Dale Olson, Lt. Col. (Ret) of the United States Air Force and adjunct professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at West Virginia University, reflects on the occasions he met his hero, the late Gen. Charles “Chuck” Yeager, an Air Force legend. Yeager, the World War II fighter pilot ace became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound in 1947, passed away on Monday (Dec. 7) at 97.
4-H club members will have a chance to look away from screens and put pen and paper to use through the West Virginia University Extension Service 4-H Youth Development pen pal program which aims to teach youths about communication while fostering friendships and connections.
Appalachian writers whose experiences are different than those most often portrayed in the media will be featured in three events that examine what it means to be a person of color in a region that is stereotypically portrayed as white. The first event, “A Reading by Emerging Appalachian Writers of Color,” is Wednesday (Dec. 2) at 7 p.m. and is presented by the West Virginia University Humanities Center.
Popular and familiar voices who have endured the prison system will provide a fresh perspective and give a voice to the voiceless for those still incarcerated as part of West Virginia University’s Reed College of Media Beyond Bars Summit. Piper Kerman, author of the memoir turned Netflix original series Orange is the New Black, and Dwayne Betts, author of Felon, with a series of 10 breakout sessions led by West Virginia experts on Thursday (Nov. 12).
West Virginia University College of Law students will staff a 2020 Election Protection Hotline to help citizens overcome roadblocks as they exercise their right to vote.
The West Virginia University Equine Studies Program will host Halloween with the Horses from 2-4 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 24) at the J.W. Ruby Research Farm in Reedsville. Families and children of all ages are invited to participate in the drive-thru, smartphone-guided scavenger hunt and pick up a packet of educational materials. The WVU teaching horses will be dressed in costume — and kids are encouraged to do the same.
Two projects have received funding from racial justice grants awarded by the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences: one focused on poetry and creative writing workshops and the second on studying racial disparities in vaccination rates. The grants support research for social justice initiatives that will engage with the community. The faculty leading these projects hail from both the Eberly College and the School of Public Health.
A short story collection that explores the raw and tender places where Black women and girls dare to follow their desires and pursue a momentary reprieve from being good is longlisted for the National Book Award in fiction. Published by West Virginia University Press, “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies” by Deesha Philyaw is one of 10 titles in contention for what is considered the most prestigious recognition in American book publishing.
West Virginia’s small businesses, affected by COVID-19’s socially-distant world, can use West Virginia University’s Encova Center, to navigate the new reality through a series of webinars beginning Monday.
The time has come for birds to “fly south” for the winter and a “high intensity” migration event will take place in the skies over West Virginia tonight (Mon., Sept. 14). Hannah Clipp, a doctoral student in the West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, discusses bird migration and what West Virginians can expect.