Eberly News

Tagged with Research
A team of West Virginia University researchers are investigating the impact of the Clean Air Act on soil and tree growth in the eastern U.S.  

Soil plays a major role in a healthy climate. As the largest reservoir of carbon on land, soil can directly affect the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

When more nitrogen is concentrated in soil, the amount of carbon that soil can store tends to increase, which reduces carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In this way, forests can help mitigate rising atmospheric carbon dioxide. Past research also shows that this greater soil nitrogen in forests may help increase tree growth. 

Researchers from WVU’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design have teamed up with collaborators at Lawrence Livermore National Lab to predict the future of these effects on Earth’s ecosystem and understand why soil under some tree species gain more carbon in response to nitrogen deposition than others.

WVU researchers linking Clean Air Act to soil composition

A team of West Virginia University researchers are investigating the impact of the Clean Air Act on soil and tree growth in the eastern U.S.  

Hindered by access to high-quality healthcare, West Virginia children demonstrate some of the worst health outcomes in the nation.

Over 25 percent of West Virginia children live in poverty. Many rural communities do not have nearby OB-GYN providers, let alone hospitals. Moreover, West Virginia has the highest rate of opioid drug overdoses in the nation.

A valuable resource for children is available in the one place they find themselves daily: their local schools. School-based health centers provide services ranging from preventative and immediate healthcare to behavioral and dental care. 

An interdisciplinary team of West Virginia University researchers are investigating how children’s health and education outcomes can be improved through these school-based health centers. 


WVU researchers focus on school-based healthcare in Appalachia

Hindered by access to high-quality healthcare, West Virginia children demonstrate some of the worst health outcomes in the nation.  

Improving shale energy productivity and reducing the environmental footprint of the natural gas industry are the goals of a West Virginia University partnership at a second Marcellus Shale Energy and Environmental Lab to be located in western Monongalia County. 

WVU researchers from multidisciplinary departments, as well as undergraduate and graduate students, will use the advanced models they develop for this project, continuing to address complex technical, environmental and social issues surrounding unconventional energy development. The researchers will use best practices in environmentally responsible shale development as they undertake subsurface scientific investigations.

WVU advances technology and transparency to shale gas in new MSEEL site

Improving shale energy productivity and reducing the environmental footprint of the natural gas industry are the goals of a  West Virginia University partnership at a second  Marcellus Shale Energy and Environmental Labto be located in western Monongalia County. 

Before he was rafting 40 miles down a river in Alaska and sailing in the South China Sea, West Virginia University student Ben Johnson was an engineering major at Michigan State University. However, he quickly realized that engineering was not for him. Recognizing the combination of taking an introductory geology course and his love of being outside, Johnson knew a geology major would be the right fit for him. 

After completing his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Michigan State University, Johnson enrolled at WVU to pursue a Ph.D. in the Department of Geology and Geography in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.

WVU geology student researching “world of the past”

Before he was rafting 40 miles down a river in Alaska and sailing in the South China Sea, West Virginia University student Ben Johnson was an engineering major at Michigan State University. However, he quickly realized that engineering was not for him. Recognizing the combination of taking an introductory geology course and his love of being outside, Johnson knew a geology major would be the right fit for him.

ocial workers at West Virginia University are leading the way in opioid treatment and prevention in West Virginia, where overdose rates are the highest in the U.S. 

The WVU School of Social Work has received 2018 Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training supplemental funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration to support these efforts.

School of Social Work receives federal funding to address opioid addiction

Social workers at West Virginia University are leading the way in opioid treatment and prevention in West Virginia, where overdose rates are the highest in the U.S. 

William Franko headshot

WVU political scientist wins Virginia Gray Best Book Award

During the Progressive Era and the Great Depression, the states led the fight against economic challenges. According to new research from West Virginia University, it is likely that the U.S. will once again have to rely on the states to address today’s massive gap between the rich and the poor.

Kaylynn Coates headshot

WVU biology student receives NASA grant to study the brain

Kaylynn Coates, a doctoral student in the West Virginia University Department of Biology, has received a grant from the NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium to study how serotonin neurons are regulated in the brain.

Weichao Tu Headshot

WVU physicist receives prestigious NSF CAREER Award

In the heat of the space race in 1958 between the United States and the Soviet Union, James Van Allen discovered Earth’s radiation belt. The belt is located at 500 to 60,000 kilometers above Earth’s surface and is populated with energetic “killer” electrons that create a hazardous environment for satellites and other spacecrafts operating within this zone.

Imagine only knowing 15 people in the world, and as you discover more people, your knowledge expands. Scientists studying our galaxy face something similar as they make discoveries that build our understanding of the universe. 

Maura McLaughlin and Duncan Lorimer, professors of physics and astronomy at West Virginia University, have discovered a new pair of pulsars and have followed up on characteristics of another new duo. Their research will bring insights into the understanding of the how many of these systems exist and the rate in which they merge in our galaxy.

WVU professors bring the scientific community closer to understanding binary star mergers

Imagine only knowing 15 people in the world, and as you discover more people, your knowledge expands. Scientists studying our galaxy face something similar as they make discoveries that build our understanding of the universe. 

Justin Mathias headshot

WVU biology student links Clean Air Act to red spruce recovery in Appalachia

A dramatic recovery of red spruce trees in the central Appalachian Mountains led West Virginia University researchers to pursue the driving factors behind improved forest health.