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Meet the 2026-2027 Scholars

The ninth cohort of the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment Scholars Program is tackling challenges across health, technology, policy and the environment, from AI-supported research focused on rural communities and public sector decision making to improving postpartum depression screening and understanding foodborne illness. The seven Virginia Tech faculty members selected for this year’s cohort received up to $30,000 each to advance their research and position their projects for future external funding. The yearlong program supports social science researchers as they develop projects aimed at securing funding from external agencies.

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Science on Tap: Inside the Mind and Body of a Search-and-Rescue Dog , redirect
Join Science on Tap New River Valley on Oct. 22 at 5:30 p.m. at Rising Silo Brewery in Blacksburg for “What the Nose Knows: Inside the Mind and Body of a Search-and-Rescue Dog.” Virginia Tech animal behavior researcher, veteran search-and-rescue handler, and TRACE Institute for Working Animals founder Sally Dickinson will take attendees inside the world of working dogs, exploring how they use their extraordinary sense of smell and the physical and psychological demands of high-stakes detection work. Attendees will discover how handlers can better support working dogs and even put their own sense of smell to the test through an interactive scent-tracking challenge.
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Closing the Broadband Blind Spot for Rural Communities , redirect
Shaddi Hasan, an assistant professor of computer science, has received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program award to advance his research on reliable internet access in rural and Indigenous communities. Hasan’s broader research on digital equity was previously supported by ISCE through the 2023-24 Preparing Your Research for Extramural Proposals program, where his project focused on improving broadband data collection and integrity. His latest work aims to improve broadband data and give rural and Indigenous communities better tools to advocate for expanded access and investment.
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Apply Now: Whole Health Consortium Seed Grants , redirect
The Whole Health Consortium is accepting letters of intent for its annual seed grant program, supporting interdisciplinary, community-engaged research advancing health and well-being, with rural health and technology for Whole Health identified as this year’s priority areas. The Advancing Partnerships track offers up to $40,000 for multidisciplinary research teams preparing for center- or program project-scale external funding, while the Incubating Emergent Collaborations track offers up to $10,000 for small-scale projects that bring together scholars from at least two different disciplines. Projects must include at least one community or clinical partner, and letters of intent are due Oct. 30 at noon.