Events
Half-day Virtual Symposium on The Governance of New and Emerging Technologies
Join us on April 6, 2023, from 9:30-2:00p.m. EST for a half-day virtual symposium. It will include Virginia Tech faculty who will discuss the social implications of emerging technologies and focus on challenges and opportunities for governing new technologies in (a) healthcare, (b) energy and environment, (c) food and agriculture, and (d) public interest and cyber security. The panelists are as follows:
Food and Ag Tech Governance: 9.30 - 10.20 am
Panelists: Brianna Posadas, Saul Halfon, and Jessica Agnew
Healthcare Tech Governance: 10.30 - 11.20 am
Panelists: Sara Parker, Hoda Eldardiry, and Dayoung Kim
Environment and Energy Tech Governance: 12.00 - 12.50 pm
Panelists: Elinor Benami, Christopher Zobel, and Daniel Breslau
Public Interest and Cyber Security Tech Governance: 1.00 - 1.50 pm
Panelists: Sylvester Johnson, Brendan John, and Shalini Misra
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAuf-Cspz0sHtFTPUsOVJdukMd4OybM9bf-
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
For questions about the event, contact Maaz Gardezi: maaz@vt.edu
2023 STEP (Science, Technology, and Engineering in Policy) Keynote
On April 3 at 1:00 p.m. in Steger Hall Conference Center and via Zoom, Linsey Marr will be the keynote speaker and discuss policymaking during a global pandemic. Registration is required. Click here for more details.
The Science, Technology, and Engineering in Policy (STEP) Seminar
Throughout this spring semester, students, faculty, and community members are invited to attend this Friday afternoon lecture series from 12 to 1p.m. While this course is part of a graduate certificate for students, it is open to any faculty or community members, and it focuses on research, public policy, and ethics, with a different specific topic addressed each week.
Professional Development Offerings
The +Policy Network also has professional development offerings, Introduction to Policy Concepts and Policy Camp, which provide a combination of asynchronous, synchronous, in-person, and remote opportunities to those interested in furthering their understanding of policy concepts.
Inaugural STEP Seminar
Tuesday, April 27, 2021 - Climate Change, Conservation and Communities: Taking Science to Action
The inaugural STEP seminar featured keynote speaker, Lynn Scarlett, Chief External Affairs Officer for The Nature Conservancy as well as an introduction to the STEP graduate certificate program, a faculty response from Dr. Amy Pruden, University Distinguished Professor, and a Question & Answer session.
Click here for the program flier.
Policy, Technology and Society Conversation and Networking Events
Thursday, February 27, 2020 - Conversation: Markets and Technologies
Daniel Breslau, Professor and Department Head, Science, Technology and Society, and Saifur Rahman, from the Virginia Tech Advanced Research Institute, presented Markets and Technologies for a Flexible Grid, followed by discussion.
Click here for the event flier.
Wednesday, April 24, 2019 - Conversation: On Housing
Andrew McCoy, Director, Georg Reichard, Associate Professor and Mel Jones O'Brien, Research Scientist, all of the Meyers-Lawson School of Construction, offered remarks at the final event for the semester on policies and technologies of housing, followed by discussion.
Click here for the event flier.
Thursday, March 28, 2019 - Conversation: On Water
Amy Pruden, professor of Civil and Environmental Engineeering and Leigh-Anne Krometis, associate professor of Biological Systems Engineering presented on water and environmental issues followed by discussion.
Click here for the event flier.
Monday, March 4, 2019 - Initial Conversation
Saul Halfon, associate professor of Science, Technology and Society, and Anne Khademian, Virginia Tech Presidential Fellow, offered brief remarks followed by discussion with event participants.
Click here for the event flier and here for a VT News story on the event.
PSGA Spring 2018 Research Forum
Seeking Interdisciplinary Solutions to Complex Problems: Research Project Reports and Directions for the Future
The goal of the half day 2018 Spring Research Forum, held on April 19 at the Inn at Virginia Tech, was to showcase the Policy SGA's research and planning projects and provide an opportunity for participants to engage with a moderated panel on lessons learned about conducting interdisciplinary, policy-focused research over the past year
Click here for the full program including a list of project team members and abstracts.
PSGA Fall 2017 Open Forums

The goal of the open forums, held in Blacksburg and the northern Virginia region in fall 2017, was to provide an opportunity for faculty from diverse disciplines to come together to share their interests and make new connections related to policy.
More than 50 faculty members representing seven colleges, 16 departments, and four institutes, including new hires and tenured professors, discussed their research, its policy implications, and ways to advance policy scholarship at the university.
VT News story about the PSGA Open Forums.
Global Systems Science (GSS) DA and Policy SGA (PSGA) Synergies and Opportunities Workshop
The goals of this day-long event, held on September 29, 2017, were to identify areas for collaborative synergy and cooperation between the GSS DA and PSGA and showcase a model for future DA/SGA collaboration and shared innovation.
Click to view the workshop agenda.