The Gallery at Penn State Lehigh Valley will continue the celebration of the campus centennial with an exhibit highlighting the history of the campus. The exhibit will run from Jan. 16-Feb. 11, 2012, and is free and open to the public. A reception sponsored by Penn State Lehigh Valley alumni will be held from 6-8 p.m., Feb. 2, 2012.

In 1912, Penn State Lehigh Valley, then known as the Allentown Extension, opened its doors as one of the first permanent technical centers of The Pennsylvania State University, and has the distinction of being the oldest continuously-running campus outside of University Park. While the campus name and location have changed over the years, its mission has not – still emphasizing Penn State's original land-grant institution mission of offering lifelong learning opportunities to the community.

This new exhibit will chronicle the campus' history through artifacts that depict, among other things, its early days as an engineering extension, its support of training women for the war effort during WWII, and examples of student life throughout the last century.

The exhibition is free and open to the public. The gallery is located on the third floor of the campus at 2809 Saucon Valley Road, Center Valley. Gallery hours are Monday to Wednesday 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursday 11 a.m. -6 p.m., Friday 11a.m. -2 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. For an appointment, or for more information, please contact Ann Lalik, gallery director, at 610-285-5261 or e-mail annlalik@psu.edu.

 The conference features interactive workshops and presentations for teachers to share professional teaching practices. The keynote presentation, "From BEING the Book to BEING the Change: Teaching for Love and Wisdom" will be given by Jeff Wilhelm, Ph.D., author of books including, "Inquiring Minds Learn to Read and Write" and "Getting It Right: Fresh Approaches to Teaching Grammar, Usage, and Correctness" (Scholastic). Wilhelm will also sign copies of his books during the conference.

Other features at this year’s conference are workshops by Lynne Dorfman, Ph.D., author of “Nonfiction Mentor Texts: Crafting Effective Introductions and Conclusions,” Kira Baker-Doyle, Ph.D., author of “The Networked Teacher: How New Teachers Build Social Networks for Professional Support,” and Mary Hutchinson, Ph.D., sharing a study of writing and English language learners.

The cost of the conference is $45 and includes a continental breakfast and lunch. The deadline for registration is January 26, 2012. To register for the conference, or for a complete conference schedule, visit www.lvwp.org.

Keynote speaker Jeffrey Wilhelm is an internationally-known teacher, author, and presenter. A classroom teacher for fifteen years, Wilhelm is currently professor of English education at Boise State University. He works in local schools as part of the Professional Development Site Network, and teaches middle and high school students each spring. He is the founding director of the Maine Writing Project and the Boise State Writing Project. He has authored or co-authored sixteen texts about literacy teaching. He has won the two top research awards in English Education: the NCTE Promising Research Award for "You Gotta BE the Book" (TC Press), and the Russell Award for Distinguished Research for "Reading Don’t Fix No Chevys." He has worked on numerous materials and software programs for students including Scholastic’s e21 and ReadAbout, and has edited a series of 100 books for reluctant readers entitled The Ten. He is currently researching how students read and engage with non-traditional texts like video game narratives, manga, horror, fantasy, etc., as well as the effects of inquiry teaching on teachers, students, and learning.

Based at Penn State Lehigh Valley's campus in Center Valley, the Lehigh Valley Writing Project is a National Writing Project program dedicated to developing literacy and communication skills.  LVWP offers a variety of programs including:

• Professional development workshops, including teacher in-service programs
• Penn State graduate credit courses
• Continuing education seminars
• The Summer Institute, the cornerstone of every National Writing Project site
• Summer writing camps for young writers
• Outreach programs led by LVWP fellows

For more information, visit the www.lvwp.org, or contact Nancy Coco at 610-285-5026 or nxc4@psu.edu.

Keynote speaker Jeffrey Wilhelm is an internationally-known teacher, author, and presenter. A classroom teacher for fifteen years, Wilhelm is currently professor of English education at Boise State University. He works in local schools as part of the Professional Development Site Network, and teaches middle and high school students each spring. He is the founding director of the Maine Writing Project and the Boise State Writing Project. He has authored or co-authored sixteen texts about literacy teaching. He has won the two top research awards in English Education: the NCTE Promising Research Award for "You Gotta BE the Book" (TC Press), and the Russell Award for Distinguished Research for "Reading Don’t Fix No Chevys." He has worked on numerous materials and software programs for students including Scholastic’s e21 and ReadAbout, and has edited a series of 100 books for reluctant readers entitled The Ten. He is currently researching how students read and engage with non-traditional texts like video game narratives, manga, horror, fantasy, etc., as well as the effects of inquiry teaching on teachers, students, and learning.

Based at Penn State Lehigh Valley's campus in Center Valley, the Lehigh Valley Writing Project is a National Writing Project program dedicated to developing literacy and communication skills. LVWP offers a variety of programs including:
• Professional development workshops, including teacher in-service programs
• Penn State graduate credit courses
• Continuing education seminars
• The Summer Institute, the cornerstone of every National Writing Project site
• Summer writing camps for young writers
• Outreach programs led by LVWP fellows
For more information, visit the www.lvwp.org, or contact Nancy Coco at 610-285-5026 or nxc4@psu.edu.

WHAT:            Financial Aid Workshops: Learn what you need to know about applying for student financial aid.

WHEN:            Jan. 17, 2012, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

                        OR

                        Jan. 19, 2012, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

                        (Snow date is Feb. 2, 2012 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.)

WHERE:        Penn State Lehigh Valley

                        2809 Saucon Valley Road

                        Center Valley, PA 18034

RSVP:              Seating is limited.  Reserve a space by Jan. 13, 2012, by calling 610-285-5000.

While many of her fellow students were sharing turkey and cranberry sauce with their families during Thanksgiving break, Penn State Lehigh Valley sophomore Mandy Marquardt was cycling around Rwanda sharing information about proper diabetes care with its inhabitants.

Marquardt, a standout member of the Penn State Lehigh Valley cycling team, also races for Team Type 1, a group of cycling athletes who seek to inspire and help people around the world that are affected by diabetes. The November 15-26 trip marked the second time that Team Type 1 has traveled to Rwanda to deliver diabetes supplies and spread the word about living with and managing diabetes. It was Marquardt's first time participating.

"I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes four years ago and was lucky to have all the education and resources necessary for managing it available to me," said Marquardt, a Breinigsville, Pa., resident. "It was so eye-opening to discover that, while I have the ability to test my blood sugar multiple times a day if necessary, many people in Rwanda only check theirs once a week, or even once a month, and don't know how to use the equipment."

In Rwanda, many people die from diabetes complications because of the severe lack of access to insulin and monitoring supplies, as well as to healthcare providers trained in diabetes care. This shortfall can be directly tied to the horrific genocide that took place in Rwanda in 1994, during which more than one million people were killed, three million were exiled, and 100,000 were imprisoned. While it is making significant strides, the Rwandan economy and infrastructure, including the healthcare system, still struggles to recover.

Part of Team Type 1's mission this year was to deliver life-saving diabetes testing supplies to the country. In addition, the trip was timed with the country's annual Tour of Rwanda race in which Team Type I's professional men's team participated and saw its members take first and second place. Marquardt and other non-racing team members stood alongside the Rwandan people as they cheered on the racers, and they rode as much as 171 kilometers in one day to clinics throughout the country to deliver the donated supplies. The team worked with Rwanda's Ministry of Health and the Rwanda Diabetes Association to organize meetings at the finish of each day's race, and a doctor traveling with the team spoke to hundreds of people about managing their condition.

"The friendliness and willingness of the Rwandan people to welcome us and cheer on all the riders really made an impact on me. Also, visiting a museum memorializing the genocide was an emotional and humbling experience," said Marquardt, who is majoring in business management and marketing. "The rides were often difficult. Rwanda is known as the land of 1,000 hills for a reason. But it was so worth it to help these people that I have something in common with, and show them that you can accomplish great things even when you have diabetes."

On Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. in room 135, they will sponsor the second annual Concert-4-Life, a non-stop musical event featuring student and community musicians. Admission is $5 with all proceeds benefitting THON.

From Dec.2-4, look for Penn State Lehigh Valley students at area businesses where they will can for donations all weekend long. This year's canning sites include Walmart in Hatfield, Quakertown, Trexlertown, Whitehall, and Lehighton; Dunkin’ Donuts on Hamilton Street in Wescosville; McDonald’s in Trexlertown; and various businesses on Lehigh Street in Allentown.

THON Penny Wars will be held Dec. 5-8 in Centre Hall and will decide who will represent the campus as THON dancers. Each penny dropped in a candidate's can is a vote in favor of that candidate, while silver and paper money count negatively toward that candidate. However, the outcome is far from negative as all proceeds go directly to THON's mission to conquer childhood cancer.

The Penn State Lehigh Valley team's goal is to raise $27,000 for The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital. Last year, they shattered their previous record by raising more than $24,000 toward the University total of more than $9 million.

For more information, contact University Relations at 610-285-5067.

Tim Kane, professor of electrical engineering and meteorology at Penn State, will be the featured presenter at the next Faculty Lecture Series event to be held at 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 29 in room 302 at the campus in Center Valley. Kane's lecture is titled: "Active Optical Sensing: A Gallimaufry of Applications." This event is free and open to the public.

Kane's talk will explore various aspects of active optical sensing systems. Emphasis will be placed on engineering challenges of deploying such instruments to the field, paying special attention to the impact of obscurants, turbulence, and interfaces on system performance. Discussion of current applications will serve as illustrative examples (including the occasional segue into the geosciences).

Tim Kane is a Professor of Electrical Engineering and Meteorology at Penn State, as well as a research scientist at Penn State’s Applied Research Lab (ARL). His interests lie in the area of optical remote sensing, primarily active (LIDAR) for use in studying various atmospheric, terrestrial, and oceanic phenomena.

For more information, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or e-mail aag18@psu.edu.

SAT Verbal will be held from 6-8 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays, Jan. 16, 18, 23, 25, 30 and February 1. Course fee: $109.

SAT Math will be held from 6-8 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays, February 6, 8, 13, 15, 20 and 22. Course fee: $109.

A combined SAT Verbal and Math class will be held from 9 a.m.-noon, Saturdays, Jan. 14- March 3. Course fee: $199.

The courses will be held at the campus in Center Valley which is located at 2809 Saucon Valley Road, Center Valley, 18034.

For more information, or to register, contact Diane McAloon at 610-285-5066 or e-mail dmcaloon@psu.edu. You can also visit www.lv.psu.edu/CE/28395.htm?cn21D for details about the review courses.

"We are thrilled to bring a new dimension to Penn State Lehigh Valley athletics with this new men's basketball team," said Rich Fatzinger, coordinator of athletics at the Lehigh Valley campus. "As our campus continues to grow, we hope that this is just the beginning of the expansion of our athletic offerings."

The program will play a full schedule as members of the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) and the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) which gives the team the opportunity to compete for conference and national championships.

The team is led by first-year head coach Dawud Abdur-Rahkman who brings his past experience as a former NCAA Division 1 assistant men's basketball coach at Howard University, former prep school coach, long-time grassroots youth recreation coach, and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball coach.

The team will play their first home game against Penn State Brandywine on Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. at the Southern Lehigh High School gymnasium.

For more information, contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or email aag18@psu.edu.

Author, musician, and screenwriter James McBride will speak at Penn State Lehigh Valley at 1 p.m. on Nov. 30 in room 135. The event is free and open to the public.

McBride's landmark memoir, "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to his White Mother," is considered an American classic and read in schools and universities across the United States. It is currently being read by students in a number of Penn State Lehigh Valley courses. His debut novel, "Miracle at St. Anna," was translated into a major motion picture directed by American filmmaker Spike Lee and released by Disney/Touchstone in September 2008. McBride also wrote the script for the film. His newest novel, "Song Yet Sung," was released in paperback in January 2009.

McBride is also a former staff writer for The Boston Globe, People Magazine, and The Washington Post. His work has appeared in Essence, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. His April 2007 National Geographic story entitled “Hip Hop Planet” is considered a respected treatise on African-American music and culture.

For more information, contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or email aag18@psu.edu.

In honor of Veterans Day, Penn State Lehigh Valley will host a program recognizing the sacrifice and service of our armed forces at 1 p.m. on November 11 in room 135 at the campus in Center Valley. During the event, a WWII veteran will share his personal experiences and what Veterans Day means, and students, faculty and staff who have served in the military will be recognized. In addition, a short documentary film, "A Lasting War," will be shown. The 15-minute video features three local WWII veterans who fought in different theaters of battle sharing their experiences. The event is free and open to the public.

Following the program, a group of students will depart the campus at 2 p.m. to perform community service at the Veterans Sanctuary in Allentown.

The campus' Student Government Association is also selling "Support the Troops" bracelets and donating the proceeds to the Wounded Warrior Project.

For more information, contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or email aag18@psu.edu.

Peter Khoury, of Schnecksville, Pa., was recently appointed to the Penn State University Board of Trustees by Governor Tom Corbett. Khoury, who attended the Lehigh Valley campus, is now a senior at University Park and will serve on the Board until July 1, 2014.

The tradition of the governor appointing a student to Penn State's Board of Trustees began roughly 20 years ago. As a trustee, Khoury will serve on a committee of the Board and participate in all activities of the Board as the representative voice of the students.

"I hope that I am able to do a significant amount of outreach to students all across the University, not only student leaders and those working in student government, but really try to understand the concerns of students who do not always have the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas," said Khoury. "Penn State students are the best and brightest out there, and I hope to work collaboratively with students to help address concerns and further propel Penn State in becoming the most student-centered University in the country."

Khoury has an extensive background in student leadership having served as two-time student chair of the University Faculty Senate, former Penn State Lehigh Valley Student Government Association vice president, former Council of Commonwealth Student Government (CCSG) vice president, and current CCSG president. Upon graduation, Khoury plans to attend Penn State's Dickinson School of Law.

For more information, contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or email aag18@psu.edu.

Penn State Lehigh Valley has announced the following appointment to its faculty:

Robert Wolfe has been appointed full-time instructor of business. Wolfe holds an M.B.A. from Eastern Michigan University. He previously taught in the economics department at East Stroudsburg University, in the accounting and finance department at Kutztown University and in the business and technology division at Northampton Community College. He is also president of Interex Software, Incorporated, d.b.a. Flexus based in Bangor, Pa. The company specializes in the development and marketing of programming tools and automated software migration services.

CRIM 100, Section 020                                                          

Intro to Criminal Justice                                                        

3 credits (GS)                                                             

Thursdays, 6:30-9pm                                                 

WEB work required                                                   

Begins 10/20/11                                

ENGL 015, Section 555                                                           

Rhetoric and Composition                                         

3 credits (GWS)                                                                      

WEB work required                                                               

Begins 10/17/11                                                                    

HIST 173, Section 020

Vietnam in War and Peace

3 credits (GH, IL)

Mondays & Wednesdays, 6:15-9pm

Begins 10/17/11

LER 201, Section 750

Employment Relationship: Law and Policy

3 credits (GS)

Thursdays, 6-9pm

WEB work required

Begins 10/20/11

MGMT 321, Section 555

Leadership and Motivation

3 credits

WEB work required

Begins 10/17/11

MGMT 341, Section 555

Human Resource Management

3 credits

Wednesdays, 6:15-9pm

WEB work required

Begins 10/19/11

MKTG 220, Section 040

Intro. to Selling Techniques

3 credits

Via video conferencing

Mondays, 6-9pm

Begins 10/17/11

NUTR 100, Section 020

Contemporary Nutrition Concerns

1.5 credits (GHA)

Thursdays, 6:30-9:10p

Begins 10/13/11

PHOTO 100, Section 030

Intro to Photography

3 credits (GA)

Saturdays, 9a-2:30p

Begins 10/15/11

SRA 111, Section 020

Intro to Security & Risk Analysis

3 credits (GS)

Mondays, 7:10-9:40p

WEB work required

Begins 10/17/11

The 2011 report from the Pennsylvania State Data Center showed an 82.6 percent increase in the last decade of the state's Hispanic population. The Lehigh Valley saw the second largest increase overall with 18.8 percent of Lehigh County’s total population of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, representing a 105.8 percent change since 2000. The influx of ELLs has had a tremendous impact on area schools. For example, the Allentown School District has an overall ELL population of 12.5 percent, and many of the schools have populations with significant numbers of ELLs. These shifting demographics have also had an impact on some smaller school districts in the Lehigh Valley that have had limited exposure to working with the ELLs who are now entering their schools.

The newly-funded program, Collaborative Teaching for English Language Learners (CTELL), is designed to address the critical need to prepare content-area teachers, particularly in the STEM fields of math and science, to work with ELLs and prepare them for academic learning and success. The program consists of a comprehensive year-long professional development curriculum that includes a collaborative teaching component in which content teachers partner with English as a second language (ESL) teachers to gain a better understanding of how to meet ELLs' instructional needs.

"The professional development preparation for mainstream classroom teachers, and in particular STEM subject teachers, has been a topic of concern for the last decade. These partnerships will allow educators to conduct collaborative action research within the classroom setting and to simultaneously evaluate the effectiveness of instructional strategies," said Mary Hutchinson, assistant professor of ESL education at Penn State Lehigh Valley and one of the CTELL program coordinators.

