Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.
Today is Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026.
#1 – From WV PRESS – From rural West Virginia to engineering innovation
Nicole Robinette grew up in Danville, West Virginia, without knowing any engineers personally. Now she’s helping create new solutions to real-world problems.
The WVU chemical engineering student has contributed to research focused on breaking down harmful PFAS chemicals that can accumulate in the environment and human body. Her work has included manufacturing membranes for testing as researchers look for new approaches to addressing contamination.
Robinette has also emerged as a student leader. She has held leadership positions with the Society of Women Engineers and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and was selected as chief engineer for her upcoming senior capstone project.
After graduation, she hopes to work in industrial chemical engineering and process design while continuing outreach to Appalachian students.
#2 – From MARSHALL UNIVERSITY – Reimagining the middle school experience
What if school felt a little more like the world students are preparing to enter?
Marshall University, Wayne County Schools and the Empowerment Collaborative are partnering to create West Virginia’s first Marshall University-Anchored Empowerment Demonstration School.
The initiative will begin with sixth grade and add another grade each year. Students will take part in simulated workplace experiences, project-based learning and career exploration while developing leadership, communication, collaboration and problem-solving skills.
Marshall will serve as the initiative’s research, innovation and higher education partner, helping study and refine the approach while sharing successful practices across the state.
The long-term goal goes beyond a single school. Partners envision a statewide network of Empowerment Schools connecting education more closely with careers, communities and West Virginia’s future workforce.
#3 – From WV TECH PARK – 15 years of discovery and innovation
Fifteen years ago, West Virginia set out to preserve and grow a world-class research and innovation campus in South Charleston.
Today, the West Virginia Regional Technology Park is home to 32 companies and more than 1,000 employees working across research, manufacturing, technology, education and economic development.
The Tech Park recently celebrated its 15th anniversary with tenants, community leaders, partners and many of the people who helped transform the campus into the innovation ecosystem it is today.
Since 2011, the mission has been about more than preserving the site’s scientific legacy. It’s about creating a place where researchers, businesses and entrepreneurs can collaborate, develop new technologies and create new opportunities for West Virginia.
Read more:
https://www.wvtechpark.com/post/15-years-of-discovery-development-and-driving-what-s-next
Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304.
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That’s all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.
