Each year, Penn State honors several members of its faculty and staff for the highest levels of academic excellence, outstanding leadership and meritorious service. The 2015 Faculty/Staff Award recipients — 33 outstanding University employees and one program — reach across campuses, colleges and administrative units and exemplify best practices and achievements among Penn Staters reflecting the University's mission of teaching, research and service.
A presentation by a Los Angeles-based film director and a roundtable discussion with faculty members from the Department of Film-Video and Media Studies highlight a free public session at 8 p.m. on Feb. 5 in 101 Thomas Building.
Sheetz Fellows from Penn State Altoona attended the 2014 National Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization Conference, held Oct. 30-Nov. 1. Bottom row, left to right: Chantel DeGennaro, Morgan Keirn, and Karly Bish; Second row, left to right: Sheetz Fellows Director Donna Bon, Faridah Bada, Jesse Ickes, and Catherine Anderson; Third row, left to right: Sheetz Fellows Project Coordinator Sue Stevens, Dylan Leazier, Frank Amabile, and James Martinez; Fourth row, left to right: Collin Reinhart, Steve Mullen, and Justin Merrell.
Sarah B. Shear, assistant professor of social studies education at Penn State Altoona, will present "Hegemony (Un)bound: Representations of Indigenous Peoples in K-12 U.S. History Standards" from noon to 1 p.m. Sept. 17 in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library.
Kenneth Womack has earned first place honors in the contemporary fiction category from the Texas Association of Authors for his novel "Playing the Angel," which was published by Stephen F. Austin State University Press in August. Womack will receive the award in October during the Texas Book Festival.
Lynette Kvasny, associate professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology; Laura Rotunno, associate professor of English at Penn State Altoona, and Jennifer Wood, associate professor of communication arts and sciences at Penn State New Kensington, have received the Alumni/Student Award for Excellence in Teaching and have been named 2014 Penn State Teaching Fellows. The Penn State Alumni Association, in conjunction with undergraduate and graduate governing bodies, established the award in 1985. It honors distinguished teaching and provides encouragement and incentive for excellence in teaching. Recipients are expected to share their talents and expertise with others throughout the University system during the year following the award presentation.
The discovery of breeding Red-throated Caracaras in northeastern Honduras may give conservationists just enough time to explore the reasons for the raptor's demise in the region and help rescue it, according to Mark Bonta, assistant professor of earth science, Penn State Altoona, who led the discovery team. "While the species is apparently doing fine in South America, it has all but disappeared from Mexico and Central America," says Bonta. "This is the first-ever nest recorded from the region."
In an ongoing effort to bring greater awareness to sexual violence and child abuse, several Penn State events are being held during the month of April, which has been designated Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month.
