Eberly News

Tagged with Physics
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.

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.

Riley Imlay

Three WVU alumni awarded Fulbright Scholarships

Eberly News /

Three WVU alumni will teach English abroad next year after being awarded the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, allowing them to develop cross-cultural competency, as well as skills to further their career goals.

Katherine Johnson

Katherine Johnson scholarship aids African American students pursuing math, science degrees at WVU

Eberly News /

A new scholarship created as a tribute to NASA pioneer Katherine Johnson will benefit African American students studying math or science within West Virginia University’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.

Thirteen first-year college students, including four enrolled in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, connected with West Virginia University in July for a virtual summer camp to get a head start on their college experiences. The students are part of the First2 STEM Success Network, an INCLUDES Alliance and statewide collaboration supported by the National Science Foundation. The WVU Center for Excellence in STEM Education is one of the five lead organizations in the alliance and WVU was one of nine research immersion host sites this summer. The alliance is working to improve the college enrollment and retention rates of rural, first-generation and other underrepresented undergraduate STEM students from around the state, specifically during their first two years of college, a critical time when many students drop out.

Experience, guidance and community

Eberly News /

Thirteen first-year college students, including four enrolled in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, connected with WVU in July for a virtual summer camp to get a head start on their college experiences.

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.

An important breakthrough in how we can understand dead star collisions and the expansion of the universe has been made by an international team that includes researchers with the Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology at West Virginia University. They have discovered an unusual pulsar – one of deep space’s magnetized spinning neutron-star ‘lighthouses’ that emits highly focused radio waves from its magnetic poles. The newly discovered pulsar (known as PSR J1913+1102) is part of a binary system – which means that it is locked in a fiercely tight orbit with another neutron star. The research has been published in Nature.

How colliding neutron stars could shed light on universal mysteries

Eberly News /

An important breakthrough in how we can understand dead star collisions and the expansion of the universe has been made by an international team that includes researchers from the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

West Virginia University’s Duncan Lorimer might be the godfather of the fast radio burst, but a pair of international students has taken exploring these mysterious cosmic flashes to a new level. In 2007, Lorimer was credited for helping discover fast radio bursts - intense, unexplained pulses of energy, light years away, that pop for mere milliseconds. Ever since, only around 100 have been spotted. But astronomers knew there were more out there. One major obstacle to new discoveries came in the form of researchers having to manually read data plots, recorded by satellite imaging, for hours on end.

Signals from deep space

Eberly News /

West Virginia University’s  Duncan Lorimer might be the godfather of the fast radio burst, but a pair of international students has taken exploring these mysterious cosmic flashes to a new level.

The Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office has announced the first cohort of Woodburn Fellowship recipients, whose two-year terms start in August 2020. The newly established fellowship program is one of the College’s highest honors for faculty. Associate and full professors classified as either tenured, teaching, service or research are eligible. The program will annually recognize exemplary professors who embody the highest potential for accomplishments in teaching, research and/or service in fields spanning the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. Woodburn Fellows are expected to be actively and constructively involved in departmental governance, contribute to a collegial work environment and provide mentorship to junior members of their department’s faculty. They will also provide leadership across the college, discipline and community levels. The fellowship includes an award to support professional development, such as travel and research expenses.

Eberly College announces first three Woodburn Fellows

Eberly News /

The Eberly College Dean’s Office has announced the first cohort of Woodburn Fellowship recipients, whose two-year terms start in August 2020.