Patricia Obenauf

Patricia Obenauf was inducted into the inaugural College of Applied Human Sciences Hall of Fame in the fall of 2025. She was previously inducted into the College of Education and Human Services Hall of Fame in 2016.

Obenauf earned her doctorate in science education and curriculum and instruction from the University of Virginia in 1973, following earlier studies at Alverno College and Marquette University. She began her career teaching math and science at the elementary and secondary levels before transitioning to higher education.

She joined the faculty at West Virginia University’s College of Education and Human Services in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction/Literacy Studies, where she served as a professor, administrator, researcher, advisor, and scholar for more than four decades. She chaired nearly 80 doctoral committees and played a key role in shaping the curriculum for teacher education programs at the University and statewide.

Her leadership included developing the Block Program, contributing to the Five-Year Teacher Education program, and helping set statewide goals for science education at the elementary through high school levels. Obenauf secured significant external funding, including a $1.2 million grant from the West Virginia Department of Education and a $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to support radio astronomy research experiences through the Green Bank Observatory.

She also conducted workshops for science educators and served as president of the West Virginia Science Teachers Association. She retired as professor emerita of curriculum and instruction.

She passed away in 2017.