August 08, 2023

Manchin Announces $898K for Three West Virginia Research Initiatives

Charleston, WV – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $898,443 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for three West Virginia research initiatives. The funding will support two projects at West Virginia University (WVU), including research on nitrogen emissions in forest environments and computational imagery in space, as well as a project to expand access to STEM research awards for four-year colleges and universities across the state through the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission.

“The National Science Foundation continues to be an important partner for the Mountain State through their investments in groundbreaking projects that provide West Virginia students and educators with unique research opportunities. I’m pleased these three initiatives are receiving awards to help advance our understanding of environmental science and computational imagery, as well as break down barriers to future research opportunities for our higher education institutions. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for resources that bolster academic research and support our universities across West Virginia,” Senator Manchin said.

Individual awards listed below:

  • $599,442 – West Virginia University: Quantifying the Recovery of Central Appalachian Forests during the Final Chapter of Society's Inadvertent Nitrogen Fertilization Experiment
    • This project will investigate the effects of nitrogen emissions in eastern U.S. forest environments through research at the Fernow Experimental Forest in Parsons. The initiative will engage local 8th grade students in rural Tucker County through field trips and in-class activities.
  • $200,000 – West Virginia University: Uncertainty-Aware Computational Imaging (CI) in the Wild: A Bayesian Deep Learning Approach in the Latent Space
    • This project will advance the capabilities of CI to handle uncertain scientific and engineering paradigms. The development of uncertainty-aware CI systems will have a wide range of impact on both scientific exploration, such as astronomical questions, and daily life, such as smartphone applications.
  • $99,001 – West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission: Increasing STEM Grant Capacity Across West Virginia
    • This project will examine the barriers to research grant proposal submissions and award management success at West Virginia’s four-year colleges and universities with the goal of ensuring increased research success.