You can still make a gift to Penn State Lehigh Valley for the 2012 year.

Giving to Penn State Lehigh Valley is absolutely the best way to help us fulfill our mission to students, which is to provide an excellent and affordable education. We have recently created funds in response to some of the needs of our students. They are:

Scholarship Assistance

Emergency Assistance

Education-Related Student Travel

Student Athletics Fund

Or you can support campus facilities and programs by giving to:

The Arts Fund

The Gallery at Penn State Lehigh Valley

The Lion Terrace

There are two easy ways to give and be sure your donation counts in 2012. Send a check dated before December 31, 2012, to the campus (ATTN: Development), or choose the Giving Online option. If you choose to give online, don’t forget to designate your gift to the Lehigh Valley Campus.

We appreciate your gift to Penn State Lehigh Valley!

If you’d like to talk to someone before making a gift, email mjoly@psu.edu or call 484-347-3289 over the campus holiday (from December 22 to January 2).

Address: Penn State Lehigh Valley, 2809 Saucon Valley Road, Center Valley, PA 18034

Two Penn State Lehigh Valley pre-service teachers surprised the students of McKinley Elementary School in Allentown on Friday, Dec. 14, with brand new books that they had collected through donations. In all, Terrie Pinho and Samantha Shellenberger, with a little help from the Nittany Lion, distributed over 750 new books to the McKinley students.

Both Pinho and Shellenberger are completing their pre-service teaching requirement at McKinley, which is also the campus' partner in the COMPASS program (Community Partners for Student Success). They began their quest for books for the students independently, but came together to organize the distribution event that took place at the school.

Shellenberger, who also works at the 1760 Pub 'n Grille in Trexlertown, set out to collect 316 new books, which would allow her to give each child in the school a new book. When the restaurant learned of her book drive, her employer eagerly jumped on board offering a coupon to book donors and allowing the restaurant to be a drop-off location. Their efforts yielded approximately 600 new books for the McKinley students.

Pinho originally intended to purchase 29 books as gifts for each student in her class. Then she noticed how much her students coveted the school library copies of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and knew that the latest edition was about to be released. Just as she decided to get those books for her students, Pinho learned of Shellenberger's book drive and was inspired to aim higher. She emailed family and friends asking for donations so that she could purchase 100 books, enough to provide the book to each third grader and supply the fourth and fifth grade classroom libraries. Within a week, she had 98 books and again decided to raise her goal to 165 books, which would reach every single third, fourth and fifth grader. The goal was quickly met and supplemented by a separate donation of 30 copies of the movie edition from the books' publisher, Abrams Publishing.

On Friday, Dec. 14, Shellenberger drove her book-stuffed car to McKinley and met up with Pinho to distribute the books. With the Nittany Lion on-hand to help, each student got to choose a new book to take home. McKinley School faces barriers common to many urban schools with a culturally diverse and often economically disadvantaged student population. For many of its students, the book they received was the first they could truly call their own.

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

Prospective students and their families are invited to attend an Open House at 9:30 a.m., Jan. 12, at Penn State Lehigh Valley.

The program offers information to local high school juniors and seniors considering applying to Penn State. Hear about the options and opportunities at Penn State, speak with faculty, and interact with students, staff, and alumni. Participants can also attend a Financial Aid Q&A session.

To register, call 610-285-5000 or register online by visiting www.lv.psu.edu. Penn State Lehigh Valley is located at 2809 Saucon Valley Road, Center Valley, PA 18034.

Amy Burkett, television station manager at WLVT-PBS39 and host of its popular news magazine show Tempo InDepth, will teach a new Television Field Production course at Penn State Lehigh Valley this spring. The course, which will be held at PBS 39's brand new studios at the SteelStacks in Bethlehem, is expected to be of particular interest to students pursuing the campus' new bachelor's degree in Corporate Communication.

"This is an exciting opportunity for our students since, historically, students interested in communications could not take this kind of class until they moved to University Park," said Nichola Gutgold, coordinator of the Corporate Communication degree program at Penn State Lehigh Valley. "Our excitement about the course is heightened by Amy's involvement. She is going to bring a lot to this course and give students a very personalized, hands-on experience."

Recently, Burkett paid a visit to the campus to meet with interested students and give them a preview of the course. One of the unique components of this class is the students will work as a team to create a 15-minute final project, which will be broadcast on PBS39. She also talked about her own career and what they might do to be successful in the television industry.

"I’m incredibly excited to work with the Penn State Lehigh Valley students. This is a great opportunity to share PBS39’s advanced production skills with the next generation," Burkett said. "Our professionals work hard to pass down our passion as well as our expertise with the community in a myriad of ways beyond broadcasting."

Burkett joined the station in 1999 to create and host its weekly news magazine show Tempo. During her tenure, she and her team have received 30 regional Emmy nominations, six Emmys, four national public television awards, six Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters' Awards, and one regional Edward R. Murrow Award.

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

Penn State Lehigh Valley's student aid office will host two free financial aid workshops for high school students who are considering enrolling in higher education.

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

WHEN: Jan. 10, 2013, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
OR Jan. 15, 2013, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
(Snow date is Jan. 17, 2013 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. 7, 2013, by calling 610-285-5000.

Ann Marie Yurish-Surovy '99, has been named as the 2012-2013 recipient of Penn State Lehigh Valley's 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 year and the recipient is chosen by a committee of Penn State Lehigh Valley Advisory Board Members.

Surovy began her Penn State career at the Lehigh Valley campus where she became actively involved in numerous campus activities. After two years, she transitioned to University Park's College of Communications where she completed a bachelor of arts degree in 1999.

Surovy is currently Director of Development for LifePath, a local nonprofit organization headquartered in Bethlehem that provides programs and services to individuals of all ages with developmental disabilities. Among other things, this position allows her to fulfill a self-proclaimed passion for advocating for disability rights. She also dedicates time toward supporting women's and children's issues, as well as causes that benefit cancer research. Additionally, she volunteers her time as the vice president of marketing for the Women’s Business Council of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce and is active with the Whitehall Area Chamber of Commerce’s Women of Whitehall group.

Surovy was nominated for the Featured Alumni recognition by her former professor, Nichola Gutgold, associate professor of communication arts and sciences at the Lehigh Valley campus. Gutgold celebrates Surovy's transition from Penn State Lehigh Valley honors student to Penn State Lehigh Valley spokesperson. In her nomination, Gutgold shared, "She is an outstanding Penn State ambassador, a compassionate leader and ethical communicator. She has represented the College of Communications numerous times at open houses…[and is] held in the utmost regard in the community."

As the 2012-2013 Featured Alum, Surovy will engage with students, faculty, and fellow alumni and share her Penn State and professional experiences throughout the academic year. Her term as the campus ambassador will culminate in May when she is recognized at the 2012 Honors Convocation and Commencement.

The Lehigh Valley Writing Project (LVWP) will host its annual Best Practices Conference from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26, at the Penn State Lehigh Valley campus in Center Valley, Pa.

The conference features interactive workshops and presentations for teachers to share professional teaching practices. The keynote presentation, "Mentor Texts and the Common Core," will be given by Rose Cappelli and Lynne Dorfman. Cappelli and Dorfman will also sign copies of their books during the conference.

Cappelli and Dorfman conduct workshops and in-services on the teaching of writing and have presented at KSRA, IRA, Reading Recovery, NCTE, and various state conferences around the country. They are the authors of Teaching Writing Domains with Mentor Texts, a resource guide for teachers published and distributed by Reading Matters, Inc., as well as Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing Through Children’s Literature K-6, Nonfi ction Mentor Texts: Teaching Informational Writing Through Children’s Literature K-8, Poetry Mentor Texts: Making Reading and Writing Connections K-8, and a video, Writing with Mentors, all published by Stenhouse Publishers.

The cost of the conference is $45 and includes a continental breakfast and lunch. Teachers earn five ACT 48 hours for attending. To register for the conference, or for more information, visit www.lvwp.org or contact Nancy Coco at 610-285-5026 or nxc4@psu.edu.

Jacqueline McLaughlin, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, will return to Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China from Apr. 27 - May 10, 2013, as a visiting scholar to teach an international course on environmental science to freshmen in the College of Civil Environmental Engineering. While there, she will be continuing her research to assess transformation in the undergraduate Chinese classrooms that embrace inquiry-based learning.

She will also be presenting “Global Environmental Science Education in the 21st Century: Addressing the Challenges and Opportunities that Face China through Online Innovation” at the 2013 EDUCAUSE Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference at the Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland, on January 16, 2013.

Penn State Lehigh Valley will offer an SAT review course that can help prepare test takers for the SAT exam. The course offers strategies for the verbal, critical reading and writing, and math portions of the exam. Participants can develop effective critical reading and writing strategies, review essential mathematical skills and concepts, discover proven test-taking techniques, and gain instructional help and feedback with the concepts covered. This comprehensive program is taught by Penn State instructors.

The course will be held Saturdays from Jan. 12-March 2 from 9 a.m.-noon at the campus in Center Valley which is located at 2809 Saucon Valley Road, Center Valley, 18034. The fee of $199 covers 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.

Two Penn State Lehigh Valley students were selected to present their undergraduate research at the fifth Smith Undergraduate Science Research Symposium held at Penn State York on Nov. 10.

Richard George and Vinod Jeyaretnam joined students and faculty from eight Penn State campuses to present discipline-based science undergraduate research projects. George, under the supervision of Tai-Yin Huang, associate professor of physics, presented "Gravity Wave Effects on Atmospheric Airglow in the MLT Region." Jeyaretnam, under the supervision of Jacqueline McLaughlin, associate professor of biology, presented "Chronotropic Effects of Select Cardiovascular Drugs on the Developing Vertebrate Heart."

A symposium featuring undergraduate science research was the brainchild of Haiduke Sarafian, John T. and Paige S. Smith Professor of Science and professor of physics at Penn State York. The idea of the symposium was proposed in 2002 and was supported by the campus. Symposiums are held every other year.

For more information about the symposium, visit http://www2.yk.psu.edu/smithsym/.

Penn State Lehigh Valley Honors Society students Austin Crain and Mahdi Chaker will be the featured presenters for a panel discussion on "Tech Tools in the Classroom" at 1 p.m., Nov. 14, in room 302 at the campus in Center Valley. The event is free and open to the community.

The panel will discuss new technology tools that students can use to enhance their learning both in and out of the classroom and how their use impacts classroom dynamics. Professor David Livert, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at Penn State Lehigh Valley, will serve as the respondent for the panel.

As the campus' centennial draws to a close, a limited number of copies of the commemorative "Roaring Recipes" cookbook are still available for purchase. The cookbook features recipes from Penn State Lehigh Valley students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the campus, and is available for purchase at the campus bookstore and online at www.lvwccookbook.webs.com. Each cookbook is $20 with proceeds benefiting student groups, adult learners, and the campus.

"Roaring Recipes" was compiled by the Penn State Lehigh Valley Women's Commission in celebration of the campus' 100th anniversary. The cookbook committee not only canvased the campus community for their tastiest recipes, but also friends of Penn State Lehigh Valley including 2011 commencement speaker Mayim Bialik. Bialik, who currently stars on the CBS hit "The Big Bang Theory," contributed a few vegan-friendly recipes to the book.

The book also features many recipes fitting for an upcoming Penn State or other football tailgate, like Mexican Tortilla Roll-Ups, and for the fast-approaching holiday season.

The campus' THON team will host a 5K Fun Run/Walk, rain or shine, on Nov. 18 at the Fish Hatchery location of Lehigh Parkway in Allentown. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the race begins at 11 a.m.

The registration fee is $25, and all proceeds will benefit THON, Penn State's 46-hour no sleeping, no sitting dance marathon benefiting pediatric cancer through the Four Diamonds Fund at Hershey Medical Center. In lieu of competition and place prizes, an auction will be held after the race for those who wish to participate.

For more information about the race or registration, contact Rita DiBenedetto at rhd5042@psu.edu.

Media inquiries may be directed to Allison Goodin at 610-285-5067 or aag18@psu.edu.

After nearly 40 years of service to Penn State Lehigh Valley's Office of Continuing Education, Sandra M. "Sandy" Litzenberger retired in October 2012.

