“Through WVU Athletics, we show the state and nation what it means to be a Mountaineer,” President Michael T. Benson said. “The same keys to success we’ve been cheering for on the field — hard work, grit, determination, perseverance — can be applied off the field.”

Announced during Friday’s (June 19) WVU Board of Governors meeting, the initiative is designed to catalyze high-impact collaborations between faculty at both institutions. Through a new joint funding program, researchers will receive seed support to develop innovative projects, generate preliminary findings and build the foundation for larger externally funded research efforts.

The initiative — the Pittsburgh Penguins Science Champions — has brought together a diverse group of over 200 educators to co-create, test and refine lessons that use hockey as a fun and familiar entry point to make learning both meaningful and engaging for students in grades two and three.

Avishek Choudhury, an assistant professor in the Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering within the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, works at the intersection of patient safety, artificial intelligence and clinical decision-making.

The sources of those ripples could be supermassive black holes. They could be “cosmic strings” — cracks in the universe that have only been theorized. They could even be reverberations from the Big Bang.

Anand Mishra, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering at the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, was part of a team of roboticists behind the development of a soft gripper capable of gauging the size, curvature, color and ripeness of fruits like strawberries and avocados.

In recognition of their loyalty and service to West Virginia University, four Mountaineers will be inducted into the Order of Vandalia during a ceremony to be held later this year. 

A study by Heather Stephens, director of the WVU Regional Research Institute, and Xiaoyin Li a postdoctoral fellow, with Jason S. Entsminger, assistant professor of entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Maine, found self-employed women in rural areas are associated with wage-and-salary employment growth. By addressing barriers such as the lack of both child care and financial institutions, rural communities can reap the economic benefits of supporting local women entrepreneurs.

Now in its third year, the popular Bears and Blankets initiative brings together WVU alumni chapters, students and University supporters to collect stuffed animals, blankets and financial donations for children and families receiving care.