Jyotsna "Josi" Kalavar, associate professor of human development and family studies at Penn State New Kensington, received the John Romano Faculty/Staff Diversity Recognition Award. The award recognizes Penn State faculty and staff who consistently promote multiculturalism and demonstrate concern for the needs of multicultural students.
"This award was given in recognition of my efforts to internationalize the curriculum at Penn State New Kensington by instituting a nation of focus each year here," she said. (more)
Michael Evans, nursing instructor, and Tierney Lyons, reference librarian, recently presented their research titled, "The Use of Asynchronous Discussion Boards to Increase Student Learning: An Interdisciplinary Approach" at the Sigma Theta Tau International Beta Sigma Chapter Research Day at Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College, Pa. The study was conducted with the help of a Teaching Project Grant from the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence.
The pair's research focused on whether the use of asynchronous discussion boards as an adjunctive teaching strategy to traditional classroom lecture in an undergraduate nursing research course leads to differences in student satisfaction and reflective thinking. (more)
A May art exhibit is showcasing the work of visiting scholar Shenyu Xu and her students at Penn State New Kensington. According to the Chinese artist, she couldn't be more pleased.
A reception held May 3, which Xu described as "wonderful", welcomed Penn State and the public to meet with the Chinese artist and her students. The visiting scholar came to Penn State New Kensington campus in January. Classes Xu teaches at Penn State include a course about art and Chinese culture and another which she paired up with professor of visual arts Charles W. "Bud" Gibbons to teach, Drawing and Painting. (more)
Penn State York honored the academic achievements and service of its outstanding students, faculty, and staff for the 2011-12 academic year during the 41st Annual Academic Awards Program, Sunday, April 22 at Heritage Hills Golf Resort & Conference Center in York, Pa. More than 90 academic and service awards were presented following a 6 p.m. dinner.
Awards were presented by a variety of campus groups and several community organizations including the Rotary Club of York and the York County Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association. Highlights of the program were the presentation of the Eric A. and Josephine S. Walker Award, the James H. Burness Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Penn State York Advising Award, and the Clark E. Fisher Memorial Award.
The Eric A. and Josephine S. Walker Award, the most prestigious student award of the evening, was presented to Joshua D. Czerski. (more)
Penn State Beaver students and faculty who spent last month's spring break working and living with the Navajo Nation recently gave a presentation about their experiences. The program was the final event in the 2011-2012 Penn State Beaver Faculty Speakers Series. The series will resume in the fall semester. The group of 11 students, faculty, and staff spent the week in Tuba City, Arizona, where they tutored classes in the local boarding school, served Meals on Wheels for the Senior Center, volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club, and cleaned Navajo residents' homes. Evenings were focused on learning about the Navajo Nation culture, including creation stories, dances, and ceremonies. In addition, the group visited several famous sites, including the Grand Canyon and the Painted Desert. The trip was led by JoAnn Chirico, senior instructor in sociology; Irene Wolf, senior instructor in philosophy, and Robin Schreck, student activities and residence life coordinator. For more information about the Navajo Nation or the trip, contact Schreck at ras62@psu.edu or 724-773-3947.
Eight Penn State Beaver faculty and staff members were honored for their contributions in and out of the classroom at the annual Spring Awards Banquet held recently on campus. The Penn State Beaver Advisory Board sponsored six $500 awards and the Student Government Association presented two awards. For information about the awards, contact the Office of Academic Affairs at djm5@psu.edu or 724-773-3571. (more)
Penn State York students, faculty, staff, and friends and neighbors will clean-up the campus woods from noon to 2 p.m. on Friday, April 20 as part of an Earth Day Celebration. The event is being organized by the campus' recently formed Green Team, the Penn State York Student Government Association, and the Penn State Sustainability Office. Sunday, April 22 is the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day and a variety of events are set to take place across the University. (more)
After 33 years of inscribing classroom blackboards with derivatives, secants, integrals and infinitesimals, David Wells, associate professor of mathematics at Penn State New Kensington, is turning in his chalk. He is set to retire at the end of the spring semester. (more)
Penn State York will honor the academic achievements and service of its outstanding students, faculty and staff for the 2011-12 year at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 22, during the 41st annual Academic Awards Ceremony. The event will take place at Heritage Hills Golf Resort & Conference Center, 2700 Mt. Rose Ave., York, Pa. More than 80 academic and service awards will be presented during the program. (more)
Penn State Beaver announced the winners of the 11th annual Undergraduate Research Fair held Wednesday, April 4, in the Student Union Building. Forty-three students participated in the event.
Students were required to work with a faculty mentor in researching their topic and preparing an oral and/or poster presentation. Presentations were made in a variety of academic areas, including engineering, administration of justice, psychology, communications, information sciences and technology (IST), genetics and biology, and philosophy. (more)
