July 2024 Media Highlights

Earth.com - Olives may be a powerful weapon in the fight against obesity - The credit goes to Professor Dongmin Liu and his research team from the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise at Virginia Tech. Their ongoing investigation is centered around identifying bioactive compounds in natural products that could contribute to managing diabetes.

El Cronista (Mexico) (also MSN) - El vegetal que puede terminar con la diabetes y la obesidad en 4 semanas - A study published by Virginia Tech University in the United States revealed that a component present in olives could help reduce blood sugar levels and promote weight loss. These results are encouraging for the creation of natural, low-cost and safe products to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity.

La Tercera (Chile) (also MSN) - Descubren compuesto en las aceitunas que revolucionaría tratamiento de diabetes y la obesidad de forma natural - The study, presented by the research team led by Dr. Dongmin Liu, professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Exercise at Virginia Tech, focuses on the effects of elenolic acid on metabolic health.

Gloucestershire (UK) (also Yahoo News) - Scientists say 'superfood' can tackle obesity and diabetes after breakthrough - Research team leader Professor Dongmin Liu, of Virginia Tech, said: “Lifestyle modifications and public health measures have had limited impact on the rising prevalence of obesity, one of the top risk factors for type 2 diabetes. “Available obesity drugs are ineffective in weight loss maintenance, expensive and/or carry potential long-term safety risks.

ABC (Spain) - El compuesto de las aceitunas que es prometedor para tratar la obesidad y la diabetes - Hana Alkhalidy, Ph.D., a research scientist in Liu's lab at Virginia Tech, will present the findings (of olives treating obesity and diabetes) at NUTRITION 2024, the flagship annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition held June 29–July 2 in Chicago.

The Hill - Biden campaign attacks media while playing defense on debate - “It’s indicative of their weakened position,” said Cayce Myers, a public relations expert who teaches in the school of communications at Virginia Tech. “It’s clearly a deflection mechanism and the media don’t typically respond well to this type of criticism, which in this case is unfounded.”

Scripps News - Mahmood Khan on travel around 4th of July -  “In general there has been an increase in almost all travel expenses,” Khan said. “The demographics are changing, more younger population traveling more.” (transcription).

Very Well Health - Your Dishes May Not Be as Clean as You Think - Since most plates and utensils are not porous, you don’t necessarily need to sanitize these dishes after every use, according to Melissa S. Wright, MS, an associate extension specialist and director of the Food Producer Technical Assistance Network at Virginia Tech.

Journal of Blacks in Higher Education - Five Black Scholars Appointed to New Faculty Positions - Adegbenga Bankola has been promoted to full professor of internal medicine at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He serves as chief of the division of rheumatology at Carillon Clinic and director of Virginia Tech’s rheumatology fellowship program.

Business of Home (also Yahoo News) - Why celebrities are tearing down historic homes, Ikea is coming to Fifth Avenue, and more - The International Furnishings and Design Association’s Educational Foundation announced the 2024 winners of its design student scholarships. This year, judges granted nine scholarship recipients a total of $20,500—winners include Anna Goodman of Virginia Tech.

Homes & Garden - This is the best time of day to water a vegetable garden – experts reveal the ideal hours to water, and the times to avoid - Drip irrigation or soaker hoses can be useful tools to get water to the base of the plants and into the root zone where it is most needed. Shawn Jadrnicek, extension agent for Virginia Tech, claims you can water ‘anytime’ with a drip irrigation system as the leaves won’t get wet, however, there are still preferred times to use such systems.

CNN Brasil - “Quase me matou”, diz homem viciado em alimentos ultraprocessados - “If there's a high-value meal in front of you, something rich and fatty that has a lot of calories, the brain is wired to say, 'Go ahead and eat it,' even if you're full because our ancestors were not guaranteed to find food. the next day,” said appetite expert Alexandra DiFeliceantonio, an assistant professor at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

Huffpost Italia - Se le formiche viaggiano in autostop: "Salgono in gruppo, regina compresa, a caccia di una nuova meta" - Google translation: The behavior of various species of ants moving, for example, on agricultural vehicles had already been observed previously. Now Scotty Yang, a professor in the Entomology department at Virginia Tech, has shifted attention to common vehicles that travel on roads and highways, particularly in the Taiwan area. For a period of six years (from 2017 to 2023) he observed and studied, especially thanks to reports from citizens and citizen scientists, how the ants managed to hitchhike.

CBS News - Will mortgage rates fall after the July Fed meeting? Here's what some experts expect - "While mortgage rates are significantly lower than their historic high last fall, elevated rates are here to stay for a while," says David Bieri, an associate professor of economics and real estate at Virginia Tech. "With interest rate uncertainty still above more normal levels and prepayment risk much above what it was before the pandemic, rates are unlikely to fall more than an additional a quarter or half percentage point."

Washington Post - Opinion: Joe Biden and the national conversation about aging we urgently need - Letter to editor written by two faculty in the Center for Gerontology -  Benjamin Katz and Pamela B. Teaster.