In September 1973, Litzenberger began her Penn State career working part time in the then Penn State Allentown Ridge Avenue facility in Continuing Education (CE) processing bulk mailings and assisting in the registration office. She became a full-time secretary in 1974 in the CE office and was involved in all aspects of Continuing Education including registration, filing, typing, and working with students and faculty, assisting in setting up undergraduate and graduate evening and summer program credit courses, noncredit activities, and management development programs.

In 1993 Litzenberger was promoted to program assistant, coordinating graduate and nongraduate programs, Paralegal, Real Estate, Nurse Assistant and Medical Office Program certificates, Welfare-to-Work and displaced workers training with the Hispanic American Organization and Bethlehem Steel, assisting Management Development and the Lehigh Valley Writing Project, and supporting the Youth Enrichment Partnership 2000 and the PIC High School Precollege Programs. Additionally, she was the administrator of a quarter of a million-dollar budget for noncredit programming.

Promoted to CE Area Representative in 2003, Litzenberger directed all aspects of the Academic Employment Training Program for High School Students. She successfully wrote, submitted, and was awarded grants each year. She coordinated writing and math programs for Roosevelt Elementary School through Allentown Housing Authority grants. While at the Overlook Park facility, she coordinated programs with the Literacy Center of Lehigh Valley, and assisted individuals who visited the computer labs with work applications, résumés, homework, etc.

Litzenberger received the Penn State Lehigh Valley Outstanding Staff Award for 2002-2003 for outstanding dedication and commitment to the campus. In addition, she was the 2003 Penn State University Outstanding Employee in Continuing Education.

Sandy and her husband Dale recently celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary. The couple has three children, Michael, James, and Denise, and six grandchildren.

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

Charles Swanson, Ph.D., professor of economics and finance at Temple University, will be the featured speaker for the final fall Faculty Lecture Series at 1 p.m., Nov. 16, in room 302 at the campus in Center Valley. Swanson will discuss "Oil Prices and the Macroeconomy since 1960." This event is free and open to the public.

The Kyoto Protocol of 1997 was an attempt to restrain the production and burning of fossil fuels to help reduce global warming. Swanson’s lecture explores the surprising impact of this protocol on the oil markets and the economy and how it can explain, in part, some of the gyrations in the world economy from 1998 to 2011.

Swanson is a tenured professor at Temple University in the Department of Economics and Finance.

The Faculty Lecture Series is supported by the student activity fee in cooperation with Alumni and Corporate Relations, Teaching International, and the Penn State Lehigh Valley Undergraduate Research Symposium.

For more information, call 610-285-5000.

Media inquiries can be directed to Allison Goodin, 610-285-5067 or aag18@psu.edu.

Penn State Lehigh Valley Student Affairs will host its annual Thanksgiving food drive beginning Thursday, Nov. 1 and running through Monday, Nov. 12. Food items being accepted for donation include turkey, stuffing, canned vegetables, cranberry sauce, gravy, rolls, pumpkin pie and juice, as well as monetary donations to purchase these items. Once collected, the items will create complete Thanksgiving meals for families served by the Sixth Street Shelter in Allentown. All items can be dropped off in the Student Affairs office on campus, room 214. The campus community will deliver meals to the shelter on Friday, Nov. 16.

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

Larry Backer, J.D., W. Richard and Mary Eshelman Faculty Scholar and professor of law and international affairs at Penn State University, will be the featured speaker for the next Faculty Lecture Series at 1 p.m., Nov. 5, in room 302 at the campus in Center Valley. Backer will discuss "Globalization: Governments as private actors in global markets." This event is free and open to the public.

Backer’s presentation will focus on his research on governments as private actors in global markets and the development of law and social norm systems to regulate business and human rights. His research is on globalization, especially as it relates to the emergence of ways of understanding constitutional and enterprise law. His most recent work touches on the regulation of multinational corporations, sovereign wealth funds, transnational constitutionalism, and the convergence of public and private law.

Backer splits his teaching between Penn State Law and the School of International Affairs, teaching classes in constitutional, corporate, and transnational law and policy. He is a member of the American Law Institute and the European Corporate Governance Institute.

The Faculty Lecture Series is supported by the student activity fee in cooperation with Alumni and Corporate Relations, Teaching International, and the Penn State Lehigh Valley Undergraduate Research Symposium.

For more information, call 610-285-5000.

Media inquiries can be directed to Allison Goodin, 610-285-5067 or aag18@psu.edu.

Prospective students interested in applying to Penn State are invited to attend an information session at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 8 at the campus in Center Valley. Lehigh Valley campus admissions representatives will be on-hand to answer any application-related questions and guide students through the online application process.

To register for the event, visit www.lv.psu.edu online and click on "Application Night."

For more information, call 610-285-5000. Penn State Lehigh Valley is located at 2809 Saucon Valley Rd., Center Valley, Pa., 18034.

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

Leigh Cundari, Ed.D., has been appointed full-time instructor of rehabilitation and human services, one of Penn State Lehigh Valley's newest baccalaureate degree programs. Cundari received her Ed.D., Ed.S., and M.Ed., from Lehigh University. She has previously worked as a disability services specialist at Northampton Community College.

Mark Gruskin, Ph.D., has been appointed as assistant professor of finance and accounting. Gruskin holds a doctoral degree from Wayne State University and an M.B.A. from Penn State University. He has held academic positions and/or taught courses at James Madison University, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University. He has also worked for the Ford Motor Company and FORDDIRECT.com in Dearborn, Mi.

Marietta Scanlon, Ph.D., has been appointed full-time instructor of engineering. Scanlon received a doctoral degree from The Johns Hopkins University, and an S.M. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Scanlon has previously worked at St. Ignatius Loyola Regional School in West Lawn, Pa., and at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Scanlon also serves as a corporate trainer in materials science and engineering.

Leslie Staffeld, Ed.D., has been appointed full-time instructor of elementary education. Staffeld received both a doctorate and master of education degree from Lehigh University. Staffeld has 26 years of experience as an elementary school principal in the Quakertown Community School District, and has taught courses at DeSales University.

Mary Ann Stank, has been appointed full-time instructor of elementary education. Stank received both a master's and bachelor's degree from Kutztown University. Stank most recently worked as director of curriculum at Kutztown University, and was also an instructor at DeSales University.

Barbara Cantalupo, Ph.D., associate professor of English at Penn State Lehigh Valley, will be the featured speaker for the next SAGE lecture. Cantalupo will present, "The Poe You May Not Know," at 11 a.m. on Nov. 2 in room 135 at the campus in Center Valley.

Senior Adults Gaining Enrichment (SAGE) is an outreach program of Penn State Lehigh Valley for adults 55+. Each SAGE session begins with coffee at 10:30 a.m., the featured speaker at 11 a.m., and lunch at noon.

Although Edgar Allen Poe’s name is most often identified with stories of horror and fear, this talk will stake a claim for the less familiar Poe; the one who often goes unrecognized or forgotten; the Poe whose early love of beauty was a strong and enduring draw.

"This talk will show how Poe’s 'deep worship of all beauty,' expressed in an 1829 letter to John Neal when Poe was just twenty, never entirely faded despite the demands of his commercial writing and editorial career," said Cantalupo. "In that letter, Poe appealed to Neal 'as a man that loves the same beauty which I adore — the beauty of the natural blue sky and the sunshiny earth' (Letters 47). This is the Poe you might not know."

Barbara Cantalupo is founding and current editor of The Edgar Allan Poe Review originally published at Penn State Lehigh Valley. Beginning in 2013, the journal will be published by The Pennsylvania State University Press. She is also series editor of "Perspectives on Poe" for Lehigh University Press. Her edited books include a reprinting of the 1916 revised version of the 1892 novel, "Other Things Being Equal," by Emma Wolf with an introduction (Wayne State UP, 2002), "Prospects for the American Literary Study, Vol. II" with Richard Kopley (AMS Press, 2009), "Emma Wolf's Short Stories in The Smart Set" with an introduction (AMS Press, 2009), and "Poe's Pervasive Influence" (Lehigh UP/Roman & Littlefield, 2012). Cantalupo is the author of numerous essays on nineteenth century American authors as well twentieth century American women writers and artists.

The cost of the lecture is $15 and includes coffee and lunch. To register, contact Carol Buddock at 610-285-5059.

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

Artist Barnaby Ruhe will conduct one of his marathon portrait-painting 'happenings' at Penn State Lehigh Valley on Oct. 24 from 1-3 p.m. in Centre Hall at the campus in Center Valley. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni are invited to stop in, sit for the artist for a few minutes, and become part of an 8'x8' "Faces of Penn State Lehigh Valley" mural. The event is sponsored by the Penn State Lehigh Valley Art Club.

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

Due to inclement weather, the Penn State Lehigh Valley THON team has rescheduled its kick-off event for 12:15 p.m. on Oct. 16.

The event will be held at the basketball courts at the campus in Center Valley and will feature a Pie Your Presidents competition and a basketball contest for students, faculty and staff.

For more information, please contact the Penn State Lehigh Valley Student Affairs Office at 610-285-5000.

John Gastil, Ph.D., head of communication arts and sciences at Penn State University, will be the featured speaker for the next Faculty Lecture Series at 12:30 p.m., Oct. 30, in room 135 at the campus in Center Valley. Gastil will discuss "The Oregon Citizens' Initiative Review: A new role for citizen legislators in initiative elections." This event is free and open to the public.

This talk will offer a field report from the 2012 Oregon Citizens’ Initiative Review, a unique program in public deliberation that uses everyday citizens to study ballot measures and advise fellow voters through the office Voters’ Pamphlet. This process shows the potential for lay citizens to play a more active role in deliberating on the legislation that comes before them in the form of referenda, initiatives, and even local bond measures.

Gastil is head of the Communication Arts and Sciences Department at Penn State University. He specializes in political deliberation and group decision making, and his books include "The Jury and Democracy" (Oxford, 2010), "The Group in Society" (Sage, 2010), "Political Communication and Deliberation" (Sage, 2008), "By Popular Demand" (California, 2000), among others.

The Faculty Lecture Series is supported by the student activity fee in cooperation with Alumni and Corporate Relations, Teaching International, and the Penn State Lehigh Valley Undergraduate Research Symposium.

For more information, call 610-285-5000.

Media inquiries can be directed to Allison Goodin, 610-285-5067 or aag18@psu.edu.

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.

The Gallery at Penn State Lehigh Valley will present a new exhibit featuring the photographs of Theo Anderson. "Snafu" will run from Oct. 29-Dec. 14, 2012, with an artist talk at 4 p.m. and a reception continuing until 7 p.m. on Nov. 8. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public. This exhibition is organized in partnership with Lehigh Valley Photography Month, part of the InVision Photo Festival™ presented by ArtsQuest™.

The exhibition includes photographs from Anderson's ongoing series, CADILLAC, which depict scenes from around the United States. A limited edition book will be created based on the photographs in this presentation.

"The photographs are not so much about place as they are about transformation. The context of everyday American life is used in my visual exploration. The photographs are democratic in the sense that no place or person is more or less important than another. Hopefully they will provide an entryway for the viewer," said Anderson in an artist statement on the exhibit.

In addition to his exhibition, Anderson will be meeting with a number of classes and hundreds of students this fall to talk about his work and his inspiration. This integration of the gallery exhibition into the classroom is not only through art classes, but also through classes in human development, family sciences, communication arts and sciences, information systems technology, psychology, and business, among others.

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. For current gallery hours, visit www.lv.psu.edu/gallery online.

For an appointment, or for more information, please contact Ann Lalik, gallery director, at 610-285-5261 or email annlalik@psu.edu.

Two students representing Penn State Lehigh Valley placed during the 2012 USA Cycling Collegiate Track National Championships held Sept. 20-23 in Frisco, Tx.

Junior Mandy Marquardt, of Breinigsville, Pa., took the silver in the Sprint and the Women's 500-meter Time Trial. She also placed eighth out of 55 riders in the Women's 3-kilometer Pursuit.

Sophomore Matt Baranoski, of Perkasie, Pa., took gold in the Sprint and the Men's Kilometer Time Trial.

To raise money for THON 2013, Penn State Lehigh Valley students will have their first canning weekend on Sept. 28-30. From 6 a.m. to dusk, more than 15 students will be outside of multiple Dunkin’ Donuts locations along Hamilton Boulevard in Allentown, as well as the Wal-Mart stores in both Trexlertown and Whitehall.

Canning is an annual tradition that solicits donations from area residents for THON, which benefits The Four Diamonds Fund, Conquering Childhood Cancer, at the Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey, Pa.

