News and Announcements

The Office of Research and Innovation (ORI) is closely monitoring recent executive orders and guidance that may impact federal priorities, awarded projects, and future funding opportunities. While the full implications of these directives are still being assessed, Virginia Tech is committed to complying with all applicable laws and executive orders. In coordination with university leadership, ORI will continue to provide updates and actionable guidance as new information becomes available. Click here to access.

Join the Whole Health Consortium on May 19 at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center for an interactive symposium on addressing rural health disparities through Whole Health principles. This event will bring together researchers, healthcare professionals, community leaders, educators, and industry partners to explore innovative, research-driven solutions and community-based strategies. Click here to learn more.

The Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment issues a News Flash every two weeks highlighting funding opportunities for transdisciplinary social science research to address human and societal concerns that impact people and places. Check out our latest and past issues.

Join the Center for Rural Education at Virginia Tech for a free evening celebrating rural culture through film on Wednesday, April 16, at The Lyric Theatre in downtown Blacksburg. Doors open at 7 p.m., and all attendees will receive one complimentary concession. Click here for more information.

The relationship between science and policy is evolving, making this an important time to explore new approaches to engagement. Hosted by the Science, Technology, & Engineering in Policy program, this workshop on Thursday, April 3, will provide an opportunity to discuss how shifts in the federal landscape impact the role of research in policymaking. Through guided discussions, participants will examine challenges and identify strategies for maintaining scholarly impact. Click here to register.

The Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment is now on LinkedIn! Follow us to stay updated on our latest funding opportunities, events, researcher highlights, and much more. Click here to explore our page!

Join the Center for Communicating Science for the Faculty Nutshell Talks on Tuesday, March 4, at 5:30 p.m. in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre at the Moss Arts Center. Virginia Tech faculty will take on the challenge of explaining their research in just 90 seconds. This free public event features more than a dozen faculty members presenting to an engaged audience and a panel of judges, including a seventh grader. Click here to learn more!

The Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment, in partnership with Virginia Tech Foundation Relations, hosted a webinar titled "A Conversation with Foundation Funders: Tips for Success" on Monday, January 27th at 2:30 p.m. Program officers from the WT Grant Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation, and John Templeton Foundation discussed their organizations' missions, priorities, and tips for successful engagement. A moderated panel discussion was followed by an audience Q&A.

Join the +Policy Network and panelists in 209 Norris Hall on February 20 at 12:00 PM to discuss intersections of health and environmental policy. How and in what ways do health considerations affect environmental policies at the local, state, and federal levels? How can we move forward? A light lunch will be provided, and a Zoom option is available upon request. Contact Isabel Bradburn (isbrad@vt.edu) for questions. Click here for details.

The Global Change Center, in collaboration with ISCE and the Fralin Life Sciences Institute at Virginia Tech, is seeking projects that link multiple faculty programs and take advantage of unique combinations of expertise at VT, have societal implications and/or a policy component, and deal with emerging global change issues that have regional and global significance. Applications are due March 1, 2025.

ISCE is now accepting applications for its 2025-2026 Scholars Program. This program aims to support faculty in developing grant proposals in the social sciences, broadly defined, aligning with ISCE’s four thematic areas and the University’s Research Frontiers. Click here to learn more.

The Center for Rural Education, supported by ISCE, was recently featured on the "What it Takes" podcast by Blue Ridge PBS. Director Amy Azano and Community Engagement Specialist Deirdre Hand discussed how education is often treated as a "one-size-fits-all" approach, even though research shows that methods successful in one setting may need to be adjusted for others. They highlighted that learning becomes more meaningful when it connects to the local community and students' sense of place. Click here to watch!

Austin Gray, assistant professor of biological sciences and current ISCE PREP Scholar, was recently recognized for his work with a research team that published a paper revealing the presence of microplastic particles in the exhaled air of wild bottlenose dolphins. Gray noted that finding inhaled microplastics in dolphins adds urgency to understanding the extent to which humans may also be inhaling these particles. Click here to read the full story.

