Category: Blog

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November 16, 2021

Graduate students from across the Virginia Tech community recently gathered for the opportunity to improve their science communication and poster-making skills. IGC Fellows Abby Lewis, Amanda Hensley, Heather Wander, and Emma Bueren partnered with the Virginia Tech Center for Communicating Science to organize this event in anticipation of their upcoming IGC capstone project: Flip the Fair.

Flipped science fairs literally flip the traditional science fair format on its head by having elementary school student judges evaluate graduate students presenting their research. Local elementary students learn about important scientific concepts from real scientists in a small-group setting, with plenty of opportunities to ask questions and participate in hands-on demonstrations. The presenters, in turn, learn to tailor their research pitch to a general audience, with emphasis on keeping things exciting, understandable, and relevant.

In order to prepare the graduate students for the fair, two workshops were held simultaneously at the Blacksburg and the Roanoke campuses. Training focused on building skills for presenting to broader audiences, which is easier said than done. “Human beings gain ability and confidence by practicing difficult skills,” said Patty Raun, Director of the Virginia Tech Center for Communicating Science. “Too often in higher education we are expected to learn how to do challenging things by reading about them or listening to lectures. The communicating science experiences we provide in our workshops allow participants to expand their comfort zones and develop confidence by practicing communication skills in a safe and creative way.  Participants don’t have to imagine it . . . they do it!”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”58838″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”58837″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Initial funding for the idea came from an American Geophysical Union Sharing Science Grants awarded to Lewis earlier this Fall. It has since grown to a large collaborative project with stakeholders including the Global Change Center, The Center for Communicating Science, the Virginia Tech Communicating Science Club, The Center for Educational Networks and Impacts, and the Roanoke Public Libraries.

“Our Flip the Fair event is an opportunity for graduate students to practice science communication and receive feedback from the toughest audience—children,” said Lewis. “At this initial workshop, participants received training in science communication, started thinking about how to design posters for the event, and discussed diversity, equity, and inclusion with assistant director for the Graduate School Office of Recruitment, Diversity, and Inclusion Justin Grimes,” she added.

Initially anticipating 25 participants, interest in the workshop was so great that organizers had to find larger accommodations for the 34 in attendance. For Abby and the other fellows, it was a moment to savor. “After months of planning, it was so exciting to finally meet all of our participants!” Abby shared.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”58834″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The flipped science fair will be held Saturday, February 5, 2022 from 1-3 p.m. at the Melrose Branch Library in Roanoke and is open to the public. The event will require registration and more information will be available in the coming months.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator style=”shadow”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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November 16, 2021

Julie Shortridge is an assistant professor and extension specialist in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech. Her research focuses on making water resource systems more sustainable, robust, and resilient through the use of systems engineering methodologies, machine learning, simulation, and statistical modeling. In particular, she is interested in how complex water resource systems with engineered, natural, and human components can be proactively managed to address changes in climate, land use, and environmental policies over the short- and long-term. Shortridge is also interested in refining traditional methods for risk assessment and management so that they are better suited to emerging, “wicked” challenges such as climate change, invasive species, and emerging diseases.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Before joining the Global Change Center community, Shortridge completed her undergraduate research in Environmental Engineering Science at the University California, Berkeley, a Master’s in Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, followed by a Ph.D. in Geography and Environmental Engineering from Johns Hopkins. Prior to conducting her graduate studies, she spent six years working as an engineer focused on groundwater contamination and remediation, and as a consultant for the United Nations Environment Program on disaster preparedness.

During her time at Virginia Tech, Shortridge has collaborated with a number of GCC Affiliates including Drs. Anamaria Bukvic and Ryan Calder, who were recently part of a multi-institution study examining the current and future impacts that climate change will have on coastal lands and cities. Their Journal of Marine Science and Engineering article calls for improved communication efforts among scientists, stakeholders, policy makers, and minority and poor residents.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”58823″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”58825″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Shortridge is also active in Virginia Cooperative Extension work, leading the Water, Irrigation, and Drainage section. Her efforts through extension programming include creating helpful resources for Virginia agricultural producers and water managers, and workshops (see video below).

For more information about Shortridge’s work, visit the Water Systems Lab.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdA0RhYwZ9c” align=”center” title=”Virginia Cooperative Extension Agriculture Today: Irrigation Tips for Row Crops”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator style=”shadow”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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November 9, 2021

Microbial communities, or microbiomes, are central to life on earth. Nearly every habitat and organism hosts a diverse community of microbes forming their collective microbiome. Each day we walk through a vast invisible network of environmental microorganisms. And GCC Affiliate Frank Aylward’s research as led him to study microorganisms from both the land and the sea.

