Eberly News

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Like many college students, Jada Taylor was unsure about which major would the best fit for her – until she found philosophy. Along the way, pursuing a philosophy degree has not only prepared her for her future career but helped her make important life decisions, such as choosing to become vegan and low waste.

From classroom to kitchen: Philosophy student launches reading group on veganism

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With the support of several philosophy faculty, junior Jada Taylor has launched a virtual reading group with philosophy faculty exploring the ethics of veganism.

A new portal created at West Virginia University is increasing access to surface and groundwater water quality data from shale gas regions around the state to inform stakeholders about trends in water quality. The West Virginia Water Quality Impact Portal allows people to investigate water quality in shale gas regions of West Virginia. It contains data for more than 1.3 million surface and ground water samples from 14 counties where most Marcellus Shale gas development has occurred. Funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the portal’s data was gathered from federal and state agencies, including the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Geological Survey Water Science Center, as well as local nonprofit organizations.

Quenching the need for water quality data in West Virginia

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A new portal created in the Department of Geology and Geography is increasing access to surface and groundwater water quality data from shale gas regions around the state to inform stakeholders about trends in water quality.

Uncovering what drives the evolution of new animals is key for understanding the history of life on Earth. West Virginia University geologist James Lamsdell is embarking on this exploration as a recipient of the National Science Foundation’s CAREER award. One of those evolutionary drivers is how animals adapt to unfamiliar environments. In his new project, Lamsdell will use fossil records to study how arthropods, such as crustaceans and horseshoe crabs as well as extinct species like sea scorpions and trilobites, have adapted to new environments by changing the speed or timing of their development to reshape their adult forms. He will also examine whether these changes in their development alter the speed at which their evolution occurs.

The fossil detective

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Uncovering what drives the evolution of new animals is key for understanding the history of life on Earth. Geologist James Lamsdell is embarking on this exploration as a recipient of the National Science Foundation’s CAREER award.

Known for their brilliant colors and captivating scents, orchids are a favorite household plant. But many types of orchids are endangered due to constant threats from invasive species and habitat loss driven by climate change. Since few resources are available to protect these endangered species, one West Virginia University biology student is developing new ways to sustain them.

Love orchids? Thank their fungus.

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Since few resources are available to protect these orchids, one biology student is developing new ways to sustain them.

Four years after the disastrous flooding in southern West Virginia, new research from West Virginia University’s Department of Geology and Geography highlights the role faith-based groups and other community organizations have played in the relief and recovery efforts. In summer 2017, Assistant Professors of Geography Jamie Shinn and Martina Angela Caretta in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences interviewed 21 Greenbrier County residents and members of relief organizations to understand the lasting effects of flooding in their communities.

Finding renewal in the aftermath of floods

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Four years after the disastrous flooding in southern West Virginia, new research from the Department of Geology and Geography highlights the role faith-based groups and other community organizations have played in the relief and recovery efforts.

Costa Rica is known around the world over for its rainforests, coffee and beaches. But despite Costa Rica's reputation for safety and its recent economic growth, criminals use its strategic location for smuggling activities. A team of U.S. forensic science experts, led by two professors from Costa Rica, aim to fix that. A new international and multidisciplinary partnership between West Virginia University’s Department of Forensic and Investigative Science and the Costa Rican government is working to build the country’s capacity for law enforcement, forensic laboratories and legal medicine – and lifting it up as a model for better criminal justice practices across Central America.

Overcoming crime in Costa Rica

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Costa Rica is known around the world for its rainforests, coffee and beaches. But despite Costa Rica's reputation for safety and its recent economic growth, criminals use its strategic location for smuggling activities. A team of U.S. forensic science experts, led by two WVU professors from Costa Rica, aim to fix that.