April 2025 Inside the Institute Newsletter
A Message from Rob McCarley
Executive Director, The Fralin Life Sciences Institute
It seems everyone these days is anxiously awaiting “the springtime blooms” of their recent efforts — the outcomes from an examination or group project, an email from a program officer about a pending proposal, news from a journal editor about a revised manuscript, feedback about a poster presentation at a symposium, or communications from a search committee or admissions officer about a new career opportunity.
As folks are planning for happy outcomes, equally important is ensuring we take the time for discernment regarding the effort and commitment needed for those successes.
My frequent response to “what makes the FLSI community distinct?” is its Institute affiliates that comprise a collaborative group of faculty, students, postdoctoral associates, and personnel with a commitment like no other, driven by the shared principle of being a force for positive change.
While we have all been experiencing a mixed bag of disappointments and happy outcomes of late, in the next few weeks there will be many good things resulting from affiliate wherewithal and commitment, with those exciting results helping elevate awareness of scholarly activities in the FLSI and Virginia Tech communities, and beyond.
Through your tireless work, your determination, and your creativity and intellect, FLSI affiliates are helping Virginia Tech advance Global Distinction efforts to be a pre-eminent public land grant university. This is embodied through late-breaking news about three FLSI affiliates being nominated for awards regarding intellectual property and innovation, coming on the tails of a recent report on VT’s top-100 stature with patents among World Universities.
The stories in this newsletter reflect the successes of the FLSI community, supported by Virginia Tech’s attentiveness to sustain and intensify them. Notables include:
- Knowledge about infectious agents “that just won’t go away”;
- Results from student competitions; and
- Awards for outstanding mentoring and dissertation work.
These have been made possible in part by FLSI personnel who have been committed to Virginia Tech for many years, as well as investments in research infrastructure and facilities by the Institute, colleges, and the Office of Research and Innovation. It is amazing to see the blooms resulting from the efforts and commitment of such a collaborative and collegial team.
Let’s go Hokies, and let’s go FLSI!
Around the Institute and Affiliated Centers
Inaugural Undergraduate Nutshell Games
Congratulations to the four undergraduate students from the College of Engineering and the College of Science who competed at the Center for Communicating Science’s Nutshell Games, as part of the annual Dennis Dean Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship Conference and the pilot Theatre STEM program.
The latter is a collaboration between the Center for Communicating Science, the Office of Undergraduate Research, and the theatre arts program. The group photo features the judges and team members.
And That's a Wrap on the 2025 First-Year FURF Program
Funded by the Fralin Life Sciences Institute, the First-Year Fralin Undergraduate Research Fellowship (or First-Year FURF) Program provides first-year students who are new to research with authentic research experiences in their chosen discipline, under the direct mentorship of a faculty member.
The aim of this program is to provide early access to undergraduate research and is open to all students and areas of research. The end-of-semester poster symposium gave students a chance to deliver their best research pitches, having worked with a faculty mentor over the spring semester on a funded research topic of their choice.
🎥 Stay tuned for student and faculty videos sharing about their research experiences.
