Our Newsletter

June 3, 2025. The Center for Communicating Science held the inaugural Undergraduate Nutshell Games on April 25, 2025. Over the course of the spring semester, undergraduate researchers were selected for participation, were provided one-on-one coaching, and then presented their 90-second research talks to a panel of judges and a large audience. Tarun Nandamudi received a squirrel trophy (nicknamed Shelly, of course), while all participants walked away with a $500 stipend to be used for conference travel.

May 16, 2025. In a collaboration with both high school and kindergarten teachers in Radford, Virginia Tech graduate students Esther Oyedele and Padmaja Mandadi piloted a program this spring that allowed high school students to gain firsthand experience in science teaching and kindergarten children to learn about the water cycle.. Oyedele and Mandadi worked with Jamie Little, the public school/Virginia Tech liaison for Radford schools, to create the partnership.

May 15, 2025. How can we strengthen our brains? That’s one of the questions that neuroscience graduate students Karyn Schy, Brie Brown, Jack Browning, Alana Hutchinson, and Alexis Mann addressed at the April 24, 2025, Science on Tap event “Neuroscience Night.” The interactive and engaging night consisted of three rounds of trivia, two brainy tiebreakers, and ultimately one winning team to walk away with the prize!

May 13, 2025. It's not too early for Virginia Tech graduate student and postdoctoral researchers to consider applying for the next round of Civic Engagement Microgrants. In April, Research! America congratulated the two dozen recipients of their 2024 Civic Engagement Microgrants, selected from proposals received last fall.

May 12, 2025. Our STEM kindergarten visits continue to spark curiosity and open little students’ minds, one kindergarten classroom at a time. In the 2024-2025 school year, there have been six in-person visits. Each time, women researchers visited Eastern Elementary/Middle School in Giles County, leading hands-on activities that introduced big ideas in neuroscience, organic chemistry, geoscience, and more.

May 2, 2025. How can we learn more about black bear hibernation? That’s one of the questions Brogan Holcombe addressed at the March 27, 2025, Science on Tap event “Fitbits for Black Bears in Virginia?” Holcombe led the audience through trivia about black bear hibernation, diet, and behavior and accompanied the fun facts with adorable bear videos, too.

April 22, 2025. How can robots better complete rescue missions in cluttered areas? That’s one of the questions Noel Naughton addressed at the February 27, 2025, Science on Tap event “How does an octopus control its arms?” Naughton explained the important potential uses for an octopus-inspired robotic arm and brought prototypes for the audience to try out for themselves.

March 25, 2025. Community members gathered to watch Picture a Scientist and participate in a post-film “reel talk” panel discussion as part of Women’s Month. This award-winning documentary, screened at the Lyric Theatre March 5, explores the gender inequities and pervasive challenges — ranging from overt harassment to subtle biases — that women in science face every day.

March 19, 2025. Maria DeNunzio combined her passion for science communication with her desire to see research drive real-world change when she applied for an American Society for Nutrition (ASN) Science Policy Fellowship last year. She said the program "allowed me to gain diverse perspectives on science policy" and provided opportunities to explore how her interests — such as integrating climate change considerations into nutrition research — align with current federal initiatives.

March 17, 2025. What do wooden skyscrapers, mayflies in space, and the science behind beauty have in common? They were just a few of the fascinating topics presented at this year’s Faculty Nutshell Talks! On March 4, an enthusiastic crowd gathered at the Moss Arts Center for an evening of fast-paced, engaging research presentations ranging from the transport and mathematics of infectious disease to uncovering the secrets of animal movement in a changing world…and much more.