Eberly News

A West Virginia University psychology professor has been honored for her exceptional teaching of writing during the University’s annual awards season.

Julie Hicks Patrick is the 2024-2025 recipient of the Caperton Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Writing. Established in 2007, the award was made possible by the generosity of former West Virginia Governor and College Board president Gaston Caperton. Caperton’s intent was to “increase awareness of the need for improved writing skills,” identifying writing as a critical issue necessary to maintaining America’s competitive edge in the global market. 

The University’s Forensic and Investigative Science program in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences isn’t just ahead of the curve — it’s helping draw the curve for the rest of the nation. 

WVU is building one of the most respected programs of its kind, through a mix of cutting-edge research, hands-on training and unmatched faculty expertise.

This work opens meaningful, high impact career paths for students in science, law enforcement, environmental analysis and more.

A new collaboration between the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and the WVU Health Sciences Center Office of Interprofessional Education is giving Bachelor of Social Work students an opportunity to join future doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other health professionals in active learning and simulation activities, underscoring the vital role social workers play in patient care.

For Amy Hessl, professor of geography at West Virginia University, the past can predict the future. Hessl is a dendrochronologist, a scientist who unravels climate histories and trends through the study of tree ring growth patterns. So when wildfires engulfed the Los Angeles, California area in January 2025, resulting in dozens of deaths and tens of thousands of destroyed structures, Hessl wasn’t taken aback. In fact, she said, ongoing warm air temperatures and variable precipitation – which can be presumed from her studies of climate history trends — will lead to even more extreme fires in the future.

In an empty studio room of the Clay Center in Charleston, West Virginia, Princeton Middle School students wriggle neon-colored ropes that coil and arc to the amusement of the youngsters. It’s not all fun and games, though it looks that way from the smiles and giggles. The students are getting lessons on gravitational waves and wave frequencies, courtesy of Science Behind the Sport at West Virginia University. It’s just one of many STEM-related activities for students from all across the Mountain State on NASA Day, sponsored by the student with science experiment NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium at WVU.

Olgur Celikbas, Associate Professor of Mathematics in the School of Mathematical and Data Sciences at Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, is conducting research during this semester as part of an in-person fellowship at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics (MPIM) in Bonn, Germany.

Katy Goodrich, an assistant professor in the West Virginia University Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, was honored with a Big 12 Conference Faculty of the Year Award for her groundbreaking work in plasma and space physics. This prestigious award recognizes faculty from all 16 of the Big 12 institutions who have demonstrated incredible work, diversity of research breakthroughs and educational opportunities for their university.

One of the newest additions for this mission is the Foundational STEM Collaborative, a hub for all foundational University STEM courses required by more than 47 science-focused undergraduate degree programs. Launched in Fall 2023 by the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and the WVU Office of the Provost, the Collaborative quickly expanded its services in Fall 2024 with the opening of the STEM Learning Center and Student Collaboration Space on the ground floor of the Chemistry Research Laboratory, providing students access to drop-in and appointment-based academic assistance, study space, and areas to relax and recharge between classes while making connections with each other.

Duncan Lorimer, world-renowned astrophysicist and Professor of Physics and Astronomy in the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, has been appointed as the Eberly Distinguished Chair for Academic Excellence in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the fields of astronomy and astrophysics, excellence in teaching and his significant impact on the scientific research community at WVU and beyond.

Recognized as champions for justice, civil rights and world peace, four West Virginia University undergraduate students are the recipients of the prestigious 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship. Selected by the Center for Black Culture based on an essay and letters of recommendation, Tysa James, Janelle LaBarbera, Cheyenne Torres and Gabrielle Williams were honored at the annual MLK Unity Breakfast on Jan. 18 in the Mountainlair Ballrooms.