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Skills for Success
Interdisciplinary Studies
Serve through Scholarship
Fostering Leadership
VT SPIA offers experiential learning, study abroad, and training programs for students of all ages and stages in their careers to continually cultivate their vision and impact change.
Experiential Learning
Our programs span the study of public administration and policy, urban affairs and regional planning, government, and international affairs. We also offer undergraduate degrees in Smart & Sustainable Cities and in Environmental Policy & Planning, the first of their kind in the nation.
Dedicated Research
VT SPIA leads several interdisciplinary research efforts. Faculty and students dedicate their scholarship to help address complex, pressing issues, such as the refugee crisis, affordable housing, and sustainability practices.
News and Stories Spotlight
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Drone strikes in Middle East highlight need for better defense at home, says expert , articleEric Jacques, who is leading a cross-disciplinary effort at Virginia Tech to design ways to protect people and infrastructure on the ground from drones without relying on costly and dangerous active electronic countermeasures, discusses how recent events in the Middle East reverberate here at home.
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Recovery Ecosystems Conference highlights transdisciplinary approach to addiction recovery , articleResearchers, practitioners, and community leaders gather in Roanoke to share strategies and strengthen partnerships supporting recovery across Appalachia.
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Betting on geopolitics? Economist explains risks of prediction markets , articlePrediction markets, like Kalshi and Polymarket, allow users the opportunity to bet on just about any real-world event, from the trivial to the monumental, including major geopolitical conflicts and elections here at home. Economist David Bieri explains how these markets work, why they appeal to a distinctly American economic mindset, and the risks that they pose for both users and broader structures.
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Hokies present four projects at annual ‘Olympics of transportation research’ , articleRalph Buehler, professor of urban affairs and planning, and his students presented four projects at the largest transportation research conference in the U.S.
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Policy research program builds pathways from research to actionable solutions , articleFour faculty members representing four colleges, one school, and three departments were named fellows or scholars in the +Policy Network’s 2025-26 policy research cohort, each receiving up to $10,000 to turn policy ideas into real-world solutions.
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Experts analyze the second State of the Union speech of Trump’s second term , articlePresident Donald Trump has appeared before Congress to deliver the second State of the Union address of his second term in office. Political scientist Karen Hult and political communications expert Cayce Myers offered their analysis of the content and context of the president’s speech.