The Real-World Experience

According to the National Institutes of Health, experiential learning improves students’ inherent motivation for learning and enhances meta-learning abilities. It provides opportunities for discussion, clarification of concepts and knowledge, feedback, review and amplifies students’ abilities to transfer knowledge and abilities to new contexts.

Lane Innovation Hub is a place where students can get training on a wide range of state-of-the-art tools and machinery, and the Morey Energy Systems Lab is equipped with the latest and most sophisticated in energy technology and renewable resources. The LCSEE Learning and Collaboration Space provides in-depth academic support for computer science and cybersecurity students, while innovation and research centers provide exciting resources and collaborative opportunities.

“Experiential learning matters for our students because it helps them develop that engineering identity — for them to see themselves as engineers, to recognize they can do engineering and that there is a place for them in engineering,” said fundamentals of engineering program director Lizzie Santiago.

Santiago pointed to a wide range of different ways students can get immersed in their learning. In introductory courses like ENG 151, freshmen students can gain initial experience working with circuits and machinery through hands-on assignments. In ENG 101, students dive deep into project-based learning, designing prototypes and engineering concepts from beginning to completion.

Experiential learning happens outside of the classroom too. Students have the opportunity to experience engineering within the context of different cultures through study abroad trips to places like Germany and Cyprus spanning as far as Australia and Vietnam, giving them a broader spectrum on how to solve global challenges.

Through participation and leadership in organizations, students build diverse skills like problem-solving and collaboration. With more than eight competition teams to choose from, Statler students can strut their stuff in everything from robotics to rocketry.

“We make sure that each of our members gets a hands-on opportunity to do whatever they want to do,” WVU Experimental Rocketry Club vice president Elizabeth Breckenridge said. The club has a long history of winning big, earning first place in the 30,000 foot Student Researched and Developed Solid Fueled category at the 2022 SpacePort America Cup, where 149 teams from 22 different countries competed over five days. Breckenridge and club president Paislee Adlington have implemented skills labs this year for newer members to get acquainted with hands-on experiences without the competition pressure. Breckenridge hopes to run into the problem of having to clear out the display case in the ESB atrium to make way for new competition relics.

Competition teams’ successes have soared, with rockets reaching heights above Mt. Everest and competing with universities across the globe. The college’s most recent international competition wins come from Team Mountaineers, who beat over 105 teams from 15 countries in the University Rover Challenge. The Mine Rescue team also surpassed U.S. and Canadian teams this year for the second international title of Intercollegiate Mine Emergency Response Competition Champions.

These global accomplishments are just the beginning for the College’s record of success: a testament to the dedication and determination of the Statler College spirit.

For Rohit Chivukula, president of the WVU AI club, providing networking opportunities and avenues for students to build hard skills outside the classroom is an integral part of his vision.

“AI specifically has this large overlap between mathematics and computer science which is cool, Chivukula said. “It is a buzzword right now, and usually in our classes we get the basics, but not enough to the point where you can do research in it or even generally understand how to form trends and patterns.” Chivukula is working with club leadership to make a repertoire of resources available to students to build those skillsets.

Student organizations like Society of Women Engineers and National Society of Black Engineers have service and outreach embedded in the core of their missions, helping students find belonging and connecting generations. As a student in West Virginia K-12 schools, SWE vice president Kayna Anderson says she didn’t have the opportunity to branch out and explore things like engineering. She’s found purpose in events like the annual Girl’s STEM Day, where hundreds of K-12 students from around the state come to learn new skills, meet new friends and immerse themselves in the world of STEM.

“It’s given us a place to be women in engineering. There’s a huge network and support system, and it’s been a space for growth,” Anderson said. For SWE secretary Taylor Brown, who started as a freshman, it’s been rewarding to be able to provide guidance and support to younger students.

At last year’s Out In STEM (OSTEM) regional conference in Washington D.C., WVU OSTEM president Riley Coulter met with other engineering students to expand her knowledge and networks.

“It was such a validating experience to hear from other students the struggles they go through, how they've made their own communities in OSTEM and figure out ways to collaborate and help each other,” Coulter said. “It was super cool to be able to see successful people in our field and hear advice from them.” The WVU OSTEM chapter will host an alumni panel on March 21 with a focus on panelists’ lived experiences as queer engineers in the field.

“I'd say the most important thing is realizing you have a place in engineering and nobody can tell you that you don't,” Breckenridge said. “Even when you're in classes and you don't see people who look like you — once you join organizations, once you branch out, you realize people are there, you can meet people similar to you with similar interests and it makes college so much more enjoyable.”

Students looking to get involved can visit the Student Organizations website to learn more about competition teams, clubs, outreach and more. 

Welcome to the nexus of academia and industry, where tomorrow’s engineers are forged through immersive experiences and boundless opportunities. This is Statler College, and your real-world experience starts now ...

Project and Competition groups

• Amateur Radio Club
• Artificial Intelligence WVU
• Baja Team
• Concrete Canoe Team
• CyberWVU
• Design, Build, Fly
• EcoCAR Challenge Team
• Experimental Rocketry Club
• Formula SAE Team
• Material Advantage/Materials Research Society
• Mine Rescue Team
• Steel Bridge Team
• University Rover Challenge
• WVU Robotics Club

Honor Societies

• Alpha Pi Mu
• Chi Epsilon
• Eta Kappa Nu
• Tau Beta Pi
• Upsilon Pi Epsilon

Outreach and Inclusion

• Alpha Omega Epsilon
• Louis Strokes Alliance for Minority Participation
• Out in STEM (oSTEM)
• National Society of Black Engineers
• Society of Women Engineers
• Women in Cybersecurity
• Women in Mining

Professional Development

• American Association of Drilling Engineers
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
• American Institute of Chemical Engineers
• American Society of Civil Engineers
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• American Water Works Association
• Association for Computing Machinery
• Association of Energy Engineers
• Biomedical Engineering Society
• Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Graduate Student Organization
• First2 Network
• Game Developers Club
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers
• Institute of Transportation Engineers
• Motor Control Group
• Sigma Phi Delta
• Society of Automotive Engineers
• Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration
• Society of Petroleum Engineers
• STEM for the Arts
• Structural Engineering Institute Graduate Student Chapter
• Student Partnership for the Advancement Cosmic Exploration
• Student Society for the Advancement of Biometrics
• WVU Math Club
• WVU Quantum Technology
• WVU Science Policy Organization