The campus, along with the Lehigh Valley Writing Project (LVWP), will work with Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit and Colonial Intermediate Unit to identify teachers to participate in CTELL. After completing a five-course, 15 credit series offered in hybridized format, the teachers will obtain the Pennsylvania ESL endorsement and will have developed and implemented a variety of strategies for working with ESL teachers and ELLs in math and science.

Hutchinson and her partners in this grant are no strangers to developing successful programs that address the growing needs of teachers of ELLs. The LVWP, in particular, is a significant resource for these grant initiatives. “As a professional development network, the LVWP has enabled educators to further their knowledge about second language acquisition, the teaching of writing, and the cultures of the populations they serve throughout the Lehigh Valley and Poconos,” said Nancy Coco, director of Continuing Education. In fact, the CTELL program builds and expands on a previous $1.3 million national grant received in 2007 to implement the Modular Design for English Language Learners Instruction Program (MODELL).

"Among the program's achievements are that it has grown from serving two school districts to six as well as a dual language charter school, and 125 in-service and pre-service teachers have graduated. One hundred percent of in-service completers have shown an increase in the presence of appropriate teaching strategies. The success of MODELL has poised us to make even greater strides with the CTELL program," said Hutchinson.

Baranoski, of Perkasie, Pa., placed first in the kilometer and sprint events, and second in the flying time trial. Marquardt, of Brienigsville, Pa., placed first in the flying time trial, second in the sprint, seventh in the three kilometer pursuit and rounded out the top ten in the points race.

Penn State’s 2011-2012 Laureate, Linda Patterson Miller, professor of English at Penn State Abington, will present a talk about "Ernest Hemingway in Letters, Literature and Life," at 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1 in room 302 at the campus in Center Valley. This event is free and open to the public.

Ernest Hemingway is an iconic figure in American literature and life, and his lifelong correspondence provides tantalizing peeks into how his life, both in America and Europe during the 20th century, inspired and shaped his art. Drawing from Hemingway's early letters, many previously unpublished, Miller will discuss how a Midwestern boy becomes, seemingly overnight, the "Father of Modern American Prose" as he discovers Paris and Modernism during the 1920s.

The Penn State laureate is a full-time University faculty member in the humanities or fine arts who is assigned half-time for one academic year to bring an enhanced level of social, cultural, artistic and human perspective and awareness to a broad array of audiences. The laureate will be a highly visible representative of Penn State who will appear regularly at events University-wide and throughout the Commonwealth at community and statewide events.

Linda Patterson Miller (B.A., Hope College; M.A., Ohio State University; Ph.D., University of Delaware) is Professor of English at Penn State Abington, where she has taught American literature since 1984, earning teaching awards including the Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching (2004). Miller publishes in all areas of American studies, but her specialty is early twentieth-century American literature and art. Her articles have appeared in numerous journals and in several edited book collections. Her books include (with Randall M. Miller) "The Book of American Diaries" (Avon, 1995) and "Letters from the Lost Generation: Gerald and Sara Murphy and Friends" (Rutgers University Press, 1991; paper 1993). Miller is presently completing another book on the American expatriate artists in France ("The Summer of ’26"), and her "Reading Hemingway: In Our Time" (Kent State University Press) is forthcoming.  Miller has lectured nationally and internationally on modernist art as it relates to American literature and art, and she is a popular speaker and book discussion leader for the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.  Prof. Miller served as guest scholar for C-Span’s two-hour show on Hemingway, aired live from Key West, Florida, as part of C-Span’s ongoing series American Writers: A Journey Through History.  Miller has been a Danforth Foundation Associate as well as a Lilly Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellow.  She has served as a scholarly consultant on expatriate American writers and artists for American Playhouse, PBS, and most recently for a special exhibition at Williams College Museum of Art in 2007 followed by a selected national tour. She has long served as a board member of the Ernest Hemingway Foundation, and she chairs the Editorial Review Board for "The Cambridge Edition of the Letters of Ernest Hemingway," to be published as a multi-volume series by Cambridge University Press.  Miller wrote the Foreword for Volume 1, forthcoming in 2011. 

During the presentation, Coppersmith will share the evolution of her idea for the publication, the ups and downs of publishing it and the current state of Town & Gown. In addition, she will offer inspiration to follow one's own dream.

Nearly 45 years ago, Mimi Ungar Barash Coppersmith convinced her late husband Sy to start Town & Gown. The monthly magazine of local and regional interest focuses on Centre County and Penn State and can be found in nearly 400 Centre County locations, including The HUB, The Corner Room, The Nittany Lion Inn and the Visitor’s Bureau across from Beaver Statium. It serves as a bridge between the community and the campus. The magazine, which is free to the public, was launched by Coppersmith in 1966 and today flourishes as a well-read publication both by residents and the many visitors to the Centre County region.  Each month, the eponymous "Lunch with Mimi" column features an interview with a notable person from Penn State or State College. Coppersmith, who ran the Barash Group advertising business for nearly fifty years, describes Town & Gown as her "legacy to Happy Valley."  A 1953 Penn State graduate with a degree in journalism, who calls herself a "frustrated journalist," Coppersmith served as the first woman chair of the Penn State Board of Trustees.

For more information, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or e-mail aag18@psu.edu.

The title of this exhibition might suggest the iconographic destinations a tourist associates with the American landscape such as the Grand Canyon or Yosemite, so-called 'Kodak Moments,' but Graves' and Gridley’s "American Scenics" are those places identified by place names only and constructed by human hands. The landscapes and cityscapes depicted are often discovered by chance en route from one place to another as their commercial photography assignments dictate.  

Gridley's interest is with the vernacular landscape of backyards; how the plot of land surrounding a house is altered and shaped by its inhabitants. Specifically, this series depicts lawn ornamentation such as deer and other yard creations. Graves' subjects are often color dominant, mundane and ordinary, and they are sought after as personal challenges to understanding photography and photographic seeing. His work may be less documentary in scope than Gridley's, but the two bodies of work are created parallel to one another as loosely based collaborations. Formally each is similar in their approach: film based cameras and digitally generated color inkjet prints.

The exhibition is free and open to the public. The gallery is located on the third floor of the campus at 2809 Saucon Valley Road, Center Valley. Gallery hours are Monday 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday noon-5 p.m., Wednesday and Friday 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursday noon-6 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. For an appointment, or for more information, please contact Ann Lalik, gallery director, at 610-285-5261 or e-mail annlalik@psu.edu.

The THON kickoff event marks the official start of the fundraising season that leads up to the 46-hour, no sitting, no sleeping Dance Marathon held each February at the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park. Last year, the campus team shattered their previous record by raising more than $24,000 toward the University total of $9 million. Proceeds from THON benefit the Four Diamonds Fund in its effort to conquer pediatric cancer.

In addition to the kickoff event, the campus team is planning various fundraising projects including the popular "Mr. LV" talent competition, and canning weekends at sites around the Lehigh Valley.

For more information, contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or email aag18@psu.edu. For more information about THON, visit www.thon.org online.

During the program, Penn State Lehigh Valley students will moderate a panel discussion with the public officials in attendance. At the conclusion of the student-moderated question period, audience members will have the opportunity to pose questions. Officials from across the Lehigh Valley region will attend this event. Confirmed attendees include State Senator Lisa Boscola, United States Senator Robert Casey, State Senator Robert Mensch, State Representative Steve Samuelson, and State Representative Justin Simmons.

The program offers information to local high school juniors and seniors considering admission to Penn State, and students who have already been offered admission to the University. Hear about the options and opportunities at Penn State, speak with faculty, and interact with students, staff, and alumni. A financial aid Q&A session will also be part of the program.

To register, call 610-285-5000 or visit www.lv.psu.edu.

Twenty-three students graduated from Penn State Lehigh Valley's Practical Nursing Program during a ceremony held at 6 p.m., Sept. 15  at the campus in Center Valley. Gary Guldin, R.N., MSN, Ed.M., director of nursing at Phoebe Home Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Allentown, provided the keynote address.

Practical Nursing Class of 2011

Allentown

April Azubuike

Laura Figueroa

Madelyn Hernandez

Catherine Houck

Michele Miller

Bethlehem

Ana Bernabel

Diane Ensley

Taneah Hampton

Nancy Nemchik

Heather Yost

Bath

Mary Jane Schaffer

Easton

Deborah Brown

Benjamin Lifschutz

Lisa Lipyanic

April Sims

New Tripoli

Heather Keen

Quakertown

Danielle Saglimbeni

Palmer

Melissa Muzac

Palmerton

Lisa Young

Pen Argyl

Chrysa Wassel

Pocono Summit

Zorena Jagnandan

Slatington

Amanda Andrews

Susan Maikits

In addition to receiving certificates and pins, four students were recognized with awards in the following categories:

Academic Achievement (presented to the student earning the highest overall grade-point average) – Nancy Nemchik

Chancellor's Award for Leadership (recognizes outstanding leadership and professionalism during the nursing education process) – Benjamin Lifschutz and Mary Jane Schaffer

Excellence in Clinical Practice (granted to the nursing student who best displays a high regard for clinical care and clinical aptitude) – Heather Keen

Most Compassionate (presented to the student who displays exceptional emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy for others) – Nancy Nemchik

Those interested can choose from 14 flavors including Peachy Paterno, Bittersweet Mint, and WPSU Coffee Break.

Order forms may be obtained by visiting http://psulvalumni.org/ online.

Ramin, originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., began his college career at Penn State Lehigh Valley's former location in Fogelsville. After two years at the Lehigh Valley campus, he transferred to University Park where he completed his bachelor's degree in biology with vertebrate physiology as his focus in just one year.

Ramin's interest in pursuing medicine began with his eleventh grade biology class during which he became fascinated with the human body and how it is structured and organized to function. He also discovered he wanted a career where he would use his knowledge to help benefit the lives of others.

"My college courses only reinforced my decision. Penn State Lehigh Valley gave me many opportunities that I would not have found anywhere else, including great faculty who provided positive course experiences and advice, and helped expand my knowledge and critical thinking skills," said Ramin.

SELECT is a four-year program leading to the M.D. degree that focuses on developing the leadership skills of students chosen for their scholarly excellence, emotional intellect, and deep desire and determination to positively alter the future of health care practice and administration. Ramin and his classmates will spend the first two years of the program at USFCOM then return to the Lehigh Valley for two years of clinical education at leadership development at LVHN.

"I am excited to be a part of this program and plan to take full advantage of what SELECT has to offer because I believe it will make me a better physician in the long run. After completing the program, I would like to stay in the Lehigh Valley area to practice medicine and possibly specialize in cardiology."

For more information, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or email aag18@psu.edu.

Barbara Campbell, instructor of elementary social studies at Penn State Lehigh Valley, came up with the idea for this outreach activity as a way to benefit both the college and elementary students.

"Constitution Day gives our students an opportunity to get their feet wet in a real classroom before they begin their student teaching. But beyond that, I hope the subject matter helps to reinforce the importance of teaching and learning social studies for both sets of students," said Campbell. "It is in social studies class where we begin to teach participatory citizenship, but the standards and regulations of today often leave the subject behind in the curriculum."

Some of the students will prepare and execute their own grade level-appropriate lesson on their own, while others will be paired with a partner. At Cetronia Elementary school, eight students will teach in grades 1-5 between 9 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. At Parkway Manor, 15 students will teach in grades 2-5 from 2:30-3:15 p.m.

This marks the second year that Campbell's class will participate in the Constitution Day outreach activity.

"I received lots of positive feedback from the classroom teachers and our student educators. This year our local representatives are also getting involved by providing Constitution booklets for intermediate students, and the Pennsylvania Bar Association provided gavel-shaped pencils for primary students," said Campbell. "We are looking forward to partnering with these schools and interacting with their students again."

For more information, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or email aag18@psu.edu.

Gary Guldin is director of nursing at the Phoebe Home Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Allentown, Pa. He earned his bachelor's degree in nursing from Penn State, his master's in education at Temple University and master's in nursing at Villanova University. He served as program coordinator, senior program manager and statewide program manager of the Practical Nurse Program at Penn State Lehigh Valley from Oct. 2005 to Nov. 2010. Guldin also was an instructor of health occupations at Lehigh Career and Technical Institute and was the assistant head nurse of the Special Care and Intensive Care Units at Lehigh Valley Hospital. He currently serves as a per-diem a nursing supervisor at Lehigh Valley Health Network.

For more information, or for media inquiries, please contact Allison Goodin at 610-285-5067 or e-mail aag18@psu.edu. Penn State Lehigh Valley is located at 2809 Saucon Valley Rd., Center Valley.

The keynote speakers for the conference are David Freeman, professor of reading and ESL, and Yvonne Freeman, professor of bilingual education, at the University of Texas at Brownsville. The Freemans are interested in effective education for emergent bilingual students and the development of academic language for English language learners. Among their publications are "Academic Language for English Language Learners and Struggling Readers," the revised translation of "La enseñanza de la lectura y la escritura en el salón bilingüe y de doble inmersión," and "English Language Learners: The Essential Guide." The pair recently edited a book as well, "Diverse Learners in the Mainstream Classroom."

The early registration fee, which is accepted until Sept. 17, is $59. Late and on-site registration is $69. On-site registration is limited. Teachers earn five Act 48 credits for attending the conference.

To download a full conference schedule and registration form, please visit http://www.diverseliteracies.org.

In addition to volunteering their services to help at the stations, which may include washing vehicles and organizing supplies, the students will also hear a presentation about 9/11 and first responders given by Cetronia personnel.

"We are very excited about the educational component of this year's day of service," said Cindy Nguyen, coordinator of student activities. "It is important for our student volunteers, many of whom were very young when the attacks occurred, to understand why this day of service and honoring our first responders is so important."

Baranoski also had a strong seventh place finish in both the men's sprint event and the men's keirin.

During the presentation, Hardman will challenge the view that, despite the increasing sophistication of our understanding of the player-sport-coach relationship, the dominant perspective of the sports coach is still an instrumental one, focused almost exclusively on performance, achievement, and competitive success. Hardman argues that the coaching process is an inherently moral one with an inescapably ethical dimension, involving intense relationships between players and coaches. He critically examines this moral aspect, develops an idea of what sports coaching ought to be, and argues that coaches must be aware of the ethical implications of their acts.

Alun R. Hardman is senior lecturer and discipline director in the socio-cultural aspects of sport at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff. His academic focus is on the philosophy of sport and physical education, with particular interests in the area of applied sports ethics and how change and its moral implications impact upon sporting practices and their communities. Hardman's undergraduate degrees were conferred by the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff. He received a master's degree in human performance and sports studies from the University of Tennessee, and a doctorate in exercise and sport sciences from Penn State.

Friday, Sept. 16

Being a Lehigh Valley Muslim, Pre- and Post- September 11, 2001

Members of the Muslim Association of the Lehigh Valley will join us to share their experience of being Muslim, Post-September 11, 2001. The program will begin with an overview of Islam, followed by three panel members sharing their experiences.  A question and answer period will follow.

Friday, Oct. 7

Pennsylvania Folklore

Kenneth Thigpen, Director of Academic Affairs at Penn State Lehigh Valley, is known for his work exploring Pennsylvania folklore and documenting it through film.  From “Halloween 1985” in State College, Pa., to a rattlesnake festival, Thigpen has collected oral histories and will share his research and experiences with the beliefs, legends, and customs in and around Pennsylvania.

Friday, Nov. 4

Leonardo’s Horse and Its Trip through the Foundry

Local artist Milan Kralik will tell the story of Charles Dent and his dream of resurrecting the idea of Leonardo’s horse, building it, and giving it to Italy as a gift from the American people. The talk begins with a brief summary of Leonardo daVinci’s efforts to create the world’s largest bronze equestrian monument, then moves to Charles Dent organizing Leonardo daVinci’s Horse, Inc. (LDVHI) and taking the reins of this project in 1978, covering the horse’s evolution from clay to bronze at Tallix Art Foundry.  This includes the artistic and technical aspects of sculpting, enlarging, mold making, casting, fabrication, and engineering of the armature.

Friday, Dec. 2

Recharging and Rebalancing for Your Bonus Years

Connie Challingsworth discusses developing a plan for living a life of purpose and meaning, and a quest for greater options, choices, opportunities, and possibilities. Her talk will explore getting the right balance in terms of lifestyle, health and wellness, re-working work, relationships, volunteering, lifelong learning, and leisure.  Explore the meaning of what the “new” retirement really means now and into the “bonus” years.

While the majority of Penn State Lehigh Valley's new class hails from the Keystone State, some students are traveling from as far as China to begin their journey as Nittany Lions.

"We are thrilled to welcome so many new students into the Penn State Lehigh Valley family. Our faculty, staff, and student leaders are eager to introduce the class of 2015 to all that Penn State has to offer," says Ann Williams, chancellor of the campus.

During their New Student Orientation activities on Thursday, the new Penn Staters will find out more about how to make the most of their college experience through group sessions, a diversity-themed performance by the Metamorphosis Theatre Company, and workshops covering everything from athletics, to majors, to service learning.

At 11:45 a.m., a new student mixer, complete with music and information about campus services, will let the students get to know their classmates, and the entire campus community will gather for a welcome picnic outdoors (weather permitting) at 12:45 p.m.

For more information, or for media inquiries, please contact Allison Goodin at 610-285-5067 or e-mail aag18@psu.edu.

The Arts Project at Penn State Lehigh Valley continues this fall with a series of mini art workshops designed for adults and teens. The workshops are approved for ACT 48 credit for Pennsylvania teachers. All instructors are Penn State adjunct faculty for the campus’ growing art program and bring a wealth of artistic experiences to the program. Courses will meet once a week from Sept. 20-Oct. 26. The campus offers newly renovated studio facilities and is conveniently located across from the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley. For more information, call Ann Lalik at 610-285-5261 or visit www.lv.psu.edu/artsproject/ online. To register, contact Carol Buddock at 610-285-5058.

Course List:

The Art of Collage instructed by Ron DeLong
Wednesdays, 6-8 p.m.
A collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole work of art. A collage may include newspaper clippings, ribbons, bits of colored or hand-made papers, portions of other artwork, photographs and other found objects, glued to a piece of paper or canvas. The origins of collage can be traced back hundreds of years. Collage made a dramatic reappearance in the early 20th century as an art form of novelty. Collage derives from the French "coller" meaning glue.

Beginning Jewelry and Metalwork instructed by Ann Lalik
Tuesdays, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Explore the technical challenges and creative discovery of designing and creating your own jewelry. In this class, designed just for beginners, students will learn to fabricate (saw, sand, solder, polish), unique and personal designs. No prior metalsmithing or art knowledge is required.

Advanced Metals and Jewelry instructed by Ann Lalik
Tuesdays, 9-11 a.m.
This class is designed for students who are familiar with the basics of metalsmithing and jewelry making, such as fabricating, casting, finishing, and simple stone setting. Students will develop individual ideas and explore new concepts. Technical demonstrations will be offered at the students’ request.

Introduction to Digital Photography instructed by Greta Brubaker
Tuesdays, 6-8 p.m.
This course will address the basic principles of working with digital photography. The primary focus will be on learning a digital workflow and proper camera use. Flatbed scanning and ink jet printing will also be addressed.

Exploring Nature through Drawing instructed by Karen Steen
Tuesdays, 6-8 p.m
Students in this class will develop drawing skills using elements from nature such as leaves, shells, bones, flowers, and pods. Instruction will emphasize using value and line to define form. Students will experiment with a variety of drawing media, including graphite, conte crayon, charcoal, and colored pencil. Both representational and abstract approaches will be incorporated into lessons.

About the Instructors:

Ron DeLong, M.Ed.; B.S. Kutztown University, Kutztown, Pa.
DeLong enhanced his degree training studying painting and European cinema at the University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria. He served as a guest lecturer/professor for National Art Education Getty Center Post-Graduate DBAE Institutes and Crayola Institutes. Among his many awards and accomplishments, he was named National Northeast Art Educator of the Year in 2000; Pennsylvania Art Educator of the Year 2002; received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Crayola in 2007; and was recognized by Art Education of New Jersey with an Executive Board Award for distinguished service to the field. DeLong maintains an extensive fine art exhibition portfolio with a regional, state, national, and international focus. In addition to teaching, he is co-president of Studio & Gallery 2908 LLC in Slatington, Pa.

Ann Lalik, M.F.A; B.F.A Metalsmithing, Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa.
Lalik is Gallery Director and Arts Coordinator at Penn State Lehigh Valley. She brings many years of teaching and program coordinating experience to the Lehigh Valley campus. As an artist, she focuses on designing and creating wearable art objects that chronicle her life as a woman in modern society, using precious and non-precious metals, plastics, and found objects. Her work has been exhibited regionally and nationally in galleries and museums.

Greta Brubaker, B.A. Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pa.; M.F.A photography, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, R.I.
Brubaker currently pursues her own fine art photography and exhibits extensively. In addition to teaching at Penn State Lehigh Valley, she teaches photography at Muhlenberg College and Lafayette College. Her approach to teaching is to encourage students to explore the medium of photography, both technically and aesthetically with guidance to generate an environment in which they can explore innovative ways of seeing, thinking, and talking about art.

Karen Steen, M.F.A Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; B.A. Illustration, The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Ca.; B.S. Business, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Co.
Steen started her professional career as an editorial illustrator. Her scientific paintings were published in a number of books and magazines that related to health and medicine. More recently, Steen has started combining her technical experience with a more experimental and intuitive approach. She has won numerous awards and exhibited widely throughout the United States.

While the rest of his classmates are getting to know each other during orientation activities on August 18, incoming Penn State Lehigh Valley freshman Matt Baranoski will be on the other side of the world competing at the 2011 Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Juniors Track World Championships in Moscow, Russia. Baranoski joins 15 other athletes to represent the United States during the Aug. 17-21 competition.

Though the Perkasie native is a little disappointed about missing some of those first memory-making events of his college career, Baranoski is eager to give his all in an attempt to beat his bronze medal finish at the 2010 World Championships, a performance that automatically secured his spot on this year's team. However, even with one world championship showing under his belt, his participation this year was not a sure thing. In February, Baranoski fell ill with mononucleosis, and his training was significantly impaired.

"I wasn't sure I'd be able to compete at all this summer," says Baranoski, who plans to major in electrical engineering and minor in kinesiology at Penn State. "But then I started to feel better and made it to the junior national championship in July in Texas, where I ended up winning all five of my events."

His performance in July added to a list of wins that has been growing since Baranoski began racing at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center at age six. It was at the Trexlertown facility, formerly known as the Velodrome, that Baranoski and his brother got started in cycling through free programs offered by Air Products. With a natural talent for the sport, he won his age group at nationals at age 12 and his cycling career began to take shape. It has also remained a family affair with his father, Mike, serving as his coach.

Attending Penn State Lehigh Valley is helping the cyclist keep both his athletic and academic career on course. With its close proximity to the Valley Preferred track, the campus is the home of the Penn State cycling team which has won multiple collegiate national titles under the direction of coaching legend Jim Young. Academically, Baranoski is also a standout having been admitted to Penn State's prestigious Schreyer Honors College, which represents the top five percent of students at the University.

"Being in the Lehigh Valley, I've been able to ride with the best, including former Olympian Bobby Lea, a former Penn State Lehigh Valley cyclist, and Penn State is flexible in working with my cycling schedule. My goal is to follow in Lea's footsteps and qualify for the Olympic team in 2012 or 2016."

With all of his past success and inspiration from other cyclists to motivate him in Russia, Baranoski is still mindful of the reality that, when it comes to cycling, the U.S. is a major underdog.

"In Europe, cycling is like NASCAR. In countries like Australia, promising cyclists are sent to training academies. It's a totally different animal," says Baranoski. "My number one priority is to race to the best of my ability. Then it's back to get my classes started and start racing with the collegiate team."

Follow Baranoski's blog at www.mattbaranoski.wordpress.com.

In preparing to commemorate the events of September 11, a call-to-artists from Marilyn J. Fox, director of Penn State Berks' Freyberger Gallery, brought over 80 submissions with 40 artists selected and over 80 works of art. The overwhelming response from artists prompted Fox to invite other venues to partner with the Berks campus, thus creating this historic multi-venue exhibition. Partnering with the Freyberger Gallery is Penn State Lehigh Valley, along with The Yocum Institute for Arts Education in Wyomissing, and the Jewish Cultural Center of Reading. Each location will feature works based around themes that emerged from the body of submissions.

The Lehigh Valley campus exhibition includes seven nationally and internationally recognized visual artists exhibiting 30 works. Participating artists include Denise Bankuti (Burbank, Calif.), Patricia Dahlman (Lyndhurst, N.J.), Beth Krensky (Salt Lake City, Utah), Kathy Levine (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Marjorie Morrow (New York, N.Y.), Katie Samuelson (Cheshire, Conn.), and David Wander (New York, N.Y.).

In addition to the gallery exhibition, interdisciplinary collaborations will enhance the impact of the art for the campus and community. Extracurricular activities will occur with faculty in various academic disciplines throughout the duration of the exhibition.  Highlights are listed below.

Sept. 8

How Does It Feel To Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America, 10 years after 9/11 Moustafa Bayoumi, author of the 2008 American Book Award winner "How Does It Feel to be a Problem: Being Young and Arab in America," will speak on Thursday, Sept. 8 at 12:15 p.m. Dr. Bayoumi’s writings have appeared in many publications including The New York Times Magazine, The Guardian, The Nation, and CNN.com, and he has been featured by NPR, The Wall Street Journal, and other media outlets. Bayoumi is currently professor of English at Brooklyn College, City University of New York.

Recycled Paper Casting Workshop with featured artist Kathy Levine

Levine's own recycled paper sculpture responds to personal experiences in her Brooklyn neighborhood directly after the 9-11 attacks. Workshop date: Thursday, Sept. 8, 2-4 p.m.  Fee is $15.00. Enrollment is limited. For more information or to register, call 610-285-5058.

Sept. 9

9-11 Memorial Service

Music and verse will enhance this gathering to remember and reflect from 1-2 p.m. on Sept. 9. 

Sept.16

SAGE Lecture Series 

Members of the Lehigh Valley Muslim community will share their experience as a Muslim living in America post 9-11. This program will be held on Friday, Sept. 16 at 11 a.m. The SAGE lecture series is open to participants age 55+. Registration is required. Please contact Diane McAloon at 610-285-5066 for more information or to register.

Additional displays of art, writings, and audio responses and interviews will be located throughout the campus.

With the start of another school year just around the corner, sports teams across the region are gearing up for a new season of high school athletics. As team coaches start planning for physical conditioning, more than 50 of the area's most promising high school athletes will also add a dash of S.A.L.T. to their training regimens during a program offered by Penn State Lehigh Valley Athletics. The program, Student Athlete Leadership Training (S.A.L.T.), now in its second year, will be held from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 2, in room 135 at the campus in Center Valley.

S.A.L.T. is an intensive one-day course designed to enhance the inherent leadership skills of student athletes and instill the importance of developing a culture of respect and responsibility toward others. Included in the course are activities that cover leadership characteristics, communication, conflict resolution and team building.

"We are excited to offer this program as a resource for athletes and coaches again this year," said Rich Fatzinger, coordinator of athletics at Penn State Lehigh Valley, who developed the program. "The students accepted into S.A.L.T. have been identified as leaders both in their sports and in their schools. The skills discussed on Tuesday aim to help them be successful both in sports and in life."

In addition to the on-campus day of training, all of the participants will become part of the S.A.L.T. Facebook page, an online resource maintained by Penn State Lehigh Valley that will allow the athletes to stay connected with each other, share concerns, and create new ideas.

Scheduled participants in S.A.L.T. represent teams from the Lehigh Valley Conference, the Mountain Valley Conference, Schuylkill Valley Conference, and the Colonial League, and include Allentown Central Catholic, Bethlehem Catholic, Catasauqua, Easton Area, East Stroudsburg South, Emmaus, Freedom, Liberty, Lincoln Leadership Academy, Nazareth, Northampton, Pocono Mountain West, Stroudsburg, Tamaqua Area, and Whitehall high schools.

For more information, please contact Allison Goodin, assistant director of University Relations, at 610-285-5067 or e-mail aag18@psu.edu.

"From our early days as an extension of the College of Engineering, to providing women with training during World War II, to offering associate and baccalaureate degrees, Penn State Lehigh Valley has always adapted to meet the specific educational needs of our community," said Williams.

The Lehigh Valley is the third largest population area in Pennsylvania and, according to the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, the second fastest growth area in the Northeast with a projected population increase of 22 percent by 2030. In addition, the number of high school graduates in the area served by Penn State Lehigh Valley is expected to increase 16.5 percent between 2004 and 2016.

Based on these factors, and the campus' sustained trend of enrollment growth, the Board of Trustees approved the purchase of a campus in Center Valley in 2009. Since moving to Center Valley, the Lehigh Valley campus has grown not just in physical plant, but also in enrollment, diversity, academic and cultural programming, student life and athletics, and outreach.

"Our new location has set the stage for Penn State Lehigh Valley's tradition of excellence to continue into its next century. At nearly 100 years old, we are brand new, innovative, engaged, and engaging," said Williams.

Evidence of this can be seen in the renovated science and engineering labs, where faculty and students conduct cutting-edge research, some with technology provided by corporate partners. For example, Olympus of America, whose headquarters is located just a mile from the new campus, recently supplied Penn State Lehigh Valley's biology lab with a special fluorescent microscope with a camera/monitor system that has allowed undergraduates to research and photograph red blood cells the way professional scientists do.

Faculty also work in innovative ways to offer students credit courses married with global opportunities, like a recent business and communications collaboration that took more than twenty students to China this past May. For many of these students, it was their first trip abroad. While they were exploring a new culture and attending classes at one of the emerging super-power's business universities, another group of Penn State students was researching water conservation and sustainability at China's Lake Taihu as part of a biology field course.

Students are embracing the call to be good citizens by adding the campus' new interdisciplinary Civic Engagement minor to their major coursework, a choice that sent them to the La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica during Spring Break 2011, rather than the beach. The students were so inspired by what they were exposed to on the trip that they organized a Fair Trade Awareness event to educate the entire campus about the ecological and economic issues of the rain forest environment upon their return.

They continue to shatter campus records in raising money For the Kids, contributing more than $24,000 to THON 2011. Penn State Lehigh Valley's THON total consistently ranks among the highest for participating groups of similar size.

The addition of dedicated art classroom and gallery space has engaged both the campus community and the Lehigh Valley community by offering credit and non-credit classes in sculpture, metalsmithing, and drawing, and a destination to view exhibitions of regional and national artists' work.

Students at the Lehigh Valley campus are busy. Many have part-time or full-time jobs to help pay for their education and support families, yet they are following their dreams and finding the support they need to become successful graduates. Two 2011 graduates provide noteworthy examples.

Macungie native Emma Webb completed a bachelor of science in biology in just three years. It is a relatively rare accomplishment for most college students, and Webb succeeded in doing it while also working and juggling the responsibilities of being a mother to four-year-old Samantha. Though her degree officially came from the University Park campus, Webb chose to attend Penn State Lehigh Valley's Commencement ceremony in part because she began her college education at Penn State Lehigh Valley through a dual-enrollment program in her senior year of high school and developed strong relationships with many of her Lehigh Valley professors throughout her time at the campus. During her last year, Webb and her daughter traveled back and forth to University Park each week. Her hard work paid off as she was recently accepted to the first-ever class of a new medical education partnership between Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) and the University of South Florida College of Medicine (USFCOM), the SELECT program that focuses on developing the leadership skills of students chosen for their scholarly excellence, emotional intellect, and their deep desire and determination to positively alter the future of health care practice and administration.

Penn State's willingness to work with members of our armed services helped army intelligence warrant officer David Goodpaster to receive his bachelor's degree from the Lehigh Valley campus this past May, after military training and several deployments to the Middle East forced him to put his education on hold a number of times. Penn State Lehigh Valley faculty member Carolina McCluskey worked with Goodpaster to create an independent study based on his military experience that helped him achieve those final few credits needed to complete his degree.

For much of its history, Penn State Lehigh Valley's focus was to provide training and coursework for businesses and professionals, not the traditional undergraduate student. Today, that mission continues in the Lehigh Valley through the Continuing Education department (CE), which offers workforce, professional, and personal development programming for individuals of all ages and maintains strong ties to local businesses and organizations. CE's close relationship with the campus has also led to collaborations with the undergraduate population, particularly between the department's Lehigh Valley Writing Project (LVWP), a National Writing Project site, and the education program's student teachers who are encouraged to present at LVWP conferences, take classes, and be mentored by its network of teachers.

The Lehigh Valley boasts the largest contingency of Penn State alumni outside of Centre County, and the campus provides a variety of ways for them to stay connected to their alma mater. The Penn State Lehigh Valley Alumni Society offers networking and social opportunities, but is also committed to providing future students with access to a Penn State education through its successful scholarship fundraising efforts that include a now bi-annual Berkey Creamery ice cream sale that is among the most successful across the campus system. Additionally, Penn State Lehigh Valley's local Advisory Board counts a number of alumni among its membership and recognizes other exceptional Penn Staters through its recently-established Featured Alumni program.

The VLN is a network of linked, video-based classrooms that are designed to offer a wide variety of credit courses to adult learners across the Penn State system. A VLN class starts with a professor lecturing to students from one broadcast site. The content is transferred over a broadband network to up to three receiving sites. As with a traditional classroom, the students and instructors interact during the class session using the specially designed technology installed in the VLN classroom which includes high-definition monitors, microphones, and cameras. The instructor can incorporate various multimedia platforms and educational tools during a lecture.

Penn State Lehigh Valley will offer four certificate programs using the VLN network this fall in Business Essentials, Labor and Employment Relations, Counseling Youth at Risk, and Nursing Management. For more information about these courses, visit www.lv.psu.edu/CE/credit.htm, or call Diane McAloon at 610-285-5066.

High school seniors, juniors, and their parents are invited to "Spend a Summer Evening" at Penn State Lehigh Valley's campus at 2809 Saucon Valley Road in Center Valley. The program will be held at 7 p.m. on August 11 and will offer information about the options and opportunities of Penn State University.

The focus will be the admission process and financial aid timeline. Information about Penn State majors and campus selections will be discussed.

To register, or for more information, call Penn State Lehigh Valley at 610-285-5000, or visit www.lv.psu.edu and click on the "Spend a Summer Evening" button.

"We are delighted to be working with the FE Program to provide another dimension to its summer leadership conference," says Ann Lalik, gallery director and arts coordinator at Penn State Lehigh Valley. "This workshop will offer the students experience training in a skill that will engender creative thinking, problem solving, and eye-hand coordination, as well as an opportunity to explore personal motivations."

The workshop will begin with an inspirational talk by the artists, who will share their passion and insight about how the arts impact the world. During the Design and Drawing session, artist Ron DeLong will guide the students in designing and drawing a personal AVATAR. Heather Sincavage will lead a sculpture session in which students will create a stylized sculpture of a real or fictitious animal that represents an aspect of themselves.

The FE Program was launched in 2009 by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of the Lehigh Valley with the objective of delivering comprehensive life skills and entrepreneurial training to Latino students who aim to increase their rate of educational, economic, and social success. The program is sponsored by the generosity of Aetna, DeSales University, and Penn State Lehigh Valley, and receives additional support from more than twenty business organizations across the region. The Arts Project is a new outreach effort at Penn State Lehigh Valley that offers noncredit art programs to organizations and individuals in the community (visit http://www.lv.psu.edu/ce/29057.htm for additional details).

For more information about this event, please contact Ann Lalik at 610-285-5261 or e-mail annlalik@psu.edu. For information about the FE Program, please contact Alvaro A. Diaz, president of the FE Foundation at 610-351-6798 or e-mail adiaz@hcclv.org.    

The reality of urbanization and industrialization is leaving a mark on an important life-sustaining resource, water—especially in China. Students from Penn State University and China’s Jiangnan University recently addressed the problem head-on, undertaking field research on the shores of Lake Taihu, China’s third largest fresh water lake, from May 14-31. While there, they studied the effects of industrial, municipal, and urban development within Jiangsu Province—one of the most industrialized regions in China—and offered strategic suggestions for the lake’s restoration.

The hands-on research adventure was part of Penn State Lehigh Valley’s 2011 field course, Biology 497C, "Global Environmental Sustainability: A Field Study in China" (http://www2.lv.psu.edu/jxm57/explore/china2011/) and its larger international program, CHANCE (Connecting Humans And Nature through Conservation Experiences).

To gain understanding of the issues, the interdisciplinary group of twenty-eight students, many from the Lehigh Valley campus, and ten faculty attended a day-long workshop, carried out field-based research at northern and southern sites along the shores and in the lake, visited water treatment plants and factories, and met with local residents and leaders.

"Working with the Chinese students and faculty to collect field data and run laboratory tests really made me feel like a global citizen," said Mike Neel of Schnecksville, a junior majoring in science. "We worked together to combat a problem that threatens the entire world."

The course practicum began with a day-long workshop, The Water Environment and the Ecological Restoration of Taihu Lake, which featured speakers such as renown scientist and Nobel Laureate, Richard Alley, Ph.D., of Penn State’s Earth and Mineral Sciences Institute, and Zhejiang University’s Chen Yingxu, Ph.D.

Next, they conducted cooperative experiments on the water quality of, and land use around, Lake Taihu to improve their awareness of environmental problems and learn sampling and analysis methods used to diagnose aquatic ecosystem health and stability. After analyzing the chemical, biological, and physical characteristics, students found that nutrient levels are indicative of a eutrophic state and unsafe for human consumption. Since Lake Taihu remains an important ecological and therefore economic concern for nearby Wuxi City, the students’ results indicate that more waste and industrial water treatment facilities are warranted, as is enhanced environmental education to create a more knowledgeable and responsible citizenry.

"The good news is that restoration efforts presently in place (blue-green algae salvage ships, dredging lake bottom, factory relocation, artificial floating beds, introduction of algae eating fish, water transferring via Yangtze River tributaries, restoration of riparian buffers) are cumulatively acting to lessen the eutrophication process," said Jacqueline McLaughlin, Ph.D., Penn State Lehigh Valley associate professor of biology who led the field course.

At the conclusion of the practicum, students, faculty members, technical experts, government leaders, business leaders, and noted American and Chinese scientists met and fielded questions about the economic and environmental health of the area studied. Students delivered group research projects on the water quality and sustainability of Lake Taihu, including experimental design, implementation, and data interpretation.

For more information on this course and other CHANCE programs, contact Jacqueline McLaughlin, Founding Director of CHANCE, at JShea@psu.edu or visit www.chance.psu.edu.

In addition to food, games and activities, and fellowship, the picnic will feature guest speaker Brady Rourke '03 '06, coordinator of academic support programs for football student-athletes at Penn State. Rourke also serves as director of Penn State's Athletic Director's Leadership Institute, and faculty adviser to the Sportsmanship Initiative started in 2009 by Penn State students. In addition, there will be a drawing to win the right to purchase a set of 2011 football season tickets (guests must be present to win).

Hamburgers, hot dogs, and drinks will be provided. Guests are asked to contribute a covered dish or dessert. For more information, or to RSVP, please call Chuck Adomshick at 610-398-3214.

Discovery camps are offered in ecology, robotics, and filmmaking and are geared toward seventh through tenth graders. Writing camps are offered in nine different topics and include options for all grade levels. Two swimming camps are offered in conjunction with the Swim-In Zone for grades K-4 and 5-8. A full-day and extended camp option is also available.

Also new this year is a series of three writing camps to be held at Shafer Elementary School in Nazareth, PA, from 9 a.m.-noon, July 18-28. This series includes Author Adventures (grades 2-3), Creative Composers (grades 4-5), and Digital Discoveries (grades 6-7). 

SAT Verbal will be held from 6-8 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays, August 8, 10, 15, 17, and 22.

SAT Math will be held from 6-8 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays, August 24, 29, 31, September 7, and 12.

The courses will be held at the campus in Center Valley and are $99 each, which includes the cost of materials.

For more information, or to register, contact Diane McAloon at 610-285-5066 or e-mail dmcaloon@psu.edu. You can also visit www.lv.psu.edu/CE/28395.htm?cn21D for details about the review courses.

The Gallery at Penn State Lehigh Valley will participate in the kickoff of the campus' centennial celebration with the exhibition "Penn State and Beyond" featuring the paintings and prints of Allentown architect, artist, and Penn State alumnus, Richard Greenleaf. Although he has an extensive exhibition record, Greenleaf's first solo exhibition in the Lehigh Valley will run from July 11 to August 25. An artist reception will be held on Wednesday, July 20, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

The exhibition will feature more than fifty paintings and prints of scenes ranging from impressionistic ocean scenes to architectural cityscapes. Greenleaf has a distinct painting style that has captured the essence of locations including Lehigh Valley sites, popular vacation destinations, and some of the most recognizable spots at Penn State's University Park campus. Some of the works included are paintings created while Greenleaf was a young student studying architecture at Penn State, and have not been exhibited before.

To help commemorate the Lehigh Valley campus' 100 year anniversary, Greenleaf has created a scene of the new campus in Center Valley specifically for this exhibition and for permanent display at Penn State Lehigh Valley.

Richard William Greenleaf grew up and currently resides in the Allentown, Pennsylvania, area. He is a Penn State graduate of 1963 with a degree in architecture. He is a full-time architect with his own firm in Allentown and spends most of his spare time painting in his home studio.

Greenleaf is a self-taught artist who enjoys painting oceanic scenes, historical areas, cityscapes with architectural value, as well as various wildlife scenes; he also paints many scenes from his alma mater, Penn State, and is expanding into other Big Ten Universities.

His style is a colorful blend of realism and impressionism using acrylics with a watered technique. He uses many layers of color that brings out the real depth and color that is not always apparent to the naked eye.

Greenleaf has been painting since age ten but has only recently been sharing his talents during the past few years. His first limited edition print was produced during the summer of 1996. He now has over twenty-five limited edition prints including scenes from Penn State; Ohio State; Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Jersey Shore; Annapolis, Maryland; and the Chesapeake Bay. The artist is currently working on new paintings of Penn State, Ohio State, University of Michigan, and the New Jersey shore.

Greenleaf begins planning to paint a scene long before the brush hits the canvas. He is often traveling to research historical and scenic areas in hopes of finding just the right scene to paint. He only recreates paintings of areas that he has visited and has captured the beauty and ambiance personally to incorporate into his paintings.

As a member of the Lehigh Art Alliance, he has also exhibited at the Allentown Art Museum and Lehigh University, and is a member of the Local Historical Commission.

The exhibition is free and open to the public. The gallery is located on the third floor of the campus at 2809 Saucon Valley Road, Center Valley. Please call 610-285-5000 for summer gallery hours. For more information, please contact Ann Lalik, gallery director, at 610-285-5261 or e-mail annlalik@psu.edu.

In fact, Greene, an energy business and finance major, has already logged a pre-trip entry detailing why he has chosen to chronicle the experience in a blog and what he hopes to learn in China.

"I have always wanted to study abroad, but with my school/work schedule I didn’t really feel compelled to spend an entire semester abroad. However, this opportunity popped into my life, and it was too difficult to pass up," says Greene.  "Since this is my first international experience, I am obviously excited about the road that lies ahead [including] who I will meet, the friendships I will form, and personal experiences I [will] gain…"

To read about Greene's experience, visit Greene's blog online. Greene's blog will also be accessible from the Penn State Lehigh Valley homepage (www.lv.psu.edu) beginning on May 19.

For more information, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5018.

Download the brochure and registration form here!

For more information about the golf outing, contact Rich Fatzinger at 610-285-5216 or e-mail rwf10@psu.edu.  

Stephanie Derstine, library information reservation and service support specialist at the Lehigh Valley campus, has been appointed to the Penn State University Commission for Women. Appointments are made by University President Graham Spanier, to those who display a genuine interest in improving opportunities for women and the University community overall. 

Derstine's appointment will begin on July 1, 2011, and continue through June 30, 2014. Derstine has been coordinator of the Penn State Lehigh Valley Women's Commission for over five years. She has been instrumental in promoting new ways to serve the campus and the community, namely Lion Up for Smoothies, March Madness donations for Turning Point women's shelter, and Easter Baskets for the Children's Home of Easton. Proceeds from several events sponsored by the Women's Commission, including the Annual Basket Fundraiser and Book Sale, are used to benefit the Adult Learner Scholarship Award which recognizes adult students for their academic and leadership qualities. The commission actively supports student government activities, including THON, the

Thanksgiving Food Drive, and Breast Cancer Awareness, and participates in the Activities Carnival and Health Fair.

Under the leadership of local cycling legend, Jim Young, a number of team members had individual success throughout the season including wins and top finishes for Rodney Santiago, Jeremy Shirock, Kevin McGuire, and Mandy Marquardt, who qualified for nationals with their performance.

Mandy Marquardt, a first-year student majoring in business management/marketing, hopes the team can build on its success and attract new members, noting that previous experience is not necessary to join the team and start racing.

"There are races for every level of experience, from beginner on. As you race, you begin to move through the different levels based on finishes. And there's no better place, in my mind, to gain experience than right here in the Lehigh Valley."

The team is fortunate to have the Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Trexlertown as a training and competing facility, making Penn State Lehigh Valley a destination for student cyclers like Marquardt.

"I started cycling at age ten in Florida where I lived, and during the summers I'd come to New York to train and to Trexlertown to race," says Marquardt. "I applied to Penn State Lehigh Valley because I love the area, the school is definitely one of the best, and the riding is great. Track racing in the summer is incredible with all the international riders coming in from New Zealand, Poland, Canada, and others!"

With opportunities to get involved throughout the year, Marquardt and her teammates are eager to spread the word about cycling at Penn State Lehigh Valley, and they, along with Coach Young, look forward to the next collegiate competitive season.

Penn State Lehigh Valley and the Lehigh Valley Beekeepers Association (LVBA) will present "Some Buzz about Beekeeping" from 8:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m., June 11 at the campus in Center Valley.

The event will feature presentations by Diana Cox-Foster, entomologist at Penn State University, Larry Connor, author and respected authority on beekeeping, and Suzanne Allen, master gardener. Topics of interest include honey bees and beekeeping for new and experienced beekeepers, the latest honey bee and queen bee research, breeding productive and hardy queen bees, and native pollinators. The presentation is suitable for all levels of beekeepers as well as anyone interested in learning about nature and the environment.

The cost of the presentation is $20. For more information, or to register for the event, log on to the LVBA website at www.lehighvalleybeekeepers.org.

Through weekly course modules, participants will be introduced to a toolkit of ideas and strategies to prepare them for working with a variety of ELLs. Topics covered include areas such as understanding cultural diversity and multicultural education, teaching methodology and practice, and classroom management and assessment.

Participants must register by May 19 and complete all three modules to receive a certificate of completion. A bachelor's degree in any content area is the prerequisite for the program. The cost of the program is $399.

For more information, contact Marisa Hockman via e-mail at mlk239@psu.edu or call 610-285-5026. To register, contact Kathy Eck via e-mail at kde1@psu.edu or call 610-285-5057.

Born in California to first-generation Jewish American parents who were documentary filmmakers and teachers, Mayim Hoya Bialik is best known for her lead role as "Blossom Russo" in the early-'90s NBC sitcom Blossom. She also played the young Bette Midler in Beaches and had guest roles on some of television's most beloved shows of the 1980s and 1990s, including MacGuyver, Webster, and The Facts of Life. She appeared in Woody Allen's Don't Drink the Water in 1994, and has more recently appeared in HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. She has been the guest on numerous talk shows, including The Arsenio Hall Show and The Tonight Show, as well as on Jon Stewart and Conan O'Brien's earliest forays into late-night television. Most recently, Bialik can be seen playing "Amy Farrah Fowler" on the hit CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory.

Bialik earned a bachelor of science degree from UCLA in 2000 in neuroscience and Hebrew and Jewish Studies, and a doctorate in neuroscience from UCLA in 2007. Her thesis in psychoneuroendocrinology examined hypothalamic secretions and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in adolescents with Prader-Willi syndrome.

Bialik is married and has two sons, born in 2005 and 2008. She lives in southern California and enjoys cooking vegan food, practicing attachment parenting and natural family living, and studying Judaism.

Macungie native Emma Webb graduates from Penn State on May 7 having completed a bachelor of science in biology in just three years. It is a relatively rare accomplishment for most college students, and Webb succeeded in doing it while also working and juggling the responsibilities of being a mother to four-year-old Samantha.

Though her degree is officially coming from the University Park campus, Webb has chosen to attend Penn State Lehigh Valley's Commencement ceremony at Stabler Arena for a number of reasons. Aside from the fact that it will allow a large number of family members to attend, Webb began her college education at Penn State Lehigh Valley through a dual-enrollment program in her senior year of high school and developed strong relationships with many of her Lehigh Valley professors throughout her time at the campus.

"I loved my time at the Lehigh Valley campus primarily because of the small class sizes and the opportunity to work closely with professors who go above and beyond for their students," says Webb. "It was especially important for me to have one of my advisers, Dr. Julie Ealy, see me graduate."

For the last year, Webb and her daughter have traveled back and forth to University Park each week while she completed her course work.

"I would have finished my degree at the Lehigh Valley campus if I could have, especially because of my family and my daughter's father living here," says Webb. "But we made it work even when it was a challenge. When she would get sick and not be able to go to daycare, class for me wouldn't be cancelled so she would have to come with me some days."

Adding to the pride that her family and former faculty members will experience when she receives her diploma is the knowledge of what is ahead for the young pre-med student. Webb has been accepted to the first-ever class of a new medical education partnership between Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) and the University of South Florida College of Medicine (USFCOM). According to the program materials, the SELECT program (Scholarly Excellence. Leadership Experiences. Collaborative Training.) is a four-year program leading to the M.D. degree that focuses on developing the leadership skills of students chosen for their scholarly excellence, emotional intellect, and their deep desire and determination to positively alter the future of health care practice and administration.

After graduation on Saturday, Webb will begin preparing to move to Tampa Bay for the first two years of the program at USFCOM. After that, she will return to the Lehigh Valley for two years of clinical education and leadership development at LVHN. She will embark on this journey on July 25, just two days after her twenty-first birthday.

To even be considered for the program, Webb had to first be accepted by USFCOM. Then the school invited qualified accepted students to interview for SELECT. Webb was initially evaluated based on her GPA and MCAT scores, as well as a review of her personal statement and extracurricular activities. The program places a strong emphasis on leadership skills and innovative thinking, qualities Webb credits Penn State Lehigh Valley with helping her develop.

"I took on a leadership role as vice president of the Honors Club at Lehigh Valley. In addition, my professors really challenged me to think, and to think critically. They helped me hone problem-solving skills that I know I will use for the rest of my life. I think the fact that I was able to be successful in college while raising a daughter may have also helped me stand out."

The accelerated nature of the SELECT program seems to fit right in with Webb's educational journey so far. She notes that, though completing her undergraduate program in three years involved heavy course loads and summer classes, she never felt that she took on more than she could handle.

