Eberly News

As Jayla Boyd and Lillian Floyd would describe it, they were in uncharted territory when they arrived on the West Virginia University campus for Brain Camp. By the end of the week, the soon-to-be high school seniors had discovered the complex world of neuroscience and were hooked.

Five exceptionally talented incoming West Virginia University freshmen whose academic interests span the fields of humanities, medicine and science are eager to use their curiosity, creativity and problem-solving skills to generate new ideas and innovative solutions for a better future as the 2024-25 WVU Foundation Scholars, the highest academic scholarship the University awards.

Eight members of the faculty in Eberly College of Arts and Sciences have been recognized for their excellence in teaching, research and service.

Major: Biology
Areas of Emphasis: Neuroscience, Genomics, and Advanced Cellular & Molecular Biology
Hometown: Cairo, WV

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.

Just as nerve cells don’t work in isolation when we think, speak or move, scientists don’t work alone when they study the nervous system. WVU's new Center for Foundational Neuroscience Research and Education will help researchers from different departments collaborate in a similar way. By teaming up, the researchers will use their unique skillsets and backgrounds to make neuroscience discoveries that might take much longer otherwise.

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.