandemic.

Virginia Cooperative Extension agents to be trusted messengers for COVID-19 vaccine information

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 08:13:00 -0400

A group of Virginia Tech researchers, along with partners at Virginia State University, are working to deliver facts about the COVID-19 vaccine to the hesitant in rural Virginia via messengers they know and trust: Virginia Cooperative Extension agents.

New seed funding program stimulates interdisciplinary collaboration for two student teams

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 10:31:00 -0400

This year, the funding has been awarded to a team working to develop surface coatings that have the ability to neutralize germs, as well as a team advancing holographic methodologies for fabricating materials used in photonics for next-generation biosensors and solar cells.

New research finds gender differences in fear and risk perception during COVID-19

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 12:21:24 -0400

The researchers, Sheryl Ball and Alec Smith, conducted an online survey in April of 2020 to measure emotions, behaviors and expectations connected to gender and the pandemic.

What is a variant, how does it form, and why is it harmful?

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 11:14:00 -0400

The answer for reducing the development of variants is to stop transmitting the virus, said Lisa M. Lee, associate vice president for scholarly integrity and research compliance and professor of public health at Virginia Tech. Until 85 percent of the world’s population is vaccinated, the virus will mutate and produce variants.

Summer interns gain hands-on learning in Virginia Tech’s COVID-19 testing lab

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 10:20:00 -0400

During two five-week, hands-on sessions, the interns worked in the Molecular Diagnostics Lab at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and took classes led by Carla Finkielstein, the lab’s scientific director and an associate professor at the research institute.

Simulation confirms vaccination key to safe and social return

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 10:31:00 -0400

Navid Ghaffarzadegan's COVID-19 simulation models have been predicting how human behaviors impact the spread of the virus during the pandemic. His work now shows vaccinated Hokies to be the key to safely returning to much of the in-person Virginia Tech experience.

New study finds improvements to bicycling infrastructure spurred ridership boom during COVID-19 pandemic

Thu, 20 May 2021 10:24:00 -0400

A Virginia Tech expert says that if anything good came out of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that communities redesigned streets for the use of cyclists, pedestrians, and outdoor socializing, which has encouraged more bicycling on the roads.

Virginia Tech COVID-19 lab passes 100,000-sample milestone

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 09:20:00 -0400

Since opening, the Molecular Diagnostics Lab has analyzed thousands of samples from Virginia Tech students and employees who were tested for the COVID-19 virus through the university’s testing centers. That’s in addition to testing done for regional health districts since April 20, 2020.

Researchers receive grant to study misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 15:14:00 -0400

Researchers at Virginia Tech are looking into how social media misinformation influences people’s intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, especially those within the Appalachian region, with help from a grant funded by the Fralin Life Sciences Institute and the Data and Decisions Destination Area.

Virginia Tech and UVA virologists develop broadly protective coronavirus vaccines

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 09:00:00 -0400

The team's candidate vaccines take an unusual approach in that they target a part of the spike protein of the virus, the “viral fusion peptide,” that is highly universal among coronaviruses.

Colleges unite to explore the COVID-19 pandemic in a range of contexts

Fri, 12 Mar 2021 13:39:00 -0500

The pandemic is multifaceted, and a full range of expertise is needed for essential insights into both its immediate and enduring impact.

Hooked on public good

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 09:46:00 -0500

For Lisa M. Lee, moving the needle on social justice is a big part of ethics — thinking not only about what public health can do to prevent disease and illness, but what and how it should do it.

International virologist to address the faith, science of COVID-19 vaccinations in Black communities

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 10:52:00 -0500

Oveta Fuller, a scientist and ordained minister who has worked to address HIV awareness through faith leaders, will bring her experience working with HIV/AIDS to a discussion of the COVID-19 pandemic and resistance to getting vaccinated in the next installment of the Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture Series, hosted by Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.

Virginia Tech COVID-19 lab ready to ramp up testing for thousands of student samples

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 15:30:54 -0500

Virginia Tech’s COVID-19 Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, located at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, has processed more than 70,000 samples to support health districts across Virginia and the university community since its launch in April.

