Some infant formula fats may contribute to early liver disease, study finds

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 12:30:00 -0500

New research helps explain how steatotic liver disease can appear in babies — and the role early nutrition may play.

Engineering Explained: Neural implants

Can Alzheimer’s be reversed? What are fiber-based implants and how are they made? How could understanding the brain’s neural engineering shape our future? Xiaoting Jia, a professor in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech, develops fiber-based neural implants that could help scientists better understand the brain’s circuitry. From exploring the potential to restore memory to advancing treatments for Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease, her work pushes the boundaries of engineering and human health through advanced manufacturing and interdisciplinary collaboration. Want to learn more? Visit here: https://ece.vt.edu/people/profile/jiax.html

Groundbreaking AI aims to speed lifesaving therapies

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 11:00:00 -0400

Little is known about how novel viruses like SARS-CoV-2 evolve or conditions like dementia develop at the molecular level, but an artificial intelligence model developed at Virginia Tech helps fill those gaps and generate more accurate maps of the inner landscape. Now, instead of guessing, drug developers can analyze where viruses attach to human proteins and design treatments to block them.

Mining engineering professor's research aims to help dust-exposed workers breathe easier

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 09:18:00 -0400

Emily Sarver and her team are using state-of-the-art electron microscopy tools to detect and analyze mineral particles in lung tissue. Their goal: keeping people safe from respirable dust–based illnesses like silicosis.

Graduate student’s love of science leads to prestigious national fellowship

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 09:08:00 -0400

Kaylee Petraccione received a National Institute of Health award to further her research on the molecular mechanisms enabling the Rift Valley fever virus to cause disease.

Experts available: Boeing Starliner sounds, Eastern equine encephalitis, lunch meat listeria, and more

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 13:33:00 -0400

Virginia Tech experts are available this week to discuss the mysterious noises aboard the Boeing Starliner, how to protect yourself against eastern equine encephalitis, the lunch meat listeria outbreak, the latest on the Presidential campaign trail, and more.

There’s an app for that: Study reveals that a smartphone app can effectively lower cholera risk

Mon, 12 Aug 2024 14:53:00 -0400

Kevin Boyle from the Pamplin College of Business and an interdisciplinary team of researchers demonstrate the potential of using smartphone apps in the fight against cholera.

Kathleen Alexander receives Virginia’s highest faculty honor

Mon, 22 Jan 2024 11:40:00 -0500

Alexander, the William E. Lavery Professor in the College of Natural Resources and Environment, was recognized with an Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

Got wildlife? Get Jim Parkhurst

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 12:17:00 -0400

Parkhurst has built a 35-year career around solving and preventing the problems that arise when people and wildlife find themselves in close quarters.

Luis Escobar receives NIH award to study rabies transmission from wildlife to humans

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 10:50:00 -0400

Escobar will study vampire bats in Latin America to learn more about the spillover of a wildlife disease that can severely impact human health: rabies.

Kathleen Alexander brings a One Health vision to conservation efforts in Botswana

Fri, 17 Mar 2023 08:29:00 -0400

Alexander makes a global impact merging wildlife conservation with community health and economic development in Botswana.

Lauren Childs honored with fellowship by Association for Women in Mathematics and Cornell University

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 11:02:00 -0500

The award grants a mid-career mathematician a residential fellowship in the Cornell University Mathematics Department without teaching obligations.

A silver lining in the fight for clean water in India

Thu, 02 Mar 2023 07:00:00 -0500

Students and faculty in the Department of Geography trialed the use of silver-infused ceramic tiles as a way to provide clean water to schools in rural India.

Luis Escobar receives NSF CAREER award to study disease transmission among wildlife and across geographic scales

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 07:48:00 -0500

With the National Science Foundation award, Escobar will research the disease ecology and biogeography of hantavirus to better understand disease transmission between species and to humans.

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.

Researchers to lead Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society

Tue, 03 Jan 2023 12:58:00 -0500

Kathy Lu, a prominent College of Engineering researcher, was elected president, and Deborah Good, of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, was elected director of the mid-Atlantic region of Sigma Xi in November. Both will serve three-year terms beginning July 1.

Virginia Tech researchers will investigate how bird feeding influences humans and birds

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 21:44:00 -0500

Ashley Dayer of the College of Natural Resources and Environment and Dana Hawley of the College of Science are leading a multifaceted project funded by the National Science Foundation to study the effects of bird feeding.

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.

Fralin Life Sciences Institute sponsors inaugural Infectious Disease Symposium

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 10:01:00 -0400

The Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Anthropod-Borne Pathogens will host the symposium on Friday, Oct. 7, with keynote speakers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes for Health, and One Health Institute.

Studying vampire bats to predict the next pandemic

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 16:31:00 -0400

Supported by the National Science Foundation, the team will examine how geography, population traits, and climate change affect the spread of infectious disease from vampire bats to other species, and propose new models for predicting when and where wildlife virus transmission might occur in the future.

Finding new ways to control mosquitoes through sleep-deprivation

Diseases spread by mosquitoes cause hundreds of thousands of deaths every year. Assistant professor of biochemistry, Clément Vinauger, is researching how sleep-deprivation in mosquitoes could help control the spread of these diseases.

Researchers receive $1.75 million grant to study host variation

Mon, 27 Sep 2021 09:37:00 -0400

Disease outbreaks and evolution are hard to predict. Researchers at Virginia Tech and three other institutions are studying immunity variation to get a better grasp on this phenomenon.

Breaking the deadly cycle: Drug researchers tackle the malaria parasite at multiple life stages

Mon, 30 Aug 2021 08:00:00 -0400

Researchers have received a $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to begin further testing of two inexpensive and effective antimalarial drug candidates that can kill Plasmodium parasites at three stages of their development.

Revolutionary mosquito researchers receive $2.7 million grant

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 10:00:00 -0400

Funded by a $2.7 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, researchers at Virginia Tech are now investigating how mosquitoes adjust their smelling rhythms in response to changes in our own daily activity.

Understanding Mosquito Behavior to Prevent Disease Spread

Researchers in the Fralin Life Sciences Institute study the granular details of how mosquito brains work in hopes of solving one of the biggest problems facing mankind: how to prevent the transmission of mosquito-borne viral diseases.

Virginia Tech researchers identify a missing piece of the Lyme disease puzzle

Thu, 13 May 2021 14:00:00 -0400

Virginia Tech Assistant Professor Brandon Jutras and his lab have continued to tackle the Lyme disease epidemic over the past year, and they have recently identified another missing piece of the Lyme disease puzzle.

Preliminary study suggests tuberculosis vaccine may be limiting COVID-19 deaths

Fri, 10 Jul 2020 08:30:00 -0400

New research suggests that Bacille Calmette-Guérin, a tuberculosis vaccine routinely given to children in countries with high tuberculosis rates, might play a significant role in mitigating mortality rates from COVID-19.

Using proper techniques in Handwashing

Dr. Renee Boyer with the Department of Food Science and Technology, demonstrates the proper way to wash your hands to prevent the spread of illness.

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