The recording is now available for ISCE's October 25th webinar featuring Elizabeth Barr, Associate Director for Interdisciplinary Research at the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health. Dr. Barr discussed upcoming priorities and funding opportunities, following President Biden’s recent Executive Order on Advancing Women’s Health Research. Click here to access.

Jay A. Mancini, professor emeritus, former head of Virginia Tech's Department of Human Development and Family Science, and ISCE Senior Research Fellow, passed away on Oct. 10th at the age of 75. From 2007 to 2009, Mancini served on the ISCE leadership team, fostering international collaborations between ISCE-affiliated faculty and colleagues in Canada and Europe. Click here to read more about Mancini's legacy at Virginia Tech and beyond.

A team of Virginia Tech researchers at the Institute for Policy and Governance is examining the reimagining of a historic former Black elementary and middle school in Pulaski. They are investigating how the renovation of the former Calfee Training School on Magnox Drive can support the community’s future while honoring its past. Work is currently underway on the new Calfee Cultural and Community Center, which will include a children’s learning center, event space, community kitchen, museum, and more. Click here to read the full story.

Virginia Tech's Center for Refugee, Migrant, and Displacement Studies, an ISCE-associated center, partnered with three others to create Elimisha Kakuma, a gap year program for high school graduates in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp. The program, meaning "Educate Kakuma" in Swahili, supports select students in pursuing higher education and experiencing college life. Thanks to Elimisha Kakuma, Virginia Tech's participation in the U.S. State Department's Welcome Corps on Campus program, and support from Blacksburg stakeholders, two South Sudanese students from the camp have enrolled at Virginia Tech this fall.

Emily Satterwhite, professor in the Department of Religion and Culture, has been named the Edward S. Diggs Professor of Humanities by Virginia Tech's Board of Visitors. The professorship, established in memory of Edward S. Diggs, a 1914 graduate, recognizes excellence in humanities research and teaching. Since 2005, Satterwhite’s work has centered on economic shifts in coal regions, rural religious expression, environmental activism, digital mapping, and Appalachian exceptionalism. She also co-directs the Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia project, funded by a $3 million Mellon Foundation grant, one of the largest awarded to a humanities program at Virginia Tech.

Isabel Prochner, a current ISCE PREP scholar, was recently honored at the Industrial Designers Society of America International Design Conference, where she was one of two Virginia Tech faculty members recognized for her accomplishments. Prochner received the Young Educator Award, which acknowledges junior faculty and non-tenured educators who have made a positive impact on industrial design education early in their careers. Click here to read more!

Meagan Brem, a previous ISCE scholar, joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to discuss the intersection of alcohol use and intimate partner violence, highlighting the importance of understanding the causal relationship between the two. Click here to listen!

Do you have a recent or upcoming research publication in the social sciences that you’d like promoted in the media? Are you planning fieldwork or interested in being featured in an ISCE story? Complete our interest form, and we'll reach out soon!

Patty Raun, director of the Center for Communicating Science, an ISCE-supported center, will be featured in a virtual panel alongside academic experts from universities across the UK and North America. Hosted by Times Higher Education on September 27th, the panel will cover topics such as using new media to amplify your work, building a standout online profile, effectively discussing the impact of your research, and exploring innovative communication methods.

The +Policy Network is now accepting applications from VT faculty for research projects with policy relevance. This includes the +Policy Fellows program and the Policy Scholars program, which connects researchers without policy expertise with faculty experts for tailored guidance. Deadline: September 30, 2024.

Shannon Bell, previously supported by ISCE, was recently featured in a video highlighting the opening of her collaborative living monument project, funded by Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia. The monument celebrates the cultural, historical, ecological, and economic significance of Central Appalachia's rich medicinal herbs and forest foods.

