Research

Elk are making a comeback in the Mountain State, and West Virginia University researchers are studying the genetics of the population in hopes of maintaining the health of the herd.

Research from a West Virginia University scholar of rural Appalachia shows how even the most marginalized communities can assert power and create change when they come together to form coalitions.

Maura McLaughlin, West Virginia University Eberly Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy, has been selected as a new member of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors in the scientific world. “Professor McLaughlin’s election signifies the continued growth of WVU as one of America’s great research universities,” WVU Vice President for Research Fred King said.

Eight members of the West Virginia University Class of 2024 who have made remarkable achievements across academic disciplines while using the power of purpose to serve others and foster innovation for a sustainable future are among the talented student leaders honored with the Order of Augusta, the most prestigious University student award.

Five West Virginia University students have joined an elite group of researchers who’ve been awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, a program aimed at supporting graduate education in STEM-based fields. They are Austin Braniff, Kara Cunningham, Courtney Glenn, Ashley Martsen-Poulin and Megan Weaver.

The new cohort of West Virginia University Foundation Scholars — recipients of the highest academic scholarship the University awards — includes Ama Ackon-Annan from Woodrow Wilson High School, Isaac Brown from Clay County High School, Liam McCarthy from Musselman High School, Clare Talbott from Elkins High School and Zadie Worley from Liberty (Raleigh) High School.

Drylands in the western United States are currently in the grips of a 23-year “megadrought” and one West Virginia University researcher is working to gain a better understanding of this extreme climate event.

Starting this summer, undergraduate students will perform hands-on, cutting-edge robotics research that solves real-world problems in Appalachia while working in the five robotics labs at West Virginia University.

West Virginia University neuroscientists are looking into why people with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease can remember events from decades ago but cannot recall something that happened in the past few hours. Their ongoing study indicates the issue could have to do with the vulnerability of certain synaptic connections, the places where neurons meet to communicate.

Economically distressed McDowell County is one target of a West Virginia University program to connect high school and community college students and others new to the workforce with well-paid jobs in the water sector, which is in urgent need of workers.