A new $160,000 grant from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission will fund three years of a student research program at Shepherd University in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle.
A new grant from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC) is furthering student research in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle.
The Shepherd Opportunity to Attract Research Students (SOARS) program pairs students with university faculty for summer research projects, providing them a stipend for their work.
A new HEPC grant of more than $160,000 will allow the program to continue for the next three years.
Participants in the program select a scientific research project they want to work on alongside a professor, receiving mentorship over the course of the summer.
At summer’s end, students have the opportunity to present their research. Later, they complete a capstone project from their findings.
This marks the fifth cycle of the SOARS program, which welcomes 30 students in each round of the grant.
“Students who are paid on the SOARS grant in the summer have extra hours and bits and pieces that they can do,” said Robert Warburton, dean of Shepherd’s College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Nursing, in a Monday press release.
“That means they get extra experience, and the faculty advisor gets assistants working in the lab, which is also important because the faculty must be able to do research because of their professional development requirements,” he said. “It’s a win on both sides.”
On this West Virginia Morning, calling a square dance is a skill that’s been handed down for generations, but some of the language used can be a little old-fashioned. A growing number of callers are updating that language to be more inclusive.
On this West Virginia Morning, calling a square dance is a skill that’s been handed down for generations, but some of the language used can be a little old-fashioned. A growing number of callers are updating that language to be more inclusive. Folkways Reporter Lydia Warren has the story.
Also, in this show, in a new episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks at our erosion in trust in science. There was a time when scientific advances were heralded – they saved lives, they told us more about our world. The Pew Research Center shows that Americans’ trust in scientists declined during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, some say scientists are not always worthy of our trust.
At a recent event at Marshall University, Kay’s guests talked about our plethora of information and its impact on our level of trust. In this excerpt, we hear in this order, from Dr. Adam Franks and Prof. Habiba Chirchir from Marshall, and Prof. Jonathon Zimmerman from the University of Pennsylvania.
To hear the rest of the episode, tune in on Thanksgiving at 8 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting. There will be an encore broadcast on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 3 p.m.
Us & Them is supported by the West Virginia Humanities Council, the CRC Foundation and the Daywood Foundation.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.
Liz McCormick produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Science and research can lead to important breakthroughs, but in a divided America, not everyone trusts the results. In this Us & Them, host Trey Kay speaks with three expert guests before an audience full of curious people at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia and asks: How shaken is our confidence in scientists and the scientific process?
Polls and surveys report our confidence is eroding and that we’ve lost trust in one another and in some of our most essential institutions.
As a followup to an Us & Them event in September at West Virginia University (WVU) on trust in the media, host Trey Kay has a new conversation focused on our trust in science. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to present examples of our differing confidence in science and medicine, but there are other flash points.
We continue the abortion debate with the central question of when life begins. A few decades ago, evolution was in the spotlight with divisions over the origins of the universe, and of our own species. Now, climate change clearly illustrates our varying understanding about how the world is changing. All of those topics place a spotlight on our confidence in science.
There was a time when scientific advances were heralded – they saved lives, they told us more about our world. But now, some see scientists as villains who are not always worthy of our trust.
Have we simply lost interest in scientists or in the scientific process?
Join us for a new Us & Them from a recent live event on the campus of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the West Virginia Humanities Council, the Daywood Foundation and the CRC Foundation.
Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.
Us & Them host Trey Kay leads a discussion about the erosion of public trust in science at Marshall University. His guests were Jonathan Zimmerman, University of Pennsylvania’s education historian and author of “Whose America? Culture Wars in the Public Schools”; Habiba Chichir, Marshall University’s biological anthropologist; and Dr. Adam Franks, MD, associate residency director for Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. The event was co-sponsored by Marshall University’s John Deaver Drinko Academy, the West Virginia Humanities Council and West Virginia Public Broadcasting, the broadcasting home of Us & Them.
Earlier this fall, Kay and his team hosted a “Diminished Trust” event at West Virginia University that focused on waning public trust in journalism and the news media. Kay says, “Trust is in short supply in America these days. Across the board and across the political spectrum people seem to lack trust in our government… in many of our agencies and organizations – even in each other. That’s why our Us & Them team is staging these conversations to encourage citizens to consider how long our society can sustain this erosion of trust.”
Credit: Julie BlackwoodA diverse group of students, faculty and community members came to Marshall University’s Drinko Library Atrium to join a live recording of West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Us & Them.
Credit: Julie BlackwoodHabiba Chirchir is a biological anthropologist and anatomist at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Her research focuses on understanding the relationship between changes in skeletal anatomy and behavior by investigating trabecular and cortical bones. She conducts comparative analyses of anatomical features in fossil human ancestors, modern humans, other primates and non-primate animals including dogs and big cats using CT imaging. Chirchir earned a BA from the University of Nairobi, an MA from New York University, and a PhD from George Washington University. Chirchir is a research associate at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.
Credit: Julie BlackwoodDr. Adam M. Franks is a family medicine physician at Marshall Health, and a professor and vice chair of the department of family and community health at Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. Franks’ practice provides full-spectrum care for children and adults, including obstetric and gynecologic care. His research areas include COVID-19 protocols, opioid monitoring protocols and blood borne pathogen exposure monitoring protocol adherence.
Credit: Julie BlackwoodJonathan Zimmerman is professor of History of Education and the Berkowitz professor in Education at the University of Pennsylvania. A former Peace Corps volunteer and high school teacher, Zimmerman is the author of “Whose America? Culture Wars in the Public Schools” (University of Chicago Press, 2nd ed.) and eight other books. Zimmerman is also a columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer and a frequent contributor to the Washington Post, the New York Review of Books and other popular publications. Zimmerman taught for 20 years at New York University, where he received its Distinguished Teaching Award in 2008.