Austin Gray, a 2024-2025 ISCE PREP scholar, was recently featured in a video that highlights a unique summer research program designed to train future environmental scientists. Co-created with Tina Dura, this program gave students hands-on experience as they traveled to a marsh ecosystem to collect samples and analyze them for microplastics at Virginia Tech.

For its annual funding opportunity, the Whole Health Consortium is encouraging community-collaborative research that explores health on multiple levels, including molecular and cellular mechanisms, individual behaviors, social determinants, cultural influences, and environmental factors. Proposals must involve community partners and are encouraged to include individuals with lived experience. Deadline: September 13, 2024.

Rosanna Breaux, a current PREP scholar, joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about the challenges and emotions children may experience during the transition back to school. The discussion includes red flags to look for as well as coping skills and support parents and caregivers can provide to help their children navigate the school year. Click here to listen!

F.I.R.E. Starters is an undergraduate research program that aims to increase access to and training for research opportunities for underrepresented minority undergraduate students. This program is a partnership between SOAR, the Office of Undergraduate Research, the Multicultural Academic Opportunities Program, the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment, and the Fralin Life Sciences Institute. Click here to meet the F.I.R.E Starters!

Assistant Professor Niyousha Hosseinichimeh, previously supported by ISCE, has partnered with physician researchers at Children’s National Hospital to introduce screenings where there aren’t currently resources for adult populations in need: the pediatric emergency department and the neonatal intensive care unit.

Benjamin Katz and Pamela Teaster, two Virginia Tech faculty members with connections to ISCE, have been featured in the Washington Post for their opinion piece on Joe Biden. Click here to read "Joe Biden and the national conversation about aging we urgently need."

2024-25 ISCE Scholar Elizabeth Nyboer’s research was recently featured in a new collaborative paper that highlights the significant but underrecognized role of inland recreational fisheries in providing food and nutrition. The paper also offers insights into their vulnerability to future climate challenges.

Two Virginia Tech faculty researchers previously supported by ISCE, conducted a study that informs classroom designs by incorporating the perspective of neuroatypical students.

Check out this video featuring Theo Lim, a former ISCE scholar, who led Virginia Tech graduate students to develop an interactive game to solve a problem for Roanoke, Virginia. Thanks to a partnership with Virginia Western Community College, Lim’s class taught high school students how to play the game and share their ideas.

Two College of Architecture, Arts, and Design faculty members, previously supported by ISCE, are part of an $8.5 million Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant awarded to the City of New Orleans. Click here to read more.

A course led by Netta Gurari, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, was featured on Radio IQ. The course immerses students in the life and care network of individuals with brain injuries. This experiential learning opportunity has been supported by a grant from ISCE. Take a listen!

Jennifer Russell, previously supported by ISCE, joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the concept of a circular economy. She explained that a circular economy is a shift away from the linear economy, which follows a take-make-dispose model, and instead focuses on reducing waste and reusing materials.

The recording and presentation slides for ISCE's third and final Team Science workshop, "Managing Difference and Conflict in Cross-Disciplinary Research Teams," which was held on April 12, 2024, are now available.

Patricia "Patty" Raun, Director of the Virginia Tech Center for Communicating Science, an ISCE-supported center, was featured in Times Higher Education with an insightful essay on effective public-speaking techniques for university faculty.

The PI-TECH Lab, whose administrative home is within ISCE, has launched a new website to highlight their work focused on fostering ways that technology can be used for the needs of society.

Please join us on Friday, April 12, from 10:00-11:30 a.m. via Zoom for the third and final workshop of the Team Science series. This workshop, "Managing Difference and Conflict in Cross-Disciplinary Research Teams," will provide participants with essential skills in communicating across disciplinary boundaries, leveraging team diversity, fostering productive disagreement, and addressing and resolving conflicts.

Register now for the 2024 Whole Health Consortium Annual Meeting, scheduled for April 5, from 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. in the South End Zone of the University Club at Virginia Tech. The annual meeting is open to all faculty, students, and community members engaged in health-related work or research and who are interested in learning more.