Privacy law expert to weigh personal freedom, public health amid pandemic in Public Fralin Biomedical Research Institute lecture

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 09:42:00 -0500

Pandemic-driven public health demands are testing Americans’ long- and dearly held notions of privacy, according to Anita Allen, an expert on privacy law and ethics.

Step Inside the New Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC Expansion in Roanoke

We welcome you to take a virtual tour through the new Fralin Biomedical Research Institute expansion. Michael Friedlander, Ph.D., Virginia Tech’s vice president for health sciences and technology, and the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute’s founding executive director, will walk you through each wing, describing some of the latest instrumentation and research projects along the way.

Virginia Tech lab joins network to expand COVID-19 testing across state

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 15:39:00 -0500

Virginia Tech was selected as one of three exclusive OneLab Network Tier 2 laboratories to expand COVID-19 testing capacity across Virginia, Governor Ralph Northam announced on Nov. 10.

Inside Virginia Tech's COVID-19 analysis lab

Carla Finkielstein, the director of the Virginia Tech Molecular Analysis Laboratory at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, takes us on exclusive tour. With expanded testing crucial to controlling the pandemic in Virginia and the nation, Virginia Tech faculty, staff and graduate students went to work to answer the challenge. This lab was crucial to that response.

Virginia Tech COVID-19 lab ready to test thousands of student samples

Sun, 09 Aug 2020 12:59:00 -0400

Starting this week, as students begin to return to campus for the fall semester, the lab’s capacity of 1,000 tests per day will also be dedicated to Virginia Tech students and employees in high-contact roles.

Virginia Tech COVID-19 lab ready to test thousands of student samples

“We are going to be super ready for the students,” said Carla Finkielstein, director of the Virginia Tech Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.

The researchers have already assembled 10,000 collection units that will be used to collect samples from students to analyze for coronavirus, which causes COVID-19.

“When this pandemic exploded and we were verge of deciding what to do next, the university had two options,” Finkielstein said. “One was to wait for someone to help us, and the other one was to put our collective heads and resources together and do something to serve our community. Our university chose to be proactive. We want to help take care of our students. We are bringing them back, and we are testing them. On top of that, working closely with the health departments, we are able to provide test analysis for many other people in the communities around us.”

Virginia Tech scientists develop new COVID-19 tests

After weeks of working around the clock, Virginia Tech scientists developed a new COVID-19 test and secured federal and state approvals to begin processing samples at on-campus labs in Blacksburg and Roanoke.

Fralin Biomedical Research Institute expansion melds world-class research and sustainable architecture

From its meadow garden green roof to its underground rainwater cistern, the new research expansion located at 4 Riverside Circle in Roanoke is a model for smart green design. The building is currently being evaluated from the U.S. Green Building Council for a LEED Version 4 Rating.

Virginia Tech researchers develop new COVID-19 tests to combat backlogs, shortages

Virginia Tech scientists at the Fralin Life Sciences Institute and the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute have a developed a new coronavirus test and have secured federal and state approvals to begin processing samples at on-campus labs in Blacksburg and Roanoke. The university will support local health departments throughout the region to provide timely analysis to identify patients suspected of having COVID-19 — a critical step in the process of slowing the pandemic in Virginia.

Fralin Biomedical Research Institute expansion building moving forward

Take a peek inside the new VTC Biomedical Research Addition, a 139,000-square-foot building slated for a grand opening in fall 2020 at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in Roanoke. The state-of-the-art facility will be home to at least 25 new teams of Virginia Tech biomedical researchers specializing in cardiovascular research, obesity and metabolism, body-device interfaces, cancer, and more. The building will also feature a green roof, classrooms, wet and dry lab space, offices, and a LINAC particle accelerator to help pets with cancer. Stay tuned for more updates as construction nears completion this spring!

