Media Advisories

Are we alone? Humans have been asking this question throughout history. We want to know where we came from, how we fit into the cosmos and where we are going. We want to know whether there is life beyond the Earth and whether any of it is intelligent. Astronomer Jill Tarter of the SETI Institute will explore this cosmic perspective in a public lecture at West Virginia University. Copies of Tarter’s biography “Making Contact” by Sarah Scoles will be available for purchase and signing.

Encouraging current students to hone their pitch skills, pop-up pitch participants will be asked to highlight a problem and solution that apply to one of West Virginia Forward’s three main areas of focus: business, education or human capital. In addition to the pop-up pitch, current LaunchLab clients will showcase their ideas and innovations to the audience. This allows pop-up pitch participants and spectators to better understand the resources, connections and successes that the LaunchLab offers.

West Virginia University will host professor Dariusz Stola, the director of the Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews, for his lecture, “Polin: A Museum of Jewish Life at a Site of the Holocaust." Co-sponsored by WVU alumni of the former Jewish fraternity Pi Lambda Phi and the Office of the Provost, the lecture references the museum’s location within the walls of the former Warsaw ghetto.

Chemistry can be an intimidating subject since the concepts are literally microscopic. That’s why the Principles of Chemistry course at the West Virginia University Eberly College of Arts and Sciences is making chemistry cool by holding an ice cream-making contest.

The Art Museum of WVU will celebrate three years since its opening with a variety of activities for the whole family and access to the museum’s exhibitions.

West Virginia University’s annual welcome back concert, FallFest, will take place Tuesday, Aug. 14, on the Evansdale Rec Fields adjacent to the Student Rec Center. This year’s performers are Lil Yachty, Brothers Osborne and MisterWives.

More than 500 youth will compete in the State 4-H and FFA Junior Livestock Show, which includes showmanship and skillathon competitions.

“The Greenne$$ of the Red: How Macroeconomic Issues Changed West Virginia from Blue to Red” will focus on the drastic shift in voting trends from the 20th and 21st centuries. The talk will be held at WVU's Downtown Campus Library, Room 104 on Friday (Aug. 10) at 3 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Students will be integrated into campus life and culture through a series of Welcome Week activities and events designed to introduce them to life as a Mountaineer with a balance of academic, service and social components that will emphasize the importance of working hard, playing smart and serving their new community.

SGA members will convene on campus this weekend for their annual leadership retreat to work on personal leadership skills, character-building, and give back to the community.