Global Change Center at Virginia Tech

Graphic for the Curious Conversations podcast featuring a smartphone displaying an episode titled ‘The Unknowns of Sharks with Francesco Ferretti,’ framed by a pair of headphones.

Sharks, Science, & What We Still Don’t Know 🦈

GCC affiliate Dr. Francesco Ferretti joins Virginia Tech’s Curious Conversations podcast to talk global shark populations, conservation-relevant data gaps, and a citizen science–driven global sightings database.

🎧 Listen: news.vt.edu/articles/202...

A promotional graphic for “The Faculty Nutshell Talks” featuring three speaker portraits arranged in a row. Below each portrait are names and departments: Jonathan Czuba, Biological Systems Engineering; Stella Schons, Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; and Tess Thompson, Biological Systems Engineering. Decorative walnut-shell graphics appear at the bottom.

A promotional graphic for “The Faculty Nutshell Talks” featuring an outdoor photo of a presenter wearing field gear with fall foliage and a blue sky in the background. Below the photo is the text: “Jonathan Czuba presents: Fish who smoke two packs a day.” Walnut-shell illustrations appear at the bottom.

A promotional graphic for “The Faculty Nutshell Talks” featuring an indoor photo of a presenter seated at a desk with a monitor displaying a forest or landscape image. Behind the presenter is a wall with colorful artwork. Below the photo is the text: “Stella Schons presents: Paying for forest conservation.” Walnut-shell illustrations appear at the bottom.

A promotional graphic for “The Faculty Nutshell Talks” featuring an outdoor photo of a presenter standing near a grassy streambank. Below the photo is the text: “Tess Thompson presents: Engineering with Nature to restore stream ecosystems.” Walnut-shell illustrations appear at the bottom.

Short talks, big impact. ⏱️

GCC affiliates will join faculty from across campus at the Faculty Nutshell Talks — a fast-paced event built around 90‑second research stories designed for a public audience. No slides, no jargon.

March 5, Center for the Arts. Free admission.

Details: buff.ly/v6XzTg4

Researching microplastics as a public servant Assistant Professor Austin Gray is studying the microplastics in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we consume. "Right now we're at the tip of the tip of the tip of the iceberg in…

Driven by curiosity and community impact, GCC affiliate Dr. Austin Gray studies microplastics to better understand how environmental contaminants affect ecosystems – and people 🌍🧪

Flyer promoting the Rural Environmental Health T32 Predoctoral Training Program. Images show soil sampling, lab work with test tubes, and field water sampling. Text highlights focus areas in environmental health, community-engaged science, and exposure and risk assessment, with an application deadline of March 16.

The GCC is accepting applications for the NIH-funded REH T32 predoctoral training program. Includes funding, tuition, research support, and interdisciplinary training. Open to VT PhD students. Apply by March 16.

More Details: globalchange.vt.edu/graduate/gra...

Size matters in vampire bats, new study finds Researchers have confirmed that the female common vampire bat is larger than its male counterpart in a foundational study that may lead to a better understanding how sex differences influence the…

Why does bat size matter? A new PLOS One study found female vampire bats are larger than males, a trait that may shape rabies transmission. Research includes work by GCC affiliate Dr. Luis Escobar 🦇🔬

The Interfaces of Global Change Welcomes Its Newest PhD Fellows! The Interfaces of Global Change IGEP is excited to introduce the newest cohort of 16 Ph.D. Fellows starting this spring 2026.

The GCC is excited to welcome 16 new PhD Fellows to the IGC IGEP this spring 2026. This interdisciplinary cohort spans eight departments across four colleges 🎉🌍

New database reveals how Americans use water Landon Marston has created the first nationwide, publicly available database of U.S. water withdrawals, revealing who uses water, how much they take, and where and when it’s used.

Who uses water in the U.S. — and how much? A new nationwide database created by GCC affiliate Dr. Landon Marston and doctoral student Yunus Naseri reveals detailed water withdrawal data across sectors and regions, helping communities plan for a more sustainable future 💧

The hidden dangers of nanoplastics In a study published in Water Research, Jingqiu Liao and a group of international researchers found that nanoplastics’ interactions with environmental microbes may pose indirect dangers to people,…

Nanoplastics may do more than pollute water. New Water Research findings co-authored by GCC affiliate Dr. Jingqiu Liao show they may strengthen harmful bacteria in water systems, raising concerns for water quality and public health 💧🦠

Amaryllis Adey and a fellow researcher download temperature data in the field.