Welcome to the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute

Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC is an exciting place to research, train, and work. Established in 2010, the research institute is doubling in size and is actively recruiting 20-25 new core research teams to join the Virginia Tech Health Sciences Campus in Roanoke, Virginia. For more information about the research institute and employment opportunities, please visit: www.research.vtc.vt.edu

Tags

Benchmark study tracks trends in dog behavior

Naren Ramakrishnan honored as Association for Computing Machinery fellow

Team of scientists awarded prize for biomedical research innovation

The virus that causes COVID-19 is widespread in wildlife, Virginia Tech scientists find

The virus that causes COVID-19 is widespread in wildlife, Virginia Tech scientists find

Study traces an infectious language epidemic

Detecting COVID-19 in the air

Going viral: New models show how human behavior influences pandemic trends

Detecting SARS-CoV-2 in the air

Graduate student researcher earns national award for study on COVID-19 vaccine candidate

Researchers link food insecurity, financial hardship during COVID-19 to trait associated with poor health choices

Not all viruses are harmful

Public health expert offers advice re: new COVID-19 variants and fall vaccines

Virginia Tech researcher studies link between privacy regulations and vaccine hesitancy

Expanded perspectives give greater voice to invasive species working group

Public health expert says annual COVID-19 vaccine will be an important disease prevention tool

Biological sciences’ Dana Hawley leads study showing how symptoms of illness help pathogens spread amongst songbirds

Study: Pandemic challenges compounded work-related stress for parents of children with special needs

Virginia Tech researchers address the grand challenges of pandemic prediction and prevention

Engineering researchers are partners in the lab — and in life

Class of 2022: Psychology’s Kameron Cummings named 2022 Outstanding Senior in College of Science

Lauren Childs to create improved models for tracking spread of disease

Linsey Marr participates in White House virtual conversation on indoor air quality

Surviving remotely – what impact did remote work have on employee psyche?

Team of researchers led by Virginia Tech seeks to mitigate flu and other respiratory viruses for children in indoor environments

Institute's COVID-19 Reset Program supports social science faculty

Are contact tracing apps tracking me? Not at all, say Virginia Tech researchers

International leader from Cambridge, UK, to discuss COVID-19 variants in virtual public lecture

New study shows differences in how men and women perceive risks of COVID-19 pandemic

Molecular Sciences Software Institute receives $15 million grant from National Science Foundation

Data-Driven Research Accelerator Workshop jump-starts social science research

Virginia Cooperative Extension agents to be trusted messengers for COVID-19 vaccine information

New seed funding program stimulates interdisciplinary collaboration for two student teams

New research finds gender differences in fear and risk perception during COVID-19

What is a variant, how does it form, and why is it harmful?

Summer interns gain hands-on learning in Virginia Tech’s COVID-19 testing lab

Simulation confirms vaccination key to safe and social return

New study finds improvements to bicycling infrastructure spurred ridership boom during COVID-19 pandemic

Virginia Tech COVID-19 lab passes 100,000-sample milestone

Researchers receive grant to study misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine

Virginia Tech and UVA virologists develop broadly protective coronavirus vaccines

Colleges unite to explore the COVID-19 pandemic in a range of contexts

Hooked on public good

International virologist to address the faith, science of COVID-19 vaccinations in Black communities

Virginia Tech COVID-19 lab ready to ramp up testing for thousands of student samples

Privacy law expert to weigh personal freedom, public health amid pandemic in Public Fralin Biomedical Research Institute lecture

Step Inside the New Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC Expansion in Roanoke

Virginia Tech lab joins network to expand COVID-19 testing across state

Inside Virginia Tech's COVID-19 analysis lab

Virginia Tech COVID-19 lab ready to test thousands of student samples

Virginia Tech COVID-19 lab ready to test thousands of student samples

Virginia Tech scientists develop new COVID-19 tests

Fralin Biomedical Research Institute expansion melds world-class research and sustainable architecture

Virginia Tech researchers develop new COVID-19 tests to combat backlogs, shortages

Fralin Biomedical Research Institute expansion building moving forward

Welcome to the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute