Radford University experts available: Gas prices; Oscar buzz; Pi Day
Radford, VA (03/12/2026) — Radford University subject matter experts are available to talk on the following topics:
Climbing gas prices
According to the AAA motor club, in the week after the United States and Israel attacked Iran, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline jumped nearly 27 cents and continues to climb, and the conflict has elevated crude oil prices. But if the United States regularly exports oil, why does the conflict affect prices at local gas pumps? Assistant Professor of Management Zachary Collier, whose research interest include risk analysis, decision analysis and supply chain management, can offer an explanation of current ripple effects within the petroleum commodities market in layman's terms.
As of today, the cost-per-gallon of gasoline across Virginia is $3.365, AAA reports.
Email: zcollier@radford.edu
Phone: (540) 831-6732
Oscar night buzz
The 98th Academy Awards are Sunday night and, by all forecasts, the two films currently running neck and neck for Best Picture are "One Battle After Another," and "Sinners." "One Battle" is a sharply-tipped political satire that addresses immigration, race and protest, and "Sinners" is a popular horror-thriller blockbuster that, as box office returns skew downward, earned $370 million worldwide and has scored 16 overall nominations, a new record. Which way will the Academy lean? Associate professor of media studies Michael J. Meindl, an associate professor of media studies in Radford's School of Communication, is available to speak about the competition as a lead-up before the broadcast, or to discuss the conclusions that can be drawn on Monday, once all the statues have been handed out.
Email: mmeindl@radford.edu
Phone: (540) 831-6553
Pi Day: Rationale for celebrating an irrational number
For thousands of years, civilizations have recognized the importance of pi as a constant for solving a multitude of problems, says Radford University Professor of Mathematics and Statistics Anthony Dove.
"Understanding pi as an irrational constant has been a source of inspiration to new and developing mathematics and breakthroughs in science throughout various ancient civilizations," the professor explained. "Without an understanding of pi, concepts such as planetary orbits, workings of engineering and concepts of quantum mechanics would not have been developed."
Many people first experience pi in geometry class, Dove said, "perhaps when a teacher brought a pie to class to help explain that pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, approximately equal to 3.141592 and so on. "However, pi shows up in areas where circles are not necessarily involved," he noted. "We're still learning more about pi."
Dove is available Thursday, March 12, 2026, (11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.) to speak about the significance of pi and why we celebrate 3.14 each year on 3/14.
Email: adove3@radford.edu
Phone: (540) 831-5262
