Category: Outreach

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Announcements Blog GSO IGC Interfaces of Global Change IGEP Outreach

The Global Change Center and Multicultural Academic Opportunities Program collaborate to support diversity

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November 2, 2021

The wicked socio-environmental challenges of our time such as climate change, water pollution and scarcity, and emerging infectious diseases disproportionately affect marginalized communities around the globe.  These environmental injustices will only escalate in years to come without innovation and purposeful intervention.  Recognizing this urgency, the Global Change Center (GCC) and Virginia Tech Multicultural Academic Opportunities Program (MAOP) started a new collaboration last year to provide interdisciplinary training to a diverse community of aspiring undergraduate scholars.

In its first year, the Global Change Scholars Program provided financial assistance to two undergraduate students who demonstrated a commitment to academics, research, and community stewardship. Undergraduate scholars supported by the program conduct research with GCC faculty affiliates and receive a renewable award of up to $1,500. 

As part of the program, Global Change Scholars join the greater MAOP community, attend seminars and workshops designed to help students develop leadership skills, expand their appreciation for multiculturalism, and to achieve their academic goals. “This is an important partnership between MAOP and the Global Change Center because students are integrated into a community of like-minded scholars and are receiving support from both MAOP and the GCC,” said Taylor Swan, Assistant Director of MAOP. Swan adds, “we are lucky to have these students as a part of MAOP because they bring a unique perspective on research.” 

“MAOP has been doing impactful work on the Virginia Tech campus for years, and we are thrilled to engage in this new partnership with them,” says William Hopkins, Director of the GCC.  “By removing financial barriers that sometimes stand in the way, we are enabling students to explore the excitement of discovery and possible careers in research”.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”58571″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Applications for 2022-2023 Scholars will open in Spring 2022. For additional information about the MAOP Undergraduate Scholars program, please visit the GCS Program website.[/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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Announcements Blog GSO IGC Interfaces of Global Change IGEP Outreach

Call for Global Change Center photos!

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September 7, 2021

As we settle into the new Global Change Center office space in Steger Hall, we are creating a display of large photographs to visually and artistically represent who we are as a Center.  We would love to incorporate images from affiliated faculty and Fellows that highlight the diversity, beauty, and scope of the GCC – and we need your help!  

If you have photos you would like to have considered for this display, please upload a high resolution image file to this Google Drive Folder and include the photographer’s name, GCC/IGC affiliate’s name, and subject of the photos in the description of the file (or email that information to Lara at hopkinsl@vt.edu). 

Images submitted by Friday, September 17 will be considered for the GCC office display.  We also aim to build a library of images to use on the GCC website, in newsletters, flyers, etc… so feel free to upload multiple images to assist us in building that library.  Thank you!

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Help us decorate your GCC space!

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Announcements Blog GSO IGC Interfaces of Global Change IGEP Outreach

IGC Fellows gear up and clean up the New River

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September 7, 2021

While many members of the Virginia Tech community stayed in to recover from the first week of classes, a small group of the Global Change Center’s Interfaces in Global Change (IGC) Fellows were working hard to clean the New River on Saturday, August 28th. Organized by Outreach Chair Melissa Burt of  the IGC’s Graduate Student Organization, Fellows joined hundreds of other community members who took to various sections of the river as part of the New River Valley Regional Commission’s ReNew The New annual Fall event.

Thank you to Sam Silknetter, Jennifer Brousseau, Becca O’Brien, Caleb O’Brien, and all other members of the GCC community who work to keep our local waterways clean!

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All photos courtesy of Sam Silknetter, Jennifer Brousseau, Becca O’Brien, and Caleb O’Brien. 

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Advocacy Blog Educational Outreach Environmental Justice Global Change IGC Interfaces of Global Change IGEP Outreach Research Student Spotlight

IGC Fellows engage in science policy action through the Virginia-Science Community Interface coalition

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August 3, 2021

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As conservationist Rachel Carson once said, “The human race is challenged more than ever before to demonstrate our mastery, not over nature, but of ourselves.”  This sentiment is even more important today in a world that is facing a climate crisis. Through the interdisciplinary graduate education program of the Global Change Center (GCC), Interfaces of Global Change (IGC) Fellows are trained to uphold the GCC mission: to advance interdisciplinary scholarship and education to address critical global changes impacting the environment and society. The program empowers students with tools to be successful in collaborative research and to engage the wider community as part of the solution to global environmental challenges. One way in which Fellows have fulfilled this mission is through the creation and development of the Virginia-Science Community Interface coalition.

