Science on Tap: Hokie Science Showcase

What innovative research are Virginia Tech students undertaking? Led by three Interfaces of Global Change Fellows — Sharif Islam, Meredith Snyder, and Katie Mayer — audience members at the November 21, 2024, Science on Tap event “Hokie Science Showcase” learned about six ongoing research projects. Presenters talked about hellbender conservation, mussel responses to contaminants, measuring soil carbon, disease distribution, and invasive species. 

    Biological sciences graduate student Katie Mayer started the conversation off by discussing how scientists break down the complexities of nature into parts: the cell, individual, population, community, and ecosystem are levels that nest like boxes into each other — and she had nesting boxes to demonstrate. Mayer applies these levels to her specialization in freshwater mussels. These animals act like filters, but their population is at risk because of the pollutants in their environment. At the individual level, their behavior may change in the presence of a contaminant, and at the cellular level the expression of their DNA may change. Mayer brought a mussel with her to accompany her talk.

    Up next, Meredith Snyder and Sophia Gomez, also graduate students in the Department of Biological Sciences, ran a quick science experiment to measure carbon in forested and Antarctic desert soils. In the face of climate change, they said, it is important to understand the abilities of soil to store carbon. In fact, soil holds more carbon than the atmosphere and all biomass combined. The two researchers mixed their soil samples with a salty solution, which interacts with soil particles to loosen organic compounds, before running their soil solution through a filter to separate the organic compounds and the soil. The results? Forested soil has 300 to 500 micrograms of carbon per gram of soil, while Antarctic soil has just 18 to 30 micrograms of carbon per gram. Snyder and Gomez use this process to learn about the carbon storage abilities of the soils they study.

    Third, Sharif Islam, a graduate student in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, brought out a chart to help the audience track habitat fragmentation and disease ecology. Islam spoke about how his research subjects, vampire bats, drink blood so that they have lots of energy to fly and find food in the surrounding area. However, with humans expanding their footprint through infrastructure and livestock, these bats and livestock are transmitting diseases that can cause death in animals or human beings. Islam asked audience members to choose pictures depicting different risk activities of disease transmission and explained how some areas have a higher risk. Overall, he said, areas with native wildlife have less risk, while those with a greater livestock and mining presence have greater risk.

    Fish and wildlife conservation graduate student Zia Crytser detailed a striking depiction of invasive species biology through the lens of her own experience on Guam. After the brown tree snake was introduced to Guam after World War II, the new species caused a near extinction of all birds on the island. Organisms that are introduced intentionally or accidentally into an ecosystem where they don't naturally belong can spread rapidly and cause havoc. Crytser played a short game with the audience to simulate the emergence of an invasive species. Using red and white poker chips to represent native and non-native species, she asked audience members to roll a die to determine if a new native species is born into a habitat or if an invasive species enters — and takes a native one with it. In concluding her talk, Crytser emphasized that the fight against invasive species is not just about biodiversity, but about recognizing that each part of the web of life plays an important role.

    Grace O’Malley, a graduate student in biological sciences, seamlessly followed Crytser with an explanation of her research on how invasive plants change the soundscape of ecosystems. An ecosystem with invasive spotted knapweed, for example, might sound quieter than one full of diverse, native plants that attract a wide variety of pollinators. O’Malley studies the soundscape that the autumn olive (a name that garnered boos from the audience) produces. A shrub that acts as a new habitat structure and food source, autumn olive could make ecosystems louder because of the new animals and insects attracted to it. For the past year, O’Malley has been recording sites that the autumn olive has and has not invaded to track changes throughout the seasons. Stay tuned for the results!

    Finally, Holly Funkhouser, a recent graduate-turned-research technician for the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, rounded out the evening by talking about her work with hellbenders, a species of fully aquatic salamanders that breathe through their skin, which makes them very sensitive to changes in water quality. The males of the species stay with the nest for eight months after eggs are laid. The populations of this species are in decline associated with poor water quality and high rates of nest failure. To study the animals, the research team created artificial shelters from concrete, similar to a bird box but for underwater critters. The detachable lids on the shelters allow researchers to observe the animals without disturbing the nests, and the nest boxes are heavy enough to not get washed away in most conditions. Unfortunately, Hurricane Helene saw 85 of the research team’s 300 shelters lost, many with nests and active eggs inside. The hellbender researchers have started a rear and release program for the beleaguered species, and they hope this will help these populations thrive. Funkhouser brought larvae for the audience to view after her talk.

    Thank you to Katie Mayer, Meredith Snyder, Sophia Gomez, Sharif Islam, Zia Crytser, Grace O’Malley, and Holly Funkhouser for sharing their research and to Rising Silo Brewery for hosting! Science on Tap is a monthly event sponsored and supported by the Center for Communicating Science and by Virginia Tech's chapter of Sigma Xi. Come out to our next event on January 23, 2025, at Rising Silo to meet a researcher and learn about science!

By Bria Weisz, Center for Communicating Science graduate assistant