Curious Conversations

Courtney Sexton joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the unique relationship between humans and dogs. She shared the origins of the dog-human relationship, how the animals have adapted and become more attune to human needs, and their role in helping researchers learn more about human health.

About Sexton

Sexton is a post-doctoral researcher in population health sciences within the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Her research is focused on human-animal interactions, One Health and animals in society, and how non-human animals, especially dogs, can inform what is known about the evolution of human language, communication, and social relationships. She also works on the Dog Aging Project with Audrey Ruple, Metcalf Professor of Veterinary Medical Informatics and co-principal investigator for the project.

Ben Gill joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to chat about piecing together Earth history through a combination of geology and chemistry. Gill explained how studying the cycles of different elements can tell a story and help us better understand the planet’s most pivotal moments, such as mass extinctions. He also shared how studying both the worth and best times of our planet can provide us valuable insights for the future.  

About Gill

Gill is an associate professor in the Department of Geosciences and a faculty affiliate of the Global Change Center in the Fralin Life Sciences Institute. As a geochemist and sedimentary geologist, Gill specializes in reconstructing the present and past chemical cycles on our planet. His research combines classic sedimentologic and stratigraphic methods with both proven and novel geochemical and numerical modeling techniques.

 Jennifer Russell joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the concept of a circular economy. She explained that a circular economy is a shift away from the linear economy, which follows a take-make-dispose model, and instead focuses on reducing waste and reusing materials and shared examples of tangible products and industries that can be, or already are, part of a circular economy. 

About Russell

Russell is an assistant professor in the College of Natural Resources and Environment and a faculty affiliate of the Global Change Center in the Fralin Life Sciences Institute. Her research is centered around the integration of industrial ecology, industrial symbiosis, and opportunities for circular systems and practice in materials and energy systems.

Stefan Duma joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the history of the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab and the impact it has had on sports-related head injuries. He shared how a military research conference led him to study helmets, as well as the critical role the lab’s relationships with the Virginia Tech football and sports medicine programs have played in advancing this pioneering research. Duma discussed the role of the helmet lab in helping to create a greater awareness about head injuries throughout all sports, and described the helmet shell add-on fans can witness during the football team’s spring game on April 13.

About Duma

Duma is a University Distinguished Professor and the Harry C. Wyatt Professor of Engineering in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics. He is also the director of the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Sciences and the founder of the Helmet Lab. 

Chapters

00:30 -- From Automobile Safety to Military Research

01:29 -- Instrumenting Football Helmets

04:00 -- Collaboration with Virginia Tech Football

05:09 -- Helmet Ratings and Impact

07:44 -- Impact on Consumer Decisions

09:07 -- Testing and Rating Process

10:06 -- Partnership with NCAA

11:54 -- Shell Covers for Player Protection

13:30 -- Contact Time in Practice

15:20 -- Reducing Head Impacts in Youth Football

16:19 -- Increased Awareness of Concussions

Anna Zeide joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the history of food waste in America and its impact on society and the environment. She shared insights related to several historical turning points and stressed that addressing food waste requires rethinking and integrating food security and waste management systems.

About Zeide

Zeide is an associate professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences and founding director of the Food Studies Program. She studies food as a way of understanding environmental change, dynamic cultural practices, consumer behavior, technology, health, and justice.

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 professor of quantitative epidemiology and the Metcalf Professor of Veterinary Medical Informatics in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. She is also the program director of the Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences Graduate Program and serves on the executive leadership team of the Dog Aging Project.

Chapters

01:13 -- The Dog Aging Project

06:13 -- Dogs as Sentinels for Human Health Hazards

07:15 -- Benefits of Studying the Full Length of a Dog's Life

09:43 -- Findings and Discoveries

12:32 -- Genomic Work and Breed Identification

13:18 -- Perceptions of Dog Activity Levels

15:10 -- Data Sharing and Collaboration

18:29 --Personal Connection to Dogs and Dog Movies

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 civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering and an affiliate faculty member of the Global Change Center. His research focuses on understanding the chemical transformations of reactive organic compounds in the atmosphere – their physicochemical properties, their fate in the environment, and their impacts on ecosystems and populations. He is currently researching air quality in Ecuador with a focus on the impact of climate change on the Amazon rain forest and its feedback on the atmosphere.

Chapters 

03:17 – Researching Air Quality in Ecuador

05:02 – Understanding the Interaction between Humans and the Environment

08:55 – Individual Actions to Help Improve Air Quality

09:18 – The Impact of Human Factors on Plant Emissions

12:12 – Chemical Reactions and Air Pollution Formation

17:01 – How Gabriel Got into Studying Air Quality

21:40 – Finding Hope in Addressing Pollution and Climate Change

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, at constant speed and in a straight

About Hoek

Hoek is an assistant professor of philosophy in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. His research includes the philosophy of language, the philosophy of mathematics, epistemology, decision theory, and formal pragmatics.

Chapters

02:08 -- Interest in Newton's First Law

06:30 -- Questioning the First Law

13:59 -- Reinterpreting the First Law

17:28 -- Relationship between Physics and Philosophy

20:34 -- Value of Interdisciplinary Work

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

Shirzaei is an associate professor of geophysics and remote sensing in the Department of Geosciences and the director of Virginia Tech’s Earth Observation and Innovation Lab. His research uses sophisticated space-, air-, and ground-based monitoring techniques to improve our understanding of seismic and aseismic faulting processes, the evolution of crustal stresses and seismic hazard due to fluid extraction and disposal, changes in groundwater and surface water resources, and impacts of relative sea-level rise on coastal areas. 

Chapters

02:17 - The Importance of Land Subsidence

05:09 - Understanding the Widespread Nature of Land Subsidence

06:04 - Using Satellite Data for Measurements

08:30 - Land Subsidence and Climate Change

09:35 - The Impact of Land Subsidence on Coastal Communities

12:13 - Including Land Subsidence in Models and Decision Making

15:11 - Causes of Land Subsidence

17:05 - Hope for the Future

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 Feiertag Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management. His research interests include travel information search, social media marketing, and business analytics for the tourism and hospitality industries.

Chapters

01:07 - Technological Shifts in the Tourism Industry

08:08 -- Evolution of the Travel Industry

10:32 -- Influence of Social Media and User Experiences

14:24 -- Unnoticed Changes Impacting Travelers

17:35 -- Enhancing the Travel Experience

19:37 -- Future of Traveling Technology