Challenge Ambassador: Fred King, Vice President for Research
Challenge Overview
West Virginia has been tied to the fossil energy industry since the early 20th Century. This, along with the chemical industry, have been the state’s principal economic drivers. The decline of the fossil energy industry began in the middle 20th Century and rapidly accelerated as the 20th Century ended. The result was that many smaller rural communities, and particularly “company towns,” lost their economic base and population — leaving behind the environmental legacy of the industry along with impoverished communities with aging populations and decaying infrastructure.
Team #1 — Clean Energy
Proposed Project
Clean Energy Communities
The “Clean Energy Communities” programs aims to target the deployment of relevant clean energy technologies to facilitate economic development, workforce development and participation, and commercial redevelopment, with the goal of increasing the overall health of West Virginians.
This project was offered up to $10,000 in planning funding.
Team Members
- Stephanie Foote, Jackson and Nichols Professor of English, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
- John Hu, Director of Center for Innovation in Gas Utilization and Research, Chair of Engineering for Natural Gas Utilization, Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
- Paul Kinder, Director of Natural Resource Analysis Center, Research Assistant Professor of Resource Economics and Management, Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
- Bingxin Li, Associate Professor, John Chambers College of Business and Economics
- Sam Taylor, Assistant Director, Strategic Partnerships and Technology, WVU Energy Institute
- Jingxin Wang, Director of Renewable Materials and Bioenergy Research Center, Associate Director for Research, Professor of Wood Science and Technology, Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
- Nicolas Zegre, Associate Professor of Forest Hydrology, Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
- Facilitator: Cheyenne Luzynski, Teaching Assistant Professor in Leadership Studies, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Team #2 — Sustainability
Proposed Project
Resilient Communities Through Sustainable Water Management
The “Sustainable Water Management” program will create an integrated network of University and community experts to address the state’s decaying infrastructure for drinking water and wastewater systems, to increase community resilience and to provide experiential learning opportunities for students.
This project was offered up to $10,000 in planning funding.
Team Members
- Jamie Shinn, Assistant Professor of Geography, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
- Emily Garner, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
- Jeff Skousen, Professor of Soil Science, Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
- Bhaskaran Gopalakrishnan, Director of Industrial Assessment Center, Professor of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering, Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
- Traci Knabenshue, Director of WVU Sustainability, Office of Sustainability
- Facilitator: Juan Bugueno, DDS, Diagnostic Sciences, School of Dentistry