West Virginia University neuroscientists are looking into why people with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease can remember events from decades ago but cannot recall something that happened in the past few hours. Their ongoing study indicates the issue could have to do with the vulnerability of certain synaptic connections, the places where neurons meet to communicate.
Thousands of West Virginia University graduates will celebrate their successes Commencement Weekend May 10-12 alongside eight honorary degree recipients and two speakers during nine ceremonies at the Coliseum.
Several new academic programs approved during Friday's (April 12) Board of Governors meeting will help West Virginia University students meet growing demand in areas such as engineering, supply chain management, forensics and health care. Campus carry implementation and updates on the presidential search process were also addressed.
Don Hoylman and his wife, Marcella, first began giving to the WVU Cancer Institute in the 1980s. Their giving escalated after Hoylman became a patient himself and culminated with a transformational leadership donation made through his trust in 2018. Following his passing three years later at the age of 91, the Hoylman family’s generosity continues to spur innovation at the WVU Cancer Institute.
A West Virginia University researcher is studying slot machines to determine what makes them a potentially addictive form of gambling. To do so, she will spend the next two years reverse engineering certain structural characteristics of the machines to find out what makes them an immersive product. Her research is supported by the International Center for Responsible Gaming.
A West Virginia University researcher is studying newly released records of private communications between U.S. Supreme Court justices to learn how they interact and relate behind the scenes.
As WVU celebrates its sixth annual Research Week from April 1-5, many students have found purpose on campus through discovery and innovation. “We would not be an R1 institution if not, in part, for the drive and determination of our student researchers,” Vice President for Research Fred King said.
Research from West Virginia University industrial engineer Makenzie Dolly suggests employee motivation and productivity may increase when game-like elements, such as progress bars and badges, are integrated into industrial workers’ performance of manufacturing tasks that are rote and repetitive, like Lego assembly.
West Virginia University engineers have received a wave of federal support for research projects that will help slash the cost of clean hydrogen. The three U.S. Department of Energy grants for WVU studies total $15.8 million and are part of funds authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for research that advances the “Hydrogen Shot” goal of cutting the cost of clean hydrogen production to $1 per kilogram.
An artificial intelligence tool West Virginia University health data scientists are developing could lessen medication errors that send recently discharged patients back to the hospital while reducing health care costs.