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It might be summertime, but the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University has been alive with the sounds of students learning, experimenting, and analyzing. The West Virginia SpaceTrek Program summer camp held July 12–20 welcomed 17 high school girls from across West Virginia to the world of aerospace engineering. Their guides on this stellar journey? The Statler College’s own Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering faculty and students.

Issuing a call for collaboration focused on the future, West Virginia University President Michael T. Benson gave his first official report during a special meeting for the University’s Board of Governors on Wednesday (July 23).

To build a modern-day electrical grid with the flexibility and resilience to handle ebbing and flowing energy sources like solar and wind power, West Virginia University engineers have designed and successfully tested a fuel cell that can switch between storing or making electricity and also generate hydrogen from water.

J. Wayne Richards will serve a two-year term as chairman of the West Virginia University Foundation Board of Directors.

Xingbo Liu, associate dean for research and Statler Endowed Chair of Engineering in the  Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University, has been named a 2025 fellow of The Electrochemical Society — a prestigious recognition that highlights scientific contribution, innovation and lasting impact in the field of electrochemistry and its service to society.

A dedicated West Virginia University alum and his wife are expanding support for engineering education and athletics with gifts totaling $175,000.

Polypropylene is a superhero that can do and be anything – or almost anything. It’s a plastic resin that keeps us healthy, transforming into medical sutures, prostheses, and surgical masks. It keeps us safe, contributing to the manufacture of impact-resistant car bumpers and hard hats. It keeps us entertained and energized. It’s a popular material for children’s toys, sports equipment like rackets and moisture-wicking performance apparel. And it keeps us comfortable. It’s in the rugs that cushion our footsteps – even in the insoles that support our aching arches.

Fundamentals of Engineering Director and Teaching Professor Lizzie Santiago and Teaching Assistant Professor Carter Hulcher have both been recognized as this year’s Thriving Engineers program award recipients.  

Team Mountaineers have once again demonstrated their engineering prowess, clinching second place while representing West Virginia University and the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources on the global stage at the 2025 University Rover Challenge.