ISSUED: 12 December 2025
MEDIA CONTACT: Hans Fogle
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Dr. Sytil Murphy, Shepherd University associate professor, has been awarded a $12,975 grant from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission’s Science, Technology and Research Innovation Program. The grant will fund the purchase of a teaching set of Global Positioning System (GPS) units and related equipment to strengthen academic instruction and undergraduate research in the environmental science and biology programs.
Faculty in these programs emphasize that hands-on experience with GPS technology is increasingly necessary for students. Applications range from ground truthing structure-from-motion datasets to documenting natural features like trees and rock formations, and mapping man-made structures including utility systems and access points.
Students entering environmental and biological professions will be expected to use GPS systems in a variety of real-world settings, from assisting municipalities with stormwater infrastructure surveys to supporting environmental monitoring projects.
The initiative will be implemented in collaboration with Dr. Jeff Groff and Dr. Zach Musselman, who will help integrate the GPS equipment into coursework and field projects across the environmental science and biology curriculum. The upgraded technology will expand experiential learning opportunities and further prepare Shepherd students with technical skills in high demand across scientific and environmental fields.
For more information about Shepherd University’s Environmental and Physical Sciences programs, visit https://www.shepherd.edu/eps.
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