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Justin Huffman, an undergraduate chemistry major at WVU from Talcott, WV, presented a poster of his research entitled "Development of Enzyme Responsive Spin Probes for Non-Invasive Imaging of Enzyme Activity by EPR” at the Rocky Mountain Conference on Magnetic Resonance in Denver, Colorado on July 21-24, 2019. This conference is one of the major conferences in the field and attracts an international audience. Justin's research presentation was awarded a poster prize. Congratulations Justin!

Justin is mentored in research by Dr. Benoit Driesschaert, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at WVU. Justin was supported in research by the 2019 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Site and his travel was facilitated by travel awards from the Shared EPR and SURE Enrichment Funds.

The 2019 Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium was a success. A total of 117 undergraduate students from 20+ institutions presented the results of their immersive summer research experiences in poster form on Thursday July 25, 2019. Researchers presented in one of eight different categories: Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, Health Sciences, Human Engagement, Neuroscience, Physical Sciences, and Social & Behavioral Sciences. Join us in congratulating our category winners and runner-ups.

*Funding for the 2019 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program, which administers the symposium, was provided in part by (i) the West Virginia Research Challenge Fund through a grant from the Division of Science and Research, Higher Education Policy Commission,  (ii) the WVU Office of the Provost, and (iii) the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design; the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences; the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources; the Honors College; the Health Sciences Center; the Colleges of Business and Economics, Creative Arts, and Physical Activity and Sports Sciences; the Departments of Biology and Chemistry; and the Office of Undergraduate Research.

Nine rising freshmen students interested in majoring in STEM disciplines arrived at WVU on July 14, 2019 to participate in a two-week summer research immersion. Mathematics research centered on using unmanned aerial vehicles to optimize search-and-rescue missions. Chemistry research involved testing of new laboratory experiments. The program was funded by NSF via an INCLUDES grant to the First2 STEM Success Network. More details can be found in the ENews article.

What is it like to work in a non-academic setting relative to an academic setting? Can you transition from academia to non-academia or vice versa? What non-academic jobs are available for students in your field? A panel of professionals from non-academic settings will answer these questions and more about their professional lives.

Day/Time: Tuesday July 16, 2019 from 8:30-9:45 am
Location: 122 Ming Hseih Hall
Panelists: Jesse White (NASA IV &V), Megan Kruger (WV Water Research Institute), Ross Brittain (WV DEP) and Bethany Hornbeck (Mother Communications Co.).

The WVU community is invited to attend this event along with the 2019 crop of SURE participants.

Questions? Contact the Office of Undergraduate Research at (304)293-9354

Congratulations to the winners (1st, 2nd, and 3rd) in oral and poster categories from our 3rd annual Undergraduate Spring Symposium held on April 12-13, 2019 at WVU.

Human Engagement – Oral Presentations (3 orals)

The WVU community is invited to attend the 3rd Annual Undergraduate Spring Symposium, where over 180 students will be presenting their research on Friday, April 12, 5-7:10 p.m. in the Mountainlair Greenbrier and Blackwater rooms and Saturday, April 13, 12-4p.m. in the Mountainlair Ballrooms. Oral presentations will be delivered on Friday night, and poster presentations will comprise the afternoon on Saturday. Presentation topics will include a broad range of disciplines representing the arts, humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and STEM fields. For many undergraduate presenters, the Undergraduate Spring Symposium represents the culmination of research conducted under the supervision of WVU faculty research mentors over the course of the academic year. For more information on this event, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Research by email at undergradresearch@mail.wvu.edu or phone at 304-293-9354. 

The WVU Statler College of Engineering recently received funding for a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site for summer 2019. The site is focused on research in robotics, specifically human-swarm interaction.

NOTE: WVU and non-WVU students are eligible to apply to this site.

Program Dates: May 19 – July 26, 2019 (10-weeks)

Eligibility/Qualifications

Link to Apply: https://wvu.smapply.io/prog/RoboticsREU/ (application due by/before April 12, 2019)

WVU Stem Ambassadors act as science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) instructors and camp/cabin counselors during 4-H summer camps and events across the state of West Virginia. Given training and materials, ambassadors travel throughout the state during the summer and deliver pre-arranged STEM curriculum in a variety of settings. Events include county 4-H day or overnight camps, summer youth program sites, state 4-H camps located at Jackson’s Mill in Jane Lew, WV, the West Virginia State Fair located in Lewisburg, WV, and camps on the WVU campuses in Morgantown and Beckley. 

This is a great opportunity for students to earn some extra money this summer, improve their teaching and leadership skills, and camp in beautiful locations across West Virginia all while spreading their enthusiasm for science. The program will be the eighth year of the program and the more than ninety previous STEM Ambassadors who served in summers 2012-2018 have reported that the program was a life-changing experience. More importantly, because many of the more than 60,000 children served often have little access to hands-on science, the STEM Ambassadors can change lives by inspiring future scientists and engineers.