Aylward’s first interest in the interface of microbes, ecology, and evolution started in rural southern Arizona where he grew up. His interests led him to complete his undergraduate education at University of Arizona where he studied the origins of multicellular organisms using green algae. He then obtained a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he researched the symbiotic relationship between leaf-cutter ants, cultivated “fungus gardens” where they procure their food, and the commensal microbial community that facilitates the system.

Returning his interests to the aquatic biosphere, Aylward joined the lab of famed marine microbiologist, Edward DeLong. Working at both the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Aylward explored the ecological function of cyanobacteria in the open ocean and its importance as a marine keystone species.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Aylward joined the Virginia Tech and the Global Change Center (GCC) community in 2017, as assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. Aylward’s current research broadly focuses on microbial diversity and genome evolution in multiple different microbial groups, including giant viruses, bacteriophages, and several lineages of bacteria and archaea.

In a 2020 Nature article, Aylward revealed the impact that large, double-stranded DNA viruses, or “giant viruses,” have on eukaryotic organisms and their ecosystems around the globe. “By introducing new genomic material into hosts, viruses can shape the evolution of cellular life through a process called endogenization,” said Aylward.

In an article published earlier that year,  Aylward found, “several giant virus genomes that encode genes typically only found in cells, some of which appear to be involved in metabolic processes,” he added. This work reveals the importance of viruses in eukaryotic evolution and portends what may happen to current species as climate change creates ecological pressure around the world. IGC Fellow and co-author of the study Alaina Weinheimer, is pursuing this line of inquiry further as part of her doctoral degree.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”58712″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”58714″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Aylward Lab is also interested in examining the ecology and evolution of major bacterial and archaeal lineages across the Tree of Life through broad phylogenomic analysis. This research interest has led Alyward to collaborate with other members of the GCC community such as GCC Affiliates Jeb Barrett, Brian Badgley, and Brian Strahm, and IGC Alumnus Ernie Osburn. Together, they recently published a paper examining relationships of microbial diversity with ecosystem functioning in forest soil samples. Aylward was also part of the GCC Microbiome Working Group, and has co-led “Introduction to Microbial Community Analysis” along with other group members David Haak, Brian Badgley, and Lisa Belden since Spring 2019.

Since his time here, Aylward has garnered numerous awards such as the 2018 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in Ocean Sciences and the 2019 Simons Foundation Early Career Award in Marine Microbial Ecology and Evolution. Additionally, he is the primary investigator of an Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Outside of research and academia, Aylward has taken part in outreach activities such as promoting the Virginia Tech Systems Biology at Blacksburg Community High School and participating as a judge at the 2018 Virginia Tech Research Day.  More recently, Aylward was featured in an episode of the podcast, Finding Genius, where he discussed the importance of studying giant viruses. 

For more information about his research, visit the Aylward Lab or watch his recent Virginia Tech Life Science Seminar below.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSooDAEBbsg” align=”center” title=”Larger than Life: The Underexplored World of Giant Viruses with Dr. Frank Aylward”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator style=”shadow”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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November 2, 2021

Michelle Stocker is an Assistant Professor in vertebrate paleobiology in the Department of Geosciences at Virginia Tech. Joining the Global Change Center in April of 2016, Stocker has become an integral part of the community. Prior to joining the faculty at Virginia Tech, she completed her PhD in Geological Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin and was a visiting researcher at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

Stocker explores the macroevolutionary patterns and processes of biodiversity. She incorporates critical data from fossil specimens with research on extant taxa through fieldwork, which enables her to explore the regional and chronologic differences between and among terrestrial vertebrate assemblages and continental ecosystems over deep time. Her work has taken her from the Chinle Formation of Petrified Forest National Park in the American Southwest (pictured above), to the Ruhuhu Basin in southwestern Tanzania (pictured left).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As part of the Paleobiology & Geobiology Research Group, she has discovered new species, become a leader in navigating hybrid-learning during the pandemic, and passed her expertise to future generations of paleobiologists. One of her current lab members, PhD student and IGC Fellow Ben Kligman, has also been featured for his work in the lab. Along with GCC Affiliate Dr. Sterling Nesbitt, she is currently working on preparing fossils of Teleocrater for 3-D printing and digitization (view below).  This exhibit is set to be an interactive experience that can be viewed from anywhere in the world.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPMRYQBHftE” title=”Preparing ancient fossils to become a modern digital exhibit”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Stocker also takes part in numerous teaching and outreach activities including the Virginia Science Festival, curating interactive and immersive experiences through the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, and Tuesday Lab Night, a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to acquire and perfect fossil preparation techniques and anatomical knowledge (pictured below, left). Stocker is also passionate about addressing the need for increased diversity in the sciences. As part of these efforts, she founded the Virginia Tech Widening Inclusivity in the (Geo)Sciences (WInGS) collective in January, 2020. The group hosts monthly meetings with speakers from Virginia Tech and beyond and facilitates a mentorship program designed to create symbiotic relationships between undergraduate, graduate, and PhD students.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”58613″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”58615″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The next virtual meeting will be Wednesday, November 3 from 11:00AM to 12:30PM EST, and will feature members of Girls Launch!, a team on campus breaking down gender stereotypes of scientists. Please email WiNGS (women-in-geosciences-g@vt.edu) if you are interested in joining the group or attending meetings.

