About

Welcome to the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics on behalf of its faculty, staff, and students. The College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics is one of the four academic colleges at West Virginia State University. The College takes great pride in quality of its academic programs, faculty, and students.

About Our Academic Programs:
The College has four academic departments: Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Computer Science, and Physics (located in Hamblin and Wallace Halls). Its faculty and staff are committed to delivering quality undergraduate programs in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering (Civil and Chemical emphasis), and Mathematics; graduate programs in Biotechnology and Computer Science; and general education courses in the areas of Mathematics and Natural Sciences to all the University students. In addition, the College partners with University of Charleston in PharmD program and with WVU in 2+2 programs in Civil, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineering. We are excited about helping our students in becoming competent professionals, excellent researchers, and responsible citizens.  

About Our Faculty:
Our College is proud to have a very highly qualified and dedicated teaching and research faculty. The College has 38 full-time faculty members (over 92% of whom hold doctoral degrees in their respective fields). They are passionate about teaching and are active in research. They publish research articles in various national and international peer-reviewed journals. In addition, they secure research grants from various federal sources (USDA, NSF, DoE, NASA SGC etc.). Our faculty members conduct research on cancer, coronary artery disease, evolution, horticulture, genomics, natural products synthesis, acid mine drainage, embedded electronics systems, bio-energy, structural designs, and classical mathematics (to name a few). Moreover, the College faculty is actively involved in programs designed for outreach to science and math teachers and students in the public schools of our service area.  Even while conducting innovative research, our faculty continues to give students the attention normally found only at small colleges.

About Our Students:
The College has a very vibrant student body. In classrooms and research activities, our students engage in critical and creative thinking, and hone their oral and written communication skills. Our students have the opportunity to participate in a number of undergraduate research programs. These programs include: Research Rookies scholarships (research program for freshmen and sophomores), NASA Space Grant Consortium scholarships (research program, generally for juniors and seniors), and Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) scholarships (an eight week summer research programs). Additionally, many of our students are paid stipends to work on ongoing research projects in the College.

In addition, the College has very active faculty-sponsored student clubs including: ACS (American Chemical Society) Club, SPACE (Student Partnership for the Advancement of Cosmic Exploration) Club, and Math & CS Club.

Our College hosts two research symposia every year where students make either oral or poster presentations of their research projects. Our Annual Research Symposium is held at the end of April of each year. Our SURE Symposium is held in summer at the end of SURE program.

Last but not the least, our College is appreciative to to have a very hard-working staff. Mr. Doug Bright (Biology) and Ms. Mel. Smith (Chemistry) serve as lab managers. Ms. Glenna Curry, Mrs. Tina Sanchez, and Mrs. Jeannie Starr are always available to help and welcome  faculty, students, and visitors.

Naveed Zaman, Ph.D.
Dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Hamblin Hall 101
zamanna@wvstateu.edu
Phone: (304) 766-4248
Fax: (304) 766-4248

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The West Virginia State University College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics exists, first to educate students so that they can understand, utilize, and improve upon scientific and mathematical principles and relate such principles to the rest of human knowledge; second, to promote scientific and mathematical literacy on the part of students of other colleges of the University; and third to utilize the expertise of its faculty in service to the state and to the people and institutions of the surrounding area.

By instruction and mentoring, the College will promote students’ motivation as well as knowledge and skills, and through research, the faculty will set an example to the students making it clear that knowledge is not just to be learned, but also to be created and advanced, by humankind’s efforts.

Its graduates are expected to have broad familiarity with the many fields of knowledge that have been promoted by humankind’s intellectual and creative skills, as well as a deep understanding of at least one of the areas of natural sciences or mathematics, along with a set of skills for probing such areas as to develop new knowledge, solve problems, and enjoy the satisfaction of the intellectual adventure.