"I'm excited to graduate with my Penn State degree and excited for this next step toward my goal of becoming a doctor. I'm up for the challenge."

For more information, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5067.

Students honored for outstanding achievement included:

Eric A. and Josephine S. Walker Award: Abdo F. Zogheib (Bethlehem, PA)

This honor recognizes a student who has completed two full years at a Commonwealth Campus and whose outstanding qualities of character, scholarship, leadership, and citizenship have positively influenced fellow students and have contributed to the prestige and well-being of his or her campus and, hence, to the reputation of the University as a whole.

2011 Evan Pugh Scholar Award: Christianna T. Roberts (Emmaus, PA)

The Evan Pugh Scholars are those juniors and seniors who were in the upper 0.5 percent of their respective classes and have completed at least 48 graded Penn State credits at the end of the fall semester of the year the award is given. All have been full-time undergraduate students for at least four semesters prior to selection.

2011 President’s Freshman Award: Tyler T. Gyarmati (Albrightsville, PA), Cory J. Maletsky (Allentown, PA), Michelle Menendez (Wilkes Barre, PA), Justin J. Muser (Laurys Station, PA), Alec M. Niemkiewicz (Coopersburg, PA), Karan R. Patal (Allentown, PA), Maxwell H. Pepper (Bethlehem, PA), Christopher M. Riedl (Macungie, PA), Rachael J. Schmoyer (Schnecksville, PA), Samuel Yandrofski (Emmaus, PA), and Danielle R. Yerger (Freemansburg, PA)

This award is presented annually to undergraduate degree candidates and provisional students who have earned a 4.00 (A) cumulative grade-point average based on at least 12 graded Penn State credits completed by the end of the fall semester of the academic year the award is given.

Alexandria Downing Outstanding Student in Sociology Award: Kimberly R. Artim, (Whitehall, PA)

This award is presented to the student who has demonstrated outstanding academic performance and promise in the field of sociology.  Special consideration is given to those who have presented papers at professional conferences, have published in a sociology journal, or whose work has furthered Penn State’s promise in the area of outreach scholarship.

Biology Award: Aileend A. Tinjar (Allentown, PA)

This award is given to the biology student who exemplifies collegiate excellence and demonstrates a desire to pursue a future that utilizes his or her biology education.

Community Service Award: Karissa R. Bollinger (Whitehall, PA)

This award recognizes a Penn State Lehigh Valley student who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and commitment to enriching his or her community through outreach and commitment of time, energy, and talents.

Creative Writing Award: David A. Amerman (Coopersburg, PA)

The Creative Writing Award, established by retired English faculty member Margaret Smart in 1989, recognizes excellent fiction or poetry written during the current academic year by a student at Penn

State Lehigh Valley.

Engineering Student Achievement Award: Ke Wei Chen (Whitehall, PA)

The award is presented to an engineering student who is completing his or her sophomore year. It recognizes a student who started his or her studies at the Lehigh Valley campus as a freshman engineer and has made normal progress toward his or her degree while demonstrating outstanding academic achievement at the campus.

Excellence in Public Speaking Award: Vicctoria L. Nadig (Coopersburg, PA)

Recognizing the importance of effective communication in the world, this award is conferred upon the student who demonstrates excellence in public communication. Excellence in researching and presenting a speech required in a current Penn State Lehigh Valley course are the criteria for selection.

First-Year Chemistry Achievement Award: Alec M. Niemkiewicz (Coopersburg, PA)

This award is presented to a first-year student for outstanding academic achievement in all four lecture and laboratory courses in Chemistry.

Outstanding Marketing/Management Award: Christina M. Little (Easton, PA)

This award is presented to a senior in the marketing management option who has demonstrated outstanding achievement.

Outstanding Student Award in Organizational Leadership: Service and Leadership:

Peter E. Beidenkopf (Bethlehem, PA)

Outstanding student in Organizational Leadership who is in his or her final year of course work, has demonstrated academic excellence, and has shown dedication to service and leadership in the OLEAD program, campus community, and larger society. 

Outstanding Student Award in Psychology: Quynh M. Tran (Allentown, PA)

This award is presented to a junior or senior who has demonstrated outstanding performance in the major.

Outstanding Student Teacher Award: Priscilla Jovine (Allentown, PA)

This award is presented to the elementary education major who has demonstrated outstanding performance as a student teacher.

Women’s Commission Adult Learner Award: Bernadette F. Eckhart (Bath, PA), and David R. Goodpaster (Bethlehem, PA)

Established by the Lehigh Valley Women’s Commission, this award is presented to an adult student who has shown academic excellence and displayed outstanding leadership qualities.

Highest Cumulative Average by College (3.5 or higher):

Agriculture: Aileend A. Tinjar, junior (Allentown, PA)                                          

Arts & Architecture: Jessica L. Gates, sophomore (Emmaus, PA)

Business Administration: Karan R. Patal, freshman (Allentown, PA), and Logan W. Van Horn, sophomore (Allentown, PA)

Communications: Ashley M. Insalaco, sophomore (Bethlehem, PA), and David A. Amerman, junior (Coopersburg, PA) 

Division of Undergraduate Studies: April M. Nowicki, freshman (Bethlehem, PA), and Jennifer L. Menjivar, sophomore (Easton, PA)        

Earth and Mineral Science: Rachel M. Hoats, sophomore (Bethlehem, PA)

Education: Christopher M. Riedl, freshman (Macungie, PA), and Danielle R. Yerger, freshman (Freemansburg, PA)

Engineering: Alec M. Niemkiewicz, freshman (Coopersburg, PA), Maxwell H. Pepper, freshman (Bethlehem, PA), and Ke Wei Chen, sophomore (Whitehall, PA)

Health and Human Development: Nicole L. Fenstermaker, freshman (Emmaus, PA), and Jordan M. Stauffer, sophomore (Barto, PA)

Information Sciences and Technology: Cory J. Maletsky, sophomore (Allentown, PA), and David R. Goodpaster, senior (Bethlehem, PA)                                             

Liberal Arts: Tyler T. Gyarmati, freshman (Albrightsville, PA), Rachael J. Schmoyer, freshman (Schnecksville, PA), and Elizabeth N. Kalfas, sophomore (Bethlehem, PA)

Penn State Lehigh Valley Programs:Ryan G. Alexander, freshman (Allentown, PA), Kelsey R. Ruch, sophomore (Kutztown, PA), Alyssa R. Keiser, junior (Neffs, PA), and Christianna T. Roberts, senior (Emmaus, PA)            

Science: Vinod Jeyaretnam, freshman (Nazareth, PA), and Oswaldo G. Tagle Manrique, sophomore (Emmaus, PA)

In addition, the following faculty and staff were acknowledged with awards:

Outstanding Part-Time Faculty Teaching Award: Ronald DeLong (Slatington, PA)

Teaching Excellence Award: Dr. Kevin McFall (Slatington, PA)

Outstanding Staff Award: Kathy Romig (Topton, PA)

Course List:

The Art of Collage instructed by Ron DeLong

Wednesdays 2-4 p.m.; Cost: $180

A collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole work of art. A collage may include newspaper clippings, ribbons, bits of colored or hand-made papers, portions of other artwork, photographs and other found objects, glued to a piece of paper or canvas. The origins of collage can be traced back hundreds of years. Collage made a dramatic reappearance in the early 20th century as an art form of novelty. Collage derives from the French "coller" meaning glue.

Beginning Jewelry and Metalwork instructed by Ann Lalik

Tuesdays 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; Cost: $180

Explore the technical challenges and creative discovery of designing and creating your own jewelry. In this class, designed just for beginners, students will learn to fabricate (saw, sand, solder), cast texture, polish and set stones in unique and personal designs. No prior metalsmithing or art knowledge is required.

Advanced Metals and Jewelry instructed by Ann Lalik

Tuesdays 9-11 a.m.; Cost: $180

This class is designed for students who are familiar with the basics of metalsmithing and jewelry making, such as fabricating, casting, finishing and simple stone setting. Students will develop individual ideas and explore new concepts. Technical demonstrations will be offered at the students’ request.

Introduction to Digital Photography instructed by Greta Brubaker

Thursdays 9-11 a.m.; Cost: $180

This course will address the basic principles of working with digital photography. The primary focus will be on learning a digital workflow and proper camera use. Flatbed scanning and ink jet printing will also be addressed.

Graphic Design Basics instructed by Wendy Ronga

Wednesdays 1-3 p.m.; Cost: $180

This class begins the process of developing the students’ understanding of the creative design process using a Macintosh computer and the Adobe Creative Suite. Design as an effective communication tool will be explored through a basic understanding of graphic design techniques and development of concepts from start to finish. Students will experiment with typography and integration of images and text to create projects including posters, brochures, and ads.

Discovery through Clay instructed by Jeanine Hill

Wednesdays 2-5 p.m.; Cost: $200

Learn to utilize ceramic hand-building techniques to explore who you are, where you've come from, and where you hope to be. Explore visual storytelling through sculpture. Student work will be professionally glazed and fired.

Exploring Drawing through Nature instructed by Karen Steen

Thursdays 2-4 p.m.; Cost: $180

Students in this class will develop drawing skills using elements from nature such as leaves, shells, bones, flowers, and pods. Instruction will emphasize using value and line to define form. Students will experiment with a variety of drawing media, including graphite, conte crayon, charcoal, and colored pencil. Both representational and abstract approaches will be incorporated into lessons.

About the Instructors:

Ron DeLong, M.Ed.; B.S. Kutztown University, Kutztown, Pa.

Delong enhanced his degree training studying painting and European cinema at the University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria. He served as a guest lecturer/professor for National Art Education Getty Center Post-Graduate DBAE Institutes and Crayola Institutes. Among his many awards and accomplishments, he was named National Northeast Art Educator of the Year in 2000; Pennsylvania Art Educator of the Year 2002; received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Crayola in 2007; and was recognized by Art Education of New Jersey with an Executive Board Award for distinguished service to the field. De Long maintains an extensive fine art exhibition portfolio with a regional, state, national, and international focus. In addition to teaching, he is co-president of Studio & Gallery 2908 LLC in Slatington, Pa.

Jeanine Hill, M.F.A Ceramics, University of Delaware, Newark, De.; B.F.A Craft/Material; B.F.A  Art Education, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va.

Hill lives and operates her studio in the Philadelphia area and teaches primarily at Burlington Community College. She has studied, offered workshops, and exhibited nationally and internationally and has received numerous awards for her ceramics and poetry. As an instructor, she asks that her students find passion in their work and remember this passion as they continue to pursue their own personal practices.

Ann Lalik, M.F.A; B.F.A Metalsmithing, Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa.

Lalik is Gallery Director and Arts Coordinator at Penn State Lehigh Valley. She brings many years of teaching and program coordinating experience to the Lehigh Valley campus. As an artist, she focuses on designing and creating wearable art objects that chronicle her life as a woman in modern society, using precious and non-precious metals, plastics, and found objects. Her work has been exhibited regionally and nationally in galleries and museums.

Wendy Ronga, B.F.A Communication Design, Parsons School of Design, New York, N.Y.

For over twenty years Ronga has worked as Creative Director and Art Director at a number of publishing companies. She has been praised by her clients for her creative eye and high quality of excellence. Wendy currently runs her own advertising company and is looking forward to bringing her many years of experience to the classroom.

Greta Brubaker, B.A. Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pa.; M.F.A photography, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, R.I.

Brubaker currently pursues her own fine art photography and exhibits extensively. In addition to teaching at Penn State Lehigh Valley, she teaches photography at Muhlenberg College and Lafayette College. Her approach to teaching is to encourage students to explore the medium of photography, both technically and aesthetically with guidance to generate an environment in which they can explore innovative ways of seeing, thinking, and talking about art.

Karen Steen, M.F.A Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; B.A. Illustration, The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena; B.S. Business, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Co.

Steen started her professional career as an editorial illustrator. Her scientific paintings were published in a number of books and magazines that related to health and medicine. More recently, Steen has started combining her technical experience with a more experimental and intuitive approach. She has won numerous awards and exhibited widely throughout the United States.

May 14, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (lunch included)

Online Publishing Workshop – Join Mark Swartz, Penn State Center computer specialist, for the opportunity to explore the world of self-publishing.

June 11, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (lunch included)

Photography & Photoshop Workshop – Join Kate Morgan, director of University Relations at Penn State Lehigh Valley, for the opportunity to explore the world of photography and Photoshop.

All workshops are $40 per person. Class size is limited. For more information, call 610-841-5331 or e-mail sek28@psu.edu. To register for a workshop, please call 610-285-5058.

Bethlehem native Emily Starner remembers attending Penn State football games as a little girl. But like many other girls in the stadium, her attention was fixed more on the sidelines at the squad holding the pompoms rather than the football. Come this fall, after years of dreaming and hard work, Starner will be one of the young ladies that other little girls will look up to as she takes her place on the field as a Penn State cheerleader.

In March, Starner, who attended the Lehigh Valley campus for the past two semesters, joined roughly a hundred other girls with the same goal of becoming a Penn State cheerleader. When the news that she had made the University's small co-ed team, the team she hoped to make, came via phone call, Starner was overjoyed.

"Cheering for Penn State has been my dream for as long as I can remember. It is amazing to think back and remember how I would admire the Penn State cheerleaders and how I told myself that one day, that would be me," says Starner, a kinesiology major and member of the class of 2014. "When I found out I made it, I couldn't help but cry. I can honestly say my biggest dream in life came true. How many people in their life can truly say their dream came true?"

But her dream come true did not happen without years of hard work and intense preparation. Starner has been a cheerleader since the age of ten. Since middle school, she cheered for an all-star team called Rocket Elite in Easton, Pa. She also cheered on the varsity team at Liberty High School. Starner also took gymnastics classes from a very young age and continued to perfect her tumbling with a class designed specifically for cheerleaders called cheernastics at Lehigh Valley Sports Academy in Allentown.

Starner personally raised the bar on her fitness goals in preparation for the Penn State tryouts adding video workouts, running, and a greater focus on nutrition to her regular routine of cheering practice. Despite all of her training, Starner was still extremely nervous during tryouts.

"Each day of tryouts was difficult and was filled with new criteria to meet. I remember on the first night of tryouts, I left feeling so nervous and anxious because there were so many good cheerleaders there," says Starner. "But no matter how nervous I was, I had to remember to put my heart into everything I did on that mat. I couldn't worry about the skills other girls had or how many I was competing against. I just had to worry about myself and make sure I was doing the absolute best I could. And sure enough, the heart and dedication I have for this team made me stand out."

Hopefuls were evaluated on standing and running tumbling skills, stunting skills, a dance and cheer that they were taught, the fight song, and interview skills. Starner will be part of the co-ed squad that cheers for home football and basketball games, as well as some away games.

Two students who participated in a study abroad field course with Penn State Lehigh Valley's Professor Jacqueline McLaughlin received first place in their category at Penn State's 2011 Undergraduate Exhibition held April 13 at the HUB-Robeson Center at University Park. Amy Haupt and Michelle O'Malley's entry, "A Pilot Study of the Pollution and Eutrophication of Lake Taihu in Wuxi, China: An Analysis of Water Quality at Three Field Sites," won in the category of course-based projects and was based on research conducted during McLaughlin's 2010 CHANCE field course, Environmental Science and Economic Principles: A Field Study in China.

"I am so proud of Amy and Michelle's hard work in creating this poster about their research in China," says McLaughlin, an associate professor of biology at the Lehigh Valley campus and director of the CHANCE (Connecting Humans and Nature through Conservation Experiences) program. "To be recognized at an event of this magnitude is a wonderful accomplishment for these students and a testament to the value of what they learned in the field."

Haupt, a student in the Smeal College of Business, and O'Malley, a student in the Eberly College of Science, both at University Park, received a plaque and monetary award, and will have their poster displayed in Old Main until the end of April. The research they began last year will be continued by a new group of students, including three from the Lehigh Valley campus, participating in McLaughlin's next field course in China this summer.

Penn State's annual Undergraduate Exhibition communicates and celebrates the participation of undergraduate students from across the University in research and creative endeavors. Undergraduate students from all Penn State campuses are invited to enter poster or performance presentations to showcase their work to a general audience.

For more information, contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or e-mail aag18@psu.edu.

Jennifer Parker Talwar, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology at Penn State Lehigh Valley, will present a talk on "From 'Mom and Pop' to the Big Business Franchising Model: How Immigrant Entrepreneurialism and Family Economies Underscore some of Corporate America's New Growth Strategies" at the next Faculty Forum lecture at 1 p.m. on April 27 in room 302 at the campus in Center Valley.

During her presentation, Talwar will discuss her research which argues the significance of ethnic resource mobilization to certain corporate restructuring and growth trends in the mainstream economy of the United States. She will also discuss how immigrant entrepreneurs have come to dominate U.S. based franchise ownership, and how this population has been integral to the changing franchisor-franchisee relationship, franchise operation procedures, and consumer marketing strategies. 

"Immigrants' liberal legal access to business ownership in the United States has always encouraged entrepreneurship," says Talwar. "But the flow into franchising, specifically, is a relatively recent phenomenon, and parallels the biggest growth in the retail and restaurant economy in U.S. history."

