Snowfall framed a day of collaboration and discovery as more than 100 faculty affiliates, postdoctoral researchers, and Interfaces of Global Change IGEP fellows gathered for the Global Change Center’s Spring Summit on Jan. 30 at the Inn at Virginia Tech. The event brought together researchers across disciplines to build new connections and spark ideas — setting the tone for a collaborative new semester.

The summit, originally envisioned as a faculty retreat, grew this year to include postdocs and graduate fellows. This shift reflected feedback from the IGC GSO, whose members expressed a strong desire to connect more deeply with the broader GCC network. The result was a vibrant, interdisciplinary event designed to spark new conversations, collaborations, and ideas in global change environmental research.

Attendees sign-in at the welcome table as GCC staff distribute name tags and materials.
Attendees were welcomed with smiles and warm coffee.

The afternoon opened with remarks from Director Bill Hopkins, who shared updates on Center initiatives and upcoming funding opportunities. Hopkins underscored the importance of collaboration, noting that GCC-backed efforts over the past decade have catalyzed new research teams, publications, and programs. His remarks set the stage for an afternoon focused on both reflection and momentum.

Recent faculty affiliates then delivered rapid flash talks that introduced their research and highlighted opportunities for collaboration. These presentations introduced newly affiliated faculty to the GCC community while showcasing the breadth of global change research across campus. Each speaker offered a high-level overview of their research and discussed how they envision collaborating with other GCC members.

A faculty presenter leads a flashtalk as an attendee stands at the center mic to ask a question.
Sessions included informational talks followed by audience Q&A.

Together, the flash talks underscored the interdisciplinary nature of global change research and opened the door to future partnerships across fields ranging from ecology and engineering to policy and economics. Flashtalk presenters included:

  • Carrie Fearer, Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation 
  • Jingqiu Liao, Civil and Environmental Engineering 
  • Mateo Acosta, Geosciences
  • Dara Wald, School of Public and International Affairs
  • Valentina Gómez-Bahamón, Biological Sciences
  • Zhenshan Chen, Agricultural and Applied Economics
Attendees chat while seated in-between faculty talks.
Attendees enjoyed warm drinks and catching up before the start of each session.

A brief coffee break allowed participants to mingle before the program shifted to presentations from established GCC-supported research teams. These talks illustrated the tangible impacts of GCC investments like seed grants, working groups, equipment support, and community partnerships. Presentations included:

  • Building and Taming a Living Data System for Sharks, presented by Francesco Ferretti. Collaborators include: Jeremy Jenrette, Stefano Moro, Edward Fox, Leah Johnson, Fiorenza Micheli, Trevor Hastie, Cheryl Butner, Steven Haddock, Salvador Jorgensen, and Sara Khalid.
  • Managing drinking water reservoirs confronted with global change: a decadal perspective, presented by Cayelan Carey. Collaborators include:  John Little, Madeline Schreiber, and Quinn Thomas.
  • Soil carbon change = 𝑓 (moisture x minerals x microbes), presented by Brian Strahm. Collaborators include: Brian Badgley, Durelle Scott, and Angela Possinger.
  • Integrated agro-economic modeling to assess farmer uptake of precision water and nutrient management in a changing climate, presented by Julie Shortridge. Collaborators include: Wei Zhang and Ryan Stewart.
  • Socio-economic aspects of Red Tide Harmful Algal Blooms in Florida: From Adaptation to Control and Mitigation, presented by Klaus Moeltner. Collaborators include: Hosein Foroutan and Florian Zach.
  • Connecting frugivores to plant community dynamics in a changing world, presented by Haldre Rogers. Collaborators include: Abir Jain and Susan Whitehead.
Attendees mingle and network during the reception as a slideshow plays at the front of the room.
Immediately following the talks attendees were invited to enjoy a networking reception.

The evening concluded with a networking reception featuring a slideshow celebrating the Center’s 10-year history. As snow continued to fall outside, attendees connected over light appetizers and conversations that may seed the next wave of interdisciplinary projects.

Attendees mingle during the reception as a celebratory slideshow plays on the large front screen.
During the reception a slideshow of images taken throughout the GCC's 10-years played on a large screen.

The Spring Summit created space for researchers at every career stage to share their expertise and build relationships that strengthen the university’s collective impact on communities and ecosystems worldwide.

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Spring Summit | January 30, 2026