Research that Matters
Research that matters.
From the medicine we take and the food we eat to the roads we travel, the phones in our pockets, lifesaving treatments for our pets, and the security of our nation, research touches nearly every aspect of our lives. At Virginia Tech, every experiment, analysis, and breakthrough helps make our world healthier, safer, and stronger.
The impact is measurable in communities across Virginia and around the world. Virginia Tech research strengthens the economy, improves the workforce, and enhances everyday life. Funding this work is essential to advancing health, technology, security, and other innovations that benefit our communities, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the nation.
Learn how an investment in Virginia Tech research is an investment in making life better.
Virginia Tech's research is possible because of its world class faculty, organizations and expertise. The data speaks for itself.
Research for a Better Future
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Health: Revolutionizing Prevention, Treatment, and Care
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Virginia Tech researcher receives collaborative grant to improve cancer therapies , articleProfessor Padma Rajagopalan, industry partner Ramona Optics, and Wake Forest Medical School received a $2.4 million National Institute of Health Small Business Innovation Research grant to design 3D liver organoids using patient derived cells and new microscopy imaging technology.
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‘A cautionary tale’: Study challenges assumption about brain activity in movement disorders , articleMeike van der Heijden found that studying activity in Purkinje cells in the cerebellum is not a reliable substitute for understanding activity in connected but less accessible deep cerebellar nuclei cells.
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'60 Minutes' will feature aerosol expert Linsey Marr , articleThe transmission of infectious diseases via airborne particles is a topic that Marr is used to speaking about. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, the civil and environmental engineering expert has done more than 500 interviews with news outlets around the world. Today, she is considered one of the world’s leading experts on airborne transmission of viruses and her expertise landed her on the CBS newsmagazine.
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'Big Science, Small Pod' podcast: How does a brain even happen? , articleNeuroscientist Meike van der Heijden of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC explains how understanding childhood brain development could guide treatments for movement disorders.
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'Big Science, Small Pod' podcast: What do you do when your body is its own enemy? , articleCancer researcher and physician-scientist Cheng-Chia "Fred" Wu describes how the blood-brain barrier, meant to protect your brain from viruses and toxins, also stands between cancers and the drugs that could kill them. Focused ultrasound could change that.
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'Big Science, Small Pod' podcast: What makes seizures start? , articleNeurobiologist Matthew Weston explains what happens in the brain during seizures and how his lab is researching their genetic roots to help develop new treatments for children.
Technology: Advancements for Improved Livelihoods
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Virginia Tech team selected for the Alexa Prize TaskBot Challenge 2 to advance task-oriented conversational artificial intelligence , articleThe team of five computer science Ph.D. students at the Sanghani Center, advised by Ismini Lourentzou, received a $250,000 grant to fund its work and are provided with Alexa-enabled devices, Amazon Web Services cloud computing services, and Alexa team support.
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'Curious Conversations' podcast: Andrew Katz talks about using AI in education , articleKatz shares his insight related to the applications of AI models such as ChatGPT in analyzing student responses and providing feedback, the challenges of AI in education, and hope that it can provide a more individualized educational experience.
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'Curious Conversations' podcast: Bimal Viswanath on artificial intelligence's impact on virtual threats and toxic chatbots , articleViswanath joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about how the rise in artificial intelligence and large language models has changed the online threat landscape. He explained how this technology works and shared about a current project he’s involved with that aims to mitigate toxic language in chatbots.
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'Curious Conversations' podcast: Cayce Myers on AI's impact on work, regulation, copyright law, and more , article
Myers, professor and graduate director in the School of Communication, joined the podcast to field questions on artificial intelligence. His work focuses on media history, political communication, and laws that affect public relations practice.
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'Curious Conversations' podcast: Erik Westman on autonomous technology and mining , article
Westman shares his insights on how machine learning and autonomous technologies are impacting the mining industry as well as what Virginia Tech is doing to prepare students for the future of the industry. Westman is a professor in the Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering and oversees Virginia Tech’s Center for Autonomous Mining.
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'Curious Conversations' podcast: Feras Batarseh talks about artificial intelligence and water security , article
Feras Batarseh joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to discuss the intersection of water systems and technology, specifically focusing on aspects of artificial intelligence (AI). He shared the importance of using AI to predict and prevent water quality issues, such as high turbidity, and highlighted the need for water systems to become more intelligent and cyber-secure.
Security: Safeguarding the Homefront
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Virginia Tech named Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute managing member , articleCyManII will enter into a five-year cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy to lead a consortium of 59 proposed member institutions in introducing a cybersecure energy-ROI that drives American manufacturers and supply chains to further adopt secure, energy-efficient approaches.
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Virginia Tech research sees continued growth , articleResearch expenditures are up and sponsored awards have increased by 15 percent, building upon the prior year’s expenditure total of $542 million, despite the impact of COVID-19 felt nationally by higher education institutes, according to preliminary fiscal year-end reports.
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Virginia Tech spotlights online safety, cyber careers during 20th Cybersecurity Awareness Month , articleAs Cybersecurity Awareness Month celebrates its 20th year, Virginia Tech’s Division of Information Technology, the Virginia Cyber Range, and the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative offer the community ways to learn, engage, and stay safe online.
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$10 million award from the Department of Defense will fund pioneering Sensing and Cyber Center of Excellence , articleThe center will engage in groundbreaking research with potential military and commercial implications.
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$9 million award from the Department of Defense will fund groundbreaking FutureG research , articleLingjia Liu, professor of electrical and computer engineering and an inaugural faculty member at the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus, will lead a crossdisciplinary team in researching large-scale wireless networks for FutureG technology..
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'Curious Conversations' podcast: Bimal Viswanath on artificial intelligence's impact on virtual threats and toxic chatbots , article
Viswanath joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about how the rise in artificial intelligence and large language models has changed the online threat landscape. He explained how this technology works and shared about a current project he’s involved with that aims to mitigate toxic language in chatbots.