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WVU Tech awarded Internet of Things grant

West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech) is developing a state-of-the-art radio frequency identification (RFID) sensor network using a $20,000 grant from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission Division of Science and Research.

This project is part of developing “The Internet of Things.” Dr. Charan Litchfield, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Dr. Mingyu Lu, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering are the co-authors of the grant. This project is the next step in technology integration commercially and domestically, Litchfield explains.

“Think back to the 1980’s film Back to the Future,” Litchfield said. “If we remember Dr. Brown, we may recall his household has technology doing all his daily chores. The difference in the contemporary Internet of Things is that devices could be controlled through a computer, cell phone, tablet, watch and so on.”

The Internet of Things refers to RFID tags and their interactivity with electronics to track equipment or people. For example, RFID tags could find products in a massive warehouse or control conveniences in our homes.

For WVU Tech, the foundation of this RFID sensor network will allow students to learn more about how The Internet of Things works both practically and technically. Initially, Dr. Litchfield and Dr. Lu will use personnel tracking RFID sensors, base stations and servers in conjunction with software to demonstrate the tracking capability of the technology for students. There are many applications, but especially in the energy sector. Smart power grids help run more efficiently and can continuously measure the flow and power in different parts of the grid. Smart cities can offer wi-fi access anywhere in the city using this technology as well.

“The hardware and software make a useful learning tool for our electrical engineering, computer science and computer engineering programs. This proposal acts as the first step in increasing STEM growth in Raleigh county and West Virginia,” Litchfield said.

Dr. Litchfield and Dr. Lu say they will use the equipment and technology to demonstrate their research and the capability of the technology to WVU Tech students.

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WVU Tech awarded diversity grant which will help bring Women of Color museum exhibit to campus

West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech) has been awarded the Diversity for Equity grant in the amount of $4,550 through the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC).

These funds will assist WVU Tech in bringing the Women of Color traveling museum to campus in the spring.

“We had good attendance and feedback from the True Black History Museum last spring, so we wanted to bring the Women of Color museum to campus as part of Women’s History Month,” Scott Robertson, Assistant Dean of Students explains.

The exhibit, entitled “Women of Color – A Tribute to the Contributions of African American Women,” features artifacts, documents and photos of African American women who impacted the history of Black Women around the world, including Maya Angelou, Coretta Scott King and Condoleezza Rice.

The museum will be on WVU Tech’s campus on March 7, 2023 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Learning Commons. The event will be free and open to the community.

“One reason this exhibit is important is that we do not have a museum set aside for this topic in our area. It brings in artifacts that people would not normally be able to see,” says Robertson.

WVU Tech has partnered with WVU Tech Student Government Association and the Student Activities Board to host this exhibit.

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Dr. Stephen Brown to speak on Appalachian pioneer life on WVU Tech campus

West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech) and the City of Beckley are partnering to bring Dr. Stephen Brown to Carter Hall on Tech’s campus for the 12th Annual Otis K. Rice Lecture series. Dr. Brown’s talk, "Pioneer Life and Folkways: Frontier Culture and its Impact on the Future of West Virginia", will be held in the Carter Hall auditorium on November 10, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.

Dr. Brown is a Professor Emeritus and former dean at WVU Tech, where he spent 48 years as an educator and scholar. His research focuses on Appalachia, West Virginia, and its peoples, cultures and values. Dr. Brown is the author of a biography on John G. Jackson, a congressman, judge and state legislator from Clarksburg, West Virginia (then Virginia), and "Mountain State: An Introduction to West Virginia". He also collaborated with Otis K. Rice, for whom this lecture series is named, on "West Virginia: A History," which remains a seminal work in West Virginia history.  Otis K. Rice was West Virginia’s first Historian Laureate and spent the majority of his career at WVU Tech.

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GLAM Night Out to help raise funds for WVU Tech athletics

Beckley, W.Va. – The largest fundraising event for West Virginia University Institute of Technology’s athletic department in the last decade will happen on Saturday, October 22, 2022, at the Resort at Glade Springs.

GLAM Night Out is a fashion show event featuring designers and local retailers, community members, Tech employees, student-athletes and special guests.

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WVU Tech Upward Bound grant renewed, the longest continuous grant in the state, accepting new students

Beckley, West Virginia – Since 1966, West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech) has received federal grant funds for the Upward Bound program. WVU Tech must reapply for these funds every five years, and this year’s grant renewal marks the longest-running continuous Upward Bound grant in the state.

This year, WVU Tech served 90 high school students from Fayette and Raleigh counties. These students are those who would be first-generation college students and who have a desire to go to college. Students spend five weeks on campus taking classes.

In recent years, the Upward Bound grant has been expanded at WVU Tech to serve both Fayette and Raleigh county students. Historically, only Fayette county students were accepted. However, Scott Robertson, Assistant Dean of Students, hopes to continue to expand services in the coming years.

“There is a huge need,” Robertson says.

The program provides first-generation and limited-income students with academic and financial support to put them in a better position to not only go to college, but to complete their post-secondary education and succeed in the workforce. Students in the program get a small stipend during the summer and the school year to help offset costs.

Each summer for five weeks, students stay on WVU Tech’s campus. Their schedules are designed as if they are college students, taking core classes like math, speech, English and science and electives like disc golf and chess.

“We look for students who have a desire to go to college and help them navigate that process. Upward Bound students are more likely to finish high school and complete higher levels of education,” says Robertson.

In addition to living in a residence hall and taking courses, students can travel and have cultural experiences they might not have otherwise.

The theme of the summer was music. Students got to write and record their own songs with a professional from Atlanta, Georgia, and learn the science behind music and production. Students also traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to explore, experience the city and tour colleges.

“Upward Bound has helped me in many ways. I’ve traveled to places I’ve never thought I’d see in a million years. I’ve toured colleges, which was one of my original reasons for joining the program and I’ve made so many new friends. Upward Bound means so much to me and has for the past four years of my life,” says one participant.

Robertson was an Upward Bound participant and says he would not have gone to college had it not been for his Upward Bound experiences.

“I went to Upward Bound at Marshall and I would not be where I am today had I not had that opportunity. It’s all about changing trajectories,” he says.

“It’s also all about finding passions and helping students grow in those areas. We see such a big change in students from the beginning of the program to the end,” he remarks.

Robertson says Upward Bound is accepting new students in Fayette and Raleigh counties for the upcoming year. Students and parents interested in signing up for the Upward Bound program can contact their individual school counselors or call the WVU Tech Upward Bound office at 304-929-1290.

For more information about Upward Bound at WVU Tech, visit techupwardbound.wvutech.edu.

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