Eberly News

For most, a forest is defined by its towering canopy and dense underbrush. But for Hannah DeHetre, a doctoral candidate in biology at West Virginia University, the real story lies beneath her boots. “The soil is the foundation of the forest,” DeHetre explained. “Without soil that can support the trees, there is no forest. It holds the nutrients, holds the landscape, and dictates what can grow there. It’s the very bottom building block of everything.”

Supported by an Early-Concept Grant for Exploratory Research from the National Science Foundation, Steve Kannenberg, assistant professor of biology in the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, is integrating AI directly into local monitoring sensors to help scientists track ecosystem health in near real time.

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.

WVU Foundation Scholar Laya Chennuru is graduating this month with degrees in neuroscience and psychology. She credits the Foundation Scholarship for expanding her horizons and shaping her educational journey at WVU. Watch her feature above. 

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.