Our Newsletter

Nov. 11, 2025. The Nutshell Games once again filled the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech with energy, laughter, and applause as 29 Virginia Tech graduate students, representing disciplines across campus, took the stage to share their research in just 90 seconds each.

Nov. 10, 2025. Have you ever wondered how something as devastating as cancer could grow from the same evolutionary forces that shape every living thing? It is a question that blends science with something deeply human, and it drives the research Palash Sashittal shared at October’s Science on Tap.

Nov. 4, 2025. This was not your average summer theatre camp. There was no playwright, no script, and no director. And yet, in less than a month, 16 teens and young adults hailing from Harrisonburg and the Shenandoah Valley performed an entirely original piece using their own stories and experiences as inspiration.

Oct. 10, 2025. How can we demonstrate an understanding of how the brain works? That’s one of the questions that neuroscience graduate student Ainul Huda addressed at the September 25, 2025, Science on Tap event “Shining a Light on the Brain: Guiding Animal Behavior Using Light.” During the interactive event, Huda demonstrated how neuroscientists are learning to manipulate fruit fly behavior with light.

October 3, 2025. How can institutions better support public engagement with science, and why are we still struggling with this question? Despite decades of discussion, institutions still struggle to move beyond statements of intent into structures that fully support collaboration with communities, said Susan D. Renoe at a National Academies webinar on August 28, 2025, Building Institutional Capacity for Public Engagement with Science.

October 3, 2025. The Center for Communicating Science offers both graduate and undergraduate students unique opportunities to strengthen their communication skills through innovative, engaging courses. These courses emphasize storytelling, audience engagement, and collaboration — skills that are essential across disciplines and professional contexts. Interested students should make use of the course request period (October 21-November 4) to request enrollment for spring semester.

September 24, 2025. Packed with wild ideas like “poop to the rescue,” “rubber that fixes itself,” and “listening to the coldest whisper in the universe," the 2025 Nutshell Games will be just as fun for the audience as it is for the speakers. You’re invited to experience the excitement on Thursday, October 23, at 5:30 p.m. at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech! Free and open to the public.

September 20, 2025. Who is responsible for making sure our water is safe? That’s one of the questions that assistant professor of environmental epidemiology Alasdair Cohen addressed at the August 24, 2025, Science on Tap event “Safe Drinking Water Access in Rural Regions: Progress and Pitfalls.” Cohen paired an engaging lecture about the whos and whats of public water safety with a trivia worksheet to challenge audience members.

Sept. 10, 2025. Attention all Virginia Tech STEM early career researchers! Are you interested in applying for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science? This AAAS award is a national award for early career researchers looking to make a difference in the science communication community. Why apply? You could earn up to $5,000, get national recognition, and be honored at the AAAS annual meeting.