WVU’s faculty, staff, students, and retirees again made the University Monongalia County’s largest United Way contributor. WVU collected more than $267,000, surpassing its goal by $27,000. Under leadership of the Student Government Association, students alone raised about $11,000.

Cycling Team member Chet-Mun Liew is a mechanical engineering graduate student from Malaysia, and one of more than 1,200 international students at WVU. He came to campus to be a scholar, but also found a community where he could compete in a sport he loves with new friends who share his passion.

Chemistry graduate student Heidi Nawrocki discovered how to help solve crimes by tracing shards of glass back to the scene using a technique called cathodoluminescence (emission of light by an electron burst). For her efforts, she will receive the 10th annual Emerging Forensic Scientist Award from the Forensic Sciences Foundation.

Education major Graham Porter of Petersburg enthusiastically works through his lesson plan before a 7th grade science class at Suncrest Middle School in Morgantown. A more than $750,000 grant geared to recruiting math, science and technology majors to education just might get more of Porter’s classmates into the mix.

Some 1,400 WVU students will complete their degrees this month. To honor their achievements, the University will host December Graduates Convocation at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, with veteran educator and WVU Interim President C. Peter Magrath delivering the keynote address.