Dr . Gregory Rosencrance .
Rosencrance Elected to Maier Foundation Board
Dr . Gregory Rosencrance was elected to the Maier Foundation Board of Directors at its annual meeting held in December . Rosencrance is the president and CEO of WVU Medicine / Thomas Hospitals , a member of the WVU Medicine Health System . A native of Charleston , Rosencrance received his undergraduate degree from West Virginia University and his medical degree from Marshall University . Before returning home to the Kanawha Valley , he served as president of the Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital and chairman of the Medicine Institute at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation . He began his career at the Charleston Area Medical Center where he spent 22 years as an internal medicine physician .
The primary focus of the Maier Foundation is on the furtherance of higher education in West Virginia and the higher education of West Virginia residents attending colleges and universities elsewhere . In addition , the foundation makes educationally related distributions to cultural and other organizations in the Kanawha Valley . Philanthropist William J . Maier Jr . established the foundation in 1958 .
WVSU and WVU Collaborate on AI Pepper Project
West Virginia State University ( WVSU ) and West Virginia University ( WVU ) are making strides in the field of artificial intelligence ( AI ) by using it to predict genetic modifications on habanero peppers .
Led by project head Donald Adjeroh , the research aims to support the prevention and treatment of genetic diseases in the future . The team is working on an AI program that can predict the effects of certain genetic modifications on organisms and is currently focusing on predicting key attributes of habanero peppers such as size , color and taste .
The project has received a grant of $ 249,999 from the National Science Foundation and will be carried out over three years . The study will be conducted using genetically modified habaneros grown in Dr . Umesh Reddy ’ s WVSU lab to test the predictions of AI models developed at WVU by Adjeroh and Professor Gianfranco Doretto .
The larger focus of this research is pattern association discovery , which aims to find patterns across loosely coupled domains such as genetic code and level of spiciness , which overlap in ways too complex for humans to easily identify .
The researchers are using computational methods to look at the genes that determine the nature of a pepper and are figuring out which genes should be manipulated if a farmer wants to make peppers redder or bigger .
The AI methods will predict the response based on the genomic data , and then WVSU will go to the lab to validate that through biological experiments . Finally , the researchers will investigate the relationship between the phenotype and how spicy human taste testers perceive its flavor to be .
Capito Announces $ 54 Million for I-79 Chaplin Hill Gateway Project
U . S . Senator Shelley Moore Capito , ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee , recently announced more than $ 54 million for the Chaplin Hill Gateway Project , which includes construction of bridges , interchanges and pedestrian and bicycle connections .
The funding is through the Mega grant program , an infrastructure funding program in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act . Capito wrote a letter of support for the project to the U . S . Department of Transportation in August . In March , she announced $ 2 million in Congressionally Directed Spending funding to support repairs and rehabilitation for I-79 Exit 155 .
“ The funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act continues to deliver for West Virginia , and announcements like this one are the reason I fought for the final bill . The Chaplin Hill Gateway Project will help improve traffic , increase safety and upgrade core transportation infrastructure in Monongalia County . For all those who live and work in the area , as well as those traveling through , this funding will make a transformational difference , and I ’ m excited for this project to move forward ,” Capito says .
The project has multiple components , including replacing I-79 bridges over Chaplin Hill Road , reconstructing exit 155 interchange , Westbound I-79 flyover reconstruction and a pedestrian and bicycle connection between the Star City bridge and the regional rail-to-trail network .
Hope Gas Acquires Southern Public Service Company
Hope Gas recently announced its acquisition of Southern Public Service Company . The acquisition of Southern Public adds approximately 6,400 new customers across six counties . This was Hope ’ s third acquisition of 2023 . The company previously acquired approximately 900 miles of pipelines from Equitrans and Peoples Gas WV , which included approximately 400 miles of pipelines .
“ Hope Gas continues to grow and provide service to more West Virginia families and businesses ,” says CEO Morgan O ’ Brien . “ Our investors at Ullico have committed more than $ 1 billion in investment in West Virginia in just about a year ’ s time . I welcome our new customers and employees to Hope Gas . We are committed to providing operational excellence and the highest level of customer service through all 37 West Virginia counties that we now serve .”
In June 2023 , Hope unveiled its new headquarters office in Morgantown .
“ Over the last year , Hope Gas has been dedicated to helping create family-sustaining jobs throughout the Mountain State ,” O ’ Brien says . “ As the only utility company with its corporate headquarters in West Virginia , we will continue to dedicate ourselves to providing safe and reliable service to all our customers . In January 2024 , we opened our customer contact center in Morgantown . Soon , all Hope Gas customer service and billing inquiries will be handled right here in West Virginia . Our customer service representative positions are new jobs for the state . This dedicated team is already in place and going through extensive training to best serve our customers . We have built our business plan
88
WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE