Kevin Pitts

Read without the paywall:

Fantastic piece by @meaganbrem.bsky.social. Congrats! @vt-science.bsky.social

This is home for Thanksgiving This year, all Virginia Tech students are invited to celebrate Thanksgiving with a holiday meal hosted by College of Science Dean Kevin Pitts and his wife, Toni.

This is our fourth Thanksgiving with students, and it's going to be the biggest and best yet. We are expecting about 500 Hokies, friends, and family to join us! I can't wait.
@vt-science.bsky.social
news.vt.edu/articles/202...

Big, if true.

This is correct. International students subsidize domestic students, they do not displace domestic students. It's a win-win.

VT Science Corner: Autism services – can we move mountains? I often hear parents say that they would move mountains to help their child thrive. But if you begin to suspect autism, what do you do? And how would you

VT Science Corner: Autism services – can we move mountains? @vt-science.bsky.social roanoke.com/opinion/colu...

The only analogy I can think of would be, “US abandons automobile in favor of horse-drawn carriage.”

College of Science welcomes five new members to Hall of Distinction The Hall of Distinction honors alumni and friends of the college who have achieved excellence in their professional careers and have demonstrated remarkable service and philanthropy to civic groups an...

Amazing, accomplished individuals and an inspiring event. @vt-science.bsky.social news.vt.edu/articles/202...

Here’s Your Cheat Sheet for Vaccine Recommendations Backed by Science These graphics will guide you through science-based vaccine guidelines for children and adults

www.scientificamerican.com/article/see-...

US must support chemistry research

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Another VT Science Corner is out! Congratulations to Georgia Hodes for this excellent op ed! @vtneuroscience.bsky.social @vt-science.bsky.social roanoke.com/opinion/colu...

Long-running physics experiment dashes hope of new particles and forces Muon is just as magnetic as predicted, requiring no new theory to explain

Long-running physics experiment dashes hope of new particles and forces | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Muon Wobble Mystery Deepens as Fermilab Hits Precision Goal After six years of meticulous measurements, scientists at Fermilab have delivered their final word on one of physics' most puzzling mysteries: how much does a muon wobble in a magnetic field? The answer, precise to 127 parts-per-billion, surpassed their original goal and represents the most accurate measurement of its kind ever achieved. Yet rather than solving the mystery, this remarkable precision has highlighted a growing divide in the theoretical physics community about what the numbers actually mean.

Muon Wobble Mystery Deepens as Fermilab Hits Precision Goal

After six years of meticulous measurements, scientists at Fermilab have delivered their final word on one of physics' most puzzling mysteries: how much does a muon wobble in a magnetic field? The answer, precise to 127 parts-per-billion,…

MPS budget

Presidential budget is out. Here's NSF. Biggest cut, by amount, is $1 billion, or 66.8%, from MPS (Physics & Math directorate). nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/00-NSF...

It's Reading Day, Hokies!

news.vt.edu/art/2025/may...

VT Science Corner: Statisticians make backyard digging a little safer The future holds promise for robots to actively collaborate in diverse aspects of human endeavor, transforming industries

Another VT Science Corner is out! Congrats to Jen Van Mullekom for a great piece on applications of statistics! Thanks to the Roanoke Times. @vt-science.bsky.social roanoke.com/opinion/colu...

Organic Chemistry Lab -- Undergraduate Science Laboratory Building

news.vt.edu/content/news...

Energy Department cuts university overhead rates to 15% on research grants Sudden move mirrors NIH cap on “indirect” costs that was ruled illegal

They want to end the model that US research has utilized for almost a century. But they seem uninterested in replacing it with a new model. www.science.org/content/arti...

News media: people who are aware of the overwhelming evidence for vaccine safety and effectiveness but unwilling or incapable of accepting this evidence are not "skeptics". Please stop calling them skeptics. The definition of skepticism doesn't include denial or disregard of factual information.

I think that people who don’t fly often come to the airport with an expectation that flights will be on time and they will be treated with respect. Reality must be a huge shock for them.

I don’t think American hires people that are fundamentally dishonest. But truly horrible logistics and a monopoly, along with a culture of dishonesty, makes for a sad, toxic brew.

And we are now to the “less than honest” part of the experience.

Air travel advice: don't miss your connection by 5 minutes (like you have any control over it...) You stand at the gate staring longingly at the plane that was supposed to take you away. And you know what follows: rebooking, re-rebooking, and a 5 city reroute that will get you there next week.

Thanks for Giving, Hokies!

news.vt.edu/content/news...

Could plastic waste be recycled into soap? Virginia Tech chemist finds a way Scientists estimate we recycle only nine percent of the plastic that’s produced around the world. A chemistry professor at Virginia Tech has discovered a way to use waste plastic to produce an ingredi...

Really cool, "upcycling" plastic waste into soap. Greg Liu, Virginia Tech Chemistry, making it happen.
@vtchemdept.bsky.social
www.wvtf.org/news/2025-01...

Fermilab research center being renamed in honor of trailblazing female physicist A research center at Batavia’s Fermilab is being renamed in honor of the woman who oversaw for 25 years the most powerful particle collider in the world.

Helen Edwards was a great scientist and primarily responsible for what was arguably one of the greatest scientific instruments mankind ever built. www.shawlocal.com/kane-county-...

Girls Face Stereotypes about STEM Abilities as Early as 6, Study Finds Beliefs that boys are better at computer science and engineering could have ‘downstream effects’ on girls entering tech fields, one researcher says.

I believe we have made some progress over the last couple of decades, but not nearly enough -- and not fast enough. We have to figure out to do better. We are literally losing talent to stereotypes. www.the74million.org/article/girl...

Quantifying the global biodiversity of Proterozoic eukaryotes The global diversity of Proterozoic eukaryote fossils is poorly quantified despite its fundamental importance to the understanding of macroevolutionary patterns and dynamics on the early Earth. Here w...

Quantifying the global biodiversity of Proterozoic eukaryotes. #Science

"Here we report a new construction of fossil eukaryote diversity from the Paleoproterozoic to early Cambrian based on a comprehensive data compilation and quantitative analyses."

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

‘Once-in-a-lifetime’ explosion will bring a new star to the night sky | CNN Astronomers are anticipating the appearance of a “new star” triggered by an explosive event that could appear in the night sky anytime between now and September.

edition.cnn.com/2024/06/11/s... #Nova

Have a Great Turkey Day, Hokies!

news.vt.edu/art/2024/nov...