Please join us for a special lecture in Fralin Auditorium on Thursday evening, January 25, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.! The Hahn Horticultural Garden, the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, and the Global Change Center are pleased to welcome Dr. Jeremy Hoffman, a Climate and Earth Scientist from the Science Museum of Virginia. Dr. Hoffman is passionate about communicating science with broad audiences and is a talented speaker. His lecture will be titled: “Birds, Bees, Flowers, Trees: The Phenological Impacts of Climate Change”.
The community ...
In recent years, a refugee crisis has gripped the European Union, as unrest in Syria and elsewhere has sent hundreds of thousands of migrants to Europe’s shores, seeking safe harbor.
Now, a new study says that if all else were to remain equal—a necessary but major if—the stresses of climate change could drive more migrants into the European Union in future years.
As warming worsens, these influxes would accelerate. Under one scenario ...
From VT News:
The conversion of tropical forests to crop and pastureland has long been a concern for scientists, as forest loss can lead to decreased rainfall, increased droughts, and degraded freshwater ecosystems. A new study points to another unexpected consequence: changes in fish production.
The study, led by Leandro Castello, assistant professor of fisheries in Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment, explores how deforestation along the Amazon River floodplain affects fisheries yields. The study was published online Dec. 13 ...
NEW YORK, NY, December 11, 2017—ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, has named Dr. Edward Fox an ACM Fellow for making major contributions in the area of information retrieval and digital libraries. Other areas recognized by the fellows program include database theory, design automation, multimedia computing and network security. The accomplishments of the 2017 ACM Fellows lead to transformations in science and society. Their achievements play a crucial role in the global economy, as well as how we live and ...
Cayelan Carey has been selected as the recipient of this year’s Yentsch-Schindler Early Career Award by the Association for the Sciences of Limnology & Oceanography (ASLO):
From the announcement:
“The Yentsch-Schindler Early Career Award honors an early-career scientist for outstanding and balanced contributions to research, education and society. Cayelan Carey is the 2018 recipient of the Yentsch-Schindler Award for outstanding and balanced contributions to research on the causes and effects of cyanobacterial blooms, science training, and broader societal issues such as lake ...
From VT News
Virginia Tech scientists have discovered that invasive plant species are essentially able to change in order to thrive on new continents and in different types of climates, challenging the assumption that species occupy the same environment in native and invasive ranges.
It’s no secret that globalization, aided by climate change, is helping invasive species gain a foothold across the planet, but it was something of a surprise to Virginia Tech researchers just how mutable these invaders are.
Globalization and other human activities such as domestication can influence population structure of the earth’s flora and fauna, having broad implications for biodiversity. For example, Cannabis sativa (a.k.a. hemp/marijuana) has been used by humans for diverse purposes including medicine, spirituality, entertainment, and as a source of fiber for thousands of years. Because of its broad utility, this plant has been subject to extensive cultivation, artificial selection, and global trade. As a result, the origins and historical patterns of genetic diversity of marijuana ...
From VT News
When most Americans think of New Zealand, images of sprawling fantasy landscapes may come to mind; however for Brian Strahm, associate professor of forest soils and biogeochemistry in the College of Natural Resources and Environment, it’s all about trees.
Strahm was named a Research Fellow of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development through its Co-operative Research Program for Biological Resource Management for Sustainable Agriculture Systems. The organization is an international body of 35 countries designed to ...
From CNN
More than 16,000 scientists from 184 countries have published a second warning to humanity advising that we need to change our wicked ways to help the planet.
In 1992, 1,700 independent scientists signed the “World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity.” The letter warned that “human beings and the natural world are on a collision course” and if environmental damage was not stopped, our future was at risk.
That letter made headlines 25 years ago, but the world still faces ...
