FALL 2025

From the simulated mines of Colorado to the robotics arenas of Brazil, students at West Virginia University’s Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources are proving that Mountaineer excellence knows no borders.

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

An advanced manufacturing process for aerospace industries, developed in part by WVU researchers, received global recognition for its versatile capabilities in transforming the energy industry.

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

The WVU Statler College chapters of the Material Advantage and Materials Research Society took home their first win in the 2025 iteration of the Materials Science and Technology Conference’s University Ceramic Mug Contest in Columbus, Ohio.

Five exceptional incoming students at WVU who share a passion for learning and for making a positive impact on their communities will engage in research and contribute to their chosen fields of study as the 2025-26 WVU Foundation Scholars, the highest academic scholarship the University awards.

Xingbo Liu, associate dean for research and Statler Endowed Chair of Engineering in the Statler College, 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.

The alumni of the Statler College are the enduring legacy of our academic community — a reflection of our institution values, and our broader impact in the world. Their paths, shaped by the education and relationships built here, speak to the strength of our mission. Whether they graduated recently or many years ago, our alumni remain vital to our Mountaineer spirit inspiring others and helping shape opportunities for the next generation of students!

WVU students pursuing degrees in education, engineering, nursing and oral health care will benefit from a generous alumni couple’s planned gifts totaling $2 million.

WVU scholarship recipients including mechanical engineering and data science student Reese Allen could never have imagined how philanthropic support would lead to unexpected opportunities that would shape their college careers and professional goals.

Dear MMAE Alumni and Friends,

We hope you are enjoying the changing of the seasons as we approach the holidays. In this newsletter, you will read about the continued success of our students, faculty and alumni. Earlier this semester, Dr. Xingbo Liu, received two prestigious recognitions, by winning an R&D 100 award and being named a fellow of the Electrochemical Society. In recent months, our students made WVU proud by securing several accolades spanning across rocketry (1st in category at International Rocketry Engineering Competition), materials science (1st at University Ceramic Mug Competition), robotics (2nd at International University Rover Challenge & 4th in the International RoboCup@Work Competition), automotive (6th at EcoCAR EV year 3), and Space payload design (Innovation Award at NASA’s Micro-G NeXT). This past month, a college-wide Alumni Who Inspire column featured Mechanical Engineering Alumna Michele Moenssens where you can read about her inspiring path.

Finally, I am always happy to use this newsletter to share about the positive momentum of our department. Enrollment across our undergraduate programs in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and Robotics Engineering all experienced enrollment growth as compared to last Fall. In Fall 2025, we are fortunate to have about 20% more, or more than 100 undergraduate students, as compared to two years ago in Fall 2023. Likewise, 2025 was a record year for our faculty-led research with expenditures from externally funded research awards in the department exceeding $19 million over a single year. We are looking to a bright future, welcoming three new faculty to the department this semester and having a larger freshmen cohort interested in our programs!

MMAE undergraduate alumni, as we approach a new accreditation cycle, please complete our Alumni Survey

Let's Go

MAILING ADDRESS:
Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering | West Virginia University
1306 Evansdale Drive | P.O. Box 6106 | Morgantown, WV 26506-6106
PHONE: 304.293.3111 | EMAIL: Statler-MAE@mail.wvu.edu

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