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Federal officials are describing a ‘tripledemic’ of respiratory infections on the rise. Flu, COVID-19, and RSV are spiking, as expected, as we are in the mid-winter months. Lisa M. Lee, a professor of public health at Virginia Tech, answered questions about factors for concern and the importance of vaccination. Lee is an epidemiologist and bioethicist who has worked in public health and ethics for 25 years, including 14 years with CDC.

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Biosensing engineer Azahar Ali, assistant professor of animal sciences and biological systems engineering at Virginia Tech, is bracing for the arrival of a fourth agricultural revolution.

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A team of Virginia Tech researchers was awarded nearly $2 million from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, part of the National Institutes of Health, to explore novel approaches for treating Type 2 diabetes and obesity. Type 2 diabetes affects more than 38.4 million Americans, with an estimated 1.

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Major cities on the U.S. Atlantic coast are sinking, in some cases as much as 5 millimeters per year – a decline at the ocean’s edge that well outpaces global sea level rise, confirms new research from Virginia Tech and the U.S. Geological Survey. Particularly hard hit population centers such as New York City and Long Island, Baltimore, and Virginia Beach and Norfolk are seeing areas of rapid “subsidence,” or sinking land, alongside more slowly sinking or relatively stable ground, increasing the risk to roadways, runways, building foundations, rail lines, and pipelines, according to a study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences.

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After a long day, there’s the age-old question of do we eat out or stay in? Over the last decade, that answer has increasingly shifted to eating out.

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As 2023 comes to a close and 2024 approaches, many people will be thinking about how to reset goals and make lifestyle changes. Individuals often set challenging resolutions and tend to lose motivation as time progresses.

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Virginia Tech has pedaled its way to national recognition as a gold level Bicycle Friendly University, a prestigious designation awarded by the League of American Bicyclists.

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Eric Burger has been named a 2023 fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

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The Virginia Tech media relations office has the following experts available for interviews on holiday related topics.

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Virginia Tech researchers have discovered limitations in ChatGPT’s capacity to provide location-specific information about environmental justice issues.

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The word “drought” typically conjures images of parched soil, dust-swept prairies, depleted reservoirs, and dry creek beds, all the result of weeks or seasons of persistently dry atmospheric conditions.

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About 40 percent of people over age 65 suffer some form of age-related memory loss, which puts them at higher risk for developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

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Following a recording-breaking concert tour so huge that she brought mini economic booms wherever she went, pop star Taylor Swift’s cultural ascendancy reached another peak as Time Magazine pronounced her Person of the Year. Virginia Tech voice expert Ariana Wyatt discusses Swift’s legacy and cultural impact.

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Ashley Dayer hopes to peck away at the notion that bird feeding is simply for the birds.

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Two Virginia Tech biomedical engineers have been named as fellows of Biomedical Engineering Society for their impactful achievements and contributions.

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A lone ranger riding off into the sunset might say something sage and vague, such as “a man is only as good as his word.” But these gritty prophets never said anything about verifying a man’s — or anyone else’s — word in the wild frontiers of the digital or quantum era.

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When temperatures drop and roads get slick, rock salt is an important safety precaution used by individuals, businesses, and local and state governments to keep walkers, cyclists, and drivers safe.

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Information security experts France Bélanger and Donna Wertalik, professors in the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech and co-hosts of Voices of Privacy, provide tips for parents considering holiday gifts of smart toys for their children.

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The holiday season is often an overwhelming experience for many individuals. The combination of gift shopping, travel arrangements, and the expected anxiety of family and friends can create very stressful situations. Virginia Tech psychologist Rosanna Breaux shares her most effective tips for navigating seasonal stress.  “Planning and prioritizing what activities are the most important is a better strategy than exhaustingly trying to do everything and ending up not enjoying it,” says Breaux, a professor in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Tech.

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Bahareh Behkam and collaborators have received a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to continue their fight against airborne pathogens. An associate professor of mechanical engineering, Behkam and her team will use the funding to further develop engineered living systems for indoor air monitoring. Currently, there is a lack of sensitive, specific, affordable, and easy-to-use airborne pathogen monitoring technology and an overwhelming need for innovative approaches to address this challenge.

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With the approval of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM) has established a Department of Neurosurgery.

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From electricity usage to piles of presents and an overload of food, this time of year can take a toll on the environment. Virginia Tech sustainability expert  Jennifer Russell says even though it isn’t always what we want to hear during the holidays, it is really the “abundance” that is a challenge for sustainability. “Cutting back on the abundance is one of the most critical things we can do to make the holiday season more sustainable,” says Russell, who shared these five tips.

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Water is often the go-to resource for heat transfer, being used in large-scale cooling operations like data centers that power the internet and nuclear power plants that power cities. Discovering dynamic phenomena to make water-based heat transfer more energy and cost efficient is the ongoing work of Jonathan Boreyko, associate professor and John R.

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The Virginia Tech media relations office has the following experts available for interviews on holiday related topics. To schedule an interview, please contact [email protected]. Eco-friendly ways to celebrate the holiday From electricity usage to piles of presents, and an overload of food, this time of year can take a toll on the environment.

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Human, animal, and environmental are not three different kinds of health. They are One Health. One Health is the overarching concept that human, animal, and environmental health are inextricably linked and that professionals within the three realms should work together toward research findings and clinical applications that can improve the health in all three areas.

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Ed Olsen, an agent at Henrico unit of Virginia Cooperative Extension, shares tips for holiday plant care.

