‘A Voice That Carries’ theme of Corridors conference
Radford University’s School of Writing, Language, and Literature hosted the fifth annual “Corridors: Blue Ridge Writing & Rhetoric Conference” on Saturday, Sept. 27. The one-day event, sponsored by the School and the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences, welcomed graduate students, instructors, and scholars from the Appalachian region.
This year’s theme, “A Voice That Carries: Embracing Authenticity in an Artificial Age,” invited participants to explore teaching, practices and research centered on reconnecting with and celebrating authentic voices. Throughout the day, presenters and attendees engaged in conversations on how writing and rhetoric can resist artificiality and inspire real action and change in classrooms, on campuses, and within communities.
Sessions throughout the day highlighted how rhetoric and writing can counteract artificiality while fostering genuine communication in classrooms, on campuses, and in communities. Informal conversations in hallways and group dinners further encouraged collaboration and connection among attendees.
The Corridors conference provides a free regional forum for emerging and established voices in writing and rhetoric. By focusing on authenticity and the power of words to both reach and resonate, this year’s gathering underscored the conference’s mission: to inspire meaningful action through communication that truly carries.
Collier presents at conference on safer technology
Zach Collier, assistant professor of management, traveled to Washington, D.C., on Sept. 17 to present at a national workshop on
“Protecting the Software and Hardware Supply Chain.” The event brought together experts from across the country to address vulnerabilities in digital and physical systems.
The risks are real and growing. “Many modern products are connected to the internet and to other smart devices,” Collier said. “It is important that the software on these devices is free from vulnerabilities, while the hardware itself is protected from counterfeiting or tampering that could compromise performance or security.”
Throughout the workshop, Collier and his colleagues – including Davis Loose and James H. Lambert from the University of Virginia and Thomas J. Broadfoot of the University of Texas at Dallas – explored strategies to reduce those risks. One promising approach, he said, is the use of software and hardware bills of materials (SBOMs and HBOMs). Much like ingredient lists on food packaging, these records give manufacturers transparency into every component in a device.
The group also discussed the potential of synthetic data to model complex supply chains. By creating AI-generated test cases, researchers can better understand how systems perform under stress. Collier added his perspective from recent research using game theory to predict how different supply chain actors might behave and how incentives can be structured to encourage trustworthy practices.
Collier serves as a visiting scholar with CHEST: The Center for Hardware and Embedded Systems Security and Trust, an NSF-funded consortium of six universities. “CHEST brings together researchers and industry partners to address urgent challenges in hardware security,” he said. “It’s exciting to be part of a community working to make our technology systems safer and more trustworthy.
We Are Radford award winner for October 2025
The We Are Radford employee recognition program is a monthly honor recognizing an individual whose daily interactions with
students and colleagues represent the best of the Radford University experience. The winner for October is Kristina Contreras, assistant director of advising for the Highlander Success Center.
“Kristina is one of the most innovative, hardworking advisors in the Highlander Success Center,” her nominator wrote. “She has championed the online petition (saving trees) and fought for all our students to have the courses and resources they need.”
Employees who have served at least one year at Radford are eligible to be recognized for upholding the university’s core values.