This research stems from a postdoctoral fellowship with the SSRC (Social Science Research Council), International Migration Program. 

This lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact University Relations at (610) 285-5067 or e-mail aag18@psu.edu.

"While we were in Costa Rica studying various subjects at the La Selva Biological Station, we visited a small coffee farm that was Fair Trade certified. Many people are unaware of the business practices that take place for a cup of coffee or a bunch of bananas. Because of what we witnessed, we have chosen to study and spread the word about the Fair Trade Movement," said students Nick Accordino, Vinod Jeyaretenam, and Patrick Hullihen in a letter to the campus about the event.

The event will highlight Fair Trade products and feature informative videos, refreshments, and pictures from the trip. The students have encouraged faculty and students from various academic disciplines to learn more.

"This event can help many different classes in that it touches upon various subjects: international relations, economics, ethics, social diversity, environmental science, biology, history, and supply chain," said the students.

For more information, contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or e-mail aag18@psu.edu.  

At Penn State Lehigh Valley, a number of faculty from diverse academic disciplines are offering international field experiences embedded within courses so that students not only get the chance to study abroad, but also earn credits. One such opportunity is being offered during the spring semester through the collaboration of two faculty members, Michael Krajsa, instructor in business, and Dr. Nichola Gutgold, associate professor of communication arts and sciences. The partnership brings together an International Business class (IB 303) taught by Krajsa and an Organizational Communication class (CAS 352) taught by Gutgold in a way that has never been done before at the campus. Students will receive up to six credits in an accelerated, online format that will culminate with a two-week trip to study at The Capitol University of Economics and Business in Beijing, China, in May.

"It is not enough for our students to identify themselves as citizens of a particular country," says Krajsa. "They need to understand what it means to be a global citizen. Organizations are looking for individuals who have the business acumen, creativity, agility, and ability to imagine and connect the dots across cultures, along with the self-confidence and leadership skills to innovate! We help our students achieve that by providing these kinds of experiential learning opportunities."

The Penn State University Office of Global Programs has also recognized the value of this field experience by awarding Krajsa and Gutgold a $2,500 Faculty and Student Group Travel grant. Judging by the number of participants slated to make the trip, students also see the value. At press time, Krajsa and Gutgold were preparing to accompany a group of more than twenty culturally and academically diverse students not just from the Lehigh Valley campus, but also University Park and others.

Lehigh Valley student D. Samuel Greene '13, who is pursuing a degree in energy business and finance, looks forward to cultivating both skills and relationships on the trip.

"It has been a dream of mine to study abroad, and what better way to do so than with a group of motivated, creative, and energetic students," says Greene. "As time progresses and technology improves, businesses will be operating globally around the clock. I hope to learn so much through this program personally, academically, and culturally."

University Park senior Corey J. Lee believes the trip will help provide a jump start on a future career.

"This was one of the few programs that would allow me to get real world experience with international business, and the country in which I would get this experience is, in my opinion, the world's next superpower," says Lee, who is majoring in security and risk analysis. "I hope to learn to effectively communicate and conduct business with the Chinese. Additionally, I feel the cross-cultural experience I will have in China will be the most interesting and make me more marketable to employers."

Krajsa is a long-time proponent of study abroad as part of the educational experience. He coordinated a number of short-term opportunities to Peru and China before joining Penn State Lehigh Valley in 2008, and wasted no time incorporating them into his instruction at the campus. But for Krajsa, the rewards of guiding students through these experiences go beyond their grasp of the course material. It is also the chance to witness how they transform as individuals that keeps Krajsa motivated.

"For many of our students, this trip will be their first time in a foreign country. That kind of experience always brings a profound change in a person. In fact, the anticipation of the trip is already transforming them as they form new bonds and relationships with their classmates."

Dr. Gutgold sees a special benefit for Lehigh Valley students in particular.

"Especially for commuter campus students like ours, learning to live elsewhere for two weeks, without usual home comforts, will prove valuable. Life isn't always comfortable or familiar. Add to that the fact that China is a dominant world power, and that students will likely do business with China in their careers, and the insight that they are receiving as undergraduates becomes even more invaluable," says Gutgold.

Having taught communications at Penn State Lehigh Valley since 1990, Gutgold has impressed the importance of solid communication skills on hundreds of students in all fields of study. But this trip marks the first time that she is transplanting part of a course directly into a foreign culture. With her research interests focused primarily on public speaking, China provides an especially appropriate environment.

"In China, televised English-speaking contests are as popular as "American Idol" is in the U.S. Their culture places a high level of importance on communication, and I am looking forward to sharing effective public speaking skills with the Chinese students while our students expand their world view. It will be an exciting exchange of ideas."

As the students eagerly anticipate their upcoming trip, Krajsa and Gutgold have designed their courses to prepare the students as much as possible for what to expect when they reach Beijing by incorporating the technology and expertise available to them. For example, it just so happens that Penn State Lehigh Valley is home to an expert in Chinese history, Dr. Kathleen Lodwig, who will be a guest speaker in the class. Additionally, Krajsa used Elluminate Live, a web conferencing program, to bring an American currently living and working in China into the classroom to provide perspective for the students.

"To say that there are differences between American and Chinese culture would be an understatement. We cannot think of China with western thought, and I think that may surprise some of the students," says Krajsa. "But from my experience with past study abroad trips, I know that is what will make this trip so valuable. It will expand their understanding of the world and of themselves."

For more information, contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or e-mail aag18@psu.edu.  

Nichola Gutgold, Ph.D., associate professor of communication arts and sciences, received an award in the Pop Culture category for her blog "TalkDoc" (http://nicholadgutgold.wordpress.com/) at The Morning Call's first ever My Choice Voice blog awards ceremony which was held March 30, 2011.

Jacqueline McLaughlin, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, will co-chair the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) Undergraduate Faculty Professional Development Summit on October 14 during the NABT Conference in Anaheim, CA. The theme for the summit is "International Programs: Biology Around the World."

Artists featured in this exhibition include Nancy Bossert, Milan J. Kralik, Jr., John Mathews, Ramon Peralta, Carole Pickle, Karen Steen, and Arleen Yeager.

Founded in 1935 by Professor Garth Howland of Lehigh University, the Lehigh Art Alliance (LAA) continues as an organization for amateur and professional artists in the Lehigh Valley, and as a cultural and educational entity for the people of the area. The Alliance has always attempted to serve both the artist and the community equally. Juried exhibitions give the artists an opportunity to display their works, and the appreciators of art an opportunity to view what those regional artists are producing. Various Lehigh Valley institutions have graciously contributed the use of their exhibition space to the LAA. Among these are the Allentown Art Museum, Cedar Crest College, Lehigh University, Muhlenberg College, The State Theatre, and The Banana Factory.

About the Artists

Nancy Bossert describes herself as a Fine Artist who loves to create with all materials. Her work represented in this exhibition focuses on figures and nature using mixed media and encaustic techniques. Nancy’s work can be found in numerous corporate and private collections nationally and internationally.

Milan J. Kralik, Jr. creates non-objective steel sculpture. He is represented in numerous private, corporate, and museum collections. Skip, as he is commonly known, is the current president of the Lehigh Art Alliance.

John Mathews works with glass, metal, and wood to create one-of-a-kind objects that reveal light, space, and the concept of duality. He currently serves as the assistant academic dean in the arts at Bucks County Community College, where he has also taught sculpture as associate professor.

Ramon Peralta is an accomplished artist who mostly paints in oil on canvas and linen. He has exhibited his paintings nationally and internationally, including his birthplace of Santiago, Dominican Republic.  Peralta has been recognized with many awards both locally and in the Dominican Republic.

Carole Pickle creates abstract designs with various paint media. This exhibit features bold acrylic strokes of paint that result in intuitive, gestural paintings. Her work has been published in a number of art periodicals and she has exhibited extensively in the United States.

Karen Steen started her professional career as an editorial illustrator. Her scientific paintings were published in a number of books and magazines that related to health and medicine. More recently, Steen has started combining her technical experience with a more experimental and intuitive approach.  Steen has won numerous awards and exhibited widely throughout the United States.

Arleen Yeager exhibits her prints, collages, and paintings in many galleries and museums in the Lehigh Valley region as well as New Jersey. Her inspiration comes from the natural world as she seeks to capture the subtle variety of colors of stones and of patterns in plants and leaves.

The exhibition is free and open to the public. The gallery is located on the third floor of the campus at 2809 Saucon Valley Road, Center Valley. Please call 610-285-5000 for summer gallery hours. For more information, please contact Ann Lalik, gallery director, at 610-285-5261 or e-mail aal13@psu.edu.

For more information, contact Cindy Nguyen at ctn109@psu.edu.

Penn State Lehigh Valley was recognized Friday, April 1, with Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve's (ESGR) Patriot Award. This recognition is given to organizations, nominated by a member or spouse of a member of the Guard or Reserve, that practice leadership and personnel policies that support employee participation in the Guard and Reserve.

The campus was nominated by student David Goodpaster, who currently serves in the PA Army National Guard as chief warrant officer 2. Goodpaster, whose time at Penn State has also included several overseas deployments, nominated the campus particularly for its help in finding ways to parlay his military experience into independent study credits that will satisfy his requirements for graduation this May. Additionally, Goodpaster acknowledged the University overall for its willingness to work with him while he serves. He will receive a bachelor's degree in information science and technology.

Click here to read about how Goodpaster's military experience helped him graduate.

For more information, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5067.

Ted Daeschler, Ph.D., will be the featured speaker for the next Faculty Lecture Series event at 1 p.m. on April 20 in room 135 at the campus in Center Valley. Daeschler, associate curator of vertebrate biology at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, will present "Great Steps in the History of Life: Investigating the Origin of Limbed Vertebrates." This lecture will be part of the Penn State Eastern Regional Undergraduate Research Symposium. The event is free and open to the public.

During the presentation, Daeschler will discuss how research on the origin of limbed vertebrates (tetrapods) has made great advances in recent decades as a result of new paleontological discoveries. The fish-tetrapod transition, as it is traditionally called, is no longer an evolutionary leap between free-swimming lobe-finned fish and lumbering tetrapods. A series of fossil intermediates now illustrate the sequence of changes over millions of years in the transformation from finned to limbed members of the tetrapod stem lineage. The interpretation of geological data associated with the fossils has also refined the understanding of the environmental settings that were the crucible of early tetrapod evolution.

"Our exploratory efforts led to the discovery and 2006 description of Tiktaalik roseae, a well-preserved intermediate species in the fish-tetrapod transition. Tiktaalik roseae has primitive features such as scales, fin rays, and a primitive palate and braincase, yet it is replete with derived features such as a neck and modified skull and fin architecture that were previously only recognized in early tetrapods, powerfully demonstrating the concept of mosaic evolution," said Daeschler.

Ted Daeschler started at the Academy of Natural Sciences in 1987 as a collections manager. After receiving his doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in 1998, he joined the curator ranks. His research has focused on collecting and describing Late Devonian fossil vertebrates from Pennsylvania and the Canadian Arctic including numerous sarcopterygian fishes along the lineage leading to the earliest limbed animals. Daeschler has directed the re-housing of most of the vertebrate paleontology collection at the Academy with an eye toward the long-term conservation of this important historical and scientific resource.

For more information, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or email aag18@psu.edu.

Tuesday, April 12 at 8:30 a.m.

Wednesday, April 13 at 6 p.m.

Thursday, April 14 at 4 p.m.

The mission of the program is to provide a high quality, noncredit certificate program, delivered through a part-time, 18-month evening and weekend curriculum, that prepares individuals with the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes essential for practical nursing practice.

For more information, or to RSVP for a session, please call 610-285-5238 or email mip110@psu.edu.

April 9, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (lunch included)

Jewelry Making Workshop – Join Ann Lalik, director of the Gallery at Penn State Lehigh Valley, for the opportunity to explore the world of jewelry making.

May 14, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (lunch included)

Online Publishing Workshop – Join Mark Swartz, Penn State Center computer specialist, for the opportunity to explore the world of self-publishing.

June 11, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (lunch included)

Photography & Photoshop Workshop – Join Kate Morgan, director of University Relations at Penn State Lehigh Valley, for the opportunity to explore the world of photography and Photoshop.

All workshops are $40 per person. Class size is limited. For more information, call 610-841-5331 or email sek28@psu.edu. To register for a workshop, please call 610-285-5058.

In 2006, Nichola Gutgold, Ph.D., associate professor of communication arts and sciences at Penn State Lehigh Valley, had the privilege of working with Geraldine Ferraro on a book project. As Ferarro's family, friends, and those she inspired mourn her passing, Gutgold has offered her own reflection on this pioneer for women in politics.

Lemme Just Say: "Thanks, Geraldine Ferraro!"

By Nichola Gutgold

When I heard of Geraldine Ferraro’s death, I remembered her generosity when I asked her if she would write the foreword for a book I wrote that chronicles the lives and communication styles of five women who ran for president. At first she declined, but we traded a few e-mails and I expressed to her that when I graduated college in 1984 her vice-presidential bid made me feel as though the world would be wide open for me. Before long she graciously agreed to lend her significant name to my book project.

In her foreword to "Paving the Way for Madam President" (Lexington Books, 2006) she marveled that the "choices are unlimited" for women. No doubt we owe Geraldine Ferraro for expanding our opportunities. She courageously campaigned — and held her own — as the first woman on a major party ticket in 1984. Never shy or retreating, she often directly confronted her critics. Once she phoned the Archbishop of New York directly to explain her position on abortion. Her fast-spoken statements were often accentuated with slang phrases— "Lemme tell ya" and "Lemme just say."

If elected, she promised to protect women’s rights. As a vice-presidential candidate she said, "Women are not better off with a president, an administration, and a party united against the Equal Rights Amendment. When I take my oath of office for my second term as vice president, I want to swear to uphold a constitution that includes the ERA. Name a program that helps women. This administration has tried to slash it. Name a policy that treats women fairly. This administration is against it. This administration is for the gold standard for the economy and the double standard for women."

On the campaign trail she repeatedly reminded voters that Eleanor Roosevelt was thirty-six before she was allowed to cast her first vote. She would add, "Not only shouldn't she have been barred from choosing public officials, she should have been one."

She felt encouraged that women no longer had to live in "either-or" situations. In the foreword for my book she wrote: “We could be whatever we choose to be. We can win Olympic medals and coach our daughters' soccer teams. We can walk in space and help our children take their first steps. We can negotiate trade agreements and manage family budgets. We can be corporate executives and also wives and mothers. We can be doctors and also bake cookies with our six-year-old future scientists."

Her own life was evidence. She was an elementary school teacher; a lawyer prosecuting criminals in the District Attorney's Office in Queens, New York; a three-term member of Congress; Vice Presidential candidate; a candidate for the US Senate; and CEO of a consulting firm. She was also a wife, mother, and grandmother. She always said that politics is not a spectator sport.

She enjoyed the rough and tumble of fighting for the things she cared about. She believed that "becoming president isn't an impossible dream for women. It isn't a matter of if; it is a matter of when."

Lemme just say: Thank you, Geraldine Ferraro, for showing us the way.

"I am looking forward to bringing these two groups together. I think too often it is easy (especially for college-age students) to surround themselves with people who share their thinking and values," says Doug Hochstetler, Ph.D., associate professor of kinesiology at Penn State Lehigh Valley and instructor of the course. "I am hoping that students can learn from the life experiences of the SAGE members, to see how life circumstances brought these individuals to a point where specific beliefs matter. I think the discussion will provide a way for both groups to understand the other in a more informed way."

Guest panelists will share stories and experiences about how they developed their ideas about ethics and morality including how their experiences growing up and through their adult lives helped shape their views. A question and answer and discussion period will follow.

The idea for the visit came out of a previous SAGE lecture that Hochstetler presented on "The Examined Life: Ethical Decision-Making in the Twenty-First Century." During the question and answer period, one of the participants stated that she would like to invite the campus' traditional-aged students to learn with them at some point, to share where their (SAGE) generation gets their values, morals, decision making processes from, and compare that to where the 'kids of today' get theirs.  Conversation revolved around use of cell phones, internet, manners, protocols, serving your country, even parental discipline and how it differs between the two generations.

For more information, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or email aag18@psu.edu.

On any given day in Iraq, American military personnel work to gather information that will aid the efforts to restore peace in the area. For those tasked with this job, including army intelligence warrant officer David Goodpaster, a senior at the Lehigh Valley campus, the often antithetical views of the people they are working with can present a challenge. As the sheik of one tribe once explained, if a man from his village was killed by a neighboring village, it would not be uncommon for that village to offer the life of another human being to settle the score and avoid war.

This scene is about as far away as you can get from the sweetest place on Earth, Hershey, Pa., where Goodpaster's family has resided since he was seventeen. But the 'eye for an eye' solution to peace-keeping is as much a part of those villagers' lives as chocolate kisses and peanut butter cups are to Americans. The difference is difficult to comprehend. And yet, there are thousands of American servicemen and women who are living and working in the midst of these foreign cultures that seem to differ so enormously from our own. But Goodpaster's intelligence work abroad is not only assisting our nation in an on-going war effort, it is helping him reach a personal goal this May, his Penn State diploma.

