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Experts from around the region will be available to help West Virginia teachers prepare their students to make smart financial decisions as they enter college and the workforce in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finance University, led by Naomi Boyd from the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University is a virtual event this year, taking place July 16-17 and July 20-21. It is open to all West Virginia teachers and educators in neighboring counties in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

A new on-campus, non-degree certificate program—Country Roads—designed for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities will provide courses, social engagement and applied work experience. The two-year core track focuses on independent living skills and workforce preparedness, plus the option of an advanced track. Students will live in a shared residential housing arrangement. Applications for the program are due next week (July 15).

Students who may suffer from “Summer Slide” could benefit from WVU Extension Service’s free, creative and educational programming via Energy Express and 4-H’s Camp URL (You Are Linked) to combat the drop in reading and math comprehension students experience while on summer break.

Using decontamination tactics to help maintain PPE supplies, West Virginia University is working with the National Guard to decontaminate and disinfect thousands of masks to address PPE shortages in healthcare systems in the state.

Athletic coaching education students at West Virginia University are helping youth with disabilities stay active during the COVID-19 pandemic using a unique distance learning environment.

Logan Forquer, an upcoming junior studying mechanical engineering and student worker at the Innovation Hub, made the protective gear over the past month using a high-power Waterjet that cuts the components of the face shields from large sheets of polycarbonate. He rigged a GoPro above the WaterJet so he can watch a live view of the machine on an iPad while working in the next room. This allowed Forquer to assist other staff members in the Hub, do class work or study for his final exams.

Students in Noah Trudeau’s class at West Virginia University are learning principles of economics through video games, a method Trudeau, a doctoral student in the John Chambers College of Business and Economics developed as the COVID-19 pandemic was escalating. He implemented the approach just before WVU students were sent home for the remainder of the semester and they now use the games to question pandemic-related events, including why some products are leaving store shelves quicker than others.

Doctors and other health care providers could get some help from artificial intelligence, which could expedite decisions regarding patient care and minimize exposure, saving personal protective equipment, according to Dr. Partho Sengupta, Abnash C. Jain chair and chief of the Division of Cardiology and director of Cardiovascular Imaging at the West Virginia University School of Medicine.

The nationally recognized West Virginia University Extension Service Monroe County MCubed (M3) 4-H Robotics Team is used to solving problems, thinking innovatively and rising to the challenge. So, when the mayor of the Union called upon members to assist in making protective gear for West Virginia medical professionals and health care providers, the group didn’t hesitate.

A group of medical and education experts at West Virginia University is asking parents to take the advice of Mr. (Fred) Rogers and “look for the helpers” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leveraging Education To Show Gratitude of Occupations (LETS GO), aims to educate youth about a number of careers essential to combatting the virus, from epidemiologists and health officers to food service workers and custodians.