The_Ticker

Data Driven WV wordmark

Big Data, Bigger Wins

Big Data, Bigger Wins

The year 2023 was a significant one for Data Driven WV. One of the Chambers College’s research and outreach centers, Data Driven WV works to improve living and working conditions statewide through data-centric and technological solutions, with clients ranging from small businesses to large corporations.

The Center received a $150,000 donation from corporate partner WesBanco to ensure its continued operation and expansion. An investment like that requires outcomes, and Data Driven WV has plenty to show off, including a partnership with women’s self-defense nonprofit #500Rising and a collaboration with state government to expand broadband access statewide.

Data Driven WV also welcomed its inaugural class of Lewis Fellows, six students who will assume leadership roles in community impact projects. Additionally, the inaugural Denton Fellowship was awarded to Management Information Systems student Taggart Shea, who acted as project manager in a partnership with Monongalia Emergency Medical Services.

“2023 was a transformative year, advancing our mission for statewide betterment,” said Josh Meadows, director of Data Driven WV. “It was also a year of enriching student engagement, offering hands-on experiences in real-world projects. As we enter 2024, we're committed to continuing our work uplifting West Virginia's communities and fostering the next generation of leaders."

A Big Four Dream

Lana Latif has already met her goal of securing a job with a Big Four accounting firm -- and she’s still in grad school. Latif will earn her master’s in accountancy in 2021 before heading to Pittsburgh to be an assurance associate at Ernst & Young. According to her mentor, Gary LeDonne, this is a great success story for Latif who came to WVU after living with her family in Palestine. 

Read Article

Get Hyped

How did a global megacompany decide to invest in the Mountain State in developing the transportation of the future? Well, we have the Chambers College, Vantage Ventures and its Executive Director Sarah Biller to thank for helping land Virgin Hyperloop. The company announced it would build a certification center spanning nearly 800 acres in Tucker and Grant counties. When completed, the Virgin Hyperloop system expects to carry passengers in pods through a vacuum tube at speeds breaking 600 mph. Read more about it in an upcoming feature story in 2021 in WVU Magazine. 

Read Article

Economics, Gentrification and Crime

You often don’t think of gun violence, gentrification and drug crime when thinking about business education. But one recent economics alumnus found a research niche on that topic. 

Read Article

Leidos and the Future of Business

Leidos, a Fortune 500 science and technology leader, partnered with the Chambers College in October for the ‘State of Innovation: Top Emerging Technologies Poised to be Key Drivers of a Post Pandemic World’ seminar. The event was part of the Leidos “Future of Business” series, designed to explore disciplines that are disrupting the business world, including cybersecurity, data analytics, cloud computing and the world of fintech. 

Read Article

Something in the Air

A paper coauthored by Economics Professors Brad Humphreys and Jane Ruseski has been chosen by its journal of publication, Sports Economic Review, as its best paper of the year. Their research suggests that cities with professional sports teams bear increased flu mortality rates. Read the paper on Sports Economic Review.

Read Article