The recording and slides for the ISCE and +Policy Responsible Technology webinar, which was held on February 16, are now available. NSF program officers from the Technology Innovation & Partnerships and Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences directorate discussed funding opportunities linking technology and social sciences, with a particular focus on 'responsible technology.'

Applications for the 2024-2025 ISCE Scholars Program are closing soon. To be considered, please ensure you apply by 5:00 p.m. this Thursday, February 15. The aim of the ISCE Scholars Program is to provide faculty support for developing grant proposals in the social sciences, broadly defined, and consistent with ISCE’s four thematic areas and the University’s Research Frontiers.

Join ISCE and the +Policy Network on February 16 at 10:00 a.m. for a webinar with NSF program officers from the Technology Innovation & Partnerships and Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences directorates. They will discuss funding opportunities linking technology and social sciences, with a particular focus on responsible technology.

Interested in applying to the 2024-2025 ISCE Scholars program? Join us via Zoom on Friday, January 19, from 10:00-11:15 AM. During the session, attendees will learn about the details of the program, research of previous ISCE Scholars, how they used their grant funds, and advice they have for aspiring Scholars.

For over a decade, Meagan Brem, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, has been studying the connection between alcohol use and intimate personal violence. Brem received funding from the ISCE Scholars program in early 2023, and has recently been awarded a NIH grant to expand her research further.

Take a look at this video showcasing the collaboration between the Center for Communicating Science, an ISCE-supported center, and the School of Performing Arts as they help graduate and doctoral students explain their scientific research through dance.

Tenured, tenure-track, and collegiate faculty are invited to apply for grants of up to $5,000 to support research and outreach projects that explore and respond to challenges in rural communities as they relate to rural schooling. Applications are due December 4, 2023.

The Global Change Center has awarded seed grants to five projects for 2023-2024, including three that are focused on social aspects of global change which are funded in partnership with the Institute for Society, Culture and Environment.

The recording is now available for ISCE's annual Spring Forum, featuring a virtual presentation by Christine Hunter, the acting director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

ISCE is offering an opportunity for a cohort of faculty members in the social sciences who are planning to submit a grant proposal for external funding but are new to the proposal writing process or would like personalized mentoring. ISCE anticipates making up to 6 awards and up to $10,000 per award. Applications due June 7, 2023.

A transdisciplinary community has emerged as a result of the work of Virginia Tech’s Destination Areas. An outgrowth of the Policy Destination Area, the +Policy Network, reflects the original Destination Area’s mission and expands the breadth of engagement across Virginia Tech. The +Policy Network remains dedicated to building capacity for policy research, teaching, and training that connects STEM disciplines with social sciences and humanities.

Finding a solution to grand environmental social challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution requires addressing a host of transdisciplinary research and a human-centered approach. Convergence researchers aim to address such large-scale societal problems by working with a broad range of both scientists and stakeholders. This is the goal of the research project headed by Stanley Grant, professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering and director of the Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Lab in Northern Virginia.

The Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment launched the Preparing your Research for an Extramural Proposal (PREP) Program this fall with a call for applications. Seven faculty members from four colleges and six departments were selected to participate in the program and are currently receiving guidance and mentoring. In addition, they received up to $7,500 to support their research and grant-writing efforts.

As the founding director of Virginia Tech’s new Center for Rural Education, Amy Price Azano has studied how structural challenges related to poverty and educational inequities can adversely affect rural schools and communities. As a first-generation college student from a rural community, Azano, also an associate professor in the School of Education in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, understands these challenges both professionally and personally, but also believes in the power and promise of rural schooling.

Imagine a gathering of the most innovative and prominent scholarly researchers who are offering their intelligence, experience, and time. That describes the Rural Education Summit, held at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center on Aug. 26, which officially launched the new Center for Rural Education. Amy Price Azano, an associate professor in the School of Education in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, organized the summit with Rachelle Kuehl, also in the School of Education and a research scientist in the center.

