Putting the brakes on a pandemic influenza outbreak
A novel flu strain that can transmit easily could trigger a disease pandemic that kills tens of millions of people worldwide. Researchers at Virginia Tech’s Virginia Bioinformatics Institute are using computer simulations to show how such diseases spread.
Training Hispanic construction workers: Safety requires more than a hard hat
Hispanic construction workers are at a disadvantage when they must make both cultural and organizational adjustments while attempting to learn safety requirements in a new language.
Mother’s influence on young wildlife more than genetic
Faculty members and students are conducting research to determine how the physiology and behavior of female amphibians, turtles, and birds affect their offspring and the consequences for population health.
Clean, clear water and words goal of Chinese and American scholars
A microbiologist and an English teacher were in China to teach a short course on writing for English-language scientific journals when the Sichuan province was hit by a 7.9 earthquake and priorities shifted.
First rural NAACP a response to threat of residential segregation in Falls Church
Persistent, outspoken members of a strong community advanced the cause of civil rights.
Volunteer tourism: a tale of two communities
Helping the needy is a growing tourist activity. As with most industries, there are best practices and pitfalls.
Can science save large sharks?
A student’s Ph.D. research documents the decline of hammerhead sharks and provides management recommendations.
Preventing falls saves lives
As many as 50 percent of people over age 75 will either die or be forced to enter institutional care because of falls. A Virginia Tech group is developing ways to test and measure levels of mobility, determine the likelihood of falls, and indicate specific problems.
Glacial erosion changes internal mountain structure, responses to plate tectonics
The rugged St. Elias mountain range is the product of rock uplift due to the collision of the Pacific and North American plates and the mountains’ response to extreme glacial erosion.
