Expert Pitches

With major retailers like Amazon and Walmart announcing holiday deals starting as early as mid-October, shoppers are preparing to get a head start on their holiday shopping. Great deals may provide a little normalcy and joy this holiday season, but WVU Extension Service Family and Community Development Agent Lauren Weatherford cautions shoppers about emotional spending. Finding hope and happiness doesn’t have to “break the bank.” It may also be a good time to rethink how you celebrate.

Serving up a delicious meal can be dangerous. Nearly 50% of all residential fires start in the kitchen. As part of U.S. Fire Administration’s Fire Prevention Safety Week (Oct.4 - 10), fire safety experts around the nation are focusing on the theme, “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen,” to help educate and inform people about the dangers of kitchen fires.

Several West Virginia University faculty members will be available to provide insight and expert commentary to the media following the first of three U.S. presidential debates between the incumbent Republican Donald Trump and Democratic nominee and former Vice President OkayJoe Biden. WVU faculty can delve into tonight’s (Sept. 29) debate topics – and other issues leading up to the Nov. 3 election.

While debate over COVID-19 guidelines and vaccine development has raised skeptics’ eyebrows and undermined confidence, a West Virginia University associate professor says that communication is essential for the science community to gain the American public’s trust. According to Geah Pressgrove, scientists and communications professionals need to rethink how they communicate through four distinct dimensions of trust: competence, integrity, benevolence and openness.

A second federal judge ruled Monday (Sept. 21) that election mail must be prioritized by the U.S. Postal Service, but West Virginia University Law Professor Matthew Titolo, an expert on American legal history and public-private contracts, says it’s unclear if operational changes enacted by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy can be reversed in time to speed up the mail before Election Day Nov. 3.

Advanced colorectal cancer patients who consume four or more cups of coffee a day are more likely to live longer than those who drink less, according to freshly-brewed research co-authored by a West Virginia University doctor, Richard Goldberg.

Patients with lung issues or sleep conditions can breathe easier and sleep better during the COVID-19 pandemic as they can return to clinics where treatment is available. Dr. Sunil Sharma, section chief for West Virginia University School of Medicine Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine and a group leader in the American Thoracic Society international task force, is participating in national webinars to raise awareness for new guidelines for patients.

Being a man doesn’t make someone more likely to be infected with SARS-CoV-2—the virus that causes COVID-19—but it might make him more likely to have severe complications or die from it.

West Virginia University political scientist Erik Herron, who has experience in election administration and has researched international elections held during war and other difficult circumstances, says that absentee ballots and vote-by-mail programs in the U.S. are not likely to suffer from “widespread, systemic or decisive fraud.”

The sharpest dive in U.S. Gross Domestic Product in modern history may have been expected, but it is unusual, according to West Virginia University experts in economics.