Tracy Gaudet will speak at Virginia Tech about whole health on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m. in the Fralin Hall Auditorium on the Blacksburg campus. Sponsored by the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment (ISCE), Gaudet’s presentation is free and open to the public. Having led the transformation of the Veterans Health Administration to whole health, a health care approach that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being, Gaudet will speak on the national need for the transformation to whole health and the opportunity for Virginia Tech.

While Jennifer Russell’s analysis of a business, community, or facility is inspired by nature, the impact of her work benefits the environment. Through seed funding provided by the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment, Russell and her students are working with a retirement company, Retirement Unlimited Incorporated (RUI), to research how it could increase its sustainability efforts. Russell’s findings led to the development and continuation of a collaborative relationship affecting not only the stakeholders involved, but also in senior living communities located throughout Virginia and Florida.

ISCE has funded four new interdisciplinary research groups representing 10 departments and six colleges. The scholars program supports innovative, interdisciplinary, and translational research that addresses critical human and societal concerns impacting the lives of people and places. In addition to funding, the recipients receive technical assistance and mentoring to help them with their external grant submissions.

Featured in one of a series of articles about researchers who successfully work together, Theodore Lim and Thomas Pingel share their perspectives about collaborating together for an ISCE-funded project about heat resilience. They speak candidly about what works for them and what doesn't, and how they are able to bring their individual expertise together to enhance the overall project. In a question-and-answer format, the researchers describe in their own words their collaborative process.

Solving environmental and societal problems through scientifically backed policy and research was the focus of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Policy keynote seminar featuring Claire Kremen, professor and President's Excellence chair of biodiversity at the University of British Columbia. Kremen discussed how climate change, biodiversity loss, and unsustainable resource extraction form a triple threat to our era, interacting with one another to have a significant impact on humanity and the planet. In her presentation, “Managing Landscapes to Reduce the Triple Anthropocene Threat,” Kremen discussed how a working land conservation approach could be promoted through policy to address these threats to the environment.

Julie Gerdes, who specializes in the intersection of technical communication and global public health, believes communication is key in stopping the spread of infectious diseases. She has been inspired to use her skills to tackle COVID-19 through a research project, supported by the Council on Vibrant Virginia, with co-funding from ISCE and Virginia Cooperative Extension, that examines vaccine hesitancy among Latinx communities. While communication is an important tool in ending pandemics, Gerdes warned it can create larger problems if not used responsibly, such as pitting people against each other. She said it is important to think about the terms used to describe the vaccine. Not listening to concerns, Gerdes said, creates distrust and negatively affects population health.

The Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment hosted the president of the Social Science Research Council, Anna Harvey, as part of Virginia Tech’s Sesquicentennial celebration and in recognition of the institute’s 15-year anniversary on March 31st. The Social Science Research Council is one of the leading organizations in the U.S. focused on promoting social science research and the role social scientists play in solving pressing contemporary problems. Harvey presented on the current landscape of social and behavioral science research and strategies that both funders and universities can adopt to increase the production of policy-based evidence of impact at scale. Read more about this event in the preview article published in the Virginia Tech Daily News.

Theo Lim, an affiliate with the Global Change Center, whose work is supported by both the Fralin Life Sciences Institute and the Institute for Society, Culture and Environment, focuses on green infrastructure planning, urban hydrology, water resource planning, and the linkages between land, water, infrastructure, and people. He is interested in studying these topics to help communities become more sustainable given limited natural resources and more resilient in the face of social and environmental change. This summer, Lim worked with Roanoke City Public Schools to develop a two-week intensive science-action curriculum focused on collecting urban temperature and thermal comfort data, and making proposals for cooling exceptionally hot areas of the city.

