News

What happens when you turn a science fair upside down? At Virginia Tech’s Science Festival last fall, the U.S. National Science Foundation COMPASS Center (Center for COMmunity Empowering Pandemic Prediction and Prevention from Atoms to SocietieS) and the Center for Communicating Science partnered to bring “Flip the Fair” to life on the third floor balcony of the Center for the Arts.

Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine postdoctoral fellow Zohreh Gholizadeh-Siahmazgi uses induced pluripotent stem cell technology to create mini versions of organs. Her research is described in this story by Virginia Tech student Eli Speechley.

Virginia Tech Department of Computer Science graduate student Vasu Gatne explores how Large Language Models can protect us against the next pandemic. Her research is described in this story by Virginia Tech student Maggie Sheridan.

Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine postdoctoral associate Hannah Brown examines how the hepatitis E virus affects the liver and brain through specialized 3-dimensional organoids. Her research is described in this story by Virginia Tech student Maddox Torres.

Virginia Tech Department of English graduate student Marissa Buccilli examines how the rhetoric around clinical studies impacts their practical use. Her research is described in this story by Virginia Tech student Abbie Smith.

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.

An $18 million U.S. National Science Foundation grant will establish a new Virginia Tech center to bring computer science, infectious disease, engineering, and the arts together to predict and prevent global pandemics.

While COVID-19 is only one among many zoonotic viral diseases (those transmissible between animals and humans), its spread to pandemic proportions has highlighted important scientific, societal, and ethical aspects that require consideration for the successful prediction and prevention of further pandemics.