Stories | WVU Today | West Virginia University

WVU study shows pregnant women who sit less and move more have fewer adverse outcomes

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 08:30:00 -0400

A study by researchers at West Virginia University and two other university-affiliated medical centers found a greater-than-expected significance in the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, for women who spend more time sitting compared to those who include even light activity in their daily routines.

“The big finding was that women who were sitting for over 10 hours a day were developing twice as many adverse pregnancy outcomes as women who were sitting for shorter amounts of time,” said Bethany Barone Gibbs, professor and chair of the WVU School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and co-investigator of the study.

WVU student ‘takes it all in,’ expands agriculture education through international trip

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:01:00 -0400

Miyah Swiger, a student at the West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, traveled to Spain for the FFA International Leadership Seminar for State Officers. The two-week trip brought together state FFA officers from across the country to make connections and strengthen knowledge of global agriculture.

WVU researcher finds surprising phenomenon in NASA data from Mars

Thu, 28 May 2026 11:00:00 -0400

Data beamed back from Mars by the NASA spacecraft MAVEN provides the first evidence that a phenomenon protecting planets from solar winds can occur in the atmospheres of worlds that lack strong magnetic fields, according to research led by West Virginia University planetary scientist Christopher Fowler.

Fowler, a research assistant professor at the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and a member of the WVU Center for Kinetic Plasma Physics, said MAVEN’s observations advance scientists’ understanding of how the sun interacts with the solar system and especially with unmagnetized bodies like comets, Saturn’s moon Titan, Venus and Mars.

From wastes to resources: WVU expands rare earth research to help strengthen America’s domestic critical minerals supply

Tue, 26 May 2026 08:30:00 -0400

A decade ago, West Virginia University researchers were among the first to find rare earth elements in acid mine drainage seeping from retired coal mines. Now, the University is ready to expand that work to help secure a domestic supply of the critical materials essential to modern technology, enhancing national security interests and economic innovation.

To support these efforts, the University is launching the WVU Rare Earth Elements Initiative, or WVU REE. The initiative unites researchers who focus on rare earths and critical minerals as they explore a growing range of U.S. feedstocks. In tandem, WVU has established the for-profit startup, Mission Critical Materials, to commercialize 10 years of the University’s proven AMDREE technology.

$100K scholarship gift benefits WVU Statler College civil engineering students in memory of late U.S. Rep. David McKinley

Wed, 20 May 2026 08:30:00 -0400

The family of longtime civil engineer and lawmaker David B. McKinley is honoring his wish to establish a $100,000 scholarship to benefit future engineers studying at the West Virginia University Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.

The McKinley family’s gift endows the David B. McKinley Civil Engineering Scholarship, which will be awarded to undergraduate civil engineering students from West Virginia with preference for those from Ohio County.

$1M gift to WVU Chambers College advances student work to improve communities via Data Driven WV

Mon, 18 May 2026 11:00:00 -0400

A $1 million gift to the West Virginia University John Chambers College of Business and Economics from an alum’s family bridges experiential learning and community outreach by expanding support for Data Driven WV.

Housed within the Chambers College Department of Management Information Systems and Supply Chain, Data Driven WV is an outreach center that connects businesses, nonprofits and government entities with WVU faculty and students to study their real-world challenges and provide suggested solutions.

WVU Commencement celebrates next generation of bold Mountaineer leaders

Sun, 17 May 2026 18:38:34 -0400

Accepting a charge from West Virginia University President Michael T. Benson to boldly carry forward the University’s land-grant mission of service and leadership, thousands of graduates crossed the Commencement stage at the Hope Coliseum this weekend (May 15-17).

“We’ve seen so much potential on this stage — proof of the promise of higher education to build better futures,” President Benson told the Class of 2026.

WVU junior earns Udall Scholarship for public service, environmental leadership

Fri, 15 May 2026 08:30:00 -0400

Growing up, West Virginia University junior Colin Street spent summers exploring the outdoors, experiencing the wonders of nature that would help shape his future.

On a path toward a career in environmental policy and public service, the Morgantown native and Honors College student has been awarded a Udall Scholarship, a national award recognizing college sophomores and juniors committed to leadership, public service and issues related to the environment.

Meet the grads: Celebrating the WVU Class of 2026

Fri, 15 May 2026 00:01:00 -0400

From future engineers and educators to researchers, artists and health care leaders, the newest graduates of West Virginia University are ready to carry the Mountaineer spirit into communities across the state and beyond. Meet members of the Class of 2026 whose stories reflect the determination, resilience and purpose that define the WVU experience.

Meet the grads: WVU environmental microbiology grad gearing up for big move ‘across the pond’

Thu, 14 May 2026 00:01:00 -0400

Corinne Hazel, a soon-to-be environmental microbiology graduate from the West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, reflects on her time at WVU as she gears up for a big move across the pond to start her doctoral degree in plant sciences at the University of Cambridge in England.