WVU Magazine

06/14/2025

Microwaves aren’t just for food anymore. WVU researchers are using them to upcycle plastic in a way that’s faster, cleaner and more energy-efficient. Armed with a $1 million U.S. Department of Energy grant, WVU chemical engineer Yuxin Wang is pioneering a microwave-based process that could recover valuable propylene from plastic waste using far less heat and energy than traditional methods. Read about this groundbreaking research in WVU Magazine’s Summer ‘25 issue.

Nontoxic and FDA approved, polypropylene helps nourish us, forming the basis for everything from our yogurt tubs to takeaway boxes to reusable coffee cups. It contains no Bisphenol-A, a chemical other plastics can release into food which has raised health concerns for its potential to alter hormonal...

06/14/2025

The Community Engagement Lab in the West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and WVU Extension brings the expertise of faculty and the energy of students to solve critical problems of design.

The Community Engagement Lab in the WVU Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and WVU Extension brings the expertise of faculty and the energy of students to solve critical problems of design.

06/14/2025

The Summer 🌻 issue of WVU Magazine 💛💙 is live! Read about all the ways WestVirginiaU is of service to the Mountain State and the world.

WVU Magazine: Where Mountaineers tell their stories.

06/13/2025

Instead of seeing the environmental, social and economic struggles in rural West Virginia as simply insurmountable, a forward-thinking initiative at West Virginia University is changing the game — looking instead at what communities can do and using those strengths to pave the way toward a more promising future.

The Community Engagement Lab in the WVU Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and WVU Extension brings the expertise of faculty and the energy of students to solve critical problems of design.

06/13/2025

Do you know that elk disappeared from West Virginia more than a century ago, but had roamed the forests of the eastern US prior to European colonization? Hunting and logging destroyed the elk and their habitat. West Virginia’s newly imported herd hovers around 130 animals. Read what it takes to keep the herd healthy in WVU Magazine’s Summer ‘25 issue.

Elk disappeared from West Virginia more than a century ago. They roamed the forests of the eastern United States prior to European colonization but were extirpated from the region by the late 1800s due to hunting and logging. In 2016, the WVDNR brought 24 elk from a herd in Kentucky’s Land Between...

06/13/2025

When Jennifer Ours Williams walked onto Egerton’s campus in Kenya, she never imagined she'd find her mentor’s legacy on display. Yet there it was — a photo of Robert Maxwell hanging on the wall — reminding her that some paths are meant to be walked twice. Read how Williams is continuing a more than 60-year-old legacy of her mentor in Kenya.

When Jennifer Ours Williams first set foot in Kenya, it felt like stepping into something vast — an experience that would be quietly, but undoubtedly, life-changing. Williams wasn’t expecting to spark a connection that would loop back across decades.

06/13/2025

Welcome, Summer 😀 and all new content for WVU Magazine! Check it out. 💛💙

WVU Magazine: Where Mountaineers tell their stories.

05/15/2025

From Ghana to WVU💛💙, tackling food insecurity. Munkaila Lambongang becomes the first WVU student to win the prestigious Chester O. McCorkle, Jr. Award for his groundbreaking work on household resilience in agriculture. Read about Lambongang’s research in WVU Magazine’s Research ’25 issue. https://go.wvu.edu/4g9ip

05/12/2025

How do you prepare for a disaster that comes once in a millennium? From massive earthquakes to devastating hurricanes, natural disasters shape the world around us. Read how WVU💛💙 researchers are digging into the past—through tree rings, fault lines and climate patterns—to predict and prepare for the next big event in WVU Magazine’s Research ’25 issue.

Through their continuing work, WVU researchers are giving communities hope and the tools to prepare, rebuild and recover.

05/11/2025

From Civil War soldiers to coal miners, WVU’s archives help rewrite history. WVU💛💙 grad student Matthew Powell first felt the power of research when he uncovered forgotten Black Civil War soldiers in his hometown. Now, he’s exploring the labor battles of West Virginia. Read his journey in WVU Magazine’s Research ’25 issue.

It’s admittedly not as fast as a Google search, but the depth and breadth and height of Appalachia’s yesterdays available in the West Virginia and Regional History Center at West Virginia University are worth the time investment. And the possibilities of discovery are nearly as endless as the mo...

05/08/2025

“Even when she was sick and wasn’t playing, she developed a leadership role. She was a presence.” Read how Hailey Barrett’s perseverance helped shape WVU💛💙 Tennis in WVU Magazine’s Research ’25 issue.

Highlights of her career at WVU include a victory over a top-100 singles player at Baylor, and a doubles win over the University of Texas with partner Ikttesh Chahal.

05/07/2025

West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute, housed at West Virginia University💛💙, didn’t always want to be a doctor. But her decision to become one led to one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.

Dr. Sally Hodder, director of the West Virginia CTSI, housed at West Virginia University, didn’t always want to be a doctor. But her decision to become one led to one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.