Eberly News

Thirty-eight graduates were inducted as lifelong members into the WVU Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, a national honor society that recognizes outstanding achievement in the liberal arts and sciences, and champions freedom of thought. 

Three Eberly College students,  Daniel Campa, Rebecca Ozbolt, and Samuel Stalnaker have joined the ranks of the nation’s top emerging researchers after earning prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships. 

The 2026 Order of Augusta scholars from Eberly College of Arts and Sciences are: Ronalie Abeyratne, graduating with a degree in biology pre-medical and a minor in molecular medicine; Emma Fleming, graduating with dual degrees in English and multidisciplinary media studies; Ella Holley, graduating with dual degrees in international studies and criminology; and Gabriele Smith, graduating with dual degrees in philosophy and multidisciplinary studies.

For the first time, West Virginia University has four recipients of the Goldwater Scholarship, the nation’s premier undergraduate scholarship in mathematics, engineering and natural sciences that supports students with a strong commitment to research careers.

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.