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Contributing to more than 480,000 deaths annually in the United States, smoking remains a problem nationwide, especially in the state of West Virginia. A West Virginia University professor is part of a team that is leading an effort to help adults quit smoking.

Peter Giacobbi, professor in the College of Applied Human Sciences and a member of the School of Public Health, is collaborating with research colleagues from the University of Arizona, the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, N.Y. and WV First Choice Services to launch the Be Smoke Free project.

The West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences, the newest college at WVU, officially launched its website at appliedhumansciences.wvu.edu.

The website features comprehensive information on the college and all of its academic programs housed within the three schools that comprise the new unit: the School of Counseling and Well-Being, the School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.

Every child is unique in their abilities, strengths and interests. With multiple options for online learning and academic programs available for purchase, it can be overwhelming to decide how to best support your children and their continued learning in the summer months.

Stephanie Lorenze and Ashley Martucci, service associate professors in the College of Applied Human Sciences, School of Education, have offered a guide for summer enrichment options.

West Virginia University leads the way in providing learning opportunities for nine of the 27 graduating high school seniors who were selected for the Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholarship.

Earning this year's scholarships were:

In West Virginia, inequities in youth access to mental health services have been magnified by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and a statewide school counselor shortage. Research demonstrates that classroom teachers want to assist students who are experiencing mental health issues, but they do not always have the knowledge or resources to intervene.

To better equip West Virginia teachers and other school personnel to identify the signs and symptoms of mental health crises among students, Rawn Boulden, assistant professor, and Christine Schimmel, associate professor, of the School Counseling and Well-Being at West Virginia University, have received a five-year, $500,000 grant to provide Youth Mental Health First Aid Training in West Virginia schools.

Haley Sperringer has joined the Office of Student Success as a student success coordinator in the School of Sport Sciences.

Sperringer, from Morgantown, says she is looking forward to her new role. “I’m excited to work with students in the School of Sport Sciences to help them achieve their academic goals,” she explained.

A College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences faculty member and a CPASS alumna are members of an international team that received the highly competitive Prince Faisal Bin Fahad Global Award for Sports Research by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sport and Leader’s Development Institute.

Dana Voelker, CPASS associate professor of sport, exercise, and performance psychology and Amanda Visek, associate professor at The George Washington University (WVU PhD SEP 2007), aim to advance youth sports in Saudi Arabia. The group includes Lisa Delpy Neirotti, The George Washington University, and Mohummed Alkhraji, King Saud University.

The Hayhurst family is renewing its commitment to keep West Virginia students in the Mountain State with three gifts to support full-ride scholarships at West Virginia University's John Chambers College of Business and Economics and the new College of Applied Human Sciences.

The family’s latest contributions – totaling $873,000 – support one new and two existing scholarships established to honor brothers Robert, Robin and Ronald Hayhurst and their shared passion for WVU.

Jihad Dixon, a native of Charleston, W.Va., made the most of his time at West Virginia University. The list of accomplishments, roles and clubs are too long to list, but suffice it to say you aren't named one of the Daily Athenaeum's most influential people in 2016 by just sitting in your dorm.

Dixon left WVU after receiving a bachelor's degree in political science (2017) and a master's degree in higher education administration. He has leveraged his skills learned in the classroom and as an active member of campus to land him as the associate director for strategy and operations for the My Brother's Keeper Alliance through the Obama Foundation.   

Inspired by her family, rising sophomore Lauren Marquart's decision to attend West Virginia University and major in elementary education was a relatively simple one.

Marquart, a native of Wheeling, W.Va., is heavily involved in numerous activities despite being on campus less than a year. She serves as a student ambassador and is involved with student government, and gave a talk at the TEDxWVU event in April.