In 2025, Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” featured more than 30 researchers sharing their expertise. We learned about everything from the future of airspace, mitigating online threats, and curing cancer with air bubbles to the neuroscienceof dancing, the importance of ghost stories, the history of Christmas music, and much more.

We’re so thankful each one took the time to chat with us, and excited for even more "Curious Conversations" coming in 2026!

Ariana Wyatt joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the history of Christmas music, from its origins in early Christian hymns to its transformation into a commercialized genre in the 20th century. She shared the cultural impact of Christmas music, the distinction between church hymns and secular songs, and the nostalgia that these tunes evoke during the holiday season. Wyatt is associate dean for outreach and engagement and associate professor of voice in Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture, Arts, and Design. A graduate of Juilliard Opera Center, she has performed in operas and concert halls throughout the country and her research focuses on vocal diction and acting as well as opera research and production.

Andrew McCoy joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about 3D printing concrete homes as a potential solution for current housing challenges. He shared the current landscape of housing in Virginia and how this emerging technology might be harnessed to reduce costs and improve efficiency. He broke down how this building process works, the challenges of attempting to shift to it, and how he and his colleagues are working to overcome those hurdles.McCoy, the Beliveau Professor in the Department of Building Construction, is associate director for research and innovation for the Myers-Lawson School of Construction and director of the Virginia Center for Housing Research at Virginia Tech. His research focuses on pioneering solutions using industrialized construction, 3D concrete printing, and smart housing technologies with a goal of building housing that’s smarter, faster, and fairer for all.

Patrick Salmons joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the history of the banjo, including its origins, cultural significance, and the impact of racism and minstrelsy on its perception. Salmons also shared the music industry's impact on the instrument and highlighted contemporary banjo players who are reshaping its narrative.

Salmons is the graduate programs coordinator and a communication specialist with the Department of Political Science, as well as an instructor for Appalachian Studies. His research focuses on the intersection of music, history, race and class relations. In 2021, he wrote a dissertation titled, “Hip Hop, Bluegrass, Banjos, and Solidarity: Race and Class Histories in Appalachia U.S.A.”

Robin Queen joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the nature of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in knees. She shared insights about the common mechanisms of injury, the impact of age and gender, and the importance of recovery and prevention strategies. She also provided some general advice for athletes of all ages on injury prevention and recovery.

Queen is the L. Preston Wade Professor of Engineering professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics and the director of the Kevin P. Granata Biomechanics Lab at Virginia Tech. Her research focuses on whole body mechanics with an emphasis on loading symmetry and functional outcomes following surgical interventions.

Marcella Kelly joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about Virginia Tech, her journey into wildlife conservation, and insights on bear populations in Southwest Virginia. She explains the use of genetic sampling to study bear health, the impact of warm winters on their behavior, and how to navigate human-bear interactions.

Kelly is a professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation. She researches the dynamics and behavior of elusive carnivores, including coyotes, bobcats, black bears in the U.S. and she studies jaguars, ocelots, pumas, tigers, and cheetahs abroad. She uses a combination of non-invasive techniques (remote cameras, genetic sampling) along with more traditional techniques like GPS collaring and newly developed camera collars on wildlife.

Lindsay Miles joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about her research on bed bugs, focusing on genomic sequencing, the history of bed bug populations, and the implications of their mutations. She explained how bed bugs evolved alongside humans, their genetic similarities, and the challenges in managing their populations due to their emerging resistance to pesticides.

Miles is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Entomology and an affiliate with the Fralin Life Sciences Institute. Her research focuses on population genetics and molecular evolution to understand how urbanization impacts organisms and she is currently studying how urbanization and pesticide use can influence genomic evolution in bed bugs.

Shaily Patel joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about a new course she’s teaching that explores hauntology, its connection to ghost stories, and the cultural significance of these narratives. Patel explained the role of ghosts as cultural metaphors and how ghost stories serve as a way of making meaning out of past traumas. She also shared the significance of ghost stories in Appalachia and the importance of their role in how people make meaning of the human experience.

Patel is an assistant professor of early Christianity in the Department of Religion and Culture at Virginia Tech. Her research explores the ways in which so-called magic was used to advance a number of theological ends in early Christian texts, and she teaches courses in New Testament, Christian apocryphal texts, orthodoxy and heresy, and demonology and exorcism.