Eberly News

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.

Each spring, WVU recognizes selected faculty members for their exceptional and innovative teaching. This year, the WVU Foundation Awards for Outstanding Teaching honored two Eberly College faculty members for their commitment to impactful instruction: Cody Hood, teaching assistant professor in the School of Mathematical and Data Sciences and Erin Brock-Carlson, associate professor in the Department of English.

Driven by a love for his home state and gratitude for the opportunities West Virginia University has provided him, Reese Allen will don the buckskins and coonskin cap as the next Mountaineer mascot.

The senior dual mechanical engineering and data science major from Bridgeport was named the 2026-27 Mountaineer mascot Saturday (Feb. 28) during the men’s basketball game in the Hope Coliseum.

Finalist Amelia Bolden, a communication sciences and disorders junior in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, will serve as the alternate Mountaineer mascot.

West Virginia University scholarship recipients Ben Golden, Jayla Boyd and Reese Allen could never have imagined how philanthropic support would lead to unexpected opportunities that would shape their college careers and professional goals. As a Neil S. Bucklew Scholarship recipient, Golden found he could study more than general business; he could fine-tune his studies down to a music business and industry degree. And, through donor support, Golden discovered he could do even more.

Every year, students from across Eberly College are selected as  Outstanding Seniors and  Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistants.  Eberly Scholars are also chosen annually for a monetary award to help offset the cost of their education as they work to achieve their academic goals. Read about all three groups below.

Each year, Eberly College honors faculty members with its Outstanding Teacher Awards, Outstanding Researcher Awards and the Award for Outstanding Outreach or Public Service. Recipients in each category receive a stipend to help further their research, teaching and service efforts.

Three West Virginia University students have been awarded the coveted Goldwater Scholarship, the nation’s premier undergraduate scholarship in mathematics, engineering and natural sciences which supports students with strong commitments to research careers.

Juniors Henry Coyle, an aerospace engineering major from Charlottesville, Virginia, Corinne Hazel, an environmental microbiology major from Delaware, Ohio, and Grady King, a data science major from Morgantown, will each receive $7,500 annually for up to two years of undergraduate study to further their research. All three are members of the Honors College.

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.

Jessica Deshler, director of the School of Mathematical and Data Sciences, and Erin Goodykoontz, mathematics teaching associate professor, discuss the University’s responsibilities to its students and the state of West Virginia.