Celebrate Arbor Day 2026! Join Blacksburg Parks and Recreation on April 11th as they plant trees across town 🌳🌲 Register here: www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0448A9...

The ISC is excited to host our 3rd public webinar next Tuesday (3/24)! ✨ Register here ➡️ virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

DEADLINE MONDAY: The GCC is accepting applications for the NIH-funded REH T32 predoctoral training program. Includes funding, tuition, research support, and interdisciplinary training. Open to current & incoming VT PhD students. Apply by March 16. More Details: globalchange.vt.edu/graduate/gra...

A Smithsonian feature explores how Triassic reptiles may reveal the roots of dinosaur evolution, with insight from GCC affiliate Dr. Sterling Nesbitt. Fossils like Lewisuchus help clarify how dinosaur traits emerged and how these animals rose to prominence. 🔗

GCC affiliates Dr. Cayelan Carey and Dr. Quinn Thomas are advancing 30‑day water quality prediction through the FLARE system and the VT Center for Ecosystem Forecasting. Their team combines sensors, machine learning, and global partnerships to forecast lakes and reservoirs. 🔗 buff.ly/43dxsRQ

Spring break + future planning? Easy win. 🌱📅 Check out the Spring 2026 GCC Funding Deadlines – a roundup of key dates and opportunities, all in one place. Explore the dropdowns:

GCC affiliate Dr. Landon Marston joins VT’s Curious Conversations to discuss the hidden water demands of data centers. He explains evaporative cooling, why that water can’t be returned, and what communities should consider. 🎧 Listen:

More than 100 faculty, postdocs, and graduate fellows came together for the GCC Spring Summit to share emerging ideas and spark cross‑campus partnerships. Flashtalks and team presentations highlighted new research directions and the impact of seed grants. 🔗

Registration for the 2026 Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases conference at Virginia Tech is now open! Come join us June 2-4 for great science in a picturesque setting. Register here by May 1 (early registration is encouraged due to capacity limitations): cpe.vt.edu/eeid2026/reg...

Undergrads: Apply for the Global Change Scholars Program. 🌍 The MAOP–GCC partnership supports students engaged in research, academics, & community stewardship. Awards range from $750–$1,500 for students with unmet financial need. Deadline: April 15 🔗 globalchange.vt.edu/undergraduat...

TONIGHT: Faculty Nutshell Talks return — big ideas with no slides and no jargon. 🎤 Three GCC affiliates will present: Jonathan Czuba, Stella Schons, & Tess Thompson. 📍 Fife Theatre, Center for the Arts 🕓 4:30 PM • Free & open to the public Details:

IGC fellow James Moloney was named one of 20 recipients of ESA’s 2026 McCarter Graduate Student Policy Award. In D.C., he trained in science policy and met with seven congressional offices, leading conversations on sustained federal investment in science. 🔗

The GCC is accepting applications for the NIH-funded REH T32 predoctoral training program. Includes funding, tuition, research support, and interdisciplinary training. Open to VT PhD students. 📅 Apply by March 16. More Details: globalchange.vt.edu/graduate/gra...

Sharks, Science, & What We Still Don’t Know 🦈 GCC affiliate Dr. Francesco Ferretti joins Virginia Tech’s Curious Conversations podcast to talk global shark populations, conservation-relevant data gaps, and a citizen science–driven global sightings database. 🎧 Listen: news.vt.edu/articles/202...

Short talks, big impact. ⏱️ GCC affiliates will join faculty from across campus at the Faculty Nutshell Talks — a fast-paced event built around 90‑second research stories designed for a public audience. No slides, no jargon. March 5, Center for the Arts. Free admission. Details: buff.ly/v6XzTg4

Driven by curiosity and community impact, GCC affiliate Dr. Austin Gray studies microplastics to better understand how environmental contaminants affect ecosystems – and people 🌍🧪

The GCC is accepting applications for the NIH-funded REH T32 predoctoral training program. Includes funding, tuition, research support, and interdisciplinary training. Open to VT PhD students. Apply by March 16. More Details: globalchange.vt.edu/graduate/gra...

Why does bat size matter? A new PLOS One study found female vampire bats are larger than males, a trait that may shape rabies transmission. Research includes work by GCC affiliate Dr. Luis Escobar 🦇🔬

The GCC is excited to welcome 16 new PhD Fellows to the IGC IGEP this spring 2026. This interdisciplinary cohort spans eight departments across four colleges 🎉🌍

Who uses water in the U.S. — and how much? A new nationwide database created by GCC affiliate Dr. Landon Marston and doctoral student Yunus Naseri reveals detailed water withdrawal data across sectors and regions, helping communities plan for a more sustainable future 💧

Nanoplastics may do more than pollute water. New Water Research findings co-authored by GCC affiliate Dr. Jingqiu Liao show they may strengthen harmful bacteria in water systems, raising concerns for water quality and public health 💧🦠

Wetlands in coastal Alaska are warming as fast as the air — and that’s bad news for salmon 🐟 New Nature research co-authored by GCC affiliate Dr. Amaryllis Adey shows rising water temperatures could threaten salmon growth, survival, and entire food webs. khns.org/wetlands-are...

The ISC is excited to host our second webinar of 2026! Register here ➡️ virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Why support the ISC on Giving Day? Because your support helps postdoctoral researchers like Dr. Claudia Nuñez-Penichet succeed! Claudia is in the Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, and she shares why the ISC's work matters in the video below 🦋 www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjOK...

From classroom to collaboration 🌳 A student’s question sparked a three-year, $559K research partnership. GCC affiliate Dr. Carrie Fearer and VT alumna Jordan Thompson are tackling beech leaf disease and oak wilt through applied, industry-supported research.