USA Today  - Why do mosquito bites itch? Some people get them more than others. Here's why. - There’s also some evidence to suggest our body odor (both natural and artificial) can either attract mosquitoes or keep them away. Floral-scented soaps tend to be more attractive to mosquitoes, according to a study by Virginia Tech researchers funded in part by the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

CNBC - U.S. cities are sinking. Here's what that means for homeowners - Manoochehr Shirzaei, a professor of geophysics and remote sensing at Virginia Tech, also attributed some land subsidence to tectonic processes.“For example, earthquakes can make the land rise, but also in some places [make it] fall. So these two are considered to be natural processes,” he said.

Huff Post - The 5 Biggest Early Warning Signs Of Cancer In Dogs - If your dog suddenly dropped weight without changing anything about their diet, appetite or physical activity levels, cancer could be the cause. This “may indicate that their body is using more energy to fight off disease or that they are experiencing metabolic changes associated with cancer,” Dr. Nick Dervisis, an oncologist at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, told HuffPost. Tumors in the digestive tract can also interfere with nutrient absorption and cause your dog to become skinnier, he added.

Fortune - Is your boss abusive? New research explains why you may be mistaking toxicity for tough love - A leader’s top priority should be understanding and developing the people they manage—that’s what Bill Becker, Ph.D., a professor of management at the Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business, teaches his MBA students. Yet not enough people in charge are equipped with the emotional and psychological skills to be in high-pressure positions and shepherd subordinates, he tells Fortune.

U.S. News and World Report - Overlooked Engineering Fields That Pay Well - ASEE data shows just 164 bachelor's degrees were awarded in mining engineering in the 2021-2022 academic year – the lowest for any program in the report. “As our economy changes and becomes more green, the demand for certain minerals is just continuing to grow,” says Erik Westman, a professor of engineering at the Virginia Tech College of Engineering.

Technical.ly - An OpenAI advisor wants to help tech leaders embrace the humanities - Jaitly ascribed his career success to integrating the arts and technology — for example, through storytelling — into his own work across academia, investment and tech policy. Jaitly is currently a distinguished humanities fellow and professor at Virginia Tech works at the university as a distinguished humanities fellow and professor.

The Nation - These Corporations Are the True “Winners” of the War on Gaza - Colt was operating in accordance with its settler traditions. The gun manufacturer, which made revolvers for the discerning frontiersman, passed into settler legend when the Texas Rangers used its guns to suppress the Comanche in the 1840s. By the 1870s, its fabled “Peacemaker” revolver had become such a fixture of frontier life that it’s sometimes hailed as “the handgun that won the West.” Or, as Virginia Tech professor Lee Vinsel wrote in a 2020 essay reviewing a social history of the gunmaker, Colt supplied “a technology of Manifest Destiny.” In providing the means for Israelis to steal Palestinian land, Colt merely continues its legacy.

Earth.com - Transforming food waste into biodegradable bioplastics - A group of enterprising researchers at Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences have taken on this challenge. The team is leading a pioneering project. They are developing biodegradable bioplastics from food waste. This brilliant initiative gives these materials a new life. It promotes sustainability and addresses crucial issues such as plastic pollution and food waste.

Times Higher Education - Balancing career readiness and finances: the case for abbreviated internships - Article written by Margarita McGrath - Internships give students professional experience, guide career choices and boost job market competitiveness. But what if students need higher-paying summer jobs or can’t afford three months in a far-flung city? That’s where abbreviated winter internships come in.

Travel + Leisure - This 122-mile Mountain Road Trip Through Virginia and West Virginia Has Charming Small Towns, Beautiful Hiking Trails, and Outdoor Adventures - Drive less than two hours on U.S. 219 S and U.S. 460 E to the home of Virginia Tech, Jefferson National Forest, world-class tubing, and a bevy of breweries. Stretch your legs on the Huckleberry Trail, which connects Christiansburg and Blacksburg.

Broadway World - Shakespeare & Company to Present THE COMEDY OF ERRORS Beginning Next Week - Naire Poole is fresh off of her performance in Barrington Stage Company's 10x10 Festival! Her selected credits include: Theater: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo & Juliet, The Wickams: Christmas at Pemberly, Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare & Company); 10x10 Ten Minute Play Festival (Barrington Stage Company); Way Beyond Water (St. Pete Opera); hang, The Crucible, The Cake (Asolo Rep); Glengarry Glenross, Clybourne Park, Mud, A Chip on Her Shoulder, Oh the Humanity (Virginia Tech Theater).

Today Show - Hoda recalls unforgettable gesture from her friend to support her after her dad died: ‘That’s what it’s about’ - It’s been decades since Hoda Kotb lost her father to a heart attack, but that moment from her college years remains vivid in her memory, as does the support she received from her best friend at Virginia Tech during the painful time.

USA Today - The meaning behind every TODAY anchor’s name, from Al to Willie - The name “Hoda” did inspire a cute nickname for the TODAY anchor while she was in college at Virginia Tech. Her college friends and sorority sisters called her “Hodie.”