CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, Aug. 4 -- The Southern Environmental Law Center posted the following news release: * * * FERC ignores statutory obligation to public, authorizes 500 miles of unnecessary pipelines Groups will push back against approval of $5+ billion projects across Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi - WASHINGTON - In a blatant disregard to its statutory obligation, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authorized two pipeline proposals that would bring more than 500 mile  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Aug. 4 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: * * * Autonomous warfare moves to the water: Insights from Virginia Tech experts By Chelsea Seeber An unmanned boat motors toward a beach and drops off an armed robot, which then walks itself toward a target. It sounds like the plot of a science fiction movie, but Ukraine tested this high-tech combat tactic in mid-July on a Russian-occupied spit of land, marking the first-ever robotic amphibious beach assault. What do  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, Aug. 4 -- Virginia Commonwealth University issued the following news: * * * VCU honored by National Postdoctoral Association The award recognizes a lengthy and influential initiative to reshape the workplace experience of postdocs, who are vital to the research enterprise but historically have been underpaid with few benefits across higher education. By Emily Komornik, Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation The National Postdoctoral Association recently  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Aug. 4 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: * * * Matthew Taylor named head of Department of Food Science and Technology Taylor brings to his new role nearly two decades of experience mentoring students and leading collaborative food safety research totaling more than $52 million in funding. By Courtney Vondracek Matthew Taylor has been named the new head of Virginia Tech's Department of Food Science and Technology in the College of Agriculture and Life Science  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Aug. 4 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: * * * Research links industrial pollution to health risks in Louisiana By Kelsey Bartlett For more than two decades, Virginia Tech professor and Louisiana native Barbara Allen has warned of the health risks associated with living near Louisiana's Cancer Alley. The 85-mile stretch of land along the Mississippi River is home to numerous petrochemical plants and oil refineries that produce plastics, fuels, and other indu  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Aug. 4 (TNSjou) -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: * * * Research seeks better understanding of pollen movement from ground to sky Using ground samplers, drones, and simulations, researchers successfully measured pollen dispersal from a genetically engineered crop and established a modeling methodology for future prediction. By Felicia Spencer Plant biologists and engineers have extended their studies to the skies to track airborne pollen once it leaves a cro  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Aug. 4 (TNSjou) -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: * * * Research uncovers hidden patterns in hurricane storm surge By Courtney Sakry When a hurricane roars toward land, forecasters try to predict how high sea levels will rise to help coastal communities prepare for the worst impacts. But storm surge peak isn't always the biggest problem. How fast water rises, how long it remains elevated, and how quickly it recedes all influence coastal erosion, infrastructu  more

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, Aug. 4 (TNSjou) -- The University of Virginia issued the following research news: * * * What's in the dust? UVA study finds hidden metals in city streets By Zeina Mohammed, spr2jm@virginia.edu If you're in an urban area with strong winds, chances are you are breathing in more than just a little dust. You could be exposed to metals from cars, construction sites or pesticides used decades ago. In a new study published in the Environmental Science and Pollution Res  more