GCC Director Dr. Bill Hopkins and lab, working with Dr. Erin Hotchkiss, is leading a $380K NFWF-funded project using a head-starting approach to restore populations after Hurricane Helene. The effort also tackles long-term stream and habitat health. 🦎💧

Clean water isn’t guaranteed for everyone. GCC affiliate Dr. Leigh Anne Krometis found that some Appalachian families spend 10–20% of their income on bottled water due to unsafe or untrusted tap water. Her research highlights concerns shaping water access. 💧

How can faculty better support students? Dr. Carrie Fearer shows that meaningful support starts in teaching itself — through accessible course design, mentorship, and everyday classroom practices that help students see themselves as capable scholars. www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/effec...

Applications are open for the GCC's NIH-funded REH T32 predoctoral training program. PhD students focused on rural environmental health receive two years of funding, research support, and interdisciplinary training. 🗓️ Deadline March 16 Details: rebrand.ly/REH-T32

#Paleontologists are working to pinpoint the dawn of the #dinosaurs. What were the early evolutionary steps that set the stage for the animals’ impressive reign? A PNAS News Feature: https://ow.ly/q3wC50Y1LmI#Paleontologists#dinosaurs#Lewisuchus #Triassic #Silesaurus #ornithischians #extinction

A new #VirginiaTech study has uncovered additional threats caused by nanoplastics. 🦠 🔗: go.vt.edu/ujzNV

We’re excited to see the continued impact of ISC affiliates in action through a new research project at Virginia Tech focused on beech tree disease and oak wilt. Featuring past AND present ISC affiliates! 🔗 news.vt.edu/articles/202...

The ISC is excited to host our first webinar of 2026! Register here ➡️ virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

How do you design better products with less waste? ♻️ VT News visited Circular Economy Analytics, taught by GCC affiliate Dr. Jennifer Russell, where students from many majors use hands-on tools to measure product impacts and build more sustainable systems.

Research in Giles County is shedding light on the federally endangered Peter’s Mountain Mallow. The work includes undergraduate researchers, some supported by GCC funding, alongside GCC faculty affiliates Dr. Leighton Reid and Dr. Rachel Reid.

Can birds taste spice after all? 🌶️🦜 New research suggests birds are less likely to eat peppers above 500,000 Scoville units. GCC affiliates Dr. Haldre Rogers and Dr. David Haak weigh in on what this means for seed dispersal and plant evolution.

IGC alum Dr. Laura Schoenle is leading a new program at @cornellengineering.bsky.social that strengthens the human side of research. Workshops and coaching help labs build mentorship, collaboration, and shared values.

Gain the confidence to communicate your science clearly to policymakers and the public with AGU Science Policy's Voices for Science training. Applications are open Dec 15 – Feb 15 #sciencepolicy buff.ly/eOa6FTL

Bring your science to Salt Lake City! We are now accepting contributed talk and poster abstracts covering all areas of ecological research and practice for #ESA2026 in July. Ample funding support will be available! https://ow.ly/lYQZ50XTHZS

GCC affiliate Dr. Francesco Ferretti highlights the dramatic decline of Mediterranean great white sharks. Illegal fishing and weak enforcement threaten this critically endangered population, with at least 40 sharks killed in North Africa in 2025 alone.

GCC affiliate Dr. Austin Gray is featured in Virginia Tech News for his research on microplastics and their impacts on wildlife and human health, including suspected microplastics in dolphin breath, and his commitment to mentoring the next generation of scientists.

How do large solar farms affect local water systems? GCC affiliate Dr. Ryan Stewart shares preliminary findings. Providing data to help communities and state leaders plan sustainable solar development in Virginia.

We have a new paper out in QSR! Paleoseismic evidence for the 1730 Mw ≥9 Chile earthquake in a former coastal lagoon: an infrequent, shallow, tsunamigenic rupture with plausible near-term recurrence www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Led by Dr. Marco Cisternas from the PUCV in Chile

We have 5 new #postdoc openings @virginiatech.bsky.social with application deadlines in Jan & Feb, including work looking at PFAS in water based in Manassas, VA, & 2 positions in the Marston Research Group @vtengineering.bsky.social. List of all postdoc openings: bit.ly/vt-postdoc-o...

PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” are present in well water across much of Virginia, including rural areas. GCC affiliate Dr. Leigh Anne Krometis highlights the importance of regular testing and treatment options like filters and reverse osmosis.

Webinar Alert 📣 Join us for a webinar presenting findings from a new literature review and practitioner interviews led by me, Kingsley Oppong, Dr. Ashley Dayer, Dr. Shorna Broussard Allred, and Dr. Katie Krafte Holland.

Join us next week for our first career exploration webinar of 2026! Featuring Sarah Gao at Sofar Ocean and John Brooks from GES! Jan. 13, 2:00 PM ET https://esa.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Yn0wC4qMS16yq5OTO6e_RQ

Can #paleontologists pinpoint the dawn of the #dinosaurs? Researchers are uncovering the early evolutionary steps that set the stage for their impressive reign. A PNAS News Feature: https://ow.ly/Ntt050XTtUk#paleontologists#dinosaurs?#Lewisuchus #Triassic #Silesaurus #ornithischians #extinction

GCC Director Dr. Bill Hopkins has been awarded the Thomas H. Jones Professorship by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, recognizing excellence in teaching, mentoring, research, and outreach in fish and wildlife conservation. 🎉

In December, the GCC community gathered for December Discussions — an afternoon of collaboration, research highlights, and connection. The event also marked a milestone as the Center celebrates 10 years of global change research. 🎉