News & Events

Scientists have long relied on tree rings to learn about ancient solar storms — rare bursts of high‑energy particles from the Sun that can disrupt satellites, power grids, and communication systems. Among the most important signals held in wood is radiocarbon, an isotope created and absorbed by trees when energetic particles from the Sun or deep space strike the upper atmosphere.  

Aaron Maxwell is an associate professor of geography at the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and faculty director of the West Virginia GIS Technical Center. In collaboration with stakeholders, including the GIS Technical Center and former WVU faculty member Jamie Shinn, now with SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry, and with funding from the National Science Foundation’s Civic Innovation Challenge, the team created a more effective framework for flood response and community recovery in West Virginia.

Kathleen Benison, professor in the Department of Geology and Geography, has been elected to the Geological Society of America Council, a leadership body that steers and guides this international organization of over 18,000 geologists.