WVU Stories

Where Mountaineers Tell Their Stories West Virginia University Magazine is made for the more than 190,000 alumni and fans of the University.

The magazine is published three times a year (spring, summer, winter) and offers new content monthly on our website.

10/10/2025

Every note, every rehearsal, every lesson has led WVU doctoral student Maria Carmona to the conductor’s podium and toward her purpose. 🎶

Within the WVU College of Creative Arts and Media Creative Consultant and Media Mentors program, Maria connects with industry-leading alumni, granting her opportunities to continue growing as an artist and leader, such as real-world experience conducting a live orchestra in Washington, D.C.

“WVU has given me the chance to put my knowledge and professionalism into practice, for which I am very grateful,” she said. “I hope to keep growing as a conductor and educator, sharing my passion for music with others.”

Read Maria's WVU story and more:

WVU music student Maria Carmona charts her own path on the national stage, blending passion, perseverance, and creativity to ‘conduct her own future.’

10/09/2025

One WVU Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources alumnus revolutionized the entire internet through his innovation—the cable modem.

Every time you stream a video, search the internet, or connect with someone online, you're experiencing the result of Rouzbeh Yassini-Fard's idea.

Through innovations in cable technology, he helped wire the world, transforming how billions of people connect, work, and live online. It started with a WVU education and a big idea that became a legacy touching every corner of the digital world.

Read his incredible journey in his own words in this Q&A with WVU Stories and his book, "The Accidental Network," published through West Virginia University Press

Discover how WVU alum Rouzbeh Yassini-Fard transformed the internet through cable technology — the story of the man who rewired the world

10/08/2025

Emily Certain always saw herself designing sets and bringing stories to life. She saw Broadway on the horizon, maybe even for Disney one day. However, everything changed after observing a rocket launch at the Kennedy Space Center. ⭐🚀

After submitting 1,000 internship applications, she received an offer from NASA, which brought her to WVU. While here, she turned creativity and curiosity into a career in aerospace.

Now, Emily is a flight test engineer with the U.S. Air Force, blending imagination and innovation every day.

Read her WVU Story and how country roads led her from stage lights to starlight:

From theater dreams to flight test engineer: WVU alum Emily Certain wound up at NASA and now flies aboard the C-17 at a U.S. Air Force base.

10/06/2025

What appears as commotion at first, with robotic dogs, rollercoaster simulations, and superhero-style launchers, is actually creativity in action. WVU Engineering Challenge Camps let young minds experiment, problem-solve and build confidence in new skills. From curious beginnings come future engineers and innovators.

Discover more from WVU Stories ⬇️

Many West Virginia University halls of learning fell silent when students left for the summer of 2025, but the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources wasn’t one of them. In fact, some corners of the building echoed with the mighty ruckus of dozens of first, second and thi...

10/03/2025

Halfway Through "Almost Heaven" 💛💙

President Michael T. Benson has reached the midpoint of his 'Welcome Home' Tour, visiting all 55 West Virginia counties.
In just three months, Benson has traveled to 28 counties. He's doing more than passing through. While descending into coal mines and celebrating at local festivals, he's connecting with Mountaineers across the state.

Read about the recent stops on his journey:

West Virginia University President Michael T. Benson promised he'd visit all 55 counties of the Mountain State within his first year on the job.Not even three months into the gig, Benson has passed the halfway point. As of Sept. 26 (2025), he has already touched through 28 counties to spread the gos...

10/02/2025

On the sixth floor of the Wise Library sits the West Virginia and Regional History Center, it is where stories live. Through diaries, photographs, records, letters and scrapbooks recount their respective periods in history,

Archivists and researchers are working to ensure Appalachia’s history includes everyone: workers, women, minority communities and the everyday people who shaped the region. Read more about their mission in the WVU Stories archive:

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...

10/01/2025

99% of polypropylene ends up in landfills. WVU Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources engineer Yuxin Wang is changing that with... microwaves?

He is using microwave technology to solve the planet's plastic waste problems, developing a revolutionary way to "upcycle" polypropylene into a variety of consumer goods.

Humans make 150.3 million metric tons of propylene every year through super energy-intensive processes. This microwave method could recover usable propylene at HALF the temperature of traditional methods, not just polypropylene, but all types of plastics.

