Before the internet was the internet as we know it today, there was ARPANET. In 1969, it consisted of just four computer nodes connecting research institutions. (For a deep dive on the development of the internet and those original nodes, read the book Tubes by Andrew Blum.) Now, Virginia Tech is one of 20 groups that have received grants to further the government’s Genesis Mission – an effort to leverage AI to increase scientific discovery. Virginia Tech will use the funds to strengthen U.S. semiconductor innovation, manufacturing resilience, and workforce development. The idea is to bring all 20 nodes online to “expand job opportunities and access to scientific research, especially for underserved rural communities,” per a story in VT News.
Hokie Nation is also receiving a U.S. Department of Energy grant to scale up domestic rare earth mineral separation technology. Rare earth minerals are used in everything from electric vehicles to advanced technology sectors. A story from the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center highlights how this work will play a critical role “in building a secure, resilient, and technologically advanced rare earth supply chain across the Americas.”
While researchers in Blacksburg work on new technologies, Gov. Abigail Spanberger is looking to make technology a more integral part of Virginia’s emergency preparedness system. Executive Order 19 establishes a Unified Readiness Framework “a new statewide plan geared towards emergency preparedness that brings emergency management, homeland security, preparedness and resilience efforts into a more connected system” A key component, according to GovTech, is improving the flow of information—making systems more interoperable, identifying technological gaps, and ensuring critical information can move with emergency personnel when they need it.
Closer to the home where everyday people live is a story from NewsWise about the use of technology to avoid leaving children in cars. In 2025, 31 children died of heatstroke after being left in vehicles. Because incidents in which children are rescued are not systematically reported, however, the actual number of such episodes is likely far higher. The piece highlights technologies available in cars to mitigate this tragedy, but provides important reminders about keeping people in the loop. While the systems are “useful,” says Laurel Glenn, a research associate at the Division of Data and Analytics at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, they aren’t foolproof. “For instance,” she said, “multi-step detection algorithms can fail to trigger an alert if a specific sequence of events doesn’t meet the criteria.” In short, technology can save lives, but we humans have to remain diligent. Systems do fail.
Finally, on the fun side of the digital world, Cube Fest is coming! “The 2026 edition,” reports the event’s website, “focuses on spoken word, celebrating innovative composers forging rich connections to poetry, soundscapes, and human expression. From intensely musical to delicately digital, Cube Fest’s international creators speak with dramatic originality.” Among the interesting things to experience is the Declaration of Independence: Spatial Audio Remix. This involves “recorded ambient sound inside Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, where the country’s founders debated and drafted the declaration … incorporated … with recorded recitations to give them acoustic qualities from that historic building.” Events are free, but some require registration. The event runs from August 21-23.