Like many Penn State students past and present, Goodpaster chose to pursue his college education while simultaneously serving in the military. In 2003, he entered the National Guard instead of active duty so that he could complete his educational goals, which began at the Harrisburg campus in 2004. However, a string of deployments and military training caused his college career to stop and restart a number of times.

During the spring 2010 semester, Goodpaster, now at the rank of army chief warrant officer 2, married his wife Jennifer, a native of Nazareth, and moved to the Lehigh Valley where he saw the opportunity to complete his information sciences and technology degree at the Lehigh Valley campus.

"With my wife being from the Lehigh Valley and the Lehigh Valley campus offering a bachelor's degree in IST, it made perfect sense to move here and finish my degree," says Goodpaster. "The fact that Penn State offers campuses all over the state, and courses online, has really been a benefit to my situation.

After sitting down to evaluate his credits with Carolina McCluskey, assistant professor of computer science and IST program coordinator, they discovered that Goodpaster was just a few credits shy of qualifying for spring 2011 graduation. He was missing two required classes in, of all things, foreign culture.

"It seemed almost silly that someone with actual experience living and working in a number of foreign countries would have to put off graduating a little longer because of these requirements," says McCluskey. "So we came up with a plan to get him graduated!"

McCluskey suggested that Goodpaster create and deliver two presentations to the campus about terrorism in the Middle East that would count as an IST special topics course, and develop them in a way that can be used in future classes. The availability of an online course in civic engagement would satisfy the other credits needed.

"My presentations in March and April will bring together much of the research I've done and my exposure to the cultures of many Middle Eastern countries to offer a perspective of terrorism that might be unfamiliar to many. It will focus mostly on groups in Iraq, like Al Qaeda and Hezbollah, and discuss how their cultural background affects their organizations, and how some of them are or aren't employing technology in their initiatives," said Goodpaster.

Though it has taken longer than the typical four years to reach this point, Goodpaster is quick to note that receiving his bachelor's degree is only the first step. He has plans not only to continue his military career, but also to pursue a master's degree through Penn State's World Campus and stay connected through the Alumni Association.

"I am so grateful to Penn State for being so flexible and willing to work with me while I serve in the military. From the tuition assistance, to offering credit for what I've done in the military, to being able to take leave when necessary, Penn State is a very military-friendly institution. It has given me the opportunity to graduate a little earlier than I expected."

For more information, contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or e-mail aag18@psu.edu.

"Students are increasingly recognizing the value in an undergraduate research experience. Our faculty see the value in, not only mentoring students throughout their research, but also providing a platform, like this symposium, for them to showcase and celebrate their scholarly achievements with a broader audience," says Kenneth Thigpen, director of academic affairs at Penn State Lehigh Valley.

Each campus will enter up to six research projects that either recently won a research exhibition at their local campus, or were selected by the campus to participate. Students from the Abington, Brandywine, Hazleton, Lehigh Valley, Schuylkill, Wilkes-Barre, and Worthington-Scranton campuses were invited to submit projects. Each campus will also provide two judges who will evaluate the projects based on content, display, and oral presentation.

For more information, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or email aag18@psu.edu.

Myra Gutin, Ph.D., will be the featured speaker for the next Faculty Lecture Series event at 12:15 p.m. on April 14 in room 302 at the campus in Center Valley. Gutin, a professor of communication and journalism at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ, will present "The View from the White House: The First Lady, 1920-2010." This lecture is free and open to the public.

This program will look at the first ladies from 1920, the year that suffrage was passed, up to Michelle Obama and divides them into three communication classifications: Ceremonial Presences (Harding, Coolidge, Truman, Eisenhower); the Emerging Spokeswomen (Hoover, Kennedy, Nixon, L. Bush, B. Bush); and the Activist First Ladies (Roosevelt, Johnson, Ford, Carter and Clinton). Nancy Reagan is analyzed as a First Lady in Transition. The first ladies are discussed in terms of ceremonial responsibilities, political duties, and advocacy of projects or issues. The program concludes with thoughts about Michelle Obama and the future of the Office of the First Lady.

In a career that has spanned thirty years, Gutin has authored numerous articles, book chapters and essays on the topics of American first ladies, women in politics, and political communication. She contributed two articles to Report to the First Lady, 2009, a study of the history and Office of the First Lady, which was presented to Michelle Obama. She is the author of The President’s Partner: The First Lady in the Twentieth Century and Barbara Bush: Presidential Matriarch.

During the 2008 presidential primaries and the presidential campaign, Gutin was featured on NPR’s "Sunday Early Edition," The Today Show, ABC, CNN, the CBS Early Show, Time, O Magazine, Newsday, USA Today, the McClatchy News Service, the National Press of Canada, La Presse (Montreal), the BBC, Swiss National Television, and the Boston Globe about the potential first lady and first gentleman candidates.

In late October 2008, she was invited to the White House to meet with former first lady Laura Bush and take part in a program about her legacy. A few days later, South Jersey Magazine named her one of South Jersey’s "Superwomen."

The weeks leading up to the 2009 presidential inauguration were busy for Gutin as she spoke with scores of newspapers, magazines, and radio stations. On inauguration night, she was part of the inaugural ball coverage team at abcnews.com and also appeared on Anderson Cooper 360.

Gutin teaches a course at Rider titled "The American First Lady in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries." A member of the Center for the Study of the Presidency, she is a recipient of Emerson College’s Distinguished Alumni Award. During July 2009, she took part in the Oxford Round Table held at Oxford University where she addressed the topic: "Women in American Politics: Still a Chilly Climate." Myra’s comments about first ladies Barbara Bush, Pat Nixon, and Michelle Obama were part of an article that appeared in a September 2010 issue of U.S. News and World Report.

Myra Gutin received bachelor's and master's degrees in communication from Emerson College, Boston, Ma. She earned a doctorate in the same discipline from the University of Michigan.

For more information, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or email aag18@psu.edu.

Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S. One in 110 children is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, yet there are no fully effective means of prevention, treatment, or a cure. On April 1 and 2, Penn State Lehigh Valley will join hundreds of other businesses and organizations across the country to help shine a light on autism through the Autism Speaks Light It Up Blue campaign. During the campaign, the Nittany Lion Shrine at the north entrance of the campus will be awash in special blue light.

Penn State Lehigh Valley students are also mobilizing for this cause by forming a team and participating in the Lehigh Valley Walk Now for Autism event on April 16 at the Lehigh Parkway.

"Our students have been active during Autism Awareness Month in the past, but we are excited to expand our participation this year by lighting up our most recognizable icon, our Nittany Lion, blue," says Ann Williams, chancellor of the Lehigh Valley campus.

To find out more about the Light It Up Blue campaign, visit www.lightitupblue.org.

For more information, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or email aag18@psu.edu.

Zahorchak’s career in education includes teaching and leadership experience at both the
elementary and secondary education levels. He has served in the North Star, Shanksville-Stonycreek,
and finally, Greater Johnstown school districts. In Greater Johnstown, Zahorchak held a series of
increasingly responsible roles, ultimately taking the position of district superintendent.
 
In 2003, Zahorchak was named deputy secretary for elementary and secondary education for the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In this role, he launched the nationally recognized Project 720 and
Classrooms for the Future. These high school reform efforts have been highlighted in publications
such as "Education Week" and recognized by the Council of Chief State School Officers.
 
Two years later, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell chose Zahorchak to serve as the state’s
secretary of education, a position he held through May 7, 2010. In this role, he was responsible for the
education of nearly two million school children across the Commonwealth. As Pennsylvania’s Chief
State School Officer, he administered more than $9 billion annually to lead and serve the
Commonwealth’s educational community. He served as the CEO of the State Board of Education, which
sets and directs policy for elementary and secondary education, career and technical education, and
postsecondary/higher education for Pennsylvania. Zahorchak was named superintendent of the
Allentown School District, effective July 1, 2010.

After graduating with a bachelor of science degree from St. Francis College, Zahorchak earned a master of education degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) in 1988. In 1994, he received a doctorate in education administration from the Pennsylvania State University. Zahorchak also earned two honorary doctor of law degrees: one from the University of Philadelphia School of Osteopathic Medicine in 2008; and the other a year later from IUP, an honor that has been bestowed on only fifty others in the university’s history.

For more information, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or email aag18@psu.edu.

ART 020: ART020 includes basic instruction in the elements and principles of drawing. Students will receive instruction in basic drawing techniques. Problems related to design, structure, composition, and interpretation will be considered. Course content focuses on observational drawing and recording natural and man-made objects. Additional kinds of drawing will be explored. (GA)

 ASTRO 001: This course is designed to teach you the practical aspects of astronomy. There is some math required (Algebra/Trig). You will be learning to identify constellations and understand the mechanism of the seasons, phases of the moon, and eclipses. There are three exams, three constellation quizzes, and three projects. (GN)

BIOL 141: This online introductory physiology course offers web-based modules allowing students to envision and engage in physiological systems and processes, and to practice important concepts and assess learning through interactive questions, case studies, and quizzes. Textbook content will also be utilized. Final exam can be taken at any Penn State campus. (GN)

CAS 100A: If you want to save time and gas money and earn three credits, this intensive one-week course is for you. The introductory speech class will introduce you to the skills you will need to communicate with excellence. You will learn effective video presentation skills, informational and persuasive speaking. (GWS)

COMM 150: This course meets twice a week to discuss and analyze all forms of cinema. From the earliest days of movies to the current trends, we will share our common cinematic experiences and learn some tricks of the trade. (GA)

ENGL 004 develops the writing skills critical for success in ENGL 015 and other college courses. Course provides intensive practice in sentence, paragraph, and essay writing with emphasis on grammar and punctuation and practice in revision and editing; it is a valuable course for students requiring better preparation for college writing.

GEOSC 020: This course teaches the practical aspects of geology. Activities promote the understanding of plate tectonics; volcanoes and earthquakes; mineral, rock, and fossil identification; a study of geologic processes which have shaped our Lehigh Valley area; geology of selected national parks. There are four exams and two PowerPoint projects. (GN)

HIST 173: The Vietnam Conflict, even today, remains one of the most controversial eras in the history of the United States. This course is designed to explore all facets of this experience. One cannot examine the present without knowing the past. Did the loss of 60,000 plus American lives teach us anything? (GH, IL)

To explore the full schedule of courses, log on to http://schedule.psu.edu/search.cfm.

Among the topics of courses offered are painting, drawing, cinema, math, management, photography, and kinesiology. Some courses will be delivered in online, hybrid, or traditional in-class formats.

For more information, contact the Office of the Registrar at 610-285-5060 or visit www.lv.psu.edu.

Herrmann's story covers the visit of the University Board of Trustees to the Lehigh Valley campus scheduled for this July. It will be the first time in more than twenty years that the Board will hold its annual meeting at the campus, and the first time most of the Board will see the new Center Valley location, which it voted to purchase in 2009.

The Southern Lehigh Tribune discovered Herrmann's story when its editor-in-chief, Judd Wilson, visited the campus' newspaper writing class. The story ran on the front page of the February 26 issue.

"Having my article published by a local news source means a lot to me. It is the first time one of my articles has been published in a non-school related newspaper," says Herrmann, a Hellertown native. "In the future, I hope to use this article in my portfolio to help me land a job as a journalist."

Herrmann plans to transfer to University Park after his sophomore year to continue his journalism studies. He hopes to parlay his skills into a career as a hockey reporter.

To view the story and the Southern Lehigh Tribune, log on to www.solehi.com.

For more information, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or e-mail aag18@psu.edu. 

Jacqueline McLaughlin, Ph.D., associate professor of biology at Penn State Lehigh Valley, has been chosen to help select the 2011 Cohorts of Science and Mathematics Teaching Fellows for the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF). McLaughlin joined other leaders in science and mathematics education to interview candidates from March 4-6 in Philadelphia.

KSTF is a foundation whose goal is to identify and support exceptional beginning science and mathematics teachers as they grow in their profession. The fellowship, once awarded, is renewable over five years and typically begins during the final year of a teacher certification program. Finalists for the teaching fellowships must have a degree in mathematics, science, or a related field and are usually no more than five years out of a degree program. The KSTF staff conducts the initial application review and phone interviews with semi-finalists, and selects a pool of approximately 24 finalists each for the biology, mathematics, and physical science fellowships to attend the final selection interview weekend.

For more information, contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or e-mail aag18@psu.edu.  

The goal of the new website, which was funded by one of the programs corporate partners, ATAS International, Inc., is to effectively showcase the CHANCE mission (engaging teachers and students in inquiry-based research opportunities and conservation efforts that allow them to better understand global environmental issues), and to provide up-to-date information to the community.

"We wanted to create a user-specific information structure for the three main populations we serve: K-6 pre-service and in-service teachers, 7-12 pre-service and in-service teachers, and Penn State University undergraduates," says Jacqueline McLaughlin, Ph.D., associate professor of biology at Penn State Lehigh Valley and director of CHANCE. "This new site allows the user to easily learn about the courses and resources that are most relevant to them."

To accomplish these goals, the new website features videos, a newswire, detailed course descriptions, professional resources and development opportunities, and outreach activities. Recently, CHANCE used the website to help promote and accept applications for a new field course for undergraduate students to study global environmental sustainability issues in China. The trip, which will take place from May 15-31, has been filled with fifteen students from across the University and from diverse academic majors.

"This is an exciting opportunity for our Penn State students to work side by side with Chinese students to gain an interdisciplinary and international understanding of the correlation between global economic growth and its impact on the environment," says McLaughlin.

The University has also recognized the value of this field experience by awarding McLaughlin and her collaborators a $10,000 grant from the Confucius Institute at Penn State. The program was established at Penn State in 2010 through a grant from the Office of Chinese Languages Council International to substantially broaden students' opportunities to learn about traditional and contemporary Chinese language, culture, history, and society.

For more information, contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or e-mail aag18@psu.edu.

Tai-Yin Huang, Ph.D., associate professor of physics at Penn State Lehigh Valley, will pit her culinary talents against another Lehigh Valley professor during the "Sushi Scholars" competition sponsored by Komé restaurant in the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley. Huang will face Christopher R. Cocozza, associate professor of business at DeSales University, beginning at 5 p.m., March 29, at Komé.

Huang and Cocozza's faceoff is the third in a culinary series featuring elementary, middle, and high school, and university educators from across the Valley. The idea came fresh off the successful "Sushi Surgeons" series, a partnership that raised $10,000 for Lehigh Valley Health Network in 2010.

The Sushi Scholars concept is as follows: Komé’s Executive Chef Shuji Hiyakawa meets with each educator competitor to create an appetizer based on the participant’s inspiration. Huang plans to create a dish with a definite Penn State theme. On the night of the cook-off, diners rate the two competing educators’ dishes on appearance, taste, and overall creativity. The dish amassing the most points wins the educator’s school 15 percent of the evening’s receipts.

A championship round, featuring the educators with the highest point totals, will take place on April 26.

For more information about the contest, visit http://komerestaurant.com/links/sushi_scholars.html.

The 2011 Lehigh Valley campus THON dancers were Karissa Bollinger, Kelsey Breslin, Marquita Broxton, and Laura Buczewski. The chair of the THON team was Samantha Brotzman. They and the rest of the team achieved their impressive total through a mixture of fundraising activities throughout the year including a Mr. Lehigh Valley pageant, a campus talent show, silent auction, and canning drives throughout the community.

While this year's team takes a moment to relax after a job well done, the countdown to THON 2012 has begun and thoughts are already turning towards ways to break the current record.

More information about THON can be found on the THON website.

The first group of nine students will travel to the La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica to explore environmental conservation and ecology issues in a rain forest environment from March 2-9. This international service experience came about from a partnership between two courses at the Lehigh Valley campus: a civic engagement course taught by Mary Hutchinson, Ph.D., assistant professor of ESL education and adviser to the civic and community engagement minor, and a biology course taught by Karen Kackley-Dutt, Ph.D., instructor in biology. The group also plans to blog about their experience.

"This is a great opportunity for students to see firsthand the effects of issues they study in the classroom," says Hutchinson. "We will be participating in research and service projects and will visit coffee, banana, and chocolate plantations to learn about these crops and their impact on food production and sustainability."

A second group of students will travel to Tennessee from March 5-12 where they will join students from other area colleges in a long-term service project at the Snowbird Cherokee Community. Students will lend a hand in a number of the community's spaces including the senior citizen center, child development center, the Nantahala National Forest, and a private residence.

For more information, contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or e-mail aag18@psu.edu.

Mayim Bialik, a neuroscientist and actress who can be seen on the hit CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory, will be the featured speaker at Penn State Lehigh Valley's Commencement ceremony, to be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 7, at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem.

Born in California to first-generation Jewish American parents who were documentary filmmakers and teachers, Mayim Hoya Bialik is best known for her lead role as "Blossom Russo" in the early-'90s NBC sitcom Blossom. She also played the young Bette Midler in Beaches and had guest roles on some of television's most beloved shows of the 1980s and 1990s, including MacGuyver, Webster, and The Facts of Life. She appeared in Woody Allen's Don't Drink the Water in 1994, and has more recently appeared in HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. She has been the guest on numerous talk shows, including The Arsenio Hall Show and The Tonight Show, as well as on Jon Stewart and Conan O'Brien's earliest forays into late-night television. Most recently, Bialik can be seen playing "Amy Farrah Fowler" on the hit CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory.

