SOCKS GRA Cailing Cramling presents during the poster session at the Year 3 All Hands Meeting.
 
Vermont EPSCoR held its third annual SOCKS All Hands Meeting on March 30, 2026 at the University of Vermont (UVM) Davis Center. The meeting served as an opportunity for the SOCKS team to update each other on their research, discuss next steps, and explore opportunities for collaboration. Researchers from UVM, Champlain College, Middlebury College, Norwich University, St. Michael's College, and Vermont State University all attended, as did recipients of Vermont EPSCoR Faculty Pilot Awards and Small Business Innovative Research Awards. National Science Foundation EPSCoR Program Officer Chinonye Whitley attended the meeting remotely.
 
Bernard "Chip" Cole, PhD, SOCKS PI and Vermont State EPSCoR Director, began the day with an in-depth discussion of where the SOCKS project stands three years in, noting successful progress across the board for the project's milestones. Each research team within SOCKS presented their ongoing research to colleagues in attendance. Graduate research assistants (GRAs) and undergraduate students associated with the project presented during a lunchtime poster session. Short "flash" talks in the afternoon provided an opportunity for GRAs, private sector funding awardees, and new SOCKS personnel to give brief overviews of their ongoing research.
 
To view photos and slides from the day, click here.
 
Year 3 of SOCKS officially ends on May 31, 2026. Year 4 of the five-year project begins on June 1, 2026.