Follow the links for more information about the Stocker Lab or the Paleobiology & Geobiology Research Group.

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November 9, 2021

Mark your calendars, the Center for Communication Science will be celebrating its 5th anniversary with the annual Communicating Science Week! Taking place between March 16th through the 22nd of 2022, the week will showcase the efforts of faculty and graduate students from across multiple disciplines to connect with communities and address “wicked” problems our world faces.

The Nutshell Games, the center’s 90-second graduate student research talk competition, offers graduate students the opportunity to show off their communication skills and present their research to a public audience. With an emphasis on communicating to non-scientists, the Nutshell Games is judged by a diverse panel of people from Virginia Tech, the surrounding Blacksburg community, and beyond.

Since the first Nutshell Games in 2017, many IGC Fellows have participated and claimed wins. IGC Alumnus Dr. Max Ragozzino claimed top prize in 2017 with, “Emerald Ash Borer, and How We’re Stopping it with the Chestbuster from Alien.” The next year, Brenen Wynd finished in first place with a presentation focused on mass extinctions, “Almost All My Friends Are Dead.” Tyler Weiglein’s participation was also featured in an article highlighting communication workshops held before the competition.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”58585″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”58599″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]And let’s not forget our most recent 2020 Nutshell winners. Last year, IGC Fellows Amber Wendler, Sara Teemer Richards, Abby Lewis, and now IGC Alumnus Dr. Bennett Grooms swept the competition in a 4-way tie for first place. Fellows, hang onto your great 90-second talk ideas and look for a registration announcement in January![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”58577″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”58581″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”58580″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”58579″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Center for Communication Science is also asking for anyone (from within or outside of the VT community) who is involved in outreach, community engagement, research communication, or similar area to reach out. Please email center director Patty Raun at praun@vt.edu.

Coordinators of seminar and lecture series are also asked that you consider reserving the seminar slot during that week for a speaker, workshop, or event related to communicating science. Please email Patty Raun with your availability.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator style=”shadow”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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October 26, 2021

The microbiome has emerged as a fundamental component of all life on earth. For example, microbial communities are key in maintaining the health of plant, wildlife, and human hosts as well as mediating major biogeochemical cycles in most ecosystems. Thus, the ability to study microbiomes is an essential tool across many disciplines of not just biology, but also a variety of other fields relevant to global change.

Recognizing the importance of the subject, a collective of Global Change Center (GCC) faculty affiliates began meeting in 2018 to explore research synergies and opportunities to build upon existing strengths across campus.  The group discovered that while the number of labs delving into microbiome-related research was increasing, they were quickly outpacing the availability of relevant student training on campus. As a result, many graduate students interested in microbiome research did not have the background to apply appropriate methods. “Students working with their own ‘big data’ benefit immensely if they know how to leverage computing resources on campus to process and analyze the huge volumes of information from next generation sequencing of microbes” said GCC affiliate David Haak.

In an effort to fill this training gap, members of the GCC Microbiome Working Group combined their research experience to develop a graduate course in the Spring of 2019 titled “Introduction to Microbial Community Analysis”.  Collaboratively taught by GCC affiliates David Haak and Brian Badgley from the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences and Lisa Belden and Frank Aylward from the College of Science, ​the class provided graduate students working in environmental, engineered, and host-associated microbial systems with an understanding of modern tools available for analyzing microbial components of ecosystems and microbial community data.

Students were encouraged to analyze their own data to provide a hands-on educational experience within the context of their own research. Badgley noted, “the most fun aspect of this course is working with students who initially might be intimidated by microbiome research because of their background. As part of that process the students are also learning from the diverse perspectives they each bring from different disciplines and enriching the course beyond what we alone can provide.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”35937″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”35846″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”33270″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”40199″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Demand for this course was evident as enrollment exceeded the initial cap. Students enrolled hailed from five different graduate programs and four different colleges, with IGC Fellows representing approximately 70% of the group. The demand for the course resulted in it being taught again this fall 2021 semester, again with a broad representation of disciplines.

Faculty working groups formed under the GCC have spanned an array of topics to include the microbiome, invasive species, microplastics, environmental justice, ecological restoration, and freshwater salinization.  Groups typically coalesce around a problem or thematic topic of shared interest.  Most groups start by meeting frequently to develop relationships and an understanding of collective expertise.  After identifying shared goals, working groups have moved-on to hold workshops and small conferences, develop manuscripts, submit grant proposals, teach courses, and pursue training grants.

Interested in starting a working group?  Contact William Hopkins hopkinsw@vt.edu

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