Wetlands in coastal Alaska are warming as fast as the air — and that’s bad news for salmon 🐟 New Nature research co-authored by GCC affiliate Dr. Amaryllis Adey shows rising water temperatures could threaten salmon growth, survival, and entire food webs.

khns.org/wetlands-are...

The ISC is excited to host our second webinar of 2026! Register here ➡️ virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

YouTube video by Fralin Life Sciences Institute Dr. Claudia Nuñez-Penichet reflects on why the ISC’s work matters.

Why support the ISC on Giving Day? Because your support helps postdoctoral researchers like Dr. Claudia Nuñez-Penichet succeed! Claudia is in the Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, and she shares why the ISC's work matters in the video below 🦋

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjOK...

From classroom question to research partnership An alum returns as an industry partner, collaborating with her former professor on a $559,000 research project to address emerging tree diseases.

From classroom to collaboration 🌳

A student’s question sparked a three-year, $559K research partnership. GCC affiliate Dr. Carrie Fearer and VT alumna Jordan Thompson are tackling beech leaf disease and oak wilt through applied, industry-supported research.

Restoring eastern hellbenders to southwest Virginia streams Although eastern hellbenders are the largest salamander in the United States, they can be hard to spot. These amphibians spend most of their time under flat rocks and boulders in streambeds, watching…

GCC Director Dr. Bill Hopkins and lab, working with Dr. Erin Hotchkiss, is leading a $380K NFWF-funded project using a head-starting approach to restore populations after Hurricane Helene. The effort also tackles long-term stream and habitat health. 🦎💧

In some of the nation’s poorest counties, bottled water strains household budgets Across parts of Appalachia, some people don’t trust their water, or their water isn’t safe to drink, so they turn to bottled water, even for cooking in some cases.

Clean water isn’t guaranteed for everyone.

GCC affiliate Dr. Leigh Anne Krometis found that some Appalachian families spend 10–20% of their income on bottled water due to unsafe or untrusted tap water. Her research highlights concerns shaping water access. 💧

Effective support means meeting university students where they are Meaningful student support starts in the classroom, the lab and the everyday relationships that faculty build with learners. Carrie Fearer shares practical strategies – from accessibility to…

How can faculty better support students? Dr. Carrie Fearer shows that meaningful support starts in teaching itself — through accessible course design, mentorship, and everyday classroom practices that help students see themselves as capable scholars.

www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/effec...

Flyer promoting the Rural Environmental Health T32 Predoctoral Training Program. Images show soil sampling, lab work with test tubes, and field water sampling. Text highlights focus areas in environmental health, community-engaged science, and exposure and risk assessment, with an application deadline of March 16.

Applications are open for the GCC's NIH-funded REH T32 predoctoral training program. PhD students focused on rural environmental health receive two years of funding, research support, and interdisciplinary training.

🗓️ Deadline March 16

Details: rebrand.ly/REH-T32

Dinosaur A (On the left side): Lewisuchus Image credit: Nobumichi Tamura/Stocktrek Images / Science Source. Dinosaur B (On the right side). Saturnalia Image credit: Nobumichi Tamura/Stocktrek Images / Science Source.

#Paleontologists are working to pinpoint the dawn of the #dinosaurs. What were the early evolutionary steps that set the stage for the animals’ impressive reign? A PNAS News Feature: https://ow.ly/q3wC50Y1LmI

#Lewisuchus #Triassic #Silesaurus #ornithischians #extinction

The hidden dangers of nanoplastics In a study published in Water Research, Jingqiu Liao and a group of international researchers found that nanoplastics’ interactions with environmental microbes may pose indirect dangers to people, spe...

A new #VirginiaTech study has uncovered additional threats caused by nanoplastics. 🦠

🔗: go.vt.edu/ujzNV

From classroom question to research partnership An alum returns as an industry partner, collaborating with her former professor on a $559,000 research project to address emerging tree diseases.

We’re excited to see the continued impact of ISC affiliates in action through a new research project at Virginia Tech focused on beech tree disease and oak wilt. Featuring past AND present ISC affiliates!

🔗 news.vt.edu/articles/202...

