Seanne Clemente in front of stage and banner for the Tinian Hot Pepper Festival decorated with palm trees, flags, and speakers outdoors.

GCC affiliate Dr. Seanne Clemente, working in the Rogers’ lab, is studying whether wild chilis on Guam change after losing native bird seed dispersers. By comparing peppers on islands with and without birds, the research explores how plants respond when key partners vanish.

🔗 buff.ly/IBP98ym

GCC Affiliates Share Big Ideas at Faculty Nutshell Talks GCC faculty affiliates took the stage at the 2026 Faculty Nutshell Talks, sharing bold research ideas. Watch their recorded talks now on the CCS YouTube channel.

Three GCC affiliates shared big ideas at the 2026 Faculty Nutshell Talks. Their talks are now live on the Center for Communicating Science’s YouTube channel as part of the Most‑Watched Video Award competition. Voting closes April 21 at 9 a.m.

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Promotional graphic for the 2026 EEID Conference in Blacksburg, Virginia, with event dates for June 2–4. Registration deadline: May 1.

Reminder: Registration is open for EEID 2026 at Virginia Tech. Attendance is capped and demand is high, so early registration is encouraged.

Registration closes May 1.
🔗 cpe.vt.edu/eeid2026/reg...

Deadline Reminder: Application closes TOMORROW, April 15!

What Color is Science? w/ Dr. James Weger-Lucarelli YouTube video by Pathogems

🚨 New Pathogems episode is out!
What Color is Science with Dr. James Weger-Lucarelli

In this episode the girls sit down with Dr. James Weger-Lucarelli to discuss what motivates professors, how to form a committee, and, of course, the color of science.
youtu.be/cOEuQSLx0Ns?...

The Invasive Species Collaborative's quarterly newsletter banner with the words: InVasion | A Newsletter of the Invasive Species Collaborative at Virginia Tech | Issue 16 | Spring 2026

The ISC's quarterly newsletter is out! Each edition shares important announcements, opportunities, events, and the latest research from Virginia Tech.

Spring newsletter ➡️ mailchi.mp/a79baac19373...

Celebrate Arbor Day 2026! Join Blacksburg Parks and Recreation on April 11th as they plant trees across town 🌳🌲

Register here: www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0448A9...

The ISC is excited to host our 3rd public webinar next Tuesday (3/24)! ✨

Register here ➡️ virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

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.

DEADLINE MONDAY: The GCC is accepting applications for the NIH-funded REH T32 predoctoral training program. Includes funding, tuition, research support, and interdisciplinary training. Open to current & incoming VT PhD students.

Apply by March 16.

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

An Asteroid Ended the Age of the Dinosaurs. But How Did Their Reign Begin? Mysterious Early Reptiles May Hold the Answer Researchers are uncovering the evolutionary steps that set the stage for dinosaurs to rule the planet

A Smithsonian feature explores how Triassic reptiles may reveal the roots of dinosaur evolution, with insight from GCC affiliate Dr. Sterling Nesbitt. Fossils like Lewisuchus help clarify how dinosaur traits emerged and how these animals rose to prominence.

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Quinn Thomas points to a computer screen while sitting at a desk with Cayelan Carey. Office glass walls and signage from a Virginia Tech lab space are visible in the background.

GCC affiliates Dr. Cayelan Carey and Dr. Quinn Thomas are advancing 30‑day water quality prediction through the FLARE system and the VT Center for Ecosystem Forecasting. Their team combines sensors, machine learning, and global partnerships to forecast lakes and reservoirs.

🔗 buff.ly/43dxsRQ

Spring 2026 Dates & Deadlines Explore our roundup of the GCC's Spring funding opportunities, featuring key deadlines for faculty, postdoc, and graduate students.

Spring break + future planning? Easy win. 🌱📅

Check out the Spring 2026 GCC Funding Deadlines – a roundup of key dates and opportunities, all in one place.

Explore the dropdowns:

‘Curious Conversations’ podcast: Landon Marston talks about data centers and water Marston explained the amount of water used by data centers, what they’re doing with it, and the reality of the national and local impacts. He also shared aspects localities might consider before…

GCC affiliate Dr. Landon Marston joins VT’s Curious Conversations to discuss the hidden water demands of data centers. He explains evaporative cooling, why that water can’t be returned, and what communities should consider.

🎧 Listen:

Spring Summit Highlights Interdisciplinary Global Change Research More than 100 faculty affiliates, postdoctoral researchers, and Interfaces of Global Change IGEP fellows gathered for the Global Change Center’s Spring Summit on Jan. 30 at the Inn at Virginia Tech.

More than 100 faculty, postdocs, and graduate fellows came together for the GCC Spring Summit to share emerging ideas and spark cross‑campus partnerships. Flashtalks and team presentations highlighted new research directions and the impact of seed grants.

🔗

Registration

Registration for the 2026 Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases conference at Virginia Tech is now open! Come join us June 2-4 for great science in a picturesque setting. Register here by May 1 (early registration is encouraged due to capacity limitations): cpe.vt.edu/eeid2026/reg...

A vertical collage of three research scenes: a person writing on a clipboard while seated on a small boat; a person in a lab coat and gloves using a pipette at a laboratory bench; and a person outdoors holding a sample container with a pipette.

Undergrads: Apply for the Global Change Scholars Program. 🌍

The MAOP–GCC partnership supports students engaged in research, academics, & community stewardship. Awards range from $750–$1,500 for students with unmet financial need.

Deadline: April 15

🔗 globalchange.vt.edu/undergraduat...

Announcements March 5: Get ready for a fast-paced evening of ideas, storytelling, and discovery! At the Faculty Nutshell Talks, Virginia Tech faculty take the stage to share their research in just 90 seconds—no…

TONIGHT: Faculty Nutshell Talks return — big ideas with no slides and no jargon. 🎤

Three GCC affiliates will present: Jonathan Czuba, Stella Schons, & Tess Thompson.

📍 Fife Theatre, Center for the Arts
🕓 4:30 PM • Free & open to the public

Details:

IGC Fellow Joins ESA Cohort in Capitol Hill Through National Policy Award IGC fellow James Moloney earned ESA’s McCarter Policy Award and traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate for federal science funding alongside fellow emerging science leaders.

IGC fellow James Moloney was named one of 20 recipients of ESA’s 2026 McCarter Graduate Student Policy Award.

In D.C., he trained in science policy and met with seven congressional offices, leading conversations on sustained federal investment in science.

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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...

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...

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

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...