Started in 2019, The Virginia Scientist-Community Interface (V-SCI) is a coalition of scientists and engineers who are dedicated to getting science into the hands of community members. The inception of V-SCI was based on the fact that, while community-driven advocacy and activism can often be backed up by science, this expertise is not always available for local issues. Thus their mission is to provide scientific expertise for community-driven activism and advocacy in Virginia and the region as an independent and volunteer-led organization. The work often involves cross-checking industry and government documents with scientific literature across multiple disciplines.

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We work at the interface between scientists and nonprofit, grassroots, and community leaders to provide expertise for local and regional advocacy issues.

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A number of IGC Fellows have co-authored reports, led projects, and given presentations as part of the coalition, including Isaac VanDiest, Daniel Smith, Joshua Rady, Kerry Gendreau, Alaina Weinheimer, and Tyler Weiglein. Together, they aim to empower communities to advocate for themselves. Reflecting on his experience with V-SCI, Isaac says, “My graduate program has taught me about global change in the classroom, and V-SCI has given me the opportunity to put skills to work in a real-world setting.” An added benefit to the coalition is that students from different universities across the Southeast are able to interact and address a diverse set of local and national issues. As Daniel says, “V-SCI has allowed me to broaden my knowledge of science and policy, and to immediately apply that knowledge to solve a problem. The consistency of the group meetings has helped me gain confidence in work outside of my direct area of research.”

Fellows recently shared their work through a presentation titled, “V-SCI: Connecting Science with Local Environmental Advocacy,” at the 6th Annual IGC Research Symposium this past spring. Additionally, Isaac, Daniel, Joshua, and Kerry are working to designate V-SCI as an official IGC IGEP capstone project and encourage other Fellows to join.

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The coalition has created multiple reports addressing local environmental efforts in the community such as the Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC’s (MVP) proposal, the Eviction Crisis for Seniors in Virginia during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Impact of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline on at-risk-species. Current projects that are actively recruiting volunteers include addressing industrial pollution in southwest Virginia, exploratory healthcare advocacy work, and protecting the candy darter. 

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Advancing their mission will require continued efforts from objective scientists who are interested in community advocacy. With over 100 graduate student members from 7 institutions in their growing network, V-SCI provides ample networking, leadership, and research opportunities. Currently, V-SCI is looking to recruit more members for ongoing projects this summer. The coalition welcomes individuals at all levels and from all backgrounds, both personally and professionally. No disciplinary knowledge related to the projects is expected and they are happy to provide mentorship.

The coalition also continually seeks feedback and reviews from senior scientists who support their mission. If you are interested in learning more about their work and how to get involved, V-SCI leaders hold open office hours every Friday at 1pm EST (zoom link here).

For more information, view the V-SCI Student Group Flyer, or contact info@viginiasci.org.  

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Accolades Blog Interfaces of Global Change IGEP Outreach Science Communication Student Spotlight Video

IGC fellows win big in the 2020 Virtual Nutshell Games

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November 9, 2020

The 5th annual Nutshell Games took place over a new virtual format this past Saturday, November 7th. Bravo! to all graduate student presenters! Five prizes were awarded this year, four of which recognized IGC fellows: Amber Wendler, Abby Lewis, Bennett Grooms, and Sara Teemer Richards. Congratulations and way to impress, IGC!!

Read more and see the full list of presenters and awardees at: https://communicatingscience.isce.vt.edu/Announcements.html

Check out the IGC fellows’ videos! 

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Blog Drinking water Environmental Justice Faculty Spotlight Global Change Outreach Pollution Water

VT researcher working to provide clean water to Appalachia

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From CALS VT News  |  June 20, 2020

More than 2 million Americans live without access to safe drinking water or adequate sewer sanitation, according to a 2019 study by the U.S. Water Alliance. That includes around a quarter-million people in Puerto Rico and half a million homeless people in the United States. The biggest chunk, though — around 1.4 million people — are United States residents who live in homes that don’t have proper plumbing or tap water.