The ISC is excited to host our first webinar of 2026! Register here ➡️ virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

From Linear to Circular: Engaging students to rethink sustainable practices Jennifer Russell's Circular Economy Analytics course provides hands-on learning with the tools to analyze and design systems to measure the circularity of everyday products and how they factor into…

How do you design better products with less waste? ♻️ VT News visited Circular Economy Analytics, taught by GCC affiliate Dr. Jennifer Russell, where students from many majors use hands-on tools to measure product impacts and build more sustainable systems.

Students and professors at Virginia Tech are working to restore endangered hibiscus plant in Giles County There’s a plant similar to hibiscus that’s native to Giles County called The Peter’s Mountain Mallow, but there are only a handful still alive. Two researchers at Virginia Tech are working with a…

Research in Giles County is shedding light on the federally endangered Peter’s Mountain Mallow. The work includes undergraduate researchers, some supported by GCC funding, alongside GCC faculty affiliates Dr. Leighton Reid and Dr. Rachel Reid.

Hot Take—Seems Like Birds Can Taste Spice After All Peppers in the wild grow only so spicy, and new research suggests that may be to satisfy avian palates.

Can birds taste spice after all? 🌶️🦜 New research suggests birds are less likely to eat peppers above 500,000 Scoville units. GCC affiliates Dr. Haldre Rogers and Dr. David Haak weigh in on what this means for seed dispersal and plant evolution.

New program centers mentorship, culture in research groups | Cornell Chronicle Cornell Engineering faculty and students gathered Dec. 18 in Upson Hall to celebrate the first participants to complete Radical Humanity in Research, a new program designed to strengthen the human…

IGC alum Dr. Laura Schoenle is leading a new program at @cornellengineering.bsky.social that strengthens the human side of research. Workshops and coaching help labs build mentorship, collaboration, and shared values.

SUBMISSION WINDOW 15 DECEMBER TO 15 FEBRUARY Voices for Science Through the Voices for Science program, scientists interested in science communication and policy outreach will receive specialized training to hone their skills and connect with a cohort of scientist peers. WE ARE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2026-2027 US COHORT

Gain the confidence to communicate your science clearly to policymakers and the public with AGU Science Policy's Voices for Science training. Applications are open Dec 15 – Feb 15

#sciencepolicy
buff.ly/eOa6FTL

Bring your science to Salt Lake City! We are now accepting contributed talk and poster abstracts covering all areas of ecological research and practice for #ESA2026 in July. Ample funding support will be available!

https://ow.ly/lYQZ50XTHZS

Great white sharks face extinction in Mediterranean, say researchers Overfishing and illegal fishing are contributing to the loss of sharks, including great whites.

GCC affiliate Dr. Francesco Ferretti highlights the dramatic decline of Mediterranean great white sharks. Illegal fishing and weak enforcement threaten this critically endangered population, with at least 40 sharks killed in North Africa in 2025 alone.

The why: Austin Gray is on a quest to decode microplastics Gray’s humble beginning in research feeds into a constant curiosity that he hopes can lead to a better understanding of microplastics and their impact on human health — from pollution to solution.

GCC affiliate Dr. Austin Gray is featured in Virginia Tech News for his research on microplastics and their impacts on wildlife and human health, including suspected microplastics in dolphin breath, and his commitment to mentoring the next generation of scientists.

Large solar farms in Virginia can produce ‘rapid’ stormwater runoff, researchers find Virginia Tech’s preliminary report is part of an ongoing study funded by the state to address growing concerns.

How do large solar farms affect local water systems? GCC affiliate Dr. Ryan Stewart shares preliminary findings. Providing data to help communities and state leaders plan sustainable solar development in Virginia.

Paleoseismic evidence for the 1730 Mw ≥9 Chile earthquake in a former coastal lagoon: an infrequent, shallow, tsunamigenic rupture with plausible near-term recurrence We report the first paleoseismic evidence jointly documenting coseismic subsidence and tsunami inundation from the 1730 Chile earthquake (Mw ≥ 9) and …

We have a new paper out in QSR!

Paleoseismic evidence for the 1730 Mw ≥9 Chile earthquake in a former coastal lagoon: an infrequent, shallow, tsunamigenic rupture with plausible near-term recurrence

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Led by Dr. Marco Cisternas from the PUCV in Chile