In April, six Virginia Tech graduate students and postdoctoral researchers packed up their 90-second research talks and traveled to Abingdon, Virginia, for the inaugural Nutshell Games on the Road. The event invited local eighth grade students and their families to experience research through storytelling, creativity, and conversation. It was hosted as part of VT-MiX, a mentoring program led by Virginia Tech's College Access Collaborative and Virginia Tech's Center for Rural Education.

One of the participants Binita Saha stands in front of a room presenting a balloon with a face on it and a spiral coming out of the bottom and pipe cleaner hairs on the top of the balloon .
Binita Saha introduces “Sally the Salmonella,” a rotating model that helped demonstrate how researchers are using bacteria to help fight cancer. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

    Using techniques from the Center for Communicating Science, the presenters transformed complex research into engaging stories. Scuba gear, fossils, and a hand mirror helped make topics like geology and hiring bias accessible to audiences of all ages.

A participant named Prescott Vadya presents in front of room while wearing a scuba mask and a swimsuit.
Prescott Vadya “dives” into his research, surprising students by delivering his talk in full scuba gear. Vadya explained how rocks once found at the bottom of oceans can reveal clues about Earth’s history. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

    The lineup:

  • Priscilla Atim – Catching Sneaky Survivors in a Fungal Drug Escape

  • Gabriel Briggs – Byte Sized: Exploring New Flavors with AI

  • Beyza Nur Guler – Who Swiped Left on My Job Application?

  • Amy Hagen – When Friendships Go Cold: What Happens to Coral Reefs in Cold Climates?

  • Binita Saha – What If Bacteria Helped Fight Cancer?

  • Prescott Vayda – Unearthing the Secrets to Time Travel

The participant Beyza Nur Guler stands presenting to a room while wearing a light gray cardigan, a light pink button up shirt, black pants and a dark blue head scarf and her purple glasses. She is presenting a hand mirror.
Beyza Nur Guler uses a hand mirror to illustrate how AI-driven hiring systems can overlook the strengths and potential of neurodivergent job seekers. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

    After the talks, students asked questions and requested photos with the researchers.

    One fifth-grade student was especially captivated by graduate researcher Priscilla Atim's explanation of fungal drug resistance. Atim compared treating a fungal infection to removing an invasive plant from a forest: While the visible growth may disappear, hidden roots remain underground, ready to grow again.

Afterward, the student exclaimed, "I could really envision the forest! I'll be thinking about that for a long time!" When asked whether he could see himself becoming a researcher one day, his response was: "Absolutely!"

    His older sister, a rising ninth grader with an interest in art, appreciated the creative ways the researchers communicated their work. Through storytelling, improvisation, and theatrical props, she saw that science communication could be as imaginative as the research itself.

A woman named Priscilla Atim presents a poster that is half blank and half covered with purple dots. She has a black dress and black hair.
Priscilla Atim uses a visual aid to help the audience understand the challenge researchers face when fighting “sneaky” drug-resistant fungal infections. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

    Students were equally fascinated to learn about the presenters' own experiences. Geosciences researcher Prescott Vayda shared that his work has taken him to the mountains of western Canada and the deserts of Mongolia — travel opportunities made possible through his doctoral program. Others were surprised to discover that many Ph.D. students receive assistantships that cover tuition and living costs while they conduct their research.

Another participant standing in the front of the room named Amy Hagen stands speaking to the room and holding a piece of coral. She has long dirty blonde hair, a long sleeve gray shirt and a colorful floral pink and orange pair of shorts.
Amy Hagen uses a fossil to help the audience visualize how coral reefs and our ocean ecosystems have changed over time in response to climate change. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

    For Karen Sanders of Virginia Tech's College Access Collaborative, those conversations are exactly why programs like VT-MiX matter.

    “It makes the opportunity to go to college, or to pursue other pathways after high school, feel very real for them. We want students to see what is possible and accessible as they begin thinking about their futures," Sanders said.

    Sanders felt the visit from the Virginia Tech graduate students and postdoctoral researchers helped students see that it is possible to turn passion into a career, whether through research or another path that inspires them.

    Amy Azano, director of the Virginia Tech Center for Rural Education, agreed.

    "Programs like VT-MiX are so important because they give rural students and their families an opportunity to think ahead, explore all the possible paths available, and receive support and understanding as they navigate their options," she said.

A man named Gabriel Briggs stands at the front of a room holding a microphone and presenting to the room. He is bald but has ginger facial hair. He is wearing his glasses, a short sleeve blue shirt, khakis and a black belt.
Gabriel Briggs uses storytelling to help the audience explore how artificial intelligence can generate new “flavors” of possibility for food design and nutrition. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

    The experience was equally meaningful for the presenters. Travelling away from Blacksburg and meeting students and families in their own community prompted the group to reflect on their own education journeys, the barriers, and the people who encouraged them along the way. Several shared that inspiring even one student to become curious about science — or to envision college or a future in research — was as rewarding as presenting to hundreds of fellow scientists at a conference.

Binita Saha presents the balloon with a face on it and its pipe cleaner hair and the spiral coming out of the bottom in the front of the room in front of a giant screen. She is wearing a black shirt, black pants, and shoes and a bright orange blazer and she has long black hair. You can see various people sitting at circle tables watching her present.
Students, families, and researchers gather to celebrate the closing of this year’s VT-MiX with an evening of food, connection, and 90-second science stories. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

    Presenters demonstrated that science communication can extend beyond explaining research. By meeting students where they are, sharing personal stories, and making science approachable, young people in attendance saw expanding possibilities for their futures — one 90-second talk at a time.

    A huge thank you to our presenters and our hosts at the Center for Rural Education and the College Access Collaborative for this awesome program and for helping bring science communication into communities across Virginia.

By Erin Smith, project coordinator, Center for Communicating Science