The Office of Graduate Education and Life is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of WVU Foundation Scholarships. These scholarships help defray selected graduate students’ educational and research expenses.
Recipients of the WVU Foundation Distinguished Doctoral Scholarship:
Elizabeth Claydon, Matteo Luisi, Alice Millikin, and Sobhit Singh have been awarded the WVU Foundation Distinguished Doctoral Scholarship. This scholarship provides $5,000 to doctoral students who have been admitted to doctoral candidacy and who are working toward the completion of their dissertation during the spring 2018 term.
Elizabeth Claydon is a Ph.D. Candidate under the guidance of Dr. Keith Zullig, in Social and Behavioral Sciences in the School of Public Health. Claydon serves as the President of the WVU Gamma Mu Chapter of the Delta Omega Honorary Society and is a member of the WVU Council for Women's Concerns. She is also the Social Media Committee Co-Chair for the Academy of Eating Disorders, an international organization of eating disorder professionals. Her research focuses on eating disorder prevention, specifically preventing the intergenerational transmission of eating disorders and dieting behavior from parents to children.
Matteo Luisi is originally from Graz, Austria, where he earned a Master’s degree in Technical Physics before moving to Morgantown to attend graduate school. He is in the Department of Physics and Astronomy under the guidance of Dr. Loren Anderson. His research is in the field of astrophysics, specifically the role of diffuse ionized gas in our Galaxy.
“This diffuse gas is a major component of the interstellar medium, but since it is difficult to observe directly, its properties are not well-understood,” Luisi said. “To learn more about its origin and distribution, I collect and analyze data from the Green Bank Telescope, the world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope!”
In his free time, Luisi enjoys traveling and rock climbing.
Alice Millikin is in the Wildlife and Fisheries Resources Program in the School of Natural Resources within the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design. Before her time at WVU, Alice completed her B.S. at George Mason University and M.S. at University of South Dakota studying prairie restoration. Under the guidance of Dr. Jim Anderson, Millikin is studying Spotted Salamanders in man-made wetlands called vernal pools, which dry in the fall.
“In the spring, this habitat provides refuge for Spotted Salamanders’ eggs as they develop into larvae and complete metamorphosis,” said Millikin. She is testing whether habitat characteristics have an impact on salamanders’ health by examining disease prevalence, hormone levels, and genetic diversity. She is using a new non-invasive method to test hormone levels called water-borne hormone sampling. Results of her research will improve future wetland restoration efforts.
Sobhit Singh started at WVU in 2013 after completing his master’s degree in physics from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. He is currently in the Department of Physics and Astronomy working with Professor Aldo H. Romero, on his Ph.D. research.
Singh’s research focuses on the discovery of new materials and their characterization using advanced computational methods developed using principles of quantum mechanics. He is particularly interested in materials that have large spin-orbit coupling; i.e. coupling between the electron’s spin and orbital motion around the nucleus.
“Once fully understood, such kind of materials can be utilized to develop the long-sought spin-electronic (spintronic) technology,” said Signh, “which promises to enormously increase the power and efficiency of computers and other electronic devices.”
Recipients of the Carl del Signore Foundation Scholarship for Master’s Students:
Sara Crayton, Allison Morris, Reina Tyl, and Joseph Wickline have been awarded the Carl del Signore Foundation Scholarship for Master’s Students. This scholarship provides $500 to support graduate students who are engaged in research activities leading to a research-focused master's degree that requires a thesis.
Sara Crayton, from Farmington, Pennsylvania, worked in nature education in New Hampshire and as a wildlife research technician in Iowa before coming to WVU. She is co-advised by Drs. Petra Wood and Donald Brown, and is a Wildlife and Fisheries Resources student in the Department of Forestry, Natural Resources and Design.
“For my Master’s research, I’m investigating the potential impacts of the pesticide imidacloprid on salamander and benthic macroinvertebrate abundance and diversity,” said Crayton. “I’m conducting my research in small headwater streams in the New River Gorge and Gauley National River areas. We are also investigating whether salamanders and benthic macroinvertebrates are bioaccumulating the pesticide.”
Allison Morris received a B.S. in Human Nutrition and Foods in 2016 from WVU. She is a Nutritional and Food Sciences student in the Department of Animal and Nutritional Sciences; her advisor is Dr. Melissa Marra. Her research is related to understanding the body composition changes that occur with weight loss in middle-aged and older men and to determining dietary factors that may be important to preserving muscle during weight loss.
“Preserving muscle mass is key to maintaining functional status later in life and this research will help the development of improved weight loss strategies in this population,” said Morris. She is currently in her final semester of graduate school. She plans to complete a dietetic internship to become a registered dietitian.
Reina Tyl, from southeast Michigan, is a Wildlife and Fisheries Resources student in the Division of Forestry and Natural resources; her advisor is Dr. Christopher Rota. She is currently a second-year graduate research assistant. Tyl’s research concentrates on the population ecology of eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) in northeastern South Dakota
“During the winter, spring, and summer I spend my time in Grant County, South Dakota conducting my field research, which involves capturing and radio-marking eastern wild turkey hens, monitoring the radio-marked hens for survival, and collecting data relative to their reproductive success,” said Tyl. “I then incorporate field-collected data into matrix projection models to predict eastern wild turkey population growth, and inform wild turkey management, in northeastern South Dakota.”
Joseph Wickline, originally from Lewisburg, WV, received his bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Engineering from Shepherd University. He is a Civil Engineering student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; his advisor is Dr. Leslie Hopkinson.
“With the recent growth of the natural gas industry has come an increased risk to surface waters from accidental spill events such as trucking accidents or well-blowouts,” said Wickline. “Current strategies to detect and respond to these events are limited; most environmental protection agencies rely on public and self-reporting.” His research is focused on developing methods to detect these major contamination events using continuously monitored water quality data from Pennsylvania streams, and event detection software developed for use in municipal water supply systems.
In his free time Wickline enjoys spending time outside, hiking or mountain biking with his wife.
“These scholarships support exceptional graduate students in their efforts to complete research-related activities and to steadily progress toward degree completion,” said Dr. Constinia Charbonnette, Director of Graduate Student Funding and Academic Success in the Office of Graduate Education and Life. “We are proud to see the wide spectrum, quality, and potential global impact of the research that is being conducted by this year’s recipients.”
Students interested in competing for these scholarships in future years should visit the Graduate Education and Life Fellowships and Scholarships page on the Graduate Education and Life website.