Eberly News

Each year, at the direction of the Office of the Provost, the Academic Advising Council selects honorees for the Nicholas Evans Awards for Advising Excellence in recognition of outstanding advising and mentoring provided by faculty and professional advisers at WVU. The 2026 recipients from Eberly College include Carolyn Kitchens, teaching associate professor from the C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry and the Department of Biology; and Mikel “Micky” Holcomb, associate professor from the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

To the casual observer, the fish doesn’t look like much. It certainly doesn’t look like a zebra, despite its name. It’s an unassuming minnow, small, pale and darting. But to Eric Horstick and his students at West Virginia University, it offers an incomparable, unobstructed view of the mysteries of human brains and behaviors.

Isabella Linton, a senior in the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, is a Mountaineer from way back. Her family has deep roots in West Virginia, and she grew up in the house her grandparents built. Linton has turned a lifelong curiosity about the brain into meaningful, hands-on research. Through lab work and faculty mentorship, she has explored how maternal stress impacts development while building a strong foundation in scientific inquiry.

Becca Coltogirone, an assistant professor in the Department of Biology who also serves as an academic advisor and director of the undergraduate neuroscience program in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, has been selected for the December Faculty Feature.

“Biochemistry gives me such a broad overview of science. It leaves the door open, so I don’t feel locked into one path after college. Now I feel like I can choose from a wide range of options.” Through the WVU Research Apprenticeship Program, Jaczynska joined a project studying sustainability in textiles, specifically the environmental impact of cotton versus hemp.

Dr. Eric Horstick, a faculty member in West Virginia University’s Department of Biology, is advancing our understanding of how the brain adapts to the world around it. His research focuses on how environmental and sensory experiences shape neural circuits and influence behavior, uncovering fundamental principles of brain plasticity that extend across species.

West Virginia University scholarship recipients Ben Golden, Jayla Boyd and Reese Allen could never have imagined how philanthropic support would lead to unexpected opportunities that would shape their college careers and professional goals. As a Neil S. Bucklew Scholarship recipient, Golden found he could study more than general business; he could fine-tune his studies down to a music business and industry degree. And, through donor support, Golden discovered he could do even more.

Political science, engineering, biology, health sciences, chemistry, physics and astronomy are some of the disciplines uniting to support 13 future WVU doctoral students who will collaborate with K-12 schools and regional industry to enhance West Virginia’s economic development in evolving energy.

Four promising West Virginia University doctoral students are continuing their academic journeys with support from the Ruby Scholars Graduate Fellows program. This year’s fellows are Ayers Aguiar, Abyss Halley, Damon LeMaster and Dylan Nice. Each student will receive a $34,000 stipend, a $2,000 travel grant and a tuition waiver to allow them to advance their research at WVU.

When West Virginia University biology undergraduate student Isabella Tuzzio tested fish from central Appalachian streams, her research revealed microplastics in every fish she sampled. Tuzzio said her results from the study, which was the first of its kind in Appalachia, suggest significant environmental risks, as well as potential risks to human health.