October 2025 Inside the Institute Newsletter

I am often asked what reinvigorates me or brings me hope. My immediate response is the tight community that is the Fralin Life Sciences Institute and its folks who are fighting the good fight, which is guided by our mission statement: improving the human condition by supporting innovative life sciences research, education, and engagement, which are distinct and distinctive.

Whether it is a conversation with a new school of neuroscience faculty member full of fresh ideas, an email announcing successes of a seasoned faculty member with new research directions in ag biosecurity, or a discussion with an FLSI-affiliated center director and a Virginia Tech alum/founder of a multi-billion dollar company, Institute affiliates are on a mission that is helping further grow the university's research engine.

This edition of the newsletter illustrates how affiliates are leading by example when it comes to our mission, with the October “harvest” being abundant despite current trying times.

It was exciting to recognize the inaugural class of the Fralin Fabulous Five (Fab-5) earlier this month during the Fralin Fall Fest. This group of talented early career folks is representative of what the future holds for transdisciplinary research and education in the life sciences at Virginia Tech. 

In parallel, research reputation in the life sciences was showcased in the announcement about elected members of the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, with three of the five Virginia Tech honorees being Institute affiliates!

On the topic of communicating research success and the importance of STEM communications, the Center for Communicating Science, hosted the Nutshell Games, which has been educating and entertaining audiences since 2017 by having graduate students provide the why underpinning their research. The Center is supported by a joint partnership between FLSI and the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment

Similar fun comes from the latest Curious Conversations podcast with the director of the Center for Drug Discovery, and a podcast about Invasive and delicious things in Appalachia, as well as engagement activities at Hokie Bugfest.

Furthering our mission is recent team-based research published about marine debris made possible by the Coastal Collaborator, as well as a joint endeavor between a Macromolecules Innovation Institute (MII) investigator and our Biotech in a Box outreach program, the latter having reached almost 1 million K–12 students across the Commonwealth over 30+ years.

Furthermore, we continue to fully fund the First-Year Fralin Undergraduate Research Fellowship (FY-FURF) program in partnership with the Office of Undergraduate Research, with today marking the deadline for student applications.

Of course, we owe much to the employees and infrastructure of the Institute, such as VT-FAST, which has some new tidbits of useful information for investigators – check it out! 

I hope you’ll continue to enjoy all that brings us hope as we work together in our mission to support and promote innovative life sciences endeavors.

Let's go Hokies, and let's go FLSI!

P.S. Calling all crossword puzzle enthusiasts! Check out 'The Fralin Fiddler', the latest installment from our executive director's scientific brain. Answers will be shared in next month's edition.