WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Dec. 9, 2021 — Professor Zachary Loughman’s crayfish lab students have reason to be proud of their work. The group received third place honors for the 2021 Engineering Excellence Award from the West Virginia Department of Transportation, Division of Highways recently.

“There were more than 60 environmental consulting firms that were evaluated, and WLU Loughman Crayfish Conservation Lab was selected as the 3rd place winner of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) 2021 award for Engineering Excellence for the Big Sandy Crayfish Mitigation project. This is a big deal, as it is truly ‘boots on the ground’ applied conservation using biology and engineering to solve a real-world problem,” wrote Traci Cummings and Sydney Burke, WVDOH biologists in their official award letter, dated Nov. 15.

The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) nominated the Loughman Crayfish Lab for its partnership on the Big Sandy Crayfish Mitigation. West Liberty University (WLU) was chosen out of all the consultants that WVDOH has worked with in 2021 to receive this acknowledgement. 

“It has meant a great deal to the highway department that we have been able to do this type of mitigation that isn’t in the realm of what we normally get to do,” the biologists noted. 

Another positive aspect is that the WVDOH was able to work hand-in-hand with the Loughman Crayfish Lab graduate students on two large crayfish relocations last summer. 

“They showed great professionalism and drive to get the job done quickly and efficiently. We at the WVDOH look forward to continuing partnering with WLU, and more specifically the Loughman Crayfish Lab,” they agreed.

Loughman’s laboratory is one of the few in the country that focused solely on astacology, the academic study of crayfishes (crayfish biology). Also a WLU alumnus, he is the chair of the Organismal Biology, Ecology, and Zoo Science Department and curator of WLU’s Living Collections.

For more information on the crayfish lab, please email him at zloughman@westliberty.edu. For more information on the College of Sciences, its majors and how to apply, please visit westliberty.edu/college-of-sciences.