Virginia Tech Learning & Development Lab

The VT Learning & Development Lab is presenting at a conference in Italy this week! Thanks to the graduate students and undergraduates who contributed to this work, as well as to the students and parents who participated in our "Math Buddies" project!

It's been a few weeks since the official graduation ceremony, but we are still celebrating the accomplishments of our two recent PhD graduates from the VT Learning and Development Lab, Dr. Maegan Colbert and Dr. Isabel Valdivia! 🎉

Dr. Valdivia was jointly hooded by her co-advisors, Dr. Caroline Hornburg, Director of the VT Learning and Development Lab and Dr. Cindy Smith, Director of the Children's Emotions Lab at Virginia Tech.

This was the first year for Dr. Hornburg to hood doctoral candidates, and it was incredible to have TWO lab members to celebrate this year! Congratulations again, Drs. Colbert and Valdivia! 👏

Our lab is featured below since we are affiliated with the VT DevSci Network - check out all the other research groups and connect with their social media pages or websites by scrolling through the post below!

Check out the June opportunities for your child to participate in Virginia Tech research projects! Some are fully remote options (such as the Storybook Study for ages 4 to 6!) so you don't have to be local to the NRV.

We are partnering with the Virginia Tech Human Development & Family Science CoDeS Lab again on a NEW Storytime Study for children ages 4 to 6! Please see the filer below for information (note there are options for participating on the VT Blacksburg campus or via Zoom):

Check out this great network! Sign up to stay in the loop about developmental science projects for children!

The VT Developmental Science Network connects families with exciting developmental science projects!

By joining the network, you’ll become part of a community helping researchers in Psychology and Human Development & Family Science at Virginia Tech learn more about how children grow, think, and thrive. When you sign up, researchers will reach out with details about projects your family may be eligible for.

Interested? 💡✨ Join by completing the form at vtdevsci.cs.vt.edu or by scanning the QR code on the attached flyer.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at [email protected]

The Virginia Tech Learning and Development Lab is looking for rising 2nd and rising 5th graders and their parents, who speak and read English, to participate in the Virginia Tech Learning Study (IRB #24-1349).

Participation involves one 60-minute video-recorded session. During the session, children will play with a Lego set, do reading and math activities, play iPad games, and play a Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulder game. Meanwhile, parents complete two surveys lasting about 15 minutes. Sessions can take place at a lab located in the Virginia Tech Blacksburg campus, Virginia Tech Carilion Roanoke campus, or the participant’s home.

Participants will be compensated with a $20 electronic gift card. If you are interested, please fill out this form: http://www.bit.ly/VTLearningStudy

📢 Check out this spotlight on one of our recent graduates, Jalyn White! 📢

Jalyn spoke about how impactful her experience was with undergraduate research at VT. Congratulations again, Jalyn - we are excited to see your next steps after VT!

Congratulations to one of our amazing HDFS undergraduate Spring 2026 graduates, Jalyn White! Jalyn has shared her experience with undergraduate research below:

"I have been involved in undergraduate research in the Learning and Development Lab here at Virginia Tech for five semesters. I joined during the spring semester of my freshman year to gain knowledge and hands-on experience with research, while still being unsure if it was something I would truly enjoy. Over the past five semesters, I have not only learned a great amount about the research process, but I have also grown tremendously as a student and individual. Throughout my experience, I have developed a deep passion for research and further developed my skills in asking thoughtful questions and critical thinking. Learning how to dig deeper into topics that interest me had a significant impact on my experience here at Virginia Tech by helping me become a stronger advocate for myself and more confident in exploring new ideas. I am very grateful for the opportunity to have been involved in undergraduate research and am proud of the contributions I have made over the past several semesters. After graduating in May, I plan to take a gap year before applying to medical school, and my involvement in the Learning and Development Lab has inspired me to seek opportunities that continue to align with and support my interest in research."

VT Employees - We hope to see you tomorrow at the Employee Appreciation and Hokie Wellness Fair! The event will be at Lane Stadium 10am-2pm. We will have a booth there to speak with families about opportunities for developmental science projects with their children. There are so many other great booths to check out as well, thanks to organization by Hokie Wellness for Employees!