THON 2013 will take place on February 15, 16, and 17 at the Bryce Jordan Center on the University Park campus in State College. More than 700 students from Penn State campuses and organizations will dance continuously for 46 hours to raise money for pediatric cancer research and treatments.

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.

Nichola Gutgold, Ph.D., associate professor of communication arts and sciences at Penn State Lehigh Valley, will be the featured speaker for the next Teaching International program lecture at 12:30 p.m., Oct. 2, at the campus in Center Valley. Gutgold will discuss "Women and the American Presidency 1964-present: Obstacles, Opportunities, and a Look Toward the Global." This event is free and open to the public.

2008 was a visibly progressive year for women in American politics. Hillary Clinton almost won the Democratic nomination for president and Sarah Palin was the Republican vice presidential candidate. Gutgold will address questions including if the absence of women on a national party ticket in 2012 means that all progress is lost. Her research examines the role of women and the American presidency through a rhetorical lens moving from the present day backwards to 1964. The discussion will also include a look beyond the United States and ask why the country lags behind other countries in female executive leadership.

Nichola Gutgold is author of a number of books and articles including three specifically on women and the presidency: "Paving the Way for Madam President," "Almost Madam President," and "Gender and the American Presidency: Nine Presidential Women and the Barriers They Faced" (co-authored with Ted Shekels and Diana Carlin).

Teaching International at Penn State University has developed into a model of global education anchored in curriculum innovation, student-centered research and teaching, and engaged global citizenship. Course lectures, class projects, field trips, public debates, service learning activities, theatrical productions, films, and guest lectures are some of the methods used to help students learn about the world. Teaching International at Penn State Lehigh Valley is a campus-wide academic initiative modeled after the program at Penn State Greater Allegheny which aims to enhance our own campus dynamics and community.

For more information about Teaching International, including upcoming speakers, click here.

The Student Government Association, in collaboration with the Political Society, invites the campus and community to a "Meet Your Legislators" forum at 12:15 p.m. on Thurs., Oct. 11, in the auditorium (room 135) at the campus in Center Valley. This event is free and open to the public.

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 to the panel members.

Local representatives in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas, as well as both U.S. Senators, have been invited to attend.

The Penn State Lehigh Valley Alumni Society is accepting orders through Oct. 22 for its annual Berkey Creamery Ice Cream Sale. Ice cream orders will be available for pick up from 5-7 p.m. on Nov. 8. Proceeds from the sale benefit the Alumni Society First-Year Scholarship Fund.

Those interested can choose from 14 flavors including Tin Roof Sundae, Bittersweet Mint, and new Black Raspberry frozen yogurt.

Order forms may be obtained by visiting http://psulvalumni.org/ online. For more information, please contact Nikki Graaf via email at icecream@psulvalumni.org or by calling 610-442-0061.

Penn State Lehigh Valley celebrates the one year anniversary of The Arts Project at Penn State Lehigh Valley by offering a new series of mini art workshops this fall 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 run Sept. 18-Oct. 24. 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.

Newly designed workshops include:

Exploring Printmaking with Ron DeLong
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Exploring Printmaking will cover some of the simplest processes to create prints with an element of originality using simple contemporary techniques. Students will produce multiples of the same work, which is called a "print." Each print produced is not a copy but considered an original since it is not a reproduction of another work of art and is technically (more correctly) known as an impression. Printmaking is not chosen only for its ability to produce multiple copies, but rather for the unique qualities that each of the printmaking processes lends itself to. Contemporary print techniques in this course will employ stenciling, stamping, as well as other simple processes.

Drawing and Design Fundamentals with Ron DeLong
This class will cover basic drawing techniques which may include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, various kinds of erasers, markers, styluses, and various metals (such as silverpoint). A variety of drawing surfaces and design concepts will be explored.

Photography: The Landscape and City with Greta Brubaker
This course will explore the role of landscape and the city in photography: the intersections between the history of the landscape and city in photography, the role that photography plays in our understanding of our surrounding environment and how to approach this subject photographically. It will look at the history of environmentally based photography both in the United States and abroad and how it has evolved over time. The workshop will also address the technical/practical aspects of this kind of photography: lighting/time of day/weather, location and approach. Students will be asked to photographically explore several locations and, as a class, will analyze the deeper meaning behind choices.

Other courses include Jewelry Making with Ann Lalik and Exploring Drawing through Nature with Karen Steen

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, RI
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.

Roberto Castillo, Ph.D., associate professor of Spanish and Comparative Literature at Haverford College, Haverford, Pa., will be the featured speaker for Hispanic Heritage Month at 1 p.m., Sept. 17, in room 302 at the campus in Center Valley. Castillo, a Chilean writer and scholar, will discuss relations between Latin America and the United States. This event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Diversity Committee, Teaching International Program, and Alianza Latina.

Castillo's scholarly training and focus is in Colonial Spanish American Literature and Historiography. He wrote his dissertation on captivity narratives, particularly on the Cautiverio feliz, a seventeenth-century text written by a Chilean-born Spanish soldier captured by the so-called Araucanian Indians. He is also interested in nineteenth-century Latin American political and literary thought; ethnic, race, and national identity in Spanish America; historical fictions; literature of exile; popular culture; music and politics; poetry and politics. Castillo is also a novelist, a periodic columnist for "El Mecurio" (the oldest newspaper in Latin America), and blogger at "Noticias Secretas" where he discusses world issues.

Professor Castillo has taught in the Haverford College Department of Spanish since 1991. Before that, he was an instructor in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures and the History and Literature Concentration at Harvard. He received his B.A. in Sociology at Kenyon College, his M.A. at Vanderbilt University in Spanish Literature, and an A.M. and Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures from Harvard University, (1992) with a dissertation on the captivity narratives of the Spanish American Colonial period.

Teaching International at Penn State University has developed into a model of global education anchored in curriculum innovation, student-centered research and teaching, and engaged global citizenship. Course lectures, class projects, field trips, public debates, service learning activities, theatrical productions, films, and guest lectures are some of the methods used to help students learn about the world. Teaching International at Penn State Lehigh Valley is a campus-wide academic initiative modeled after the program at Penn State Greater Allegheny which aims to enhance our own campus dynamics and community.

For more information about Teaching International, including upcoming speakers, click here.

Penn State’s 2012-2013 Laureate, Christopher Staley, Distinguished Professor of Ceramic Arts at Penn State University, will present a lecture titled, "Art and Life: Where They Intersect," at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 10 in room 302 at the campus in Center Valley. Staley’s lecture will focus on how wisdom is revealed at the intersection of art and life.

During his presentation, Staley will address how living in a time of unprecedented change has affected how we relate to objects, and each other and our sense of place. He will also explore questions such as how our sense of time been affected, how does art provide a unique perspective on how we live, and what is the difference between representation and presentation?

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.

Named a Penn State Distinguished Professor in 2008, Staley joined the University faculty in 1990, teaching ceramics in the School of Visual Arts. Under his leadership, the Ceramics Graduate Program has been ranked No. 10 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. He received Penn State’s Graduate Faculty Teaching Award in 2007.

His ceramic pieces are included in the International Museum of Ceramic Art, Fuping, China; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England; and the Smithsonian National Museum of American Art, Washington D.C., among others. He is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics, based in Geneva, Switzerland, and serves as chair of the board of directors at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, an international craft school in Deer Isle, Maine. In February 2012, he gave a talk at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, India.

Staley has had numerous one-person exhibitions across the United States, many of which were at the highly regarded Garth Clark Gallery in New York City, in addition to participating in many group shows. He has served as artist-in-residence at the Ceramic Art Museum, Fuping, China; the European Ceramic Work Centre in the Netherlands; and the Archie Bray Foundation in Montana.

He has received grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the National Endowments for the Arts, among other organizations. He is frequently invited to give lectures and workshops throughout the country and has served as a juror for many art exhibitions. His writings and his ceramic work are featured in numerous publications, ranging from ceramics periodicals to books on the art of form. Staley received his master of fine arts degree from Alfred University and bachelor of fine arts degree from Wittenberg University.

For more information, contact Ann Lalik, Gallery Director, at annlalik@psu.edu or 610-285-5078.

Penn State Lehigh Valley will roll out the blue carpet for the premiere of "Why We Dance: The Story of THON" on Thursday, Sept. 27 in room 135 at the campus in Center Valley. The event begins at 6 p.m. with photos with the Nittany Lion and free popcorn. The 7 p.m. film screening will be preceded by a short program including THON families, past dancers, and the current campus THON team. Additional movie snacks will be available for purchase with all proceeds supporting campus efforts to battle pediatric cancer.

"Why We Dance: The Story of THON" is a 60-minute television program that introduces viewers to families battling childhood cancer and follows Penn State student volunteers throughout the year as they plan and carry out logistics for fundraising events and share special experiences with their adopted THON families. More than 15,000 students take part in Penn State’s annual dance marathon, better known as THON. Students also helped with the production of Penn State Public Broadcasting’s documentary about THON.

THON has raised more than $88 million over the past 40 years. Last year, the Penn State Lehigh Valley team raised more than $31,000. The money goes to the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, which provides support for families of children with cancer and cancer research. To watch the latest clip from the documentary, visit http://live.psu.edu/youtube/1eLE9EMZUBg online.

The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Tickets are available online by clicking here.

The National Science Foundation has awarded Penn State Lehigh Valley Associate Professor of Biology, Dr. Jacqueline McLaughlin, a grant of $17,000 for support of her project entitled, "Vision and Change: A NABT Professional Development Summit." Along with Dr. Anneke Metz, a biology instructor at Southern Illinois University of Medicine, McLaughlin will organize and deliver a Professional Development Summit with the theme "Vision and Change."

The event will be held on Friday, November 2, 2012, as part of the activities of the larger 2012 National Organization of Biology Teachers Professional Development Conference. For the 2012-2013 school year, they will select a group of “Summit Fellows” who will be mentored to make a change in their biology teaching inspired by the Summit. The Fellows will then be assessed six months and twelve months post-summit in order to research transformations in undergraduate classrooms over the academic year. Additionally, the Summit Fellows will include ten faculty members who make a formal commitment to implement a transformation and agree to be interviewed by McLaughlin and Metz to document in-depth the nature of their implementation, the issues faced in implementing the new strategy, the methodology of implementation, and much more.
“Leading scientists, science educators, and policymakers have given much thought to improving the teaching and learning of science in undergraduate biology classrooms through their creation of Vision and Change. The utility of this document, however, depends upon its implementation by our nation's faculty to heed the call-to-action to "transform" how they teach biology. Assisting our nation's faculty in their personal transformations (professional development) by creating this Summit (with Dr. Metz and NABT) and mentoring selected Fellows is a career milestone for me,” says McLaughlin.

McLaughlin and Metz plan on sharing their findings through publication upon completion.

The Gallery at Penn State Lehigh Valley would like to announce the opening of their newest exhibit, "Altering Reality: Latin American Leading Artists." The exhibition will run from Aug. 27-Oct. 12, and will feature the works of seven Latin American artists from countries such as Cuba, Dominican Republic, Peru, and Venezuela. Artists include
Pedro Fuertes, Dora Lopez, Rigo Peralta, Orlando Rafael Quevedo, Carlos Solis, Juan Ramiro Torres, and Ricardo Viera.

Each artist explores his or her own truth that is rooted in tradition, culture, nature and tremendous
skill, yet all transcend that reality in a distinctive enchanted style. Whether the vision is expressed
through abstraction, surrealism, or scrutiny, the result is a unique reality that can only live in the land of art.

An artist reception will be held on Thursday, Aug. 30, from 4-7 p.m., with a gallery talk beginning at 4 p.m. Gallery hours are Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. For additional evening hours, please call 610-285-5078. For an appointment or for more information, contact Ann Lalik, Gallery Director, at annlalik@psu.edu or 610-285-5078.

The Office of Student Affairs will hold its annual Activities Carnival at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 5, on the quad of the campus in Center Valley.

During the carnival, students can obtain information and sign up for one of the campus' more than 30 clubs and organizations. In addition, they can also receive information on volunteer opportunities within a number of local community organizations. The carnival will also feature a variety of food, music, games, and prizes.

In the event of inclement weather, the event will be held in room 135.

For more information, visit the student affairs office in room 214 or call (610) 285-5080.

