Expert Pitches

West Virginia University expert Omar Abdul-Aziz has done extensive research on how climate, sea level and land-use changes affect flooding in coastal watersheds. Abdul-Aziz believes the key to disaster mitigation is accurately forecasting the damage caused by destructive winds, sweeping storm surges and devastating freshwater flooding often associated with massive hurricanes like Florence. He has developed hydrologic models to predict rainfall-fed freshwater flooding in large-scale coastal basins during extreme climate events.

As the eastern seaboard awaits the arrival of Hurricane Florence, the West Virginia University Extension Service has experts in agriculture to help producers keep their animals and equipment safe from flood waters, as well as experts in the Safety and Health Extension to address worker safety and flood rescue who have compiled information from governmental agencies to keep the general public safe.

Two West Virginia University experts—one who lived through and wrote books about Hurricane Katrina— are available to talk about disaster vulnerability and resilience, as well as how communities fare when faced with long-term recovery.

Parkinson’s disease has reached new notoriety in the last decade as celebrities have spoken up and stepped up to support research and reduce stigma. From everyone’s favorite former teen wolf, Michael J. Fox, to Alan Alda of M*A*S*H fame. And while the spotlight has helped to further the cause, there is still plenty of misinformation about the disease, which affects nearly 10 million people worldwide.

Healthcare professionals attending the largest pain management conference in the United States may learn a thing or two about treating pain the “West Virginia Way.” A pain management expert at the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy says it’s imperative that West Virginia has a place at the table in the national conversation about the intersection of the opioid crisis, pain management and substance-use disorder.

With Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination hearing in full swing, Congress and the public are keeping a close eye on his qualifications and the confirmation process itself. A West Virginia University expert says federal judicial selection should focus on informing the American public. He can also discuss the possible outcomes if Kavanaugh is confirmed, including how the Supreme Court is likely to rule on abortion, the Affordable Care Act and campaign finance.

In a paper published today in Nature Communications, a worldwide team of researchers has used tree ring dating to confirm that two significant "cosmic events" occurred in 774 and 993 CE. Cross-cultural eyewitness accounts of red or "blood" aurora correspond with these years. The study measured carbon-14 content in 44 wood samples taken from five continents, including two samples from Mongolia provided by West Virginia University geographer Amy Hessl, a co-author on the paper.

The success of a trade deal to replace NAFTA will be measured by the positive gains experienced by all partners, according to West Virginia University associate professor of political science Christina Fattore – not how much the U.S. gains compared to its partners. She calls a congratulatory phone call from President Donald Trump to Mexican President Pena-Nieto “a bit premature” and contends many US-based industries will be worse off with this revamped deal.

West Virginia University experts Erin McHenry-Sorber and Matthew Campbell say that WVU can be a key player in solving the teacher shortage crisis, which has several causes including higher salaries and different hiring timelines in bordering states and the rural nature of most West Virginia school systems.

Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign manager, was convicted today (Aug. 21) on eight federal felonies— five counts of tax fraud, one count of failing to report foreign bank accounts and two counts of bank fraud. West Virginia University expert Erik Herron (political science) says the Manafort convictions and Michael Cohen’s guilty pleas may “connect the dots” of Russian interference in the 2016 election, while Anne Lofaso (law) says the Manafort trial will play a historical role in how the Trump presidency is perceived when time gives us distance and objectivity.