infostations

Loyal West Virginia University supporters Dan and Alex Duenkel have contributed a major gift of $1.25 million to the WVU men's soccer program.

A loyal alumnus and his wife have continued their history of giving to West Virginia University with a $6 million gift that will expand opportunities for students, increase support for faculty, research and other programs in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.

Kristin Moilanen, associate professor of child development and family studies, said the phenomenon of helicopter parenting most often occurs in middle- to upper-class families where stakes are high for parents to be able to show off their children’s success. Her research, which focuses on young adults 18- to 24- years-old, indicates that high helicopter parenting leads to “low mastery, self-regulation and social competence.”

New technology is helping pre-K teachers studying online at West Virginia University to complete their student teaching in their home communities. With a new “virtual” system, professors are using video to observe student teachers in the classroom and computer technology to meet with them remotely to discuss their teaching.

At West Virginia University, where students are encouraged to “Go First,” Dylan Vest has taken that mantra to heart. He was the first in his family to go to college, to travel abroad and even get on a plane. Now he’s one step closer to his dream of becoming a Foreign Service Officer by becoming the first WVU student to receive the highly competitive Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Fellowship from the U.S. State Department.

This time of year can cause trouble for people with seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression that the waning daylight of autumn evokes. But new research by West Virginia University researchers Randy Nelson and Courtney DeVries suggests that getting too much light—instead of too little—may trigger depression, too.

It’s been five years since Nolan Burch, a freshman at West Virginia University, died after a hazing incident at an unsanctioned fraternity. "Would You?", a new safety campaign asks questions such as, “Would you help those in need? The campaign launched Wednesday night (Nov. 13) with the premiere of the documentary “Breathe, Nolan, Breathe,” which chronicles the events of that night five years ago, and draws attention to the many simple acts that could have changed the outcome.

Donors gave more than $11 million Wednesday (Nov. 13) during West Virginia University’s third annual Day of Giving, topping last year’s $6.2 million raised.

United Bank marked West Virginia University’s third annual Day of Giving with a $1 million donation to the new WVU Medicine Children’s tower.

Heather Stephens, assistant professor of resource economics and management at West Virginia University, found that shale development negatively impacts house prices, particularly for houses with private water and close proximity to the mountains.