Each year, Eberly College honors faculty members with its Outstanding Teacher Awards, Outstanding Researcher Awards and the Award for Outstanding Outreach or Public Service. Recipients in each category receive a stipend to help further their research, teaching and service efforts.
The Outstanding Teacher Award recognizes the distinctive contributions of Eberly College’s best teachers. In addition to their monetary award, Outstanding Teachers have their names added to a permanent plaque in Woodburn Hall to commemorate their recognition. The recipients of the 2025-26 Outstanding Teacher Awards are:
- Alyssa Beall; Teaching Associate Professor, Religious Studies
- Erin Brock Carlson; Associate Professor, English
- Cody Hood; Teaching Assistant Professor, School of Mathematical and Data Sciences
-
Trina Perrone; Teaching Associate Professor, Chemistry
Beall is a Teaching Associate Professor in the Religious Studies program within the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University, where she teaches courses such as World Religions, Apocalypse, and Sacred Places and Spaces. Her teaching and research focus on religion, ethics, and popular culture, with additional interests in gender studies and study abroad pedagogy, and she frequently co-leads international education experiences for students. She is also the Director of the Multidisciplinary Studies Programs.
Carlson is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at West Virginia University’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, where she teaches courses in professional and technical writing, multimedia writing and digital humanities. Her teaching emphasizes hands-on, project-based learning, helping students develop practical communication skills while engaging with real-world audiences and community partners. Carlson was selected as a 2026 WVU Foundation Outstanding Teacher, one of the University’s highest honors for teaching excellence. She also received the 2022 WVU Digital Learning Award, recognizing her innovative approaches to teaching and course design.
Hood is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the School of Mathematical and Data Sciences at West Virginia University’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, where he teaches a range of high-enrollment mathematics and statistics courses. His teaching focuses on improving student success in foundational math courses through structured approaches like guided notes, low-stakes assessments and real-world applications that make complex concepts more accessible and relevant. Hood was also selected as a 2026 WVU Foundation Outstanding Teacher, one of the University’s highest honors for teaching excellence.
Perrone is a Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at West Virginia University’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, where she teaches a range of undergraduate chemistry courses and laboratories. Her work focuses on undergraduate chemistry education, including efforts to improve student success and learning outcomes in foundational courses.
The Outstanding Researcher Award recognizes Eberly faculty’s distinctive achievements in research and scholarship – this includes developing new information, critically examining new or old information, writing scholarly essays, and publishing novels, plays, poems or nonfiction essays. The award may be given for a single work of special significance or for a collection of related works. The recipients of the 2025-26 Outstanding Researcher Awards are:
- Rose Casey; Associate Professor, English
- Eric Horstick; Associate Professor, Biology
- Julie Hicks Patrick; Professor, Psychology
Casey is an Associate Professor in the Dep artment of English at West Virginia University’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, where her research examines the intersections of literature, law and postcolonial studies. Her scholarship explores how legal and political frameworks shape literary expression, including her work on sovereignty, aesthetics and colonial governance.
Horstick is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at West Virginia University’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, where he studies how experience shapes neural circuits and behavior. His research uses zebrafish models to investigate brain development, sensory processing and neural plasticity through advanced imaging and genetic techniques.
Hicks Patrick is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at West Virginia University’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, where she leads research on adult development and aging. Her work focuses on decision-making, memory and well-being across the lifespan, with particular attention to mid- and later-life experiences through initiatives such as the Healthy Aging Lab.
Eberly College’s Award for Outstanding Outreach or Public Service recognizes faculty whose outreach or service activities apply the results of teaching and research to create positive impact upon residents or programs in the region or state. The award may be given for an extensive special project or a series of related activities that exceed normal expectations for service. The recipients of the 2025-26 Award for Outstanding Outreach or Public Service are:
- Mark Brazaitis; Professor, English
- Tiffany Edwards; Teaching Assistant Professor, Forensic and Investigative Science
- Betsy DiSalvo Osborne; Service Assistant Professor of Social Studies Secondary Education
Mark Brazaitis is a Professor in the Department of English at West Virginia University’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and director of the West Virginia Writers’ Workshop, a long-running program that brings writers of all levels together for intensive creative workshops, craft talks and public readings. Under his leadership, the workshop provides a supportive, community-centered environment and includes events such as open mic readings and publishing panels that engage both campus and public audiences. He was also recognized with the 2025 WVU Faculty Award for Distinction in Graduate Research Mentoring and previously received the 2022 Caperton Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Writing.
Tiffany Edwards is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Forensic and Investigative Science program at West Virginia University’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, where she leads the WVU Unsolved Case Project, an initiative that connects students with law enforcement to review real cold cases. Through this program, students analyze case files and contribute new perspectives to ongoing investigations, directly linking classroom learning to public service and community impact.
Betsy DiSalvo Osborne is a Service Assistant Professor of Social Studies Secondary Education Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, where her work centers on preparing future educators to engage communities through inclusive and justice-centered history education. She has served as President of the West Virginia Civics Coalition, a statewide initiative that connects educators, policymakers and community partners to strengthen civic learning and public engagement.
