That's how long Erienne Olesh expected to stay in Morgantown when she arrived at West Virginia University to pursue a doctorate in neuroscience. Instead, WVU gave her something she hadn't anticipated -- the opportunity to help shape the future of innovation in Appalachia. "The selection of WVU and this region for this Consortium is a really strong signal of external validation. A lot of people still don't even know what's going on here yet and we're going to do some really big things." The RETI Consortium is focused on helping address growing energy demands driven by artificial intelligence, data centers, and advanced manufacturing while strengthening the region's innovation ecosystem.