Announcements

July 31 at 5:00 PM | Boeing Auditorium - Virginia Tech Academic Building One, 3625 Potomac Ave., Alexandria, VA 22305 |

Ever wonder how scientists see a pandemic coming—before the rest of us do?

On Thursday, July 31, we found out — together. In the Boeing Auditorium of Virginia Tech’s beautiful Academic Building One in Alexandria, VA, researchers took the stage to share their work in ninety seconds or less. Each talk offered a glimpse into the worlds of pandemic preparedness, prediction, and prevention — and into the hearts and minds of the scientists behind the research.

Hosted by the National Science Foundation’s COMPASS Center and Virginia Tech’s Center for Communicating Science, this fast-paced, family-friendly evening invited our local community to explore how science and society connect through storytelling, creativity, and curiosity. After, guests enjoyed a lively reception and the chance to meet speakers and neighbors alike.

Our 2025 Presenters

We were honored to feature these presenters, whose participation strengthens our shared goal of fostering connection, clarity, and community through science communication:

• Cooking for Picky Viruses: Recipes from the Lab: Hannah Brown, Virginia Tech

• Infectious Words in a Risky World: Julie Gerdes, Virginia Tech

• The Social Life of Proteins: T. M. Murali, Virginia Tech

• Engineering Tissues: Padma Rajagopalan, Virginia Tech

• Liver in a Labshell: Fighting Viruses One Mini-Organ at a Time: Kaushal Shakya, Virginia Tech

• Immunity Unleashed: Preventing Pandemics from Within: Anil Shanker, Meharry Medical College

• The Secret Life of Parasites (via recording): Kelly Speer, Northern Arizona University

• My Monkeys, My Circus: Leslie Thornton-O’Brien, Virginia Tech

• Getting the JUMP on the Next Pandemic: Brian Wasik, Cornell University

• How Do Viruses Feel in the Environment?: Krista Wigginton, University of Michigan

Celebrating Our Winners

In truth, all of our presenters are winners -- for sharing their work so courageously and making their science meaningful to the public. However, the judges were forced to choose. (They were so impressed that they asked to add honorable mentions alongside the main award!)

Winner: Krista Wigginton
Honorable Mentions: T. M. Murali, Leslie Thornton-O’Brien, and Brian Wasik

Special Thanks

A heartfelt thank-you to our Pandemic Science in a Nutshell Games volunteer respondents for lending your time, insight, and enthusiasm:

• Philip Esocoff (District of Columbia) – Mentor of young architects

• Barbara Hoopes (Sterling) – Service dog puppy raiser

• Myiah Smith (Baltimore City) – Narrative architect for justice & joy

• Sarah Smith (Arlington) – Pickleballer and foodie

• Amy Wease (Arlington) – Fashionista and animal lover

• Amy Weinstein (District of Columbia) – Moss gardener and architect

At CCS, we believe you often learn more about a person — sometimes in the most delightful ways — by asking what they’re passionate about.

Gratitude to Our Hosts & Community

We’re deeply grateful to the Alexandria community who joined us, to Alexandria City Council members Canek Aguirre and Abdel-Rahmen Elnoubi for representing the city, to the Virginia Tech Alexandria campus leadership for hosting us in their beautiful new building, and to Barbara Hoopes, Associate Dean for the Graduate School, for leading a building tour.

Together, we witnessed the power of storytelling in science, built new connections between researchers and the public, and celebrated a shared commitment to making science accessible, relevant, and inspiring.

We can’t wait to see you at the next Nutshell Games!

For more news about the Center for Communicating Science, see our newsletter page, our VTX (News and Stories from Virginia Tech) page, and the "Other News and Media" section of our News page.