Lab News

The 2025-2026 Academic year has been a busy one in the lab. We have still been in our season of growing. I will let the pictures speak for themselves (below) but in brief:

• We went from a staff of six to 13 by Spring 2026! Seven work-studies, three interns, and two independent studies.
• We brought five new projects into the lab:  1) Nourish Food Pantry/Student Food Evaluation, 2) Radford Housing Project--Qualitative/Mixed-Methods arm, 3) Utility Use and Assistance in Virginia; both Virginia 211 Mapping and Kristina Wagner got a SURF grant to study this summer with Dr. Montañez and 4) Dr. Montañez’s Rural Healthcare and Aid Program Access Project will kick off in Buchanan County this summer with Therese Root, and 5) Dr. Bodenhamer brought in her Sustainability Survey that we will launch next fall. 
• We transitioned our entry area into a student lounge complete with a take-one, leave-one plant stand! Come grow with us at the CSCR—or just use our microwave! 
• We ran a Graduate School Workshop Series in Fall 2025.
• We attended Wicked Festival with five student posters.
• We attended Winter CARD (Creative Activites and Research Days) with four student posters.
• We will attend the Student Engagement Forum with five student posters (April 2026).
• We were accepted to the Southwest Social Science Association’s conference with five papers (April 2026).
• We were accepted to the Rural Sociological Society’s conference with two papers and one poster (July 2026).
• We had a student poster selected to represent Radford University at the Undergraduate Research Showcase in Richmond for NURVa (Network for Undergraduate Research in Virginia). Congrats again, Kristina and Therese! 
• Dr. Montañez discussed the CSCR in two talks:

1. “The Center for Social and Cultural Research as a Case Study for Student Experiential Learning: The Virginia 211 Case Study.” Invited talk for the Dean’s CHBS Fall Series with students Kristina Wagner and Therese Root. Radford University (March 2026).
2. “Rural Aid Program and Healthcare Access: Challenges Regionally and Nationally—A Conversation About Research Being Done at Radford University.” For Waldron College of Health and Human Services at Radford University (February 2026).