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Scientific consensus is building around a clear recommendation: To improve health, we need to think differently about our diet of ultra-processed foods.

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In 2021, a water treatment facility in Oldsmar, Florida, was hacked by an unknown adversary. It was a cyberattack, and the sensor responsible for measuring how much sodium hydroxide is in the water was compromised. Within seconds, the hacker attempted to change the water supply's levels of sodium hydroxide, moving the setting from 100 parts per million to 11,100 parts per million.

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Meals at Thanksgiving and other holidays serve as great social occasions for catching up with family and friends — and for the sake of all gathered, the culinary delights on the table should be not just delicious and visually sumptuous, but also safe.   Melissa Wright, director of Virginia Tech’s Food Producer Technical Assistance Network, and Alexis Hamilton, assistant professor of food processing microbiology, are both faculty members in the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Food Science and Technology.

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Foodies aren’t the only people who appreciate the significance of the Thanksgiving feast. For most, the holiday conjures visions of turkey dinners and pumpkin pies replete with all the fixings, such as mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and green bean casserole. But just as traditional Thanksgiving fare differs from foods served at the first Thanksgiving in Colonial America, the holiday’s modern spread is evolving to include global dishes that represent the diversity of today’s America.

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As the holiday season approaches, it is important to begin budgeting for your gift shopping ahead of time. Taking proactive steps now will help you manage expenses wisely and make the most of the festive season.

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For many people, the holiday season is a time to giveback. It’s also the time of year when scammers ramp up their efforts to take advantage of your goodwill to steal your hard earned money.  

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The holiday shopping season is ramping up and unfortunately, so are criminals looking to take advantage of your urge to get discounted prices.

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Marissa Langager, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Science, led a new study about the social behavior of sick house finches.

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After a long day at work, you open the door to the place you call home. A chorus of furry happiness rushes toward you, the sound of unconditional canine love. With your return, your dog's world is whole. Virginia Tech and Arizona State University researchers are working to help more shelter dogs experience this kind of love, safety, and happiness in an adoptive home.

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In a groundbreaking achievement for cancer treatment, research, and medical technology, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for the HistoSonics’ Edison histotripsy device to treat liver tumors. 

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The holiday season can be a stressful time for those planning to travel. Between costs, short staffing, and limited bookings, a Virginia Tech travel and tourism expert says to plan ahead. “With the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year holidays coming soon, the best travel planning should start now, if not earlier,” says Mahmood Khan, professor and director in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Virginia Tech.

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Andrew Ellis, a hydroclimate scientist in the College of Natural Resources and Environment at Virginia Tech, explains why the presence of El Niño in the latest National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration outlook suggests a warmer yet snowier winter season.

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Meta, the parent company of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, faces federal lawsuits from 42 states’ attorneys general asserting that the company intentionally crafted features to make children and teens become addicted to their products. Virginia Tech experts Mike Horning and Donna Wertalik offer their perspectives on what the lawsuits mean for social media companies and users.

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In an invited commentary, Kathleen Mulvaney, assistant professor with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, talks about the potential of a new drug that has shown early promise in clinical trials for solid tumors by killing cancer cells that lack specific tumor suppressor genes.

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In an invited commentary, Kathleen Mulvaney, assistant professor with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, talks about the potential of a new drug that has shown early promise in clinical trials for solid tumors by killing cancer cells that lack specific tumor suppressor genes.

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Virginia Tech has a number of experts available to speak on topics surrounding the election including Virginia legislative races, issues such as abortion and education rights, campaign finance, and more. To schedule an interview, please contact [email protected]. Topics: Virginia legislative races, effects of redistricting, campaign spending, reproductive rights, public education, possible implications of state legislative results for policy/emphases in Virginia, what results tell us about the 2024 presidential race.

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As clocks “fall back” and daylight saving time ends, many Americans will be driving longer at night which could translate to more driver fatigue and hazards on the road, says Virginia Tech Transportation Institute expert Matt Camden.   Camden says that any time change can exacerbate drowsiness and your body may need a few days to adjust accordingly.

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Every year, millions of kids go to houses for ubiquitous trick-or-treating. To ensure what’s put into each trick-or-treater’s bag is a safe treat when eaten, Alexis Hamilton, an assistant professor of food processing microbiology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Department of Food Science and Technology, has some tips and tricks.

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There are few things tastier than the crisp bite of a cold IPA…for now.   A recent study published in the journal Nature Communications found the changing global climate may be affecting the flavor and cost of beer.   A warmer and drier climate is expected to lower the yield of hops — the aromatic flowers of the Humulus lupulus plant that give beer its signature bitter flavor — in Europe up to 18 percent by 2050.

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With summerlike temperatures on their way out and cooler temperatures moving in, homeowners may start to see more uninvited guests inside, particularly the brown marmorated stink bug. Virginia Tech experts say not only are these bugs a nuisance, they also pose an economic threat to farmers. But, there are some positives to having them around as well.

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This Halloween is expected to look a lot like Barbie’s Dreamland. The widely successful summer film’s stars Barbie and Ken have found their way onto the top Halloween costume lists for this year. 

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Virginia Tech has several experts available to speak on various topics surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict. Israeli politics and foreign policy Joel Peters is a professor of government and international affairs in the School of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech located in the Washington, D.C., metro area. His research interests and publications cover Israeli politics and foreign policy, the Arab-Israeli peace process, regional cooperation in the Middle East and Europe’s relations in the Middle East and the Mediterranean.