They are clustered in five areas: California’s Central Valley; predominantly Native American communities near the four corners of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico; the Texas-Mexico border; the Mississippi Delta region in Mississippi and Alabama; and central Appalachia. Virginia alone has around 20,000 homes without plumbing.

Leigh-Anne Krometis, an associate professor of biological systems engineering which is in both the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, is one of the foremost experts on water quality and availability in Appalachia. And while the basics of her work seem, well, basic — “I just spent a decade proving that not having sewers is a bad thing, which we’ve known for literally thousands of years,” she said — the implications are more complex.

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Often, the best minds in American civil and environmental engineering are looking abroad, at how to bring clean water to remote villages and slums in developing countries. The crisis over lead in the tap water in Flint, Michigan, was a reminder that all over the United States, people lack access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.

In the past three years, Krometis has authored a series of studies of water quality and availability in the Appalachian region. In 2017, she published “Tracking the Downstream Impacts of Inadequate Sanitation in Central Appalachia” in the “Journal of Water and Health.”

That article looked at what happens to streams when homes near them don’t have proper plumbing. Usually, that means a “straight pipe” that carries untreated sewage into an unlined hole in the ground, which drains either directly or indirectly into a stream. Krometis and her team found E. coli bacteria consistent with untreated human waste in those streams, in spots that were correlated with their proximity to homes without proper sewage systems. Sometimes the contamination carried as far as six miles downstream.

 

Image of Leigh-Anne Krometis

Krometis’ newest article on the subject, “Water Scavenging from Roadside Springs in Appalachia,” published in May 2019 in the “Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education,” connects her earlier research on wastewater to the issue of drinking water. Some untold number of people in Appalachia drink untreated water from springs or streams — often the same streams that are close to straight sewage pipes. Krometis and her team tested the water at 21 springs used for drinking water, and more than 80 percent of them tested positive for E. coli.

Krometis also surveyed people who drink untreated spring water, and found that most of them do have running water in their homes, often from wells. They said they preferred the spring water because it tastes better than their tap water, or because they don’t trust the quality and reliability of the water in their homes.

Fixing these two interrelated problems, of wastewater and drinking water, isn’t easy. The homes that use straight pipes and roadsides springs tend to be far away from the nearest municipal sewer and water systems, and often separated by mountains and ravines. It could cost $50,000 or more to hook one of these homes up to a sewer system, even if there is one nearby, Krometis said. Septic tanks are usually unsuitable because the soil isn’t deep enough.

“These are legitimately challenging engineering problems, and they require a lot of money, and these places don’t have a lot of money,” she said. “We haven’t figured out ways to get water and sewer to extremely rural areas, and there are also huge issues with the homeless and the working poor in urban areas.”

There are cheaper and easier solutions, of the type used in developing countries. Public water kiosks for drinking water are one, and are already in use in some parts of Kentucky and West Virginia; small water or sewer treatment devices installed for each home or cluster of homes are another option. Krometis supports these tactics, though she sees the political and cultural obstacles to using them in the United States.

“The technologies that are best practices in Africa or Southeast Asia, we don’t use in the United States. They’re unacceptable because we’re a developed country,” she said. “But in my mind, if you have somebody who’s impoverished and doesn’t have access to clean water, that’s a problem that we need to address.”

People are hesitant to give residents of Appalachian mountain hollows or California’s dry and dusty farm town water and sewer systems that aren’t up to the standards of their fellow Americans in cities and suburbs. Krometis understands that hesitation, but she also understands that many of those poor Americans are going without any access to reliable, clean water.

“I see both sides of the coin,” she said. “The problem is, we’re not even having that debate.”

 

Written by Tony Biasotti

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Climate Change Outreach Science Communication Seminars, Workshops, Lectures Special Events

For Earth Week, GCC faculty take part in digital “teach in”

Weather forecast background, climate change concept, collage of sky image with variety weather conditions and planet Earth. Elements of this image furnished by NASA

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]April 24, 2020

Virginia Tech for Climate Justice, a student-led organization with faculty supporters, had plans for an engaging week of activities for Earth Week, but due to concerns over the novel coronavirus, they shifted their focus to many digital events!

A Climate Justice Teach-In (originally scheduled for March 18th) transformed into a variety of educational videos created by experts to explain the science behind climate issues how they affect humans. GCC affiliate Carl Zipper presented a talk on the “Human Influence on Climate Change.” Luis Escobar‘s presentation was on “Climate Change and Health.”

