Celebrate the 50th anniversary of humankind’s first steps on the moon with three full-dome planetarium shows and a featured presentation by Hilda Heady, whose aunt, Bonnie Holmes, was the main assistant to key NASA rocket developer Werner von Braun. Demonstrations include an electromagnetic can crusher and liquid nitrogen ice cream.
Data released this week from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Automated Reports and Consolidated Orders Systems shows disproportionate pain pill distribution into Appalachian and rural communities, which resulted in an opioid crisis for West Virginia and the region. West Virginia University expert Robin Pollini says the data underscores the depth of the problem and the need to confront it.
On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the moon and Neil Armstrong famously took “one small step” onto its surface. As the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing nears, experts from the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University reflect on the cultural, scientific and geopolitical importance of the Apollo program and its powerful messages of curiosity, ambition and scientific discovery. The anniversary also shines a spotlight on issues of equality in math and science.
WVU Extension will host the grand opening of a community garden at the Underwood Senior Center Tuesday (July 16). Guests will have a chance to participate in the first planting workshop immediately following the celebration.
At the WVU Brain Camp, hosted by the WVU School of Medicine’s Neuroscience Department and the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, Campers will participate in hands-on demonstrations with WVU faculty and graduate students in areas like neuroanatomy, studying the effects of light at night, impacts of stroke, and motion capture computer simulations of the body.
The Nuffield Scholars program awards scholarships to approximately 50 young agriculturalists from 12 countries each year. The program provides scholars with the opportunity to make international connections and explore production agriculture, agribusiness, agricultural policy and related topics in different parts of the world. Activities begin Tuesday (July 9) and continue through July 16.
Under the direction of Dr. Sunil Sharma, a team of researchers found that 26 percent of high-risk patients with heart failure and undiagnosed sleep apnea who received opioids required urgent transfer to an ICU as opposed to only 4 percent of those not receiving opioids. The study shines light on the lesser-known impacts of the opioid epidemic, including the impact of narcotics in hospitalized patients.
West Virginia University is taking the lead in helping the state’s educators prepare students for life’s financial realities. Naomi Boyd from the John Chambers College of Business and Economics joins experts from the region to offer resources, including classroom tools and materials and online educational programming in this “teach the teachers” event. Finance University will be held July 7-11 at the Hampton Inn and Suites at University Town Centre in Morgantown.