Curious Conversations

Audrey Ruple joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the Dog Aging Project, the largest-known study of dog health which aims to understand the keys to healthy aging in dogs and the risks to their health. She explained what information they are collecting, what it means for dogs, and how it might also be used to better understand human health. About Ruple Ruple is an associate...

Gabriel Isaacman-VanWertz joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about air pollution and its misconceptions. He shared his insights related to how plant and human emissions interact and what that means for our shared environment, as well as how he got into this field of study and his hope for the future. About Isaacman-VanWertz Gabriel Isaacman-VanWertz is an associate professor in...

Daniel Hoek joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the recent discovery he made related to Newton's first law of motion. Daniel Hoek joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the recent discovery he made related to Newton's first law of motion. The law is typically translated as “a body at rest remains at rest, and a body in motion remains in motion...

Manoochehr Shirzaei joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the importance of understanding and measuring sinking land, commonly called land subsidence. He shared insights about the use of satellite data in creating high resolution maps, how land subsidence fits into the overall picture of climate change, and how he hopes the information is used by localities. About Shirzaei S...

Zheng "Phil" Xiang joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the intersection of technology and tourism. He shares the significant technological shifts in the tourism industry over the past decade, including the influence of social media and artificial intelligence on trip research and the experience itself.  Xiang is a professor and the department head of the Howard F...

Andrew Katz joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in education. Katz shares his insight related to the applications of AI models, such as chat GPT, in analyzing student responses and providing feedback, as well as the challenges of AI in education and hope it can provide a more individualized education experience. Katz is an assi...

Rose Wesche joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about the science behind the warm, fuzzy feelings that often accompany a new romance, the transition from infatuation to attachment, and how to maintain intimacy and passion in relationships. She also shared her research exploring the emotional outcomes of casual sexual relationships and provided advice for those in relationships....

Luiz DaSilva joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about the evolution of wireless networks, the importance of advancing the next generation of wireless, and the critical role the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) is playing in that DaSilva is the Bradley Professor of Cybersecurity in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Executive Director of the...

Ashely Dayer chast about her work at the intersection of birds and humans, including a new project that explores the positive impact bird feeding has on human well being and general tips for the hobby. Dayer is an associate professor of Human Dimensions in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation and is an affiliated faculty member of the Global Change Center . She also leads the Dayer Hum...

Harden is an associate professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech and director of the Physical Activity Research and Community Implementation Laboratory , as well as an exercise specialist with Virginia Cooperative Extension . Her research focuses on the yoga kernels of mindfulness, breath work, and movement and how yoga can promote flourishing (personal, profession...

Koeun Choi chats about the impact of media on young children. She shared insights from her research on screen time and young children and introduced a project she’s working on that explores the use of artificial intelligence to help children learn to read.  Choi is an assistant professor of human development and family science in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences and the director of t...

Anna Zeide joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about the history of foods traditionally connected to holidays occurring during the winter months, as well as the nature of developing personal traditions.  Zeide is an associate professor of history at Virginia Tech. She is also the founding director of the Food Studies Program in the College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences ....

Feng Lin joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about the chemistry behind creating better batteries for electric vehicles. He broke down some of the current challenges to mass producing an effective and affordable battery, and shared his thoughts on the potential for coal in helping overcome these hurdles.  Lin is an associate professor in Virginia Tech’s Department of Chemistry a...

Ismini Lourentzou chats about artificial intelligence and machine learning related to personal assistants, as well as her student team’s recent experience with the Alexa Prize TaskBot Challenge 2.  Lourentzou is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and core faculty at the   Sanghani Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics . She is also an affiliate faculty mem...

Roop Mahajan joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about the value of international collaborations to research and innovation, as well as how they’ve contributed to his work advancing the “wonder material” graphene. Mahajan is the Lewis A. Hester Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and director of strategic research and innovation for Virginia Tech India .

Matt Camden and Scott Tidwell of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) joined “Curious Conversations” to talk about the institute’s Sharing the Road program, which has shared tips for driving around heavy trucks with more than 20,000 high school students since 2018. They discussed the research behind the program and shared practical safety tips for drivers of all ages.

Erik Westman joined Virginia Tech’s ‘Curious Conversations’ to share 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.

Maaz Gardezi joined Virginia Tech’s ‘Curious Conversations’ to talk about the importance of developing agriculture technology alongside and with the input of farmers. He shared details about a current interdisciplinary project he’s working on at the intersection of technology and agriculture, as well as his thoughts on the potential for advanced technology in this space. Gardezi is an assistant pr...

Sarah Henrickson Parker joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about how artificial intelligence and machine learning is currently being used in some healthcare spaces, and what the potential is for the future. Parker is the Chair of Health Systems and Implementation Science at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine , an associate professor at The Fralin Biomedical Research Inst...

Bimal 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. Viswanath is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science...

Cayce Myers fields questions on artificial intelligence’s impact on the workforce, regulations, copyright law, and more.  Myers is a professor and graduate director in the School of Communication. His work focuses on media history, political communication, and laws that affect public relations practice.

Each year, Virginia Tech produces the Global Agricultural Productivity (GAP) Report, which provides a snapshot of the current state of agriculture and a projection of its future. Tom and Jessica, executive editor and managing editor, respectively, of the report, joined the podcast just prior to the 2023 release to explain what it is and how they hope it's used.

Walid Saad joined Virginia Tech’s "Curious Conversations" to field questions about the metaverse, digital twins, and artificial intelligence’s potential impact on the environment. Saad is a professor in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Next-G Faculty Lead for Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus in Alexandria, Virginia. 

Christina Dimarino joined the podcast to chat about semiconductors, the importance of packaging in onshoring their production, and what Virginia Tech is doing to excel workforce development in this field. She is an assistant professor in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and assistant director of Virginia Tech’s Center for Power Electronics Systems, located at the Virgi...

Hesham Rekah, director of the Center for Sustainable Mobility at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, shares insights on the challenges and benefits of electric vehicles.