Credit: Julie Blackwood
Photo gallery: Members of the audience took advantage of a Q&A session to ask the guests a number of thoughtful questions. Credit: Julie Blackwood
This week on Inside Appalachia, can the internet rebuild Appalachia? We ask sci-fi novelist and tech writer Cory Doctorow. Also, fish fries have been a staple in Charleston, West Virginia’s Black community for generations. We learn more about them. And, hop on board the Cass Scenic Railroad for a visit with the people who keep the steam trains running.
Can the internet rebuild Appalachia? We ask sci-fi novelist and tech writer Cory Doctorow.
Also, fish fries have been a staple in Charleston, West Virginia’s Black community for generations. We learn more about them.
And, hop on board the Cass Scenic Railroad for a visit with the people who keep the steam trains running.
You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
Cory Doctorow Champions Digital Rights In Appalachia
Writer Cory Doctorow is one of the world’s most prominent thinkers about the internet and how it’s changing our lives. Doctorow’s science fiction novels touch on social media culture and the ubiquity of surveillance. He’s also a digital human rights activist who sees technology as a net good if people are given better control of it.
Producer Bill Lynch spoke to Doctorow about what that could mean for Appalachia.
Fish Fry Traditions In Charleston, WV
A fryer full of fish.
Credit: Leeshia Lee/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Signs for fish fries are pretty common in Charleston, West Virginia, especially in the city’s Black community, where they’ve become a tradition for generations.
Folkways Fellow Leeshia Lee grew up in Charleston and says friends and neighbors frequently hosted fish fries, often as a way to raise money for community needs. She brings us this story.
Ann Pancake As Appalachian Heritage Writer-In-Residence
West Virginia author Ann Pancake is the 2023 Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence. Her 2007 novel “Strange As This Weather Has Been” has been named the 2023 One Book, One West Virginia Common Read.
Credit: Shepherd University
West Virginia author Ann Pancake is best known for her acclaimed 2007 novel Strange as This Weather Has Been. It follows a southern West Virginia family affected by mountaintop removal. Now, Pancake is the Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence at Shepherd University.
WVPB’s Liz McCormick recently sat down with her to talk about what inspires her writing. First, we’ll hear Pancake read a passage from Strange as This Weather Has Been.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by The Company Stores, Sierra Ferrel, Gerry Milnes, the Carpenter Ants and Jerry Douglas.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Zander Aloi is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
On this West Virginia Morning, a nonprofit provider of pop-up clinics will deliver free dental, vision and medical care to those in need in Charleston. Emily Rice has more.
On this West Virginia Morning, a nonprofit provider of pop-up clinics will deliver free dental, vision and medical care to those in need in Charleston. Emily Rice has more.
Also, in this show, trust is in short supply in America as divides continue to erode our faith in a collective community. People distrust each other as well as our government and institutions. This week, Us & Them host Trey Kay hosts a discussion focused on our trust in science. One of his guests is Dr. Jonathan Zimmerman, an education historian from the University of Pennsylvania. He’s the author of “Whose America? Culture Wars in the Public Schools.”
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.
Caroline MacGregor produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
This week on Inside Appalachia, a North Carolina potter is reviving an art form brought to America by enslaved Africans. We return to the town of Hindman, Kentucky, which endured catastrophic flooding last July, and get an update on the town’s recovery. We also talk with West Virginia poet Doug Van Gundy about disasters, and their relationship to art.
This week, a North Carolina potter is reviving an art form brought to America by enslaved Africans.
We return to the town of Hindman, Kentucky, which endured catastrophic flooding last July, and get an update on the town’s recovery.
We also talk with West Virginia poet Doug Van Gundy about disasters, and their relationship to art.
You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
Writing And Talking About Disaster With Poet Doug Van Gundy
The Twisted Path That Brought African Face Jugs To Appalachia
You’ve probably seen pottery with a face on it – maybe a decorative teapot or an odd-looking milk bottle with a toothy grin.
Examples of this type of art turn up everywhere, but some of them are connected to African Face Jugs, an art enslaved people brought with them to America.
Folkways Reporter Zack Harold traced the story of Face Jugs, which began in a basement pottery studio in West Virginia.
Flying On The Wings Of The Cicada
Many of us who live in the eastern half of the U.S. can instantly identify the distinctive droning of the cicada. We don’t get them every year. Cicadas have a very long life cycle with different broods emerge from underground every 13 to 17 years.
In the spring of 2016, a massive brood of cicadas emerged in northern West Virginia. Their appearance inspired a West Virginia University professor to take a closer look at their wings.
This led to a discovery that may be helpful to humans.
WVPB’s Assistant News Director Caroline MacGregor has the story.
African Face Jugs came to America through slavery. Artist Jim McDowell uses the art form to speak about the African American experience. Courtesy
Hindman, Kentucky Making Progress On Recovery
Last July, thousands of residents in southeastern Kentucky endured historic flash flooding that took lives and devastated communities. One of the hardest hit towns was Hindman in Knott County.
Stu Johnson from WEKU has this update about the town’s recovery.
Writing And Talking About Disaster With Poet Doug Van Gundy
One of the places struck by those Kentucky floods was the Hindman Settlement School, home to the Appalachian Writers Workshop. Poet Doug Van Gundy was at the workshop during the flood.
Bill Lynch spoke with Van Gundy about poetry, disasters and tattoos.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Frank George, Amythyst Kiah, Gerry Milnes, Chris Knight and Born Old.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Zander Aloi is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
