Collaborators from the Virginia Tech-led National Science Foundation Center for Community Empowering Pandemic Prediction and Prevention from Atoms to Societies brought together dozens of scientists, scholars, and community partners.

Erin Smith began her work at the center as project coordinator for community engagement initiatives, a role that will boost the center’s mission to create and support experiences for scientists, engineers, scholars, and health professionals to build their muscles of connection, communication, and collaboration.

Chemical engineering Professor Padma Rajagopalan is designing 3D liver organoids to test the effects of chemotherapy. Developing more effective treatment options for various diseases, including cancer, has become a top priority for researchers today.