Polypropylene is everywhere, from yogurt cups to car bumpers. And now it doesn't have to end up in a landfill.

WVU students are learning from top engineers while building real solutions for our plastic waste problem. 🌎 Read more on how Mountaineers are microwaving their way to innovations:

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...

09/30/2025

People battling substance use disorder face overwhelming stress from work, family, the disease itself, and even treatment. Marnie Reven knew they needed more support and turned to complementary methods to boost healing.

Following her own recovery from injury, an unexpected musical serenade made her feel better, beyond the symptomatic relief. That moment sparked curiosity about how integrative care could heal beyond just treating symptoms, leading Reven to research aromatherapy and explore how bergamot essential oil helped people in substance use recovery find comfort and ease.

Her findings? Participants reported decreased stress and increased calm after using aromatherapy inhalers for just one week.

Sometimes, powerful medicine comes in small packages

Read about her research on changing recovery from our archive ➡️

Marian “Marnie” Reven’s passion for calming the waters of recovery and exploring the benefits of aromatherapy didn’t just happen. After a horseback riding accident in 2007, she was riddled with uncertainties. She still recalls the inner rumbles of fear, the worry that she’d be known for he...

09/29/2025

For nearly 60 years, Ed Gilger has been part of the WVU Alumni Band. From rolling ankles on the old Mountaineer Field to marching in almost every Homecoming Parade, he's created lifelong bonds and kept WVU traditions alive.

“You’ll make friendships that will last a lifetime,” Gilger said. “I’ve got friends that I met my freshman year who are still friends today.”

Ed helps organize performances across southern West Virginia, staying connected to WVU while bringing The Pride to audiences who can't make it to Morgantown.

What keeps YOU connected to WVU? Read more from WVU Stories 💛💙

Since the creation of the West Virginia University Alumni Band more than five decades ago, Ed Gilger (Recreation, ’65), a percussionist, has marched in nearly every Homecoming Parade. And at 83 years old, he plans to continue, finding rejuvenation in the familiar tunes the band plays.

09/28/2025

"When you're part of our club, you're part of our family." 💛 💙
For years, the WVU Mountaineer Parents Club has been supporting parents and families from the first day to turning the tassel.

The MPC calms worries in Facebook groups, hosts webinars, and even drops off care packages to students who need a boost. They're there for every milestone, every worry, and every celebration.

Founded by former WVU First Lady Susan Hardesty, the Club has evolved for modern families - because whether parents, grandparents, or siblings raise you, everyone deserves support on their journey. 🏔️

Few other Big 12 schools offer such active parent engagement; we call it Mountaineer hospitality. Read the full story ⬇️

Throughout the 29 years since its inception, the MPC, created by former WVU First Lady Susan Hardesty under her husband David’s administration, has evolved to meet the needs of the modern family. How a university or college communicates with a family has changed and so has the family, as students ...

09/27/2025

When's the last time you thought about who grew your food? Or how it got to your plate? 🍲

WVU College of Creative Arts and Media Joseph Jones studies food journalism and sees food as a community-building force that we have been disconnected from. His research explores how food journalism shapes not just what we eat, but how we think about democracy, ethics, and community.

Food is our first language, and his goal is to bring people together over plates to rebuild connection.

Discover more about his research and other Mountaineer stories

We are what we eat, and that equation expands to where our food comes from, who grew or raised it, who processed it, who packaged or prepared it and who served it to us.

09/26/2025

When a Thomas, WV art shop couldn't get Wi-Fi through its thick brick walls, WVU John Chambers College of Business & Economics cybersecurity students studied the problem, and then they solved it 📶

Using specialized software and building blueprints, students mapped out and designed a whole new, easily accessible network architecture that's up and running.

This is just one example of how our students work with businesses to tackle real cybersecurity challenges and serve communities while they learn. From network security tips to firewall analysis, they're making a difference before graduation and preparing with practical, real-world examples.

With millions of unfilled cybersecurity jobs globally, Mountaineers are training to fill a critical need by getting hands-on experience that employers want. Read more at WVU Stories:

This battlefield is not a jungle or desert. Rather, it’s a sophisticated office space — tucked inside Reynolds Hall, home of the Chambers College of Business and Economics — equipped with workstations, servers, computers and secure networks. At war are West Virginia University students, engage...

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