Janet Abbate is Professor of Science, Technology and Society at Virginia Tech. She is co-Director of the STS graduate program at the Virginia Tech Research Center in Arlington, VA, a part-time M.S. and Ph.D. program for working professionals. Dr. Abbate’s research focuses on the history, culture, and politics of computing and the Internet. She is the author of two award-winning books: Inventing the Internet (1999), the first scholarly history of the Internet, and Recoding Gender: Women’s Changing Participation in Computing (2012), which explores how gender has shaped computing and how the experiences of female software pioneers can inform current efforts to broaden participation in science and technology. Her most recent book is Abstractions and Embodiments: New Histories of Computing and Society (co-edited with Stephanie Dick, 2022). She is currently writing a history of computer science as an intellectual discipline.

Veterinarian and board-certified veterinary microbiologist (Dipl. ACVM, Bacteriology & Mycology) with multidisciplinary expertise in bacterial infectious diseases, antimicrobial drug discovery, molecular microbiology, and translational research. My work integrates microbiological, molecular, biochemical, pharmacological, and in vivo approaches to identify and characterize novel therapeutic strategies against clinically important and multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens. My academic interests also include veterinary microbiology education, student research mentorship, antimicrobial resistance, and One Health.

Farrell C. Adkins, MD, FACS, FASCRS, is a colorectal surgeon and medical educator at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Carilion Clinic. He serves as Director of Clinical Clerkships (Phase 2) at VTCSOM, bringing together clinical expertise, curriculum leadership, learner coaching, and educational scholarship. His work focuses on helping learners thrive in complex clinical environments through structured feedback, metacognitive skill-building, and value-added clinical roles. Dr. Adkins collaborates with engineers and education scholars to develop responsible, human-centered applications of AI in health professions education and patient communication. He is active in institutional service and national professional networks and serves with the Harvard Macy Institute as core small-group faculty (2025–26).

Dr. Philip Agee is an Associate Professor of Building Construction at Virginia Tech and Assistant

Director for the Virginia Center for Housing Research at Virginia Tech. Both appointments are within

the Myers-Lawson School of Construction, in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. He has a

combined 15+ years of fieldwork, design consulting, building diagnostics/analytics, and research

experience in the built environment. His research advances industrial and systems engineering 

design and evaluation methods across the lifecycle of the built environment. Thrusts include human

factors engineering of building interfaces, human-building interaction, and applied building science.

These research areas integrate and advance his teaching of building systems and building science.

Dr. Agee earned his Ph.D. at Virginia Tech in the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems

Engineering, a M.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering and a M.S. in Building Construction

Science and Management at Virginia Tech. He received a B.S. in Biology from Hampden-Sydney

College.

I am a experienced Web Developer and Digital Communications Professional with a strong background in higher education technology, web development, and digital accessibility. Skilled in front-end and back-end development, data analysis, and content management systems. Adept at leveraging web technologies, accessibility standards, and user experience design to enhance digital communication within academic institutions. Passionate about creating inclusive, efficient, and engaging digital experiences.

Kathryn Clarke Albright has taught at Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture since 1994, and served as Foundation Program Chair from 2003 to 2015. Under her leadership the Foundation Program received the 2013 University’s Exemplary Program Award for its outstanding teaching and learning environment, which employs collaborative efforts of faculty focused on the students’ First Year Experience. She served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for the College of Architecture and Urban Studies from August 2016 - August 2021, and its successor, College of Architecture, Arts, and Design until August 2024. She has returned to full-tme teaching in the Foundation Design Program, and continues as liaison for Chicago Studio.

Her research focuses on the multiple scales of the urban situation, particularly public and farmers markets as places for community gathering and civic engagement. Her studies of these types of markets began in 1998 and led her to found the 501(c)3 non-profit Friends of Farmers Markets in 2001, which has overseen the operations and management of the Blacksburg Farmers Market since 2004. Her book, Exploring the Architecture of Place in America's Farmers Markets was published by University of Cincinnati Press in 2020.

Her creative scholarship focuses on the development of Chicago Studio, a domestic study-away program in collaboration with architecture practitioners in Chicago since 2002. This innovative program won early accolades from the National Council of Architecture Registration Board—receiving its 2005 Prize for Creative Integration of Education and Practice in the Academy. The origins, transformation, and on-going evolution of the Chicago Studio program have been documented in her co-authored book, Architecture Educators and Practitioners in Collaboration: Chicago Studio Over 25 Years, which was published by ORO Editions in 2026.

Algargoosh's work bridges design, art, and technology with a special focus on acoustics, standing at the intersection of research and innovation. She has been recognized as an Innovator Under 35 by MIT Technology Review in addition to many prestigious awards in architecture, humanities and sustainability.

Algargoosh investigates the links between the physical, perceptual, and social aspects that shape the acoustic experience. Her research develops advanced solutions for acoustics, including immersive experiences that enhance well-being and advanced computational technology for designing and analyzing complex acoustic environments.

Her current areas of focus include generative AI for design and supportive acoustic experiences.

Dr. Azahar Ali leads the Biosensor Engineering Lab at Virginia Tech, where his work bridges biosensor engineering, advanced manufacturing, and precision animal systems. His research focuses on developing next-generation, scalable biosensing technologies that translate fundamental electrochemical and materials innovations into real-world, field-deployable diagnostics. By integrating additive manufacturing, micro/nanofabrication, and data-driven analytics, Dr. Ali’s lab addresses critical challenges in animal health, sustainable agriculture, and human health diagnostics, with a strong emphasis on affordability, robustness, and deployment beyond traditional laboratory settings.

Jonathan Allred is a Ph.D. student in the Center for Public Administration and Policy at Virginia Tech, where he serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. His teaching and research focus on public administration and preparing future public service professionals. Jonathan's research interests span public management, leadership, local government, nonprofit management, public personnel management, organizational behavior, and victimology. He is committed to advancing evidence-based scholarship that supports effective and responsive public and nonprofit organizations.

Ashley Anderson is a researcher and educator focusing on human-centered design and visual representation, particularly in the context of mental health and psychological intervention. She is also interested in exploring the role of AI in human-machine teaming. Her current research explores how design can inform theory, processes, and methods used to facilitate psychological intervention. This includes evaluating the effectiveness of a novel picture-based stereotype threat intervention for Black undergraduate students in STEM majors. Other recent work aimed to reveal how AI-enabled interfaces might support sensemaking by intelligence analysts.

Ashley, originally from North Carolina, earned a Master of Graphic Design from NC State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication (Editing and Graphic Design) from the University of North Carolina. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Design at NC State University.