The Policy Destination Area and University Libraries collaborated to offer a research accelerator workshop in July to help social scientists refocus their research efforts after a year affected by the pandemic. The workshop, a week-long event held July 12-16, provided dedicated time for faculty to focus on their own research, along with a supportive peer network and assistance with analytic tools, data visualization and more from experts at Virginia Tech. The event featured the COVID-19 Influences and Impacts Database of Databases, a collaboration of the Policy Destination Area and University Libraries DataBridge, which provides researchers with one-stop access to a variety of social, behavioral, health, and environmental data for research.

Supporting social science research, broadly defined, is at the heart of what the Institute for Society, Culture and Environment does. One of its primary goals is to prepare social science faculty to compete for external funds to support their research. This aim is achieved, in part, through ISCE's signature Scholars Program. Scholars, who are awarded up to $30,000 for a period of a year, typically work in interdisciplinary teams and conduct pilot studies or other preparatory research so that they are ready to apply to external funding agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, or private foundations as as the William T. Grant Foundation. Six new research teams will begin work in summer or fall 2021.

The Virginia Tech Policy Destination Area launched its interdisciplinary graduate certificate program, Science, Technology and Engineering in Policy (STEP), in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. While launching the certificate under current conditions has had its challenges, COVID-19 is also making clear just how important such a certificate is for science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and health (STEM-H) students who are looking to work at the interface of science and policy. As part of the certificate launch and to promote conversations within the Virginia Tech community, the inaugural STEP seminar, held on April 27th to an audience of over 90 faculty and students, featured Lynn Scarlett, chief external affairs officer at The Nature Conservancy.

Karen Roberto and Tina Savla, both faculty members of Virginia Tech’s Center for Gerontology, are leading a five-year, $2.14 million NIA study that examines the role of extended family caregivers for a relative with dementia and their service use, needs, and challenges. While most of the caregiving literature to date has focused on close kin, such as adult children and spouses, this study turns the spotlight on other family caregivers, such as grandchildren, siblings, nieces and nephews, and step-kin. The research team will compare extended family caregivers with adult children and spouse caregivers in their study, which they have named “CareEx.”

As the source of most of the water we drink and a place where we often go to recreate and enjoy nature, streams represent a crucial point-of-contact between human beings and the environment. Virginia Tech researchers are now using stream quality data to find new insights into the interactions between the health of our natural spaces and human well-being. Their findings, published in the journal Ecological Indicators, reveal that demographics such as race and population density, as well as health indices such as cancer rates and food insecurity, show strong correlations with water quality across the Commonwealth of Virginia.

As leaders of the Virginia Tech Policy Destination Area wondered how they could harness their resources to better understand policy decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic, they conceived of the idea to develop a 'database of databases.' This resource, available on the web, would be populated with policies related to the pandemic with direct links to data for researchers to use. Their hope was that this new tool would facilitate research on possible and actual policy changes in response to the pandemic, or on their ramifications, considering the pandemic as a ‘natural experiment.

Three research teams at Virginia Tech were awarded RAPID grants from the the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences directorate of the National Science Foundation to spur the development of social science–oriented research related to COVID-19. The teams, all of whom have received prior support from ISCE for related research, represent a range of departments and disciplines, highlighting the often diverse and interdisciplinary nature of social science research.

Tina Savla and her team examined how the stay-at-home phase of COVID-19 affected caregivers of persons with dementia living in rural Virginia and their use of available home- and community-based services and informal support to assist them with their care responsibilities. To read this article and learn which caregivers have been most affected, as well as read other articles, visit the ISCE COVID-19 Repository.

ISCE is maintaining a repository of COVID-19 related research and scholarship of faculty and Centers affiliated with the Institute, as well as members of the Virginia Tech community who are engaged in research focusing on the social, psychological, and policy impact of the coronavirus on people and places. The repository highlights nonmedical-oriented research and scholarship taking place at Virginia Tech during this historic and far-reaching pandemic. Send us your publications so they can be included!