Eberly News

Tagged with Biology
As a first-generation college student, David Laub is attuned to the disparities in opportunities for students like him especially if they come from a low-income background. For his efforts to connect top West Virginia University students with high school students, he has been awarded the Newman Civic Fellowship.

WVU student named Newman Civic Fellow to help high school students connect to scholarships

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As a first-generation college student, David Laub is attuned to the disparities in opportunities for students like him especially if they come from a low-income background. For his efforts to connect top West Virginia University students with high school students, he has been awarded the Newman Civic Fellowship. 

This year, West Virginia University became the first university in the state to offer an undergraduate neuroscience major. The program, housed in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, is a dual effort between the departments of psychology and biology.

WVU to offer new neuroscience major

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This year, West Virginia University became the first university in the state to offer an undergraduate neuroscience major. The program, housed in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, is a dual effort between the departments of psychology and biology.

WVU students receive NASA Space Grant fellowships

WVU students receive NASA Space Grant fellowships

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Eight students from West Virginia University’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences have been awarded undergraduate fellowships from the NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium for the 2018-2019 academic year.

Kristyn Lizbinski, a Drums, Pennsylvania, native and doctoral student studying biology at West Virginia University, spent her WVU career studying the olfactory system of insects in Assistant Professor of Neuroscience Andrew Dacks’ lab. Lizbinski’s research on the way neurons communicate was published in eNeuro this fall, and she was awarded the first prize in DRVision and Interstellate’s 2017 Neuroscience Travel Award for a 3D microscopy image of her research.

Meet the Grads: Kristyn Lizbinski

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Just as no two snowflakes are alike, a new study by Kristyn Lizbinski, a doctoral student studying biology at West Virginia University, reveals that neurons may be just as diverse. Neurons communicate via chemicals called neurotransmitters that can have different effects on the brain based on the receptor proteins expressed by other neurons. Neurotransmitters are often used to classify neuron types because each neurotransmitter can be thought of as a tool for communicating with other neurons.

Is every neuron a unique snowflake? WVU biology student studies organizing principles of neuron diversity

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WVU biology student studies organizing principles of neuron diversity

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

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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.  

Andrew Dacks

WVU biologist receives $1.3 million NIH grant to examine fruit flies’ olfactory systems

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Andrew Dacks, assistant professor of neuroscience in the Department of Biology, received a $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to conduct research at West Virginia University on the effects of serotonin in fruit flies.  

Kaylynn Coates headshot

WVU biology student receives NASA grant to study the brain

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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.

West Virginia University’s Core Arboretum will bring local and regional nature experts to campus this summer in its annual Nature Connection Series. “We at the Arboretum are excited about the lineup of speakers this year and happy to offer this valuable service for free to local naturalists,” said Zachariah Fowler, director of the WVU Core Arboretum and clinical associate professor in the Department of Biology. “Please join us and connect with nature!” The discussions will take place in June, July and August on Tuesday evenings at 6 p.m. at the Core Arboretum amphitheater. The talks are free and open to the public, and no registration is required. Some discussions will include walking and fieldwork.

WVU Core Arboretum Nature Connection Series begins early June

Eberly News /

West Virginia University’sCore Arboretum will bring local and regional nature experts to campus this summer in its annual Nature Connection Series.

2018 Phi Beta Kappa inductees

WVU’s Phi Beta Kappa inducts 2018 class

Eberly News /

The Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University is pleased to announce the induction of its 2018 class of scholars into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society for the arts and sciences.