Dr Geoffrey Cousins, a pioneer in robotic-assisted heart surgery

McDowell County native Dr Geoffrey Cousins is one of the most innovative heart surgeons in West Virginia.  View the 10-minute video and see Dr Cousins perform a heart operation.  You can also see lesson plans to accompany the video here.

Kim Weaver, a pioneer in studying black holes and star formation in galaxies

Kim Weaver is a NASA scientist at the Goddard Space Flight Center, and a pioneer in using x-ray telescopes to study the universe.  For many years she was also the public face of NASA, explaining complex scientific discoveries on radio and television.  See a 12-minute video about the life and work of Kim Weaver, as well as curriculum for science and social studies here.

Rodney Bartgis, working to keep the “wild” in West Virginia

Rodney Bartgis, former State Director of The Nature Conservancy, probably knows more about the natural history of West Virginia than anyone alive.  He’s been passionate about plants, animals, birds and everything there is to know about the woods since he was a little kid growing up in Berkeley County.  See Rodney Bartgis atop a mountain in West Virginia where rare plants thrive.  The 11-minute video and curriculum are available here.

Lewis Cantly—among the world’s most notable biochemists
Big Chimney native Lewis Cantley made one of the greatest discoveries in cell biology in the last 50 years.  See the 11-minute video about how he found one of the keys to understanding cancer, diabetes and obesity, and see the accompanying curriculum for middle school science and social studies students here.

John Ochsendorf helped to design the World Building of The Year

John Ochsendorf teaches structural engineering and architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  He is also a world authority on the structure of old buildings – why they stand up and don’t fall down – which he became interested in while growing up in Elkins.  See the 10-minute video about Ochsendorf”s life and career, along with lesson plans for science and social studies here.