Research

Researchers at West Virginia University are helping universities nationwide overcome barriers to STEM faculty careers for women and underrepresented minorities.

While researchers at West Virginia University were testing coal miners’ safety gloves to help reduce lost-time accidents, they went a step further. Eduardo Sosa, a research associate professor in mechanical and aerospace engineering in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, and Marta Moure, a post-doctoral fellow from Carlos III University of Madrid, Spain, reduced the need for future physical testing of the gloves through computer simulations.

External funding for research and other sponsored programs at West Virginia University totaled $181.4 million this past fiscal year, a University record that bucks a downward trend that sees higher ed grappling with dwindling resources.

Seven students pursuing doctoral degrees at West Virginia University are receiving funding through the Ruby Scholars Graduate Fellows Program. Lauryn Alexander, Heather Baldwin, Elaine Christman, John Hansen, Emily Hughes, Alyssa Stonebraker and Nicholas Winch have been named to the eighth class of fellows.

While marriage equality continues to be a big win for the LGBTQ movement since its passage in the U.S. in 2015, many activists are concerned about what’s next.

West Virginia University researcher Mariette Barbier is working to preserve the pertussis vaccines’ effectiveness, even as the bacteria adapt. The National Institutes of Health has awarded her $2.6 million, over five years, for the project.

According to Cyberseek.org, there are nearly 1,000 available jobs in the cybersecurity field in West Virginia. Nationwide, there are more than 313,000 open positions. With the aid of a $1 million award from the National Science Foundation, the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering hopes to prepare students to help meet the demand for these cybersecurity roles.

Doctors at the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute have treated the first patients in the world in a clinical trial to collect real-world, post-marketing data on the use of a new device for the endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms.

Dr. Nicolas Zegre, director of the Mountain Hydrology Laboratory at WVU, describes his research analyzing seasonal changes in the Appalachian region which are leading to hotter, wetter and dryer weather forecasts.

Amelia Adcock, associate director of the West Virginia University Stroke Center, is customizing an app that helps first responders in West Virginia triage stroke patients efficiently when they respond to a 911 call.