Bialik earned a bachelor of science degree from UCLA in 2000 in neuroscience and Hebrew and Jewish Studies, and a doctorate in neuroscience from UCLA in 2007. Her thesis in psychoneuroendocrinology examined hypothalamic secretions and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in adolescents with Prader-Willi syndrome.

Bialik is married and has two sons, born in 2005 and 2008. She lives in southern California and enjoys cooking vegan food, practicing attachment parenting and natural family living, and studying Judaism.

For more information, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5067.

Valerie Venezia Singley has been named as the recipient of Penn State Lehigh Valley's first Featured Alumni recognition. This recently established recognition honors outstanding Penn State alumni who have shown exceptional presence in the Lehigh Valley. Nominations are accepted each semester and the recipient is chosen by a committee of Penn State Lehigh Valley Advisory Board Members.

For Kathie Leslie, campus advisory board member and chair of the selection committee, Singley stood out from the nomination pool for a number of reasons.

"Valerie exemplifies Penn State spirit. She has used her Penn State degree and experience to benefit others and make life better through her work," says Leslie, who also serves as director of sales development at Lutron Electronics. "Not only did her Penn State roots give her a great foundation for her career, but they extend to her personal life as well through the alumni and community service activities that she shares with her friends and family."

Singley attended the Lehigh Valley campus before transferring to University Park to complete her degree in speech pathology in 1994. After obtaining her master's degree from East Stroudsburg University, she began working as a licensed speech pathologist at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital and then for East Penn School District. But as she and her husband, Ryan, began to build a family of their own, Singley began craving more flexibility than a traditional nine-to-five job could offer. She made the decision to start her own business, work part time, and in turn spend more time with her growing family.

"When I first started my company, I was working for myself, by myself, and really had no intentions of expanding at the time," says Singley. "However, within six months my business was growing by word of mouth and I had hired my first employee."

Today, Singley's company employs twenty-five professionals with specializations not just in speech language pathology, but also in teaching, physical therapy, occupational therapy, bilingual therapy, and teaching for the deaf and hearing impaired. The company has contracts with two local counties and a charter school, as well as cases that are referred by other parents and pediatricians.

In January 2011, Singley added a new dimension to her agency by hiring a professional with expertise in rehabilitating the adult population. The growth and change has prompted Singley to rename her company REACH Therapy Services, LLC: Recognizing Excellence in Adults and Children.

Community service is also a key component of Singley's life, and was even as a college student dancing for THON. As a company, REACH supports the local Autism Speaks Walk Now for Autism, with Singley serving on the planning committee. In addition, Singley, her family, and her close group of college friends are actively involved in the Relay for Life benefitting cancer research. She is also active in her church and her children's PTO.

Singley credits the Lehigh Valley campus with providing a solid educational foundation on which to continue her college career at University Park. As an alumna, she has taken steps to return the favor to current students by serving as mentor to an undergraduate in the Communication Sciences and Disorders department and assisting with alumni in classroom activities and social functions. She and her husband have also made it a point to involve her three children (Johnny, 8, and 3-year-old twins Michael and Rosie) in the traditions, new and old, that they have come to love, including many offered by the Penn State Lehigh Valley Alumni Society.

"The Nittany Lion is as much a part of my children's lives as Sponge Bob is for most children," says Singley. "I am extremely honored and proud to be the first recipient of the Featured Alumni recognition, a new Penn State Lehigh Valley tradition."

For more information, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or e-mail aag18@psu.edu.

Julie B. Ealy, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry at Penn State Lehigh Valley, has been selected by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Awards and Recognitions Committee as the recipient of the 2011 Vernier Technology Award as a college professor and will be recognized at the NSTA National Conference on March 11 in San Francisco, Ca.

The Vernier Technology Award recognizes and rewards the innovative use of data collection technology using a computer, graphing calculator, or other handheld in the science classroom. The recognition includes a monetary award, expenses to attend the NSTA National Conference, a complimentary one-year membership in NSTA, and $1000 in Vernier products.

For more information, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5067.

Charles Cantalupo will be guest lecturer on Monday, February 21 at 7 p.m. in room 220 at Penn State Lehigh Valley. The title of his talk is "Rooms and Anterooms in American Poetry: Whitman, Frost, Williams, and Wilbur." The event is open to the campus community.

Cantalupo is Distinguished Professor of English, Comparative Literature, and African Studies at Penn State. He teaches at Schuylkill Campus. Characterized by critics as “Joseph Conrad filtered through the prism of Gertrude Stein” (Robert Archambeau), “blessed with far too much on his mind” (Neil Baldwin), “uncompromising” and “unclassifiable” (Bob Holman), Charles Cantalupo goes “where no other US poet dares go…. His is the hard work of getting the idea right on the page, where it sweats and strains, engages a fierce sense of morality, and churns it all up with the power of urgency.” His poetry “dynamically conjoins an historical political consciousness with a visceral metaphysics” (John Bennett) and with his book, Light the Lights, “Not since Melvin B. Tolson's Libretto for the Republic of Liberia has American language registered such a startling and revelatory encounter with the very idea of Africa” (Aldon Nielsen). 

Charles Cantalupo’s books include:

·         poetry – Light the Lights (Red Sea Press, 2004) and Anima/l Wo/man and Other Spirits (Spectacular Diseases, 1996);

·         literary criticism – War and Peace in Contemporary Eritrean Poetry (Mkuki na Nyota, 2009), Ngugi wa Thiong'o: Texts and Contexts (Africa World Press, 1995), The World of Ngugi wa Thiong'o (Africa World Press, 1995), and A Literary Leviathan: Thomas Hobbes's Masterpiece of Language (Bucknell University Press, 1991);

·         and poetry in translation: Who Needs a Story? – Contemporary Eritrean Poetry in Tigrinya, Tigre and Arabic (Hdri Publishers, 2006), We Invented the Wheel (Red Sea Press, 2002), and We Have Our Voice: Selected Poetry of Reesom Haile (Red Sea Press, 2000), which is also available on CD (Asmarino.com).

March 4, "Why Art?: A Discussion and Tour of Newly-Integrated Arts Programs at Penn State Lehigh Valley" – Ann Lalik, gallery director and art coordinator, Penn State Lehigh Valley

April 1, "Aging with Humor" – John Cooney, former CEO of Penn State Lehigh Valley

May 6, "History of the Supreme Court: The Early Years" – Robert B. Jabara, J.D.

June 3, "The Gap between the Haves and the Have Nots: Income Inequality in America" – Lonnie Golden, Ph.D., professor of economics and labor studies, Penn State Abington

The cost of each lecture, including lunch, is $15, or $45 for the entire series. All lectures will be held at the campus in Center Valley, 2809 Saucon Valley Rd., Center Valley, Pa., 18034. Registrations will be accepted until the Monday prior to each lecture.

For more information, or to register, contact Diane Lewis at 610-285-5066 or via e-mail at dlewis@psu.edu.

"The computer metaphor underlies much of the research into the study of human behavior," says Russell. "This talk will identify problems with the computer metaphor, specifically in its application to the study of human movement, and demonstrate the utility of an alternative approach employing physics and nonlinear dynamics."

Daniel Russell was born and grew up near Liverpool, England. According to Russell, after "failing miserably to be a professional football (soccer) player," he discovered an interest in the study of how humans learn and produce skilled actions. This led to studies at Manchester Metropolitan University, followed by moving to the United States for graduate work at Louisiana State University and Penn State University. He taught in the kinesiology program at Penn State Berks before recently taking a position in the School of Physical Therapy at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. His research focuses on coordination between limbs and the environment, especially in walking, and this work has been published in highly regarded peer-reviewed journals.

For more information, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or email aag18@psu.edu.

This year, LVWP will host an informational mixer from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 17 at the Allentown Brew Works (812 W. Hamilton St.). The mixer is free to educators who want to learn more about the Summer Institute.

The Invitational Summer Institute is a "teachers-teaching-teachers" model based on the belief that, through a process of collaborative inquiry, educators may better address the issues of today's classroom. Those who complete the Institute become Teacher Consultants (TCs) in the National Writing Project network.

The course schedule includes a pre-Institute class on Saturday, May 14 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Program classes will be held 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Thursday from June 27-July 21. Daily course work includes writing practice in a range of modes and genres; research into literacy practices; classroom demonstrations of writing instruction and assessment; reading and writing response groups; and classroom inquiry. Attendance is mandatory for all sessions, which will be held at the campus in Center Valley.

Tuition is $2,322 ($387/graduate credit). An information technology fee of $150 is required at the time of registration. For anyone covered by an employer tuition reimbursement plan, tuition deferment is available. A $500 stipend will be awarded to participants upon successful completion of the Institute experience.

All educators who are committed to renewal and growth of their professional lives may apply. The deadline for applications is April 1, and applicants will be selected and notified by April 22. Receive a $100 Amazon book voucher for applying by February 25 (voucher awarded upon program acceptance). Download an application.

For more information, contact Nancy Coco at 610-285-5026 or nxc4@psu.edu.

During her presentation, Lalik, who is the former Executive Director of the Baum School of Art in Allentown, will speak about the dawn of art programs at Penn State Lehigh Valley, integrating art into campus culture, and the work that took the Penn State Lehigh Art Gallery from prospect to reality. The lecture will be followed by a tour of the new art gallery and a reception lunch.

Each SAGE session begins with coffee at 10:30 a.m., the featured speaker at 11 a.m., and lunch at noon. The cost of the lecture, including lunch, is $15, and will be held at the campus in Center Valley, 2809 Saucon Valley Rd., Center Valley, Pa., 18034.

This exhibition of student-created, gallery-quality paintings utilizes the PA Arts and Humanities Standards as guidelines. The high school teachers, Cathy Beck and Anne Sikorski-Schneider, developed the lesson for the IDEA project by surveying the student stakeholders for relevant interests and issues. The teachers then met to exchange ideas and collaborate on the lesson which germinates from these student-relevant themes and the PA Art and Humanities standards.

Students participating in the annual inter-district art experience observe how students from the other participating schools solve the same art problem. Students from both schools interact with each other while creating their own paintings to create a visually cohesive exhibition. The final student art transcends the individual project scope as a collaborative effort for the community exhibit. This art exchange and experience enhances teaching and learning to broaden the definition of art education thereby dissolving the walls of classrooms and the barrier of distance between schools.

The exhibition is free and open to the public. The gallery is located on the third floor of the campus at 2809 Saucon Valley Road, Center Valley, and it is open Monday-Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Thursday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. For more information, please contact Ann Lalik at (610) 285-5261 or e-mail aal13@psu.edu.

You can register on eLion for these spring courses. For more information, contact your adviser.

ART 050, Section 030

Intro to Painting

3 Credits

Saturdays, 9:00am-2:00pm

Begins March 19

B A 100, Section 040

Intro to Business

3 Credits

Tuesdays, 6:00-9:00pm

Web work required

Begins March 15

BI SC 002, Section 020

Genetics, Ecology and Evolution

3 Credits

Web work required

Begins week of March 14

CAS 352, Section 301

Organizational Communication

3 Credits

Web work begins March 15

Requires Embedded China Experience May 19-June 2

CIVCM 211, Section 001

Civic & Community Engagement

3 Credits

Web work begins February 1

Requires international or local spring break service March 2-9

HIST 173, Section 020

Vietnam in War and Peace

3 Credits

Mondays & Wednesdays 6:15-9:00pm

Begins March 14

I B 303, Section 301

International Business Operations

3 Credits

Web work begins March 15

Requires Embedded China Experience May 19-June 2

IST 110, Section 020

Information, People, and Technology

3 Credits

Wednesdays, 6:30-9:00pm

Web work required

Begins March 16

KINES 090B

Basketball

1.5 Credits

Mondays and Wednesdays, 11:30am-1:00pm

Begins February 7

LER 201, Section 040

Employment Law

3 Credits

Thursdays, 6:00-9:00pm

Web work required

Begins March 17

MGMT 424, Section 555

Interpersonal Relationships in Organizations

3 Credits

Tuesdays, 6:15-9:00pm

Web work required

Begins March 14

MIS 204, Section 040

Intro to Business Information Systems

3 Credfits

Mondays, 6:00-9:00pm

Web work required

Begins March 14

Jennifer Parker Talwar, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology at Penn State Lehigh Valley, will present a talk on "Entrepreneurialism and the Cultural Anchoring of 'American' Small Business Growth: The Importance of Ethnic Social Structures to Modern Norms of Corporate Efficiency" at the next Faculty Forum lecture at 1 p.m. on February 23 in room 302 at the campus in Center Valley.

During her presentation, Talwar will discuss her research which argues the significance of ethnic resource mobilization to certain corporate restructuring and growth trends in the mainstream economy of the United States. She will also discuss how immigrant entrepreneurs have come to dominate U.S. based franchise ownership, and how this population has been integral to the changing franchisor-franchisee relationship, franchise operation procedures, and consumer marketing strategies. 

"Immigrants' liberal legal access to business ownership in the United States has always encouraged entrepreneurship," says Talwar. "But the flow into franchising, specifically, is a relatively recent phenomenon, and parallels the biggest growth in the retail and restaurant economy in U.S. history."

This research stems from a postdoctoral fellowship with the SSRC (Social Science Research Council), International Migration Program. 

This lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact University Relations at (610) 285-5067 or e-mail aag18@psu.edu.

As part of the program, the students complete a service project in the local community. This year, 43 Emerging Leaders students, along with six Penn State Lehigh Valley mentors, have partnered with Cops N' Kids and the Lehigh Valley Dual Language Charter School (LVDLCS) to offer a family learning event that will include promoting the theme of kindness and caring through reading and activities. The event takes place from 12:30-2:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 5 at the Northampton Community College Fowler Center Reading Room. The event is free and open to children and families throughout the Lehigh Valley. The Fowler Center is located at 511 East Third Street, Bethlehem, Pa., 18015.

With more than 250 graduates in the program, the Emerging Leaders Institute promotes civic engagement, ethical decision-making, and transformational leadership. Developed nine years ago, the Institute recognizes leadership potential among the brightest students in the Lehigh Valley. Students are recommended by guidance counselors, complete an application, and are selected based on their potential for leadership and community involvement. Throughout the program, students learn about their leadership style, understand and communicate effectively to lead organizations, and participate in many interactive activities that support teamwork, collaboration, and foster change. The Emerging Leaders Institute partners with many community agencies, organizations, and legislators to create a program that will empower and inspire the Lehigh Valley’s youth to become active citizens passionate about their communities.

For more information, contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or e-mail aag18@psu.edu. 

"As a high school student, you don't always know what to expect when you start college," says Sam Greene '13, president of the Business Society. "We thought this event would be a great opportunity for the Allen students to not only sit in on a college-level course, but also get helpful information from students who have recently made the transition from high school to college."

The morning's activities will begin with a welcome by Greene and Ann Williams, chancellor of Penn State Lehigh Valley, in room 135. At 9:15 a.m. the students will break into groups to visit one of five classes in subjects including English, communication, sociology, and psychology. At 10:40 a.m., the groups will return to room 135 for a student panel discussion and admissions/financial aid information, which will be followed by lunch and leadership and team building exercises.

For more information, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or e-mail aag18@psu.edu.

Through January 21, students, faculty, and staff are invited to participate in THON Penny Wars in Centre Hall. During Penny Wars, contributors decide who will represent Penn State Lehigh Valley as dancers at THON by dropping money in each candidate's can. Each penny is a vote cast in favor of that candidate, while silver and paper money donated count negatively toward that candidate. However, the outcome is far from negative as all proceeds go directly to benefit THON and its mission to conquer childhood cancer.

Then on January 26 at 6 p.m., students will show-off their entertainment skills to the campus community during the "LV's Got Talent" show. Admission is $5.

The THON team will hold its annual Silent Auction during the week of February 7. To prepare, the team will accept donations of items for the auction. In past auctions, donated items have included items such as handbags, Penn State gear, and tickets to events. If you would like to donate an item to be bid on, e-mail ctn109@psu.edu or visit Student Affairs in room 214.

The proceeds from all of these events go directly to the campus THON total which benefits the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Children's Hospital and its mission of conquering childhood cancer.

Penn State students have a holiday from classes on Monday, January 17, the observed Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, but many will commit the day off to serving the community as part of a University-wide commemoration of King's legacy. This year, Penn State Lehigh Valley will serve as the host for dozens of students from the Northeast Regional Penn State campuses as they gather in Center Valley to honor the vision of King and perform service at locations throughout the area.

At 9:30 a.m., Arthur Romano, a certified nonviolence trainer and accomplished international educator, will present "Call to Conscience: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Message of Nonviolence Today." A performance by The Holmes Family, a gospel music group from Allentown, will follow.

At noon, the students, who represent the Lehigh Valley, Hazleton, Mont Alto, Wilkes-Barre, Worthington Scranton, and Schuylkill campuses, will depart for their service projects.

For more information about this day of service, please contact University Relations at 610-285-5067 or e-mail aag18@psu.edu.