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Blog Conservation Interfaces of Global Change IGEP Newsletter Outreach Pollution Special Events Water

IGC Fellows take on ReNew the New: Giles County Edition

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August 30, 2019

By Lauren Wind

Early on the morning of August 28th, twenty IGC fellows and friends met in the dense fog at the Eggleston Community Park to take part in an epic “Fall into the New” New River cleanup endeavor. ReNew the New, a group comprised of multiple local NGOs, outfitters, local government officials, and concerned citizens, focuses on the stewardship of 37 miles of the New River that run through Giles County, VA. They sponsor two major river cleanup events each year. his event also included cleanup of New River miles winding throughout the valley in Montgomery Co, Pulaski Co, Floyd Co, and Radford.

In an effort to keep the New River clean and pristine, we were charged with pairing up in canoes or solo trips in kayaks to retrieve as much trash as we could fit in our vessels along a four mile stretch in Giles Co. Before we embarked on our journey, ReNew the New founder Ann Geotte spoke words of wisdom to us: “Do not be upset if you don’t get a tire… this isn’t an Easter egg hunt!” From that moment on, the challenge was upon us IGC Fellows to collect the most tires. And we did not disappoint!

In total we collected 18 tires, one sleeping bag and pillow set, four cans of unopened beers, dozens of empty cans, a table, and countless other items. Shout out to Stephen Plont, who deemed himself the winner by finding… a Porta-Potty within the first half-mile stretch of the river. It was all hands-on deck to pull most of these items out of the water, and some of us had to leave our safe and dry vessels to retrieve sunken tires and trash. Our efforts were rewarded with internal bragging rights to each other on what we found, soaking up sunny rays on the river, and a lunch and t-shirt following the event.

Please visit ReNew the New’s Volunteer page to learn more about future volunteer events; and to view the statistics on how much trash collectively was retrieved throughout “Fall into the New” event this fall.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Biodiversity Educational Outreach GSO Interfaces of Global Change IGEP Outreach Science Communication

Backyard Biodiversity Bonanza: An IGC outreach event

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Saturday, June 1, 2019:

Interfaces of Global Change graduate students hosted a science outreach day at 2351 Glade Road in Blacksburg, VA. The afternoon exhibition titled “Backyard Biodiversity Bonanza” focused on sharing information with the public for promoting biodiversity conservation for birds, bees and native plants in backyard habitats.

IGC Fellow, Ben Vernasco, spearheaded the planning for the outreach event. He shared information about bird houses, the types of boxes that can be built (wood duck, bluebird/chickadee/tree swallow, owl boxes) and examples of building plans. Bird coloring sheets for kids were available as handouts, in addition to information about common yard birds and tips to promote nesting. IGC Fellow, Jessica Hernandez, was also on-site to talk about her research with tree swallows, with nest boxes on display!

IGC Fellow and IGC GSO Outreach Committee Chair, Vasiliy Lakoba, led a table featuring native plants beneficial to wildlife and pollinators. This included a hands-on comparison display of commonly planted non-natives along with great native plant alternatives for landscaping around the home and town. Free sunflower seedlings were also available for participants to take home!

Chris McCullough, a graduate student in VT’s School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, provided information about pollinator conservation. A bee collection display allowed participants to see different types of bees up close, and there was also a bee house to check out.

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Climate Change Educational Outreach News Outreach Science Communication Special Events Water

Coastal@VT researchers lead Kids’ Tech University session about sea level rise

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From VT News

May 1, 2019
 

Coastal@VT co-leader Anamaria Bukvic and Coastal@VT faculty member Sarah Karpanty led a Kids’ Tech University session about the impacts of sea level rise on March 30 at Virginia Tech.

The Kids’ Tech University program is different from other kids’ programs because it puts real researchers in front of children to give exciting interactive sessions based on those famous “why” questions that have always intrigued children.

Bukvic and Karpanty were part of the Kids’ Tech University 10-year anniversary program.

Co-founded by former faculty member Reinhard Laubenbaucher and Kristy Collins in 2009 at the Biocomplexity Institute, the program is run much like European science education programs with hands-on components and lectures from scientists. Originally designed to be a small outreach program, Kids’ Tech University has grown to hosting 450 kids per session and has expanded to two states and multiple universities and science museums. Kids’ Tech University is now supported by the Fralin Life Sciences Institute after the recent transfer of assets from the Biocomplexity Institute.