You’re wondering: “What can I do with this major?” We’re here to help. Penn State faculty members, admissions and career services staff, and alumni will be on campus to answer your questions about how to transition from your intended college major to a successful career path.

Sign up for either or both of the exploration nights, which begin at 6:30 p.m. on campus. Each career exploration night will feature different majors.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012 - Childhood and Early Adolescent Education, Kinesiology, Psychology, Rehabilitation and Human Services

Thursday, October 4, 2012 - Business, Corporate Communication, Information Sciences and Technology, Kinesiology

Time: 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Registration begins at 6:00 p.m.

Where:

Penn State Lehigh Valley

2809 Saucon Valley Road

Center Valley, PA 18034

RSVP:  Register online by clicking here. Note: Select Lehigh Valley campus as the location from the drop down menu that appears on the screen and then select the month. Or you can call 610-285-5000.

Registration is now open for the 2012 Diverse Literacies Conference, presented by Penn State Lehigh Valley and the Lehigh Valley Writing Project. The conference, with its theme of "Promoting Literacy in a Diverse Society," will be held from 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 29, at Bear Creek Mountain Resort and Conference Center in Macungie, Pa.

The keynote speaker for the conference is Dr. Sonia Nieto, a Professor Emerita of Language, Literacy, and Culture at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Dr. Nieto has written extensively on multicultural education, teacher education, and the education of Latinos and immigrants. She has received many academic and community awards for her scholarship, teaching, and advocacy, including four honorary doctorates. In 2011, she was selected as a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association and as a Laureate for Kappa Delta Pi. An accomplished author, Dr. Nieto’s books include Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education (with Patty Bode); The Light in Their Eyes: Creating Multicultural Learning Communities; and What Keeps Teachers Going? (2003).

The early registration fee, which will be accepted until September 21, 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 or to register online, please visit http://www.diverseliteracies.org.

Penn State Lehigh Valley is pleased to announce that the campus will offer the Bachelor of Arts degree in Corporate Communication beginning in fall 2012.

The Bachelor of Arts in Corporate Communication prepares Penn State students in fields such as public information and media relations. Graduates have found positions in profit and non-profit organizations. The program is distinguished by its cross-disciplinary course work in business, information systems, psychology, human behavior, and communication.  

This degree also provides a broad foundation in business principles, leading to potential success in all management fields that require strong communication skills. Students learn through team projects and problem solving exercises that prepare them for culminating internships in a variety of professional settings. Graduates bring ethical awareness, excellent communication skills – oral, written, and visual – and understanding of human relations to the growing social and cultural diversity of both local and global business environments.

"Every facet of society depends on effective communication to operate at its fullest. Employers seek workers who communicate well to represent their organizations," said Dr. Nichola Gutgold, the program coordinator for Corporate Communication. "Penn State Lehigh Valley's B.A. in Corporate Communication prepares students for careers as spokespeople, public relations professionals, writers, editors, and a host of other careers where speaking and writing well are essential." 

Dr. Kenneth Thigpen, who worked to bring this degree to the Lehigh Valley campus, has high expectations for students earning this degree. He points out that, "The range of opportunities for graduates with this degree is amazing. You can be an entrepreneur, launching and promoting your own business. You can work for large or small corporations, family businesses, the retail or non-profit sector. This is a degree of opportunity."  

Alexander Atiyeh (also known as “Dubbilay Syrias”), a Penn State grad who attended the Lehigh Valley campus for two years, has published his first book, The Syrias Life.

The Syrias Life is intended to prove that a struggle is necessary in order to prosper in life. Through visual and metaphorical performance poetry, The Syrias Life combines several events in the life of Dubbilay Syrias to demonstrate how an imbalanced brain functions better than a normal one.

“The whole book is one big metaphor, and I believe the readers will identify the true meanings. It is certainly a book to indulge in and really read in between the lines to extract a deeper message and perhaps to formulate your own message to relate to,” says Syrias.

Syrias began writing in 2005 and graduated from Penn State in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in English.  He credits his father for helping him discover his true talent in this area. 

“He was always found participating in open mic sessions and really helped to promote poetry and the spoken word on campus. He encouraged everyone to express themselves through writing and definitely increased the awareness of how powerful words can be,” says Stephanie Friday, assistant director of student affairs at Penn State Lehigh Valley.

The Syrias Life can be purchased on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com, as it is only a print-on- demand purchase.  A Kindle version is also available.

Need a little boost to your professional development? Registration is open now at Penn State Lehigh Valley for fall 2012 professional development programs. From certification in Human Resource Management to intensive review for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, there are numerous opportunities available for classes starting in September that fit your busy life.

Certification Prep Courses:

Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) PHR/SPHR certification prep

Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification Boot Camp

Project Management Certificate Program

Lean and Six Sigma Overview

FE (Engineer-in-Training) Review Program

PE (Professional Engineer) Review – Civil Engineering

Credit Certificates:

Business Essentials Credit Certificate

Labor and Employment Relations Credit Certificate

Visit www.lv.psu.edu/ce for more information or contact Diane McAloon at 61-285-5056 for more details.

Senior Adults Gaining Enrichment (SAGE), an outreach program

of Penn State Lehigh Valley, has announced the schedule for its fall 2012 four-part lecture series. Each

SAGE session begins with coffee at 10:30 a.m., the featured speaker at 11 a.m., and lunch at noon. All

lectures will take place in room 135 at Penn State Lehigh Valley in Center Valley. The fall schedule is as

follows:

Friday, September 14

“Emotional Wellness for Positive Living”

Judith Belmont, MS, LPC, Psychotherapist and Author

Friday, October 5

“From Mine to Metal:  A History of Zinc in Eastern Pennsylvania”

Peter L. Kern, Senior Vice President (Ret.) New Jersey Zinc Company 

Friday, November 2

“The Poe You May Not Know”

Barbara Cantalupo, Associate Professor of English and Editor of the Edgar Allan Poe Review

Friday, December 7

“Abraham Lincoln’s Transformation of America”

Joseph Garrera, Executive Director, Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum

Cost for individual lectures is $15 or $45 for the series, which includes coffee and networking prior to the lecture and lunch afterward. To register, contact Carol Buddock at 610-285-5059.

These minors are perfect to supplement any of Penn State’s baccalaureate degree programs, including the education, psychology, business, information sciences and technology and rehabilitation and human services degrees offered at the Lehigh Valley campus.

Minors require a minimum of 18 credits and typically no more than 21 credits with at least 6 credits at the 400 level. Students may complete multiple minors if they are interested in developing an emphasis in additional disciplines. Applications for a minor are accepted any time after 60 credits in a major program are completed.

For a complete listing of requirements for each minor, visit http://bulletins.psu.edu/undergrad/programs/minors. To register for courses at Penn State Lehigh Valley, contact the Registrar, Kathy Eck, at kde1@psu.edu or 610-285-5060.

USA Cycling has announced that Bobby Lea, a 2006 graduate of Penn State Lehigh Valley, has been chosen to compete on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Cycling Team in London, England. This year's Olympic team features 24 male and female athletes across the disciplines of road cycling, track cycling, mountain biking, and bicycle motocross.  Lea will compete in the track event, which begins Thursday, August 2.

Lea made his Olympic debut in the 2008 games in Beijing, China, where he finished 16th in the Madison. Since then, he has earned four national championships, including winning gold in the Individual Pursuit and the Omnium at the 2011 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships. He also registered strong results at the UCI Track World Cups, placing 14th and 15th in two different 2011 World Cup events.

While at Penn State Lehigh Valley, Lea majored in business management and trained under legendary coach, Jim Young. He has been racing in Trexlertown for Team Pure Energy Cycling - ProAirHFA since 1991.  Since starting the sport at the age of 4, Lea has accumulated over 40 national championships, primarily as a track rider. He currently resides in Topton, Pennsylvania.

On July 7, 2012, while en route to Panama with the 2012 CHANCE crew, Dr. Jacqueline McLaughlin, associate professor of Biology and CHANCE founding director, presented, Taking a CHANCE to Empower Science Education by Blending Scientific Research with Teaching–the Jiangnan-Penn State University “global environmental sustainability” field course. This presentation, at the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) Conference in Suzhou, China, was offered via a pre-made video and coordinating PowerPoint through the assistance of her colleagues and co-presenters, Drs. Xiaoying Cheng and He Liu from Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.

Penn State Lehigh Valley will be celebrating the opening of the Jerome and Martha Markowitz Music Room from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 28, at the campus in Center Valley.

The music room was a gift to the campus from the children of the late Jerome and Martha Markowitz to honor both of their parents whose lives were deeply rooted in music. Jerome passed away in 1991 and was the founder and chairman of the board of Allen Organ Co., which he started while studying at Muhlenberg College.  Martha, an avid volunteer, spent much of her time assisting at Community Music School in Allentown. Before passing away in 2010, Martha spoke to Penn State Lehigh Valley Chancellor Ann Williams, about wanting to see a joint collaboration between Penn State Lehigh Valley and Community Music School. Since then, Dr. Williams has dedicated herself to turning Martha’s dream into reality.

Some of the room’s features include a state-of-the-art sound system, classroom space, three private practicing booths, a Mac recording lab, and Jerome and Martha’s baby Steinway piano donated by their family.

A mural commissioned by Dr. Williams and painted by Ron DeLong, an instructor of art at Penn State Lehigh Valley, will also be presented to the Markowitz family at this time. The mural is 20 ft. x 4 ft., and will hang outside of the music room in memory of their parents.

DeLong says, “Picasso once said, ‘I paint forms as I think them, not as I see them.’ That pretty much sums up my work on the Music Mural Triptych. I investigated and researched the topic of music, instruments, scores, and then moved forward with the process of creating the mural based on what I learned, what I knew, and what I thought.”

This is an invitation-only event for the Markowitz's’ close friends and family. Light fare will be served, and entertainment will be provided by the Community Music School.  

David E. Livert, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at Penn State Lehigh Valley, will co-chair the ninth biennial conference for the Society of Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) alongside Demis Glasford of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, from June 21 through June 24 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The conference, titled “Changing Societies,” will be held at the Omni Hotel and includes over 300 psychologists, public health researchers, policy makers, and social activists from around the world who share a common goal of generating knowledge to aid problems in society. Through psychology, education, health, sociology, policy studies, law, economics, and political psychology, the 2012 SPSSI conference will explore the effect of policies on individual and group behavior, such as prejudice, romantic relationships, social cognition, volunteerism, and social justice.

The core of the program will include addresses by invited speakers, facilitated discussions, research sessions, and presentations. Mentoring sessions, receptions for graduate students as well as opportunities to volunteer with a Charlotte-based community organization will also be available.  

In addition, four Penn State Lehigh Valley students, Kristine Blasco, Tristina Fitzpatrick, Michelle Tejeda, and Quynh Tran will accompany Livert and volunteer their time to help run the conference. For pictures, tweets, and information throughout their journey, follow @psulehighvalley on Twitter and visit: www.facebook.com/pages/Penn-State-Lehigh-Valley

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Nichola D. Gutgold, Ph.D., associate professor of communication arts and sciences at Penn State Lehigh Valley, recently published The Rhetoric of Supreme Court Women: From Obstacles to Options, by Lexington Books – a division of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.  

For almost two hundred years, the Supreme Court has been an exclusively male-dominated institution. From 1981 to 2010, however, four women were appointed to the Supreme Court for the first time in U.S. history: Sandra Day O’Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan. In her book, Gutgold analyzes the rhetoric of these four women, while shedding light on the rise of political women in American judiciary. The power of their rhetoric in a historically male-dominated political system is carefully shown through Gutgold’s analysis of confirmation hearings, primary scripts of their written opinions, invited public lectures, speeches, and personal interviews with Justices O’Connor, Ginsburg, and Sotomayor.  

“Professor Gutgold provides more than the usual approach, grounded in persuasive style and symbol in public and political setting. She understands the deeply embedded character of discourse as both a longitudinal marker of change and as a set of ‘scars’ that affect the nature and effect of discourse propelled from past through present to future,” says Larry Catá Backer, a W. Richard and Mary Eshelman faculty scholar and professor of law and international affairs at Penn State University.

The Rhetoric of Supreme Court Women: From Obstacles to Options can be purchased at all major book retailers and amazon.com for $27.99.

