Opioid addiction has become one of the largest and deadliest epidemics in the United States, and opioid trafficking has co-evolved along with the advance of modern technologies. Finding ways to address the growing online participation in opioid trafficking is an urgent task.

West Virginia University is one of the few prestigious R1 institutions in the nation, and WVU's researchers are dedicated to combating the opioid epidemic, which is why they're thinking outside the box and developing...

Kristyn Lizbinski, a doctoral student studying biologyatWest Virginia University, is on a mission to reveal that every neuron is a unique snowflake. In more technical terms, she's researching the principles of neuron diversity.

Keep reading for a closer look at Kristyn's research findings, along with how she utilized WVU's status as one of the 120 R1 institutions in the nation to augment her STEM education.

West Virginia Universitycontinues to rank among the nation’s elite research institutions as reflected in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

Carnegie released its every-three-year assessment this week, and WVU continues to be rated as an R1, or very high research activity, institution, the most elite category for research-focused schools, alongside such institutions as Harvard, Yale, Columbia and Johns Hopkins. Only 120 of the nation’s 4,500 colleges and...

West Virginia University is proud to be one of the 115 R1 institutions in the nation. Only the best research universities in the country achieve this status, which means that WVU is recognized for its research-based graduate programs and its research achievements.

Let's dig a little deeper and examine several of WVU's 2018 research achievements. 

There are 115 institutions in the U.S. classified as R1 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Higher Education, and West Virginia University's research classification is described as fitting into the “highest research activity” classification for doctoral universities.

From creative arts and humanities to social sciences to applied and basic sciences, R1 universities are where cutting-edge research occurs. (And note that much of the research at these universities is funded by...

Quincy Hathaway is an innovator, a researcher, and a future leader in STEM. The Admissions Team at West Virginia University talked with him in order to understand his recent research grant from the American Heart Association.

Here's what Quincy had to say about his dedication to excellence and his biomedical discoveries.

Strengthening its commitment to help support broad-based prosperity in West Virginia, theCenter for Excellence in STEM EducationatWest Virginia Universitywill lay the foundation for student success.

“Empowering West Virginia students to pursue and stay in STEM fields is a critical component to moving West Virginia forward,” said principal investigator and WVU Center for Excellence in STEM EducationdirectorGay Stewart. “By encouraging just 25 percent more of our students to complete their...

What if one of the prime suspects behind Alzheimer’s disease was a case of mistaken identity?

Amyloid plaques, sticky buildup that accumulates in and around neurons in the brain, have long been believed to be an indicator of neurodegenerative disease. Most clinical drug trials for Alzheimer’s disease treatment have failed, presumably because they target these plaques.

But according toRaymond Anderson, agraduate studentinWest Virginia University’sSchool of Medicine, such buildup alone does...

The tables are turning for women in traditionally male-dominated fields.

The statistics are changing. Women can, and in fact do, succeed, thrive, and make names for themselves in fields like science, technology, business — and even race car driving!

The reason many fields have become so male-dominated is not because women are incapable of doing the job and doing it well. Several factors play into the gender difference, but at the end of the day, women are just as capable as men of succeeding...

It's an understatement to say that the field of neuroscience is complicated, multifaceted, and not for the faint of heart or mind. And as an aspiring leader in the field of neuroscience or in any other STEM field — there's no better way to establish yourself as an expert than to pursue the highest level of excellence in your field — a doctorate degree.

That's why we talked with Raymond Anderson, a current Ph.D. student in West Virginia University's Neuroscience program. Here's what he had to...