Experiential learning is at the core of the Kids’ Tech University program. By hearing experts in the field and doing activities that foster deep learning, students are well-prepared to continue in STEM education and eventually into STEM careers.

“We’ve built a program that has proven success. I would like to see more Virginia Tech faculty take advantage of the program and include it in their grants to expand their outreach agenda,” said Collins, director of Kids’ Tech University.

Experts Bukvic and Karpanty led a talk titled “The sea is rising! How do we know, why does it matter, and what can we do?” They began the session by talking about their educational backgrounds and why they became scientists.

“I remember growing up near a small neighborhood library and reading every book that was available. I was fascinated by questions about natural sciences and how people interact with the environment,” said Bukvic, an affiliated faculty member of the Global Change Center, an arm of the Fralin Life Sciences Institute.

Bukvic is an assistant professor in the Department of Geography in the College of Natural Resources and Environment and co-leader of the Coastal@VT initiative at Virginia Tech. She has a multidisciplinary education that drives her dedication to study complex issues with a focus on interdisciplinary integration and holistic problem-solving. Bukvic’s research focuses on coastal adaptation, resilience, and vulnerability, as well as on hazard-induced population displacement and relocation.

Karpanty remembers growing up fishing and camping with her family. “Spending time outside studying nature and animals is what made me happy. I initially began to ask questions about why birds migrate, which ultimately led to my career in conservation,” she said.

Karpanty is an associate professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation also in the College of Natural Resources and Environment at Virginia Tech and an affiliated faculty member of Coastal@VT. Karpanty studies how changing climate impacts wildlife and the recovery of imperiled species, ranging from lemurs in the rainforests of Madagascar to shorebirds on the U.S. Atlantic Coast. She is interested in how human communities can make choices in the face of climate change that both help people and wildlife.

“To be a scientist, you need to ask questions, make observations, follow where your interests are, and use a set of tools to solve problems,” said Karpanty.

At the Kids’ Tech University event, Bukvic and Karpanty introduced the problem of sea level rise and climate change. They explained the difference between weather and climate: weather is the day-to-day state of the atmosphere but climate is the long-term trend in weather.

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The researchers asked the kids to think about how sea level rise will impact individuals and communities. Sea level rise combined with storms will cause significant challenges for people living on the coast as well as for the coastal built environment, infrastructure, and fish and wildlife.

Bukvic and Karpanty concluded with a discussion on possible solutions to combat sea level rise. “There are ways in which we can adapt and help Mother Nature; we can plant marshes that can absorb and buffer the water from communities. Oyster castles are cement structures that can be added along the shoreline that will be colonized by oysters, and they can buffer the mainland against the rising seas and storms,” said Karpanty.

For some communities, it may be necessary to move to higher and safer ground. Changes can also be made to infrastructure to elevate houses and add flood vents.

“In Europe, communities are designing their open spaces to absorb more water, and there are also these great futuristic ideas like designing floating cities,” said Bukvic.

Bukvic and her son then presented a demonstration showing students how to put together an emergency preparedness kit for hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters, and Karpanty and Bukvic concluded with a question and answer session.

Activities in the afternoon consisted of hands-on STEM activities to reinforce what the kids had learned from Bukvic and Karpanty’s interactive discussion.

Coastal@VT is composed of 36 junior and senior faculty participants from eight different colleges and various scientific disciplines at Virginia Tech led by Robert Weiss, an associate professor of geosciences, and Anamaria Bukvic. Coastal@VT’s mission is to foster coastal resilience and prosperity through transdisciplinary education and engagement. Coastal@VT is one of the concept areas of the Global Systems Science Destination Area that is focused on understanding and finding solutions to critical problems associated with human activity and environmental change that, together, affects disease states, water quality, and food production.

Coastal@VT faculty not only conduct collaborative and interdisciplinary research, but also place an emphasis on inclusiveness and diversity by engaging graduate and undergraduate students in research activities. They are also active in numerous outreach and service initiatives like the session with Kids’ Tech University.

Registration for the 2020 Kids’ Tech University program will open in October 2019.

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CONTACT:
Kristin Rose
(540) 231-6614

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