Gutgold’s other books include Almost Madam President: Why Hillary Clinton ‘won’ in 2008 (Lexington Books, 2009), Seen and Heard: The Women of Television News, (Lexington Books, 2008), and Paving the Way for Madam President (Lexington Books, 2006). She co-authored Elizabeth Hanford Dole: Speaking from the Heart (with Molly Wertheimer) (Praeger Press, 2004) and Gender and the American Presidency: Nine Presidential Women and the Barriers They Faced (with Theodore Sheckels and Diana Carlin) (Lexington Books, 2012).

She has received several campus awards, including the Teaching Excellence Award, Research Achievement Award, Advising Excellence Award and Student Appreciation Award. In 2009 she was awarded the Pennsylvania Communication Association Donald Ecroyd Research and Scholarship Award. Gutgold has led Penn State students through China, Paris, and Barcelona field studies. She advises the student newspaper, State of the Valley, and serves as University Senator. Gutgold is also a member of the National Communication Association and former president of the Pennsylvania Communication Association.

High school juniors, seniors, 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. Wednesday, July 18 and Thursday, Aug. 9, and will offer information about the options and opportunities of Penn State University.
                                               
The focus will be the admission process, financial aid timeline, student life, and athletics.

The Penn State Lehigh Valley CHANCE program, an educational outreach and professional development program in conservation biology, has received the 2012 Penn State Award for Community Engagement and Scholarship.

The award recognizes a project that best exemplifies Penn State as an “engaged institution,” which the Kellogg Commission defines as an institution that has redesigned teaching, research and extension and service functions to become even more sympathetically and productively involved with its communities.

Jacqueline McLaughlin, associate professor of biology at Penn State Lehigh Valley, is the founding director of CHANCE, Connecting Humans and Nature through Conservation Experiences. CHANCE’s goal is to educate Penn State undergraduates and K-12 science teachers and their students in conservation biology and global environmental sustainability.

Through international field courses and online curricular tools, CHANCE participants engage in inquiry-based research opportunities and conservation efforts so they can better understand global environmental issues. The program strives to connect people to nature through real-world experiences that incorporate scientific concepts, techniques, data and interpretations so they can construct their own understanding of their local landscapes and better effect change that will sustain the planet’s biodiversity.

CHANCE was founded in 2004 as a partnership between Penn State and the Pennsylvania Department of Education to train pre-service and in-service high school science teachers in environmental science and conservation biology through research. The program also develops teaching strategies that can be used in classrooms to develop students’ knowledge of, concern for and skill sets to solve challenging environmental problems.

Nearly 10,000 students participate in CHANCE’s online research-based activities each year, and approximately 125 teachers and 125 students have taken part in CHANCE field course programs. CHANCE has 27 partners worldwide and works with K-12 teachers and students throughout the United States and Panama and with undergraduate and graduate students throughout Penn State and at China’s Jiangnan University.

Summer gallery hours are: Mon.-Thurs., 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; and Fri. and Sat., 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Please call 610-285-5000 for holiday hours. For an appointment or for more information, contact Ann Lalik, gallery director, at annlalik@psu.edu  or 610-285-5261.

Penn State Lehigh Valley and the Lehigh Valley Beekeepers Association (LVBA) will present "Naturalistic Beekeeping" from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., June 23, at the campus in Center Valley.

The event will feature presentations by Ross Conrad, author and naturalist in beekeeping, Diana Cox-Foster, entomology professor at Penn State University, and Warren Miller, president of the Pennsylvania State Beekeepers Association. Topics of interest include naturalistic beekeeping, transitioning to organic beekeeping, and overwintering bees and spring management. 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 $45 and includes refreshments and lunch. The deadline for registration is June 18, 2012. For more information, or to register for the event, visit the LVBA website at www.lehighvalleybeekeepers.org.

SAT Verbal, Critical Reading and Writing will be held from 4-6 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays, Aug. 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, and 22.

SAT Math will be held from 4-6 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, Aug. 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, and 23.

Writing the College Application Essay will be held from 4-6 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, Aug. 7, 9, 14, and 16. There will also be an early fall offering for this course being held from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, Saturdays, Sept. 22 and 29, as well as 4-6 p.m., Thursdays, Sept. 27 and Oct. 4.

The courses will be held at the Center Valley campus. The SAT Verbal and Math courses are $109 each, while the Writing the College Application Essay course is $129. All course materials are covered in the cost. 

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

Penn State Lehigh Valley is offering two-week, half-day youth camps July 9-20 and July 23-August 3. Camps are available in writing, visual arts and engineering and are geared toward a particular grade level from kindergarten through grade twelve. Camps are offered in the morning (9 a.m.-noon) or the afternoon (1-4 p.m.).

Engineering camps include robotics and rocketeering. Visual art camps include drawing, clay, photography, and digital film and animation. Writing camps explore a variety of topics including poetry, comic strips, and publishing a portfolio. Each camp is designed and taught by Penn State Lehigh Valley faculty and/or Lehigh Valley Writing Project Fellows.

For more information about camp options, costs, and registration, visit www.sycroar.org, or e-mail sycroar@psu.edu.

The Penn State Lehigh Valley Practical Nursing Program is accepting applications for its spring 2013 cohort.

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

For more information, or to apply, visit www.lv.psu.edu/nursing online, or call 610-285-5238.

Students honored for outstanding achievement included:

Eric A. and Josephine S. Walker Award: Vicctoria L. Nadig (Coopersburg, 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.

2012 President’s Freshman Award: Matthew Baranoski (Perkasie, PA), Rachel L. Herring (New Tripoli, PA), Dawit Kim (Newton, MA), Anna M. Lloyd (Whitehall, PA), Melinda D. Mayer (Bath, PA), Kirston N. Novisher (Hellertown, PA), and Taylor E. Rundatz (Riegelsville, 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.

2012 President Sparks Award: Alec M. Niemkiewicz (University Park, PA), Maxwell H. Pepper (Bethlehem, PA), and Juliana K. Wade (Bethlehem, PA)

This award is presented annually to those undergraduate degree candidates who have earned a 4.00 (A) cumulative grade-point average based on at least 36 graded Penn State credits completed by the end of the fall semester of the academic year the award is given.

2012 Evan Pugh Scholar Award: Christopher R. Ferraro (Allentown, 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.

Alexandria Downing Outstanding Student in Sociology Award: Daniella A. Assing (Bethlehem, PA), and Catherine A. Rios (Macungie, 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.

Engineering Student Achievement Award: Maxwell H. Pepper (Bethlehem, 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.

English Department Award for Exceptional Achievement in Expository Writing: Abhay U. Muttur (Macungie, PA) for “The American Penal Arena”

This award is presented to a student whose writing demonstrates sophisticated analysis or interpretations of literature and/or exceptional master of voice, content, and form.

Excellence in Public Speaking Award: Caroline M. Ramsey (Macungie, 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: Kelly L. Youwakim (Whitehall, PA)

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

Outstanding Art Student Award: Samantha N. Rosas (Center Valley, PA)

This award recognizes a student whose work demonstrates excellence in a variety of media in art projects done in courses offered at Penn State Lehigh Valley.

Outstanding Student in Biology Award: Marissa S. Burns (Pottsville, PA), and Vinod Jeyaretnam (Nazareth, 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.

Outstanding Marketing/Management Award: Rodney L. Santiago (Allentown, PA)

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

Outstanding Student in Organizational Leadership: Service and Leadership Award:

Kathleen B. Hoppe (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 in Psychology Award: April Lepo (Kintnersville, PA)

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

Outstanding Student Teacher Award: Leah D. Mourterot (Bethlehem, PA)

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

Outstanding Tutor Award: Shawn A. Waggoner (Hellertown, PA)

This award is given to the individual who displays excellence in the Learning and/or Writing Center. Professional and peer tutors are eligible for this award. Special consideration is given to individuals based upon length of service, number of students served, and feedback from students, faculty, and staff.

Women’s Commission Adult Learner Award: Elena C. Farber (Macungie, PA), and Adrianne Keefer (Saylorsburg, 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. This award is now given in memory of Maybelle A. Furchner.

Highest Cumulative Average by College (3.5 or higher):

Agriculture: Daniella A. Assing, freshman (Bethlehem, PA), Gustaw M. Sagan, sophomore (Allentown, PA)    

Business Administration: Ryan B. Comly, freshman (Breinigsville, PA), Shirali Patel, sophomore (Orefield, PA), and Justin M. Al-Khal, senior (Whitehall, PA)

Communications: Sean P. Toney, freshman (Allentown, PA)      

Division of Undergraduate Studies: Anna M. Lloyd, freshman (Whitehall, PA), Taylor E. Rundatz, freshman (Riegelsville, PA), and John K. Roam, sophomore (Coopersburg, PA)        

Earth and Mineral Science: Karl C. Dorgan, sophomore (Emmaus, PA)

Education: Catherine A. Anthony, freshman (Quakertown, PA), Melinda D. Mayer, freshman (Bath, PA), Caitlin M. Sherman, sophomore (Emmaus, PA), Kelsey R. Ruch, junior (Kutztown, PA), and Alyssa R. Keiser, senior (Neffs, PA)

Engineering: Matthew Baranoski, freshman (Perkasie, PA), and Maxwell H. Pepper, sophomore (Bethlehem, PA)

Health and Human Development: Rachel L. Herring, freshman (New Tripoli, PA), and Melinda L. Sloyer, sophomore (Coopersburg, PA)

Information Sciences and Technology: Kevin D. Meszaros, freshman (Allentown, PA)

Liberal Arts: Alyssa A. Dobosh, freshman (Schnecksville, PA), Dawit Kim, freshman (Newton, MA), and Juliana K. Wade, sophomore (Bethlehem, PA)

Penn State Lehigh Valley Programs: Kirston N. Novisher, freshman (Hellertown, PA), Maria H. Amenta, sophomore (Macungie, PA), Samantha K. Moll, junior (Quakertown, PA), Christopher R. Ferraro, senior (Allentown, PA)

Provisional: Joseph Enman (Mt. Bethel, PA)

Science: Paolo Gene P. Flauta, freshman (Easton, PA), and Mishel Jerjos, sophomore (Whitehall, PA)

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

Teaching Excellence Award: Dr. Nichola Gutgold (Fogelsville, PA)

Outstanding Staff Award: Barbara Schueck (Macungie, PA)

Student Appreciation and Recognition Award (SARA): Stephanie Friday (Fogelsville, PA)

The Arts Project at Penn State Lehigh Valley has announced a new workshop to be held this summer. Advanced Jewelry, instructed by Ann Lalik, will be held from 10 a.m.-noon on Tuesdays, June 12-Aug.14 (no class July 3), at the campus in Center Valley. The cost of the class is $200.

This course 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 can develop individual ideas and explore new concepts. Technical demonstrations will be offered at the students’ request.

For more information, visit www.lv.psu.edu/artsproject online, or call 610-285-5058 to register by phone.

Brad Meltzer, a best-selling author and researcher on the History Channel series Brad Meltzer's Decoded, will be the featured speaker at Penn State Lehigh Valley's Commencement ceremony, to be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 5, at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem.

"We are excited to welcome Brad Meltzer, whose career success is rooted in his love of history, to speak to our graduates during this very special and historic centennial year at Penn State Lehigh Valley," said Ann Williams, chancellor of Penn State Lehigh Valley.

Brad Meltzer is the author of the New York Times Bestsellers The Tenth Justice, Dead Even, The First Counsel, The Millionaires, and The Zero Game. He is currently working on his newest comic book, DC Universe, and recently published his latest novel, The Inner Circle. He can also be seen on the History Channel series Brad Meltzer’s Decoded, which investigates the secret history of the symbols and codes that surround us every day.

The Tenth Justice was his first published work and became an instant New York Times Bestseller. Dead Even followed a year later and also hit the New York Times Bestseller List. The First Counsel came next, which was about a White House lawyer dating the President's daughter, and then The Millionaires, about two brothers who steal money and go on the run. His novel The Zero Game is about two Congressional staffers who are, literally, gambling on Congress.

Meltzer is also one of the co-creators of the TV show, Jack & Bobby – about two young brothers, one of whom will one day grow up to be President – and is the #1 best-selling author of the critically acclaimed comic book Identity Crisis, a murder mystery featuring Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.

His books have a total of almost six million copies in print, have spent over nine months on bestseller lists, and have been translated into over 25 languages from Hebrew to Bulgarian.

His newest nonfiction book, Heroes for My Son, examines 52 global heroes from Gandhi to Rosa Parks to Thomas Jefferson, and the qualities they shared that allowed them to shape the modern world. While cataloging the lives of so many impactful individuals, Meltzer grew to understand three truths to successful leadership: communicate and collaborate with your team, admit and overcome your limitations, and represent your organization, don’t have it represent you. Meltzer expounds on these insights in an article for Spirit Magazine and has shared his philosophies with corporations nationwide.

Meltzer has played himself as an extra in Woody Allen's Celebrity and earned credit from Columbia Law School for writing his first book, which became The Tenth Justice. He's been featured on The Today Show and in major publications including Time, USA Today, Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weekly, and dozens of newspapers across the country.

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

It is one thing to learn about retailing concepts in class but when students get to apply classroom knowledge to a real situation, a higher level of learning can be achieved.  On Apr. 19, 2012, the Center for Retailing Solutions (CRS), in conjunction with Walmart, sponsored the Walmart Collegiate Challenge in which teams from area colleges competed in a retail business plan competition held at Kutztown University. Penn State Lehigh Valley students were excited to take home two trophies, including the grand prize and second runner-up.

The contest tasked students to submit business plans to improve Walmart’s Customer Experience Scores for the Southeastern Pa. market.  The Penn State Lehigh Valley teams developed plans during the semester and presented them to judges, including CRS and Walmart executives, during the event. 

"The presentation itself was somewhat intimidating. We were on-stage in front of not just the judges but a large audience, and the judges grilled us with questions after our presentation," said Sandy DeLeon, a senior business major from Allentown and member of the grand prize-winning team. "The whole experience was so worthwhile. To have all the hard work we did throughout the semester validated by real business professionals was an amazing feeling."

Their mentor and adviser was Denise T. Ogden, Ph.D., associate professor of marketing at Penn State Lehigh Valley, who held a class competition to determine the two teams that would compete at the regional event. 

"I was so proud of the students and their professionalism," said Ogden. "The judges said that they forgot my teams were students and felt like they were real consultants!"

Judge and competition sponsor Tim Smyer, Walmart market manager, said, "We think presenting students with real business problems and having them develop solutions to those problems will help them bridge the gap between academics and the business world."

The judging panel praised the grand prize team, who dubbed themselves "The Nittany Group," for their professional dress and appearance, their research and knowledge of the Walmart brand, their eye contact with the panel, and the style and technology used to deliver their presentation.

The symposium included 29 entries from eight Penn State campuses, as well as LaSalle University and Philadelphia University. First, second, and third prizes were awarded in the two categories of humanities and STEM (science, technology, engineering, math).

"Research at the undergraduate level is emphasized across disciplines at Penn State. We congratulate our students and their faculty mentors for their hard work and dedication to this important component of a Penn State education," said Kenneth Thigpen, Ph.D., director of academic affairs at Penn State Lehigh Valley.

Penn State Lehigh Valley Continuing Education is offering a new one-day conference aimed at business leaders. "Best Practices in the Workplace: Coaching and Mentoring for Leaders" will be held from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., May 19 at the campus in Center Valley. Registration begins at 8 a.m.

The keynote speaker is Angie Pincin, executive coach and founder of Coach People, Inc., who will discuss "Authentic Leaders as Coaches: Leading by Values." During the conference, participants will select two sessions to attend. Session topics include: aligning coaching with business needs; creating a positive workplace; essential skills for effective leaders; coaching skills inventory; communication techniques for mentors and coaches; and linking coaching to performance evaluation.

The cost of the conference is $129 and includes a luncheon and all conference materials. For more information, or to register, visit www.lv.psu.edu/ce online, or contact Diane McAloon at 610-285-5066 or email dmcaloon@psu.edu.

The Penn State Lehigh Valley Practical Nursing Program has announced a partnership with the Joining Forces initiative, a coordinated, nationwide effort designed to further educate the nation's 3 million nurses in order to prepare them to meet the unique health needs of service members, veterans and their families. The initiative, being led by U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama and U.S. Second Lady Jill Biden, involves more than 150 state and national nursing organizations and more than 500 nursing schools across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Led by the American Nurses Association, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the National League for Nursing, in coordination with the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense, nursing organizations and schools have committed to educating current and future nurses on how to recognize and care for veterans impacted by post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, depression and other combat-related issues, in ways appropriate to each nurse’s practice setting.

"The Penn State Practical Nursing program is proud to participate in this nationwide initiative by pledging to educate students, now and in the future, to meet the unique healthcare needs of United States military personnel, veterans and their families," said Sharon Gordon, coordinator of the Penn State Lehigh Valley Practical Nursing Program. "Including content in the curriculum will be the first step in honoring this pledge."

The invisible wounds of war, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), have impacted about one in six U.S. troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq -- more than 300,000 veterans. Since 2000, more than 44,000 of those troops have suffered at least a moderate-grade traumatic brain injury.

Veterans seeking care within the Veterans Affairs (VA) health system are often treated by health care professionals who have received extensive training in mental health issues, but the majority of veterans in the country seek care outside of the VA system -- they usually visit their local hospital, staffed by nurses and doctors in their communities. This program will help more health care providers to understand the needs of those who have served, to recognize the warning signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or suicide, and to know where to send them for help.

Nursing leaders have also committed to disseminating effective models for care and to sharing the most up-to-date information on these conditions across academic and practice settings. By working to expand the body of clinical knowledge in this arena and by partnering with other health care providers and institutions, nursing leaders across the country will continue to advance high quality treatment for these conditions in every community.

As part of the Joining Forces effort, participating nursing schools have committed by 2014 to:

-- Educating America’s future nurses to care for our nation's veterans, service members, and their families facing post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, depression, and other clinical issues;

-- Enriching nursing education to ensure that current and future nurses are trained in the unique clinical challenges and best practices associated with caring for military service members, veterans, and their families;

-- Integrating content that addresses the unique health and wellness challenges of our nation’s service members, veterans, and their families into nursing curricula;

-- Sharing teaching resources and applying best practices in the care of service members, veterans and their families;

-- Growing the body of knowledge leading to improvements in health care and wellness for our service members, veterans and their families; and

-- Joining with others to further strengthen the supportive community of nurses, institutions, and healthcare providers dedicated to improving the health of service members, veterans, and their families.

Tamara Mose Brown, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology at Brooklyn College in New York, will present Penn State Lehigh Valley's next Teaching International lecture at 11 a.m., Apr. 19, in room 302 at the campus in Center Valley. Brown will discuss her 2011 book "Raising Brooklyn: Nannies, Childcare, and Caribbeans Creating Community." The lecture is free and open to the public.

A description of her book notes: Stroll through any public park in Brooklyn on a weekday afternoon and you will see black women with white children at every turn. Many of these women are of Caribbean descent, and they have long been a crucial component of New York’s economy, providing childcare for white middle- and upper-middleclass families. "Raising Brooklyn" offers an in-depth look at the daily lives of these childcare providers, examining the important roles they play in the families whose children they help to raise. Tamara Mose Brown spent three years immersed in these Brooklyn communities: in public parks, public libraries, and living as a fellow resident among their employers, and her intimate tour of the public spaces of gentrified Brooklyn deepens our understanding of how these women use their collective lives to combat the isolation felt during the workday as a domestic worker. 

Teaching International at Penn State University has developed into a model of global education anchored in curriculum innovation, student-centered research and teaching, and engaged global citizenship. Course lectures, class projects, field trips, public debates, service learning activities, theatrical productions, films, and guest lectures are some of the methods used to help students learn about the world. Enhanced learning opportunities and academic dialogue among students, faculty and staff strengthens the international competencies of students, and fosters collaborative efforts between the campus and various community groups and academic institutions. Teaching International at Penn State Lehigh Valley is a campus-wide academic initiative modeled after the program at Penn State Greater Allegheny which aims to enhance our own campus dynamics and community.

For more information about Teaching International, including upcoming speakers, click here.

The Gallery at Penn State Lehigh Valley will present a new exhibit from IDEA: Inter-District Experience in the Arts. "QRC:ART – Contemporary Melding of Art and Today's Technology through Young Minds," will run from May 14-June 20, 2012 with a reception from 5-7 p.m. on May 17. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public. This exhibition was made possible by a grant from the Erwin J. and Gertrude K. Neusch Fund of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation.

IDEA: Inter-District Experience in the Arts is a collaborative art exhibition by the AP Portfolio art students from Palisades and Southern Lehigh High Schools. This prestigious exhibition of student-created, gallery-quality paintings utilizes the PA Arts and Humanities Standards as guidelines. The teachers, Cathy Beck and Anne Sikorski-Schneider, developed the lesson for the IDEA project by surveying the student stakeholders for relevant interests and issues. 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. For current gallery hours, visit http://www.lv.psu.edu/StudentLife/CampusLife/29121.htm online.

For an appointment, or for more information, please contact Ann Lalik, gallery director, at 610-285-5261 or e-mail annlalik@psu.edu.

Penn State Lehigh Valley will hold its 26^th annual Honors Convocation at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Apr. 26, in the auditorium at the campus in Center Valley. The ceremony recognizes the achievements of outstanding Penn State Lehigh Valley students.

During the event, a select group of students will be presented with individual academic awards based on meeting departmental criteria. In addition, University-wide award recipients and faculty and staff award recipients will be recognized.

Dr. Kevin McFall, assistant professor of Engineering and the 2011 Teaching Excellence Award recipient, will address the audience during the ceremony.

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

William Bellinger, professor of economics at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa., will be the featured presenter at the next Faculty Lecture Series event to be held at 3 p.m. on Apr. 18 in room 320 at the campus in Center Valley. Bellinger will present "Retail Markets in Small Towns and Cities." This event is free and open to the public.

The presentation will provide an overview of Bellinger's research on urban retail demand and store location patterns in Pennsylvania and small to mid-sized U.S. cities. The emphasis will be on the different avenues by which one might explore questions of urban development and retail access, and the different lessons one gains from case studies versus regional or national statistical analysis.

William Bellinger is a professor of economics at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. He received his doctorate from Northwestern University in 1985. For the past 15 years his primary research interest has been in the area of urban development and related issues with a focus on Central Pennsylvania. Among his research on this topic are studies of geographic income distribution in small Pennsylvania towns, case studies of downtown or inner-city development in Carlisle and Harrisburg, and articles analyzing access to retail services for inner-city residents using a national set of smaller cities. He has also published a textbook entitled "The Economic Analysis of Public Policy" and a number of articles related to the arts and selected environmental and transportation issues.

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

Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S. One in 88 children is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, yet there are no fully effective means of prevention, treatment, or a cure. On April 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 21 at the Lehigh Parkway.

"Our students have been active during Autism Awareness Month in the past, and we are excited to participate again 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.

The Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association is taking reservations for a bus trip to the Blue and White game on Apr. 21. The bus will depart from the Penn State Lehigh Valley campus at 8:30 a.m. and will arrive in University Park in time to enjoy the carnival before the game. The bus departs University Park at 5:30 p.m.

The cost of the bus trip is $30 for adults, $20 for Penn State Lehigh Valley students, and children under 12 are free.

To reserve a space, please contact Joan Kemmerer at 610-865-1060 or email billnjoan@verizon.net.

Community Partners for Student Success (COMPASS) was launched in 2005 by the United Way "with a vision to identify, strengthen, and promote community-connected schools," according to the organization's website. The program overview goes on to state that "Community schools are designed to transform schools into the hub of their neighborhood by organizing a wide array of programs and services in the school so that students and families can get their needs met in one place," with the overall goal of "improving academic achievement by removing all barriers to learning."

McKinley is a relatively new member of this initiative having become a COMPASS school in August 2011. Principal Richard Kern believes the COMPASS model is a good fit for his school, which faces barriers common to many urban schools with a culturally diverse and often economically disadvantaged student population.

"The idea is to wrap the community around the school so that our teachers can focus on teaching and the community can help meet the social needs of our kids," said Kern.

The Boys and Girls Club of Allentown serves as the lead community partner for McKinley and provides an on-site community school director in Amy Jahn de Torrez. The program is supported by a site-based Leadership Team of educators, parents, community and business partners, and others, of which Penn State Lehigh Valley is a part.

Together, the community school team at McKinley has implemented programming throughout the year that embraces the COMPASS model, including a number of activities focused on literacy–a perfect fit for a school where 40 of its 320 students consider English a second or other language. The literacy programs are also a great fit for the Penn State Lehigh Valley's elementary education majors, particularly those currently enrolled in the World Languages Education 400 course, Foundations of Language in Second Language Teaching.

Students in this class have participated in two of McKinley's Book Blast programs, as well as its celebration of Dr. Seuss's birthday. During each after-school Book Blast program, the Penn State students are partnered with McKinley students and their parents and even siblings in a family model of learning. They work on English-language skills through reading, and an extension activity that the children take home, along with a book, as a visual reminder of what they learned. Participants also have time to socialize and share refreshments, which are often donated by the community partners.

For the Penn State students, it is an opportunity to interact with students and families in a school setting before their traditional student teaching begins.

"The program provided me the chance to work with an ELL (English Language Learner) and their family. The eagerness and excitement of not only the child, but also the family, was an eye-opening experience that I will always remember," said Heather Thomas, a junior elementary education major from Nazareth, Pa. "I applaud my professors for their dedication in fostering an outstanding partnership and rapport with the students, parents, teachers and administration at McKinley."

In addition to scholarly pursuits, Penn State Lehigh Valley students are also volunteering to do after-school programs for the children with such interest groups as field hockey, dancing, and flag football. In this way, they are sharing their personal talents with McKinley learners.

Elementary education program faculty and McKinley administrators hope to expand the college students' pre-service field experience in the next school year to work with the school's kindergarten classes as the Penn State Lehigh Valley program evolves to include Pre-K through fourth grade certification.

The staff and faculty at McKinley see the Penn State students not only as volunteers, but as role models for their students.

"We want all of our students, even at this elementary school level, to be thinking about college," said Principal Kern. "Interacting with college students from Penn State Lehigh Valley, many of whom come from Allentown, reminds our kids that higher education is attainable."

"This is an interactive event where students are able to practice their networking skills with employer representatives while also learning how to conduct themselves professionally and appropriately in a formal dining setting," said Jessica Kirkwood, coordinator of career and internship services at the campus.

In addition to the lunch, Kerri Gardi, director of the career development center at Kutztown University, will present strategies and techniques for conducting business in a formal dining setting.

Emilio Del Valle Escalante, Ph.D., assistant professor of Spanish at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will present Penn State Lehigh Valley's first Teaching International lecture at 11 a.m., March 20, in room 304 at the campus in Center Valley. Del Valle Escalante will discuss "The Discursive Economy of the Maya Movement in Guatemala." The lecture is free and open to the public.

In this presentation Del Valle Escalante analyzes contemporary Maya textual production and its role in the process of indigenous cultural, linguistic, and political affirmation in Guatemala. He focuses on the Maya cultural rights movement by analyzing the discursive constructions of the Maya subject developed by Gaspar Pedro González, Víctor Montejo, and Demetrio Cojtí. By exploring the indigenous cultural identity these authors construct in their texts, he intends to show how the Maya subject these authors imagine rests on implicit assumptions of fixed identities that carry the danger of recycling the colonialism and ethnocentricism they criticize. He argues that despite the fact that the Maya cultural rights tendency affirms a Maya locus of enunciation, indigenous people’s dignity, and new visions of the world that help redefine the Guatemalan nation-state as multicultural, their proposals empower certain indigenous subjects while obscure and marginalize the agency of others whose experiences of resistance and self-affirmation operate in urban, transnational, and globalized settings. 

Teaching International at Penn State University has developed into a model of global education anchored in curriculum innovation, student-centered research and teaching, and engaged global citizenship. Course lectures, class projects, field trips, public debates, service learning activities, theatrical productions, films, and guest lectures are some of the methods used to help students learn about the world. Enhanced learning opportunities and academic dialogue among students, faculty, and staff strengthens the international competencies of students, and fosters collaborative efforts between the campus and various community groups and academic institutions. Teaching International at Penn State Lehigh Valley is a campus-wide academic initiative modeled after the program at Penn State Greater Allegheny which aims to enhance our own campus dynamics and community.

Students in the biology lab at Penn State Lehigh Valley have long used various examples of animal cells, such as those from chicken and mice, to conduct experiments. After making a request to their professor, four current biology students are working on a line of human leukemia cancer cells for the first time. The students, who have dubbed themselves "Team K562," a reference to the name of the cells they are researching, are studying the ability of different drugs to halt the proliferation of the disease in white blood cells. 

However, in order to perform proper blood analysis for their project, the students need to become proficient in hematology. To that end, biology faculty and staff reached out to Health Network Laboratories (HNL), a multi-regional medical laboratory headquartered locally in Allentown, for assistance. Since then, Team K562 has travelled to two of HNL's sites, working side-by-side with lab professionals to learn the skills necessary to make their research project successful. 

"We are so lucky to have the opportunity to work with the state-of-the-art technology and consummate professionals of Health Network Laboratories," said Jacqueline McLaughlin, associate professor of biology at Penn State Lehigh Valley. "Taking students out of the typical classroom situation and letting them learn in a real-world setting puts content into context for them and has an enriching effect on their undergraduate experience."

HNL is part of the larger Lehigh Valley Health Network, an affiliation that has enhanced the collaboration for Team K562 by giving them the chance to hear the most up-to-date information about leukemia, especially the specific type of leukemia they are working on, chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), from local oncologist, Dr. Suresh Nair.

Team K562 includes students Patrick Hullihen of Nazareth, Pa.; Digisha Patel; Jessica Raad of Orefield, Pa.; and Anthony Toczek. 

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

Senior Adults Gaining Enrichment (SAGE), an outreach program of Penn State Lehigh Valley, will welcome Frank Whelan of the Lehigh County Historical Society to discuss the history of Allentown on April 13. The event will also include a birthday cake and special gifts to mark the occasion of Penn State Lehigh Valley's centennial.  The SAGE session begins with coffee at 10:30 a.m., the featured speaker at 11 a.m., and lunch at noon. The lecture takes place in room 135 at Penn State Lehigh Valley, 2809 Saucon Valley Road, Center Valley, Pa.

Frank Whelan will present "Mr. Allen's Little Town at 250," a look at the founding and growth of Allentown. Whelan was the historian in residence at the Lehigh County Historical Society from 2006-2009. He recently completed a history of the county for its bicentennial celebration in 2012. He wrote more than 2,000 articles and five books during his time as a history feature writer for The Morning Call from 1981-2006. Whelan received his master's degree in history from the University of Missouri, and a bachelor's degree from Blackburn College. 

The cost of each lecture is $15. The event is open to adults age 55 and over, but reservations are required.  To reserve a space, contact Carol Buddock at 610-285-5058 or visit www.lv.psu.edu/sage online. 

Penn State Lehigh Valley is celebrating its 100th anniversary of education and service to the Lehigh Valley with a variety of events in 2012. New events have been added to the year-long celebration. Visit www.lv.psu.edu online and click on the 100 Years button for the most updated list of events and announcements.

Lehigh County Bicentennial Celebration – March 10

The campus will participate in another big birthday celebration as Lehigh County marks its bicentennial with a community event on March 10 from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. at the Allentown Fairgrounds Agri-Plex facility. The community is invited to stop by the Penn State Lehigh Valley booth to learn more about the campus, have their photo taken with the Nittany Lion mascot, and more.

Allentown St. Patrick's Day Parade – March 18

Penn State Lehigh Valley will add a dash of blue and white to a green celebration as students, alumni, faculty, staff, and the Nittany Lion march in the 55th annual Allentown St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 18 at 2:30 p.m.

Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs Baseball Game – April 13

The Penn State Lehigh Valley community will gather to cheer on the Iron Pigs minor league baseball team at 7:05 p.m., April 13, at Coca Cola Park in Allentown. Special centennial activities are planned throughout the game including Penn State trivia on the scoreboard, a nod to our graduating class, and the Nittany Lion mascot will join Iron Pigs mascots Ferrous and FeFe to entertain the crowd. The game will conclude with fireworks.

For more information about any of these events, visit www.lv.psu.edu online and click on the "100 Years" button, or call 610-285-5000.

As part of its centennial year, the campus is hosting the inaugural Penn State Lehigh Valley Golf Tournament to be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 4, at Brookside Country Club in Macungie, Pa. Registration for the tournament is now open and information can be accessed by visiting http://www.lv.psu.edu/StudentLife/Athletics/29553.htm online, or calling Rich Fatzinger at 610-285-5216.

To mark the campus' 100^th year, the first 100 golfers to register will receive a special registration fee of $100. The regular fee is $165. In order to receive the special rate, golfers must call Rich Fatzinger at 610-285-5216 to receive a confirmation number.

Proceeds from the tournament will benefit Penn State Lehigh Valley student athletes and athletic teams.

For more information about any of these events, visit www.lv.psu.edu online and click on the "100 Years" button, or call 610-285-5000.

 Penn State Lehigh Valley is celebrating its 100^th anniversary of education and service to the Lehigh Valley with a variety of events in 2012. New events have been added to the year-long celebration. Visit www.lv.psu.edu online and click on the 100 Years button for the most updated list of events and announcements.

Lehigh County Bicentennial Celebration – March 10

The campus will participate in another big birthday celebration as Lehigh County marks its bicentennial with a community event on March 10 from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. at the Allentown Fairgrounds Agri-Plex facility. The community is invited to stop by the Penn State Lehigh Valley booth to learn more about the campus, have their photo taken with the Nittany Lion mascot, and more.

Allentown St. Patrick's Day Parade – March 18

Penn State Lehigh Valley will add a dash of blue and white to a green celebration as students, alumni, faculty, staff, and the Nittany Lion march in the 55^th annual Allentown St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 18 at 2:30 p.m.

Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs Baseball Game – April 13

The Penn State Lehigh Valley community will gather to cheer on the Iron Pigs minor league baseball team at 7:05 p.m., April 13, at Coca Cola Park in Allentown. Special centennial activities are planned throughout the game including Penn State trivia on the scoreboard, a nod to our graduating class, and the Nittany Lion mascot will join Iron Pigs mascots Ferrous and FeFe to entertain the crowd. The game will conclude with fireworks.

For more information about any of these events, visit www.lv.psu.edu online and click on the "100 Years" button, or call 610-285-5000.

Penn State Lehigh Valley will host its annual Undergraduate Research Symposium from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Apr. 5 in room 135. The keynote address, "Friends in Small Places: Using Eco-Machines to Clean Contaminated Water and Produce Byproducts with Economic Value," will be delivered at 12:15 p.m. by Rachel Brennan, Ph.D., associate professor of engineering at Penn State. The symposium is open to the public.

Students will showcase posters and exhibits of their scholarly research in the areas of arts and humanities and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Top projects may be entered in the second annual Penn State Regional Undergraduate Research Symposium to be held Apr. 19 at Penn State Brandywine.

Rachel Brennan's keynote presentation addresses the issue that more than one-third of Earth's population is affected by water scarcity and is without water sanitation. Similarly, 1.6 billion people are without access to modern energy, and 0.9 billion are undernourished. As recycling wastewater into drinking water is becoming a critical necessity for many communities, concern is escalating over the effects on aquatic ecosystems and human health. The focus of Brennan's research is to critically evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of using eco-machines to sustainably address these needs.

Brennan is also involved with the Penn State Lehigh Valley environmental outreach program, Connecting Humans and Nature through Conservation Experiences (CHANCE). In 2011, she worked with CHANCE in China to inspire a new generation of citizens who appreciate research as key to environmental sustainability, especially as it relates to Lake Taihu pollution.

Brennan is an environmental engineer with more than 14 years of experience in sediment and groundwater remediation. Her area of expertise is in the application of enhanced bioremediation technologies for the treatment of soil, groundwater, and surface water. She joined the faculty of Penn State in 2004 and has since participated in over ten research projects exceeding $4.7 million in total funding. In addition to several grants from the National Science Foundation, Brennan's research is also supported by the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of the Interior, Pennsylvania organizations, and industry. Her work is widely published and she and her research team have given over 60 presentations of their work. She has been recognized by several awards for teaching excellence, including the 2011 Penn State Engineering Alumni Society Outstanding Teaching Award.

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

Join the Chapter for snacks, drinks, and dessert and the opportunity to hear what Phil has to say about the Penn State football recruiting and coaching staff.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For more information and to reserve or confirm your spot, contact Terry DeGroot at tdegroot@terraformengineering.com.

"Roaring Recipes," a commemorative cookbook featuring recipes from students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of Penn State Lehigh Valley, will be available for sale beginning March 1. A kickoff event will be held at noon on March 1 in Centre Hall. The cost of the cookbook is $20 with proceeds benefiting student groups, adult learners, and the campus. The book will be available for purchase at the Penn State Lehigh Valley Bookstore, and online at www.lvwccookbook.webs.com.

