Eberly News

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A West Virginia University astrophysicist has been named a 2020 Highly Cited Researcher by Web of Science, one of the world’s top research awards. Maura McLaughlin, the Eberly Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, is one of 123 scholars recognized in the category of space science for research from 2009 to 2019. During this time, she authored or co-authored 192 articles that have been cited more than 13,000 times. The highly anticipated annual list identifies researchers who demonstrated significant influence in their field based on how many times their work has been referenced by fellow researchers. The researchers are identified from the publications that rank in the top 1% by citations in the Web of Science™ citation index.

WVU astrophysicist named international Highly Cited Researcher

Eberly News /

Astrophysicist Maura McLaughlin has been named a 2020 Highly Cited Researcher by Web of Science, one of the world’s top research awards.

In data gathered and analyzed over 13 years, the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves Physics Frontiers Center, featuring researchers from the WVU Department of Physics and Astronomy, has found an intriguing low-frequency signal that may be attributable to gravitational waves.

NANOGrav finds possible ‘first hints’ of low-frequency gravitational wave background

Eberly News /

In data gathered and analyzed over 13 years, the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves Physics Frontiers Center, featuring researchers from the WVU Department of Physics and Astronomy, has found an intriguing low-frequency signal that may be attributable to gravitational waves.

The first shipments of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine arrived in West Virginia on December 14. As doses are administered, researchers from the West Virginia University Public Interest Communication Research Lab are focused on making sure West Virginians get timely, accurate and scientifically sound information related to the vaccine.

WVU researchers inform COVID-19 vaccine communication

Eberly News /

The first shipments of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine arrived in West Virginia on December 14. As doses are administered, researchers from the WVU Public Interest Communication Research Lab are focused on making sure West Virginians get timely, accurate and scientifically sound information related to the vaccine.

Rural residents often lack internet access – but how do West Virginians compare? Do West Virginians put off expensive medical care more or less than the average American? A first-of-its-kind survey produced by the Survey Research Center and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at West Virginia University is helping answer questions like these by making statewide socioeconomic data publicly available. The West Virginia Social Survey focuses on the most prevalent challenges faced by West Virginia residents. It will produce state-specific reports on issues like internet access, the economy, health, crime, volunteering, religion and more, which can help inform policymakers. Most social surveys are conducted nationally. A typical random sample of average American adults includes 1,000 to 2,000 individuals from all over the U.S. While these surveys are useful for informing the public about national trends, they are less helpful for learning about specific states, especially those with smaller populations, like West Virginia.

Filling in the blanks

Eberly News /

A first-of-its-kind survey produced by the Survey Research Center and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at WVU is examining the most pressing challenges facing West Virginians by making statewide socioeconomic data publicly available.

New racial justice grants awarded by the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences support research for social justice initiatives that will engage with the community. Two projects received funding: one focused on poetry and creative writing workshops and the second on studying racial disparities in vaccination rates. The faculty leading these projects hail from both the Eberly College and the School of Public Health.

Eberly College announces racial justice grant recipients

Eberly News /

New racial justice grants awarded by the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences support research for social justice initiatives that will engage with the community.

A team of West Virginia University physics and astronomy students helped create a new radio camera for the Green Bank Telescope, the first of its kind in the U.S. This upgrade to Pocahontas County’s Green Bank Telescope is a critical advancement for astrophysics research, especially galaxy mapping. Because of the sensitivity of the camera’s receiver, astronomers can now map galaxies seven times faster. The project was many years in the making, starting in 2013.

WVU students lead upgrades to Green Bank Telescope

Eberly News /

A team of WVU physics and astronomy students helped create a new radio camera for the Green Bank Telescope, the first of its kind in the U.S.

Scientists have long debated the respiratory workings of sea scorpions, but a new discovery by a West Virginia University geologist concludes that these largely aquatic extinct arthropods breathed air on land. James Lamsdell dug into the curious case of a 340 million-year-old sea scorpion, or eurypterid, originally from France that had been preserved at a Glasgow, Scotland museum for the last 30 years. An assistant professor of geology in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, Lamsdell had read about the “strange specimen” 25 years ago while conducting his doctoral studies. Existing research suggested it would occasionally go on land.

Coming up for air

Eberly News /

Scientists have long debated the respiratory workings of sea scorpions, but a new discovery by a WVU geologist concludes that these largely aquatic extinct arthropods breathed air on land.

Pesky, yet dangerous ticks are no longer latching exclusively onto hunters and outdoor enthusiasts. Milder winters and disrupted habitats have driven them out of the woods, with Lyme disease cases in the United States tripling since the late 1990s. Now researchers at West Virginia University are working toward a vaccine that prevents humans from contracting the tick-borne illness that afflicts more than 300,000 Americans a year.

Ticked off

Eberly News /

Pesky, yet dangerous ticks are no longer latching exclusively onto hunters and outdoor enthusiasts. Milder winters and disrupted habitats have driven them out of the woods, with Lyme disease cases in the United States tripling since the late 1990s. Now researchers at WVU are working toward a vaccine that prevents humans from contracting the tick-borne illness that afflicts more than 300,000 Americans a year.

Just as nerve cells don’t work in isolation when we think, speak or move, scientists don’t work alone when they study the nervous system. A new center at West Virginia University—the Center for Foundational Neuroscience Research and Education—will help researchers from different departments collaborate in a similar way. By teaming up, the researchers will use their unique skillsets and backgrounds to make neuroscience discoveries that might take much longer otherwise.

New center for neuroscience research brings together faculty, students across WVU

Eberly News /

Just as nerve cells don’t work in isolation when we think, speak or move, scientists don’t work alone when they study the nervous system. WVU's new Center for Foundational Neuroscience Research and Education will help researchers from different departments collaborate in a similar way. By teaming up, the researchers will use their unique skillsets and backgrounds to make neuroscience discoveries that might take much longer otherwise.

A West Virginia University physicist has created an exact mathematical formula to explain the gravitational wave signals that have been observed from colliding black holes, which serve as a key validation of Albert Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity. While scientists usually interpret the signals from gravitational waves by comparing them to computer simulations, in 2019, Sean McWilliams offered a more accurate and efficient method for the calculations and interpretations.

Uncovering the invisible universe

Eberly News /

Physicist Sean McWilliams has created an exact mathematical formula to explain the gravitational wave signals that have been observed from colliding black holes, which serve as a key validation of Albert Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity.