Science & Technology

There’s been a lot of talk about “drones,” remote controlled aircraft which fly with no pilot on board.  But drones are being used for more than military operations. 

A scientist at Virginia Tech has been named one of Popular Science’s  ‘Brilliant Ten for 2013” for using them to study micro organisms in the atmosphere, which can have a huge impact on what goes on, on the ground.

State lawmakers have been learning more about how the Virginia Information Technologies Agency protects and oversees the Commonwealth's most sensitive databases.  

They're finding out that while Medicaid expansion is supposed to help benefit those who need services, the state might not be prepared for the influx of data the expansion would bring with it.

Chief Information Officer Sam Nixon tells the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission that potential vulnerabilities always exist within the system.

Many pilots learned how to fly and surgeons how to make incisions by engaging in some type of “modeling and simulation” program developed by a group of engineers.

But while “modeling and simulation” is now becoming its own profession, in Virginia few schools provide a course of study needed to train and retain these specialized engineers.
 

Researchers at Virginia Tech have come up with a plan for a new kind of helmet for construction workers that can monitor their exposure to carbon monoxide and warn them before it becomes dangerous. 

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning kills hundreds of Americans each year and sends thousands more to the hospital.  Construction workers face an especially high risk because they often work in enclosed spaces where exhaust from gasoline-powered hand tools can build up fast. 

The recent discovery of a prehistoric whale skeleton along the shore of the Potomac River may help scientists understand life and climate change millions of years ago during the Miocene Epoch. The dig lies 150 feet below ancient cliffs at Virginia's Stratford Hall, the birthplace of General Robert E. Lee.

Wading along this pristine shoreline, over fallen trees and under ancient cliffs Jon Bachman, who works at Stratford Hall was with a group of scientists in June when he found the 15 million-year-old whale skull.