"Roaring Recipes" was compiled by the Penn State Lehigh Valley Women's Commission in celebration of the campus' 100th anniversary.

For more information about Penn State Lehigh Valley's centennial, visit www.lv.psu.edu online and click on the 100 Years link.

During the weekend of February 17-20, two Lehigh Valley students joined hundreds of other Penn State students in a 46-hour, no sitting, no sleeping dance marathon, affectionately known as THON, to raise money for the fight against pediatric cancer. Through their year-long efforts, the Penn State Lehigh Valley team smashed the 2011 campus total, which was just over $24,000, by raising more than $31,000. In total, THON raised more than $10.68 million for the Four Diamonds Fund, beating the 2011 total of more than $9 million.

The 2012 Lehigh Valley campus THON dancers were Stephen Healy and Katie Steele. They and the rest of the campus 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 2013 has begun and thoughts are already turning towards ways to break the current record.

For more information about THON, visit www.thon.org.

You can register for any of the courses listed below on eLion. For more information, contact your adviser.

AM ST 104, Section 020
Women and the American Experience
3 credits (GH) (US)
Wednesdays, 6:30-9p
WEB work required
Begins 3/14/12

ART 020, Section  030
Introduction to Drawing
3 credits (GA)
Saturdays, 9a-2:30p
Begins 3/17/12

CAS 100B, Section 040
Effective Speech
3 credits (GWS)
Mondays, 6-9p
WEB work required
Begins 3/12/12

HIST 151, Section 555
Technology and Society in American History
3 credits (GS) (US)
Mon., Weds., & Fri., 10-10:50a
WEB work required
Begins 2/27/12

IST 250, Section 020
New Media and the Web
3 credits
Thursdays, 6:30-9p
WEB work required
Begins 3/15/12

IST 413, Section 020
Usability Engineering
3 credits
Tuesdays, 6-9:30p
Web work required
Begins 3/13/12

IST 420, Section 020
Fund. of Systems & Enterprise Integration
3 credits
Thursdays, 6-9:30p
Web work required
Begins 3/15/12

IST 440W, Section 001
Info.Sciences & Tech.Integration & Problem Solving
3 credits
WEB course
Begins 3/12/12

LER 435, Section 040
Labor Relations in the Public Sector
3 credits
Thursdays, 6-9p
WEB work required
Begins 3/15/12

MATH 034, Section 001
The Mathematics of Money
3 credits (GQ)
Tues. & Thurs., 1:40-2:55p
Web work required
Begins 3/13/12

MATH 041, Section 001
Trigonometry & Analytic Geometry
3 credits (GQ)
Tues. & Thurs., 10:50a-12:05p
Web work required
Begins 3/13/12

MKTG 422, Section 555
Advertising & Sales Promotion Management
3 credits
Tuesdays, 6-8:30p
WEB work required
Begins 2/27/12

PHOTO 100, Section 030
Introduction to Photography
3 credits (GA)
Saturdays, 9a-2:30p
Begins 3/17/12

Course List:

Basic Watercolor instructed by Jim Doddy
Tuesday, Mar. 6, 13, 20, 27 from 10 a.m.-noon
This class will focus on how to mix colors, and how to apply paint to paper. Students can gain an understanding of how to render light, shadow, values, and the use of materials and techniques. Subject matter will include still life, landscapes, and faces.

Introduction to Photography instructed by Greta Brubaker
Wednesdays, Mar. 7, 14, 21, 28 from 10 a.m.-noon
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. Students will use their own digital camera (any make and model is acceptable).

Friday, Mar. 2
The Milky Way – Our Home Galaxy
Ronald Kunkel, director of the Lehigh Valley Amateur Astronomical Society, will discuss the formation and evolution of the Milky Way galaxy.

Friday, Apr. 13
Mr. Allen's Little Town at 250
Frank Whelan of the Lehigh County Historical Society provides information about the founding of Allentown as Penn State Lehigh Valley celebrates its 100th anniversary and Lehigh County celebrates its 200th anniversary.

Friday, May 4
Hawk Mountain and the Migration: Conservation, History, and Research
Laurie Goodrich, Ph.D., senior monitoring biologist at Hawk Mountain, discusses the role of the sanctuary in North American history. She will also discuss why Pennsylvania is a critical corridor for migration and the importance of annual counts to the conservation of migrant birds.

Friday, June 1
Thirty Years Under the Beam
Frank Behum, Sr., a local author, will share the perspective of those who worked with him at Bethlehem Steel during its last thirty years of existence.

The cost of each lecture is $15 or $45 for the four-part series. The event is open to adults age 55 and over, but reservations are required. To reserve a space, contact Carol Buddock at 610-285-5058 or visit www.lv.psu.edu/sage online.

As part of Penn State Lehigh Valley's 100th anniversary celebration, The Gallery at Penn State Lehigh Valley is recognizing the role of women in the campus' history with a new exhibit, "Homefront Heroes: Women of WWII," from Feb. 27-Apr.28. An artist talk will be held at 3 p.m. on March 1, followed by a reception from 5-7 p.m. The exhibit, artist talk, and reception are free and open to the public.

In the early 1940s during WWII, women were needed to support the war effort. During this time Penn State Lehigh Valley, then known as the Allentown Extension, offered courses in drafting, chemistry, management, defense training, and more. Thousands of women enrolled in courses and became employed by local companies.

This exhibition features the work of ten artists who have participated in the art educational programs at many Penn State campuses. The works displayed are their interpretations of this period in the campus' history using diverse materials such as graphite, paint, fiber, found objects, wood and acrylic, as well as printmaking and photography processes.

For example, one local company that hired campus students was Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation located at Queen City Airport. There, women enrolled at the campus became involved with the Seawolf bomber project. One of the exhibit's artists, Jane Noel, has used archival materials to create a piece that tells this particular story.

Other artists featured in the exhibit are Holly Trostle Brigham, Allyssa Eve Csük, Marilyn J. Fox, Rosemary Geseck, Bonnie Levinthal, Yvonne Love, M. Camille Eaton Romig, Harriet Rosenberg, and Heather Sincavage.

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. For current gallery hours, visit http://www.lv.psu.edu/StudentLife/CampusLife/29121.htm online. The gallery will be closed during spring break, March 5-9, but can be viewed by appointment. For an appointment, or for more information, please contact Ann Lalik, gallery director, at 610-285-5261 or e-mail annlalik@psu.edu.

Maureen S. Joly of Allentown has accepted the position as Director of Development at Penn State Lehigh Valley. In this position, Joly will be responsible for overseeing and managing all fundraising efforts for the campus.

Joly has 18 years of experience in development and fundraising in the Lehigh Valley. Prior to her appointment, she was the Director of Development for the Allentown Symphony Association, and has worked for other non-profit organizations including Grace Montessori School and Sacred Heart Hospital.

"I am delighted to be part of the Penn State Lehigh Valley family! I am just now beginning to get to know the most important feature of the campus: the faculty, staff, students and community volunteers who are the reason for the growth and energy I see every day," states Joly.

Joly attended Penn State Abington for her first two years of college, graduating from the College of New Rochelle, NY, with a bachelor's degree in French Culture and Civilization with a Business Minor. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, is a graduate of Leadership Lehigh Valley, and has served on the Steering Committee of the Allentown Center City Association, which is part of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Tickets for this event are $16 in advance and $20 at the door. For more information, contact Terry DeGroot by emailing tdegroot@terraformengineering.com.

CHANCE (Connecting Humans and Nature through Conservation Experiences), has been chosen to receive the Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators (PAEE) 2012 Outstanding Environmental Education Program award. The award, which recognizes an exemplary environmental education program which could be used as a model, will be presented at the PAEE annual conference to be held March 16-17 at the Raystown Lake Resort and Conference Center in Entriken, Pa.

In 2004, a partnership between Penn State and the Pennsylvania Department of Education began bringing real-world conservation and environmental sustainability research into the hands of K-12 teachers across the state with the CHANCE program (Connecting Humans and Nature through Conservation Experiences). Since then, CHANCE has grown exponentially in its mission and now includes opportunities for teachers outside the Commonwealth as well as Penn State undergraduates.

Through national and international field courses and online curricular tools, participants engage in inquiry-based research opportunities and conservation efforts that allow them to better understand global environmental issues. Participants also gain the awareness, knowledge, and skills needed for a more sophisticated comprehension of the causes, connections, and consequences of global environmental destruction.

The CHANCE program is directed by Jacqueline McLaughlin, Ph.D., associate professor of biology at Penn State Lehigh Valley. For more information about CHANCE, visit www.chance.psu.edu online.

The URC-PA poster Conference is an educational event allowing the undergraduate students enrolled in Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities to showcase their research talents to the Commonwealth’s key decision-makers. As a participant, Bonner will spend the day in the Pennsylvania Capitol Building, share experiences and ideas with his counterparts from other schools, and enlighten state legislators on the topics that are important to our society.

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

The Penn State Lehigh Valley Alumni Society Spring Berkey Creamery Ice Cream sale is accepting orders now through March 12. Ice cream pick up will be held from 5-7 p.m. on March 29 at the campus in Center Valley. Proceeds from the ice cream sale benefit the Alumni Society's First-Year Scholarship fund for Penn State Lehigh Valley students.

To download an order form, or for more information, visit www.psulvalumni.org online.

On Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. in room 135, they will sponsor the Penn State LV's Got Talent show. The admission price of $5 in advance or $7 at the door will benefit THON.

From Jan. 20-22, 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.

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.

The Department of Continuing Education at Penn State Lehigh Valley has announced a new series of leadership development opportunities appropriate for all supervisors, as well as one program specifically aimed at supervisors in health care fields.

The Leadership Series for Supervisors includes: Supervisory Roles and Responsibilities; Performance Management; Solving Problems and Managing Priorities; and Developing Individuals and Teams.

The Supervisory Series for Health Care will cover supervisory roles and responsibilities as they pertain to the mission, vision, and values of a participant's organization.

Instruction for each level will be held during two to three sessions at the campus in Center Valley. The cost for each level is $375 per participant, or, if an organization registers two participants, they can register a third participant free, and includes materials and lunch.

For program dates, registration, or more information about the Leadership Series for Supervisors, contact Diane McAloon at 610-285-5066, or visit www.lv.psu.edu/CE/profdev.htm online.

Penn State Lehigh Valley is celebrating its 100^th anniversary of education and service to the Lehigh Valley with a variety of events in 2012. More events will be scheduled throughout the year. Visit www.lv.psu.edu online and click on the 100 Years button for the most updated list of events and announcements.

Students, faculty and staff came together at the end of 2011 and beginning of 2012 to participate in "100 Coats for 100 Years," as part of Burlington Coat Factory's Warm Coats & Warm Hearts Drive. The Office of Student Affairs and Speak Your Community, the campus community service club, organized the collection of gently-used coats with the goal of collecting one coat for each of Penn State Lehigh Valley's one hundred years of service to the Lehigh Valley. The drive wraps up on Jan. 12.

A new gallery exhibit, "Reflecting on 100 years at Penn State Lehigh Valley, 1912-2012: Art and artifacts that tell our story," will be on display from Jan. 16-Feb.11, 2012. A special reception hosted by Alumni Relations will be held Feb. 2, from 6-8 p.m. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

A new gallery exhibit, "Home Front Heroes: Penn State Women during WWII," will be on display from Feb. 27-Apr. 28, 2012. This exhibit will celebrate both the campus' centennial and Women's History Month. A reception will be held March 1, from 5-7 p.m. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

The Penn State Lehigh Valley Women's Commission has created a commemorative cookbook, "Roaring Recipes: Celebrating 100 Years of Penn State in the Lehigh Valley," which will be on sale beginning in February in the campus bookstore and online at www.lvwccookbook.webs.com. Proceeds of the sale of the cookbook will benefit the needs of Penn State Lehigh Valley students, providing scholarship awards and educational events.

This centennial year will mark the inaugural Penn State Lehigh Valley Golf Tournament to be held on Monday, June 4, at Brookside Country Club in Macungie, Pa. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit Penn State Lehigh Valley student athletes and athletic teams. For more information about sponsorship possibilities or golfing in the tournament, contact Lynn Staples at 610-285-5082.