The Fourth Annual Interfaces of Global Change (IGC) Graduate Research Symposium was held on April 25, 2019 in Fralin Hall. The gathering provides a forum for students and faculty to interact and explore connections between labs across campus. The day included 12 oral presentations and a poster session by 24 students.

The symposium highlighted the latest research from the program’s graduate student fellows, whose collective work addresses critical global changes impacting the environment and society. This includes problems surrounding climate change, pollution, invasive species, disease, and habitat loss.

Platform awards for Best Presentation were selected for the top three oral presentations. This year’s winners were:

First Place Angie Estrada, “Amphibian translocations: skin microbiome, body condition and disease status”

Second Place Ernie Osburn, “Forest disturbance alters soil microbial community structure and function in Appalachian ecosystems”

Third Place Stephen DeVilbiss, “Effects of freshwater salinization and associated base cations on fecal indicator persistence and bacterial community structure”

Kudos to all the student participants!  Your work is truly inspiring, important and impactful to the Virginia Tech community and beyond.  Thank you to the GCC Faculty and other researchers on campus who came out to show their support for the IGC Fellows!

IGC Graduate Symposium 2019