Experts available: Air travel concerns, AI scams, papal conclave begins this week, and more | Virginia Tech News

The Virginia Tech media relations office has the following experts available for interviews this week surrounding issues in the news. To schedule an interview, please contact [email protected].

Virginia Tech experts available to discuss headlines in the news

Expert weighs in on growing travel anxiety amid rise in air incidents

As summer travel season approaches, many Americans are making vacation plans — but growing anxiety around flying is casting a shadow over those plans. So far in 2025, 33 deadly crashes have been reported in the United States, fueling concern about air travel safety. Mahmood Khan, professor in the Howard Feiertag Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Virginia Tech, offers insights on the psychological and behavioral trends driving travel anxiety and shares strategies to cope. More here.

Experts explain ways to safeguard against AI-enhanced scams

Scams enhanced by artificial intelligence (AI) have the potential to reach a new level of deception with the introduction of features such as ChatGPT 4o, that allow users to create convincing, photorealistic images, including fake documents, and realistic deepfake voices.. A panel of Virginia Tech experts, including computer ethics educator Dan Dunlap, digital literacy educator Julia Feerrar, and cybersecurity researcher Murat Kantarcioglu caution against relying on the safety measures built into the AI tools in order to avoid scams and explained ways to be vigilant and protect data, including the potential use of blockchain. More here.

Trump backlash influences Australian federal election

Paralleling the recent federal election in Canada, the underdog center-left Labor Party in Australia surged to a landslide national victory, spurred in part by anti-Trump backlash — even though Trump wasn’t a central topic of the campaign. Political scientist Karen Hult says other factors beyond Trump also played a part, including concerns involving India, China, and national security. She can elaborate on those contexts.

Government’s role in the economy

David Bieri, an associate professor in the School of Public and International Affairs and an associate professor of economics, joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the complexities of understanding economic climates and the importance of historical context and narratives in economic theories. He emphasized the role of government in providing certainty, the significance of individual actions in the economy, and the necessity of re-evaluating economic ideas and institutions. Bieri also highlighted the interplay between economics and humanity, advocating for a more thoughtful approach to economic systems.

Papal conclave to meet starting May 7

The papal conclave, the group of 135 cardinals responsible for selecting the new pope, will meet beginning this Wednesday, May 7. Though the selection of a new pope is a historical process, it also brings questions about how a new Catholic leader will approach decisions in light of world views and events, says religion expert Matthew Gabriele. “The question the cardinals selecting the new pope must face is whether to open up the doors to the church or reinforce the walls,” Gabriel says. More here.

Spain’s recent power outage: What happened and why it matters

On April 28, Spain experienced a widespread power outage that left millions without electricity for nearly 24 hours. While power has largely been restored, the cause of the failure is still under investigation. Early reports suggest that the high percentage of renewable energy on the grid at the time may have played a role—but as Ali Mehrizi-Sani, Virginia Tech professor and director of the Power and Energy Center, explains, it’s more complicated than that. More here.

Construction Safety Week

Construction consistently ranks among the most dangerous industries in the U.S., and five of the top ten most frequently violated Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards relate directly to it. But what’s less visible are the mental health struggles behind the scenes. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found that construction workers have one of the highest suicide rates of any occupation. Brian Kleiner, director of the Myers-Lawson School of Construction, is available to speak to the dangers facing the profession and what’s being done to keep workers safe, both physically and mentally. More here.

Research Highlights

New research exposes harmful digital practices

In a first-of-its-kind project, Virginia Tech researchers found third-party digital ads often fail to meet federal accessibility standards and compromise the privacy of internet users who rely on screen reader technologies. Muhammad Ali Gulzar’s research team found 67 percent of websites that use popular ad-serving technologies had increased violations of international standards and U.S. laws governing online access for disabled users. The discovery could improve the lives of more than 2 billion people worldwide and help website developers make their content more accessible. More here.