Research and Innovation Home Page

Forbes - NSF Invests $72 Million In Four University Pandemic Research Centers - The NSF Center for Community Empowering Pandemic Prediction and Prevention from Atoms to Societies at Virginia Tech University will examine the genetic, molecular, cellular and chemical rules of life that dictate virus-host interactions. Its researchers will study how pathogens may lower host barriers to infect a cell, how they may linger in the environment, and how previously approved drugs may be utilized to treat infections. The collaborating institutions include Cornell University, Meharry Medical College, the University of Michigan and Wake Forest University.

NBC News (also Yahoo News) — Common low-calorie sweetener may be riskier for the heart than sugar, study suggests - Do the findings indicate that erythritol is worse overall than high-calorie sugar? Valisa Hedrick, a registered dietitian at Virginia Tech, said a diet high in sugary foods can lead to elevated blood glucose levels that are also linked to stroke and clotting risks. Hedrick wasn’t involved in the Cleveland Clinic study.

Technical.ly - The sweltering summer was rough for Virginia’s Data Center Alley, where cooling costs energy - At Virginia Tech, mechanical engineering professor Jonathan Boreyko and team are experimenting with materials that optimize heat transfer via “jumping bubbles” created by boiling water. The bubbles are used to carry energy and heat away, he said, and can be used to control temperatures in large-scale buildings like data centers or nuclear power plants.