Tom Mayock joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about recent research that shows a relationship between single-family rental housing and educational outcomes. He explained the historic and evolving landscape of rental markets and the work he and his colleagues did that point to a rise in student achievement when units are located in thebounds of high-achieving school districts. Mayock is the Michael G. Miller Professor of Real Estate in the Blackwood Department of Real Estate. His research interests include real estate, urban economics, public economics, and credit risk.

Melissa Wright joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about navigating topics related to food, food ingredients, and nutrition. She explained how people should interpret labels and the complexities of topics like raw milk, protein, and color additives. Wright also offered practical advice for consumers and producers to make informed decisions about food safety and nutrition.Wright is director of the Food Producer Technical Assistance Network at Virginia Tech, which supports food entrepreneurs by assisting with nutrition label content, food safety analysis, and pertinent food regulations. The program’s goal is to help Virginia’s food-processing industry produce high-quality, safe, and innovative food products.#virginiatech #food #foodlabels #fooddyes #protein #milk #nutrition #foodsafety

Boris Vinatzer joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about fungi and their potential to influence weather through ice nucleation. Vinatzer shared insights gained through some recent research that revealed a fungi protein that helps water freeze at a higher temperature than would otherwise be possible. He explained how ice is actually formed and the potential for this discovery to be used in cloud seeding and for a host of industrial applications.

Vinatzer is a professor in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences. His research includes molecular plant-microbe interactions, molecular evolution, and taxonomy of plant pathogenic bacteria. He is interested in investigating environmental microbes that may play a role in the formation of precipitation.