Workshop – Advancing Agriphotovoltaics (APV) in Virginia

On August 6 and 7, the Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture (CAIA), the Center for Future Work Places and Practices (CFWPP), and the Power and Energy Center (PEC) at Virginia Tech will be hosting a workshop on Advancing Agriphotovoltaics (APV) in Virginia.

The workshop will bring together industry leaders, policy makers, agricultural professionals, and other key stakeholders to:

Establish a network to support APV advancement in Virginia,
Develop collaborative strategies for supporting APV during the renewable energy transition, and
Explore opportunities and challenges in APV identified by diverse stakeholder perspectives.

The following panels will be held on August 6 to inform a series of facilitated group discussions on August 7.

Agriculture Panel (Moderator: Prof. John Fike, School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, VT)

Eric Paulson, Executive Secretary of the Virginia State Dairymen’s Association (VSDA).
Meredith Ledlie Johnson, Policy Systems and Environmental Change Programming Manger, Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE).
Jim Riddell, Government Affairs Specialist, consultant, and representative of the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association.

Solar Developers Panel (Moderator: Prof. Ralph Hall, School of Public and International Affairs, VT)

Lauren Wheeler, GIS Analyst for the Timmons Group in the Energy and Renewables practice and leads the Virginia permitting team.
Iain Ward, Founder and CEO of Solar Agricultural Services, Inc. (SolAg).
Jesse Robertson-DuBois, Director, Sustainable Solar Development, BlueWave.
Katie Hill, Director of Environmental Compliance at Strata Clean Energy.

Utilities Panel (Moderator: Nam Nguyen, Executive Director, VTES)

Tyler Schwartz, Senior Key Account Manager, Appalachian Power.
Geovanni Castano Cerpa, Technology Advisor for Dominion Energy.
Karan Patel, Managing Director for Clean Energy and Energy Solutions, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative.

Policy Panel (Moderator: John Ignosh, Senior Extension Specialist, Biological Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech)

Dana Ashford, Acting Director of USDA-NRCS Ecological Sciences Division.
Aaron Berryhill, Solar Program Manager, Virginia Department of Energy.
Samantha Levy, Conservation and Climate Policy Manager, American Farmland Trust.
Carrie Hearne, Commission on Electric Utility Regulation.

The workshop is made possible by funding received from 4-VA.

Center for Future Work Places and Practices – Networking Event

On May 9, from 2-4pm, the Center for Future Work Places and Practices (CFWPP) will hold its annual friends and affiliates networking meeting at the Virginia Tech Inn. The meeting will provide attendees with an opportunity to meet and interact with other affiliates and friends of the center. During the event, we will have a brief presentation about the center activities over the last year, followed by several short presentations about ongoing research related to the future of work. There will also be plenty of time for coffee/free discussion. Please register here.

15 Years at VT!

This morning I celebrated my 15th year at Virginia Tech! It’s hard to believe this much time has passed since arriving in Blacksburg for the start of the 2009 spring semester. In a nostalgic look back, I’ve included a few images below from my first few months at Virginia Tech.

Policy Pathways – Life Abroad

This weekend, I’ll be speaking about why international education matters at the Pathways to Life Abroad Fair hosted by Policy Pathways. If you live in Richmond, Virginia, please join us at the Huguenot High School between 10am and 2pm on Saturday, Aril 13. The event is open to the public.

Webinar – European Parliament Elections Briefing

On Thursday, April 11, from 4:00-5:30pm, Karolina Wozniak, Head of Press and Media in the European Parliament Liaison Office in Washington DC, will speak about the upcoming European elections. The European Union is one of the United States strongest and most valuable partners, meaning the elections can have a significant impact on US-EU policies. The event is hosted by the Center for European and Transatlantic Studies (CEUTS).

If you would like to join the webinar, please register here.

New Paper on Food Access and Security

Our new paper entitled “Systematic investigation of inadequate food access at a large southeastern land grant university,” is now available at PLOS ONE.

Abtract: Over the past decade, the impact of low food security on student well-being and academic performance has become a growing concern at institutions of higher education across the U.S. This mixed methods study adds to the growing body of evidence on the association between student socio-demographic and economic characteristics and food security. An online survey covering food access, student well-being, and housing security was sent to 35,337 undergraduate and graduate students at a large southeastern land grant university. A total of 2,116 complete responses were received; a 6% response rate. The survey responses also included 176 written statements by students. The survey found that 16% of both undergraduate and graduate students had low or very low food security, as defined by a modified USDA food security measure. The socio-demographic and economic characteristics that were linked to a higher likelihood of low food security included: having a GPA of less than 3.0, having a disability, being an international student, being a first-generation student, being a transfer student, going into debt to pay for food, being a Black or African American student, having poor mental health, having uncertain living arrangements, and having no medical insurance. Recommendations for enhancing student access to food, housing, and mental health services are discussed.

CFWPP Speaker Series: Applying for NSF Funding

On March 13 at 2pm, the Center for Future Work Places and Practices (CFWPP) will welcome Dr. Alan Tomkins – the Acting Division Director of the NSF’s Social and Economic Sciences (SES) Directorate – to Virginia Tech as part of its speaker series. In this presentation, Dr. Tomkins will talk about NSF’s grant process and Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) programs, provide tips for writing a competitive proposal, and discuss different types of grants.

Please register here to join the talk in person or remotely.

Talking Transitions: How Cities Navigate the Green Transition

I recently had the pleasure of participating on Episode two of Talking Transitions, a new podcast series (hosted by David Weston) from FORESIGHT Climate & Energy and EY that focuses on how the transition to a sustainable economy may impact the energy and resources industry, the financial services sector, and Government.

In our poadcast, Prof. Abbas El-Zein (University of Sydney in Australia), George Atalla (EY’s Global Government and Public Sector Leader), and I delved into the transitions cities and urban areas are facing and their role in shifting to a sustainable economy.

You can listen to the podcast and the series on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.