Call for nominations: Outreach and community engagement awards

University Park, Pa. -- Craig Weidemann, vice president for outreach, has announced a call for nominations for the annual Faculty Outreach Award and the third annual Penn State Community Engagement and Scholarship Award.

The Faculty Outreach Award recognizes faculty at Penn State who have made a significant contribution to outreach. Twelve faculty have received this award since its inception. Last year, Robert P. Brooks, professor of geography and ecology, received the award for his activities as the director of the Penn State Cooperative Wetlands Center.

The Community Engagement and Scholarship Award recognizes outstanding Penn State engagement initiatives conducted in partnership with communities. The project selected as the winner of the Community Engagement and Scholarship Award goes on to represent Penn State in the regional W.K. Kellogg Foundation Engagement Award and the national C. Peter Magrath University Community Engagement Award, competitions sponsored by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities.

Penn State has won the national or regional award for the last two years for two engagement initiatives: the Northern Appalachia Cancer Network, led by Eugene Lengerich from the College of Medicine, and Rethinking Urban Poverty: The Philadelphia Field Project, led by Lakshman Yapa from the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.

“These awards underscore Penn State’s deep commitment to outreach and engagement in partnership with our communities,” said Weidemann.

Applications and additional information for both these awards can be found at http://www.outreach.psu.edu/awards.html.