The Penn State Brandywine community is deeply saddened by the passing of campus founding executive officer John Vairo, on Jan. 1 following a long illness. John’s contributions to and support of the campus were unparalleled. He will be remembered as a man of vision, wisdom and kindness.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to Penn State Brandywine’s Office of Development, 25 Yearsley Mill Rd., Media, PA 19063, or Heartland Hospice, 5 Christy Dr., Chadds Ford, PA 19317. Cards may be sent to his residence, 8 Prince Eugene La., Media, PA 19603.

Our hearts go out to John’s family and many friends.

John Vairo with his grandson and Penn State Brandywine freshman, James, summer 2011

John and Greta Vairo, outside the Main Building, Penn State Delaware County, 1970s

John Vairo in his office at the Chester campus, late 1960s

Read more about John Vairo's many contributions:

Story on Penn State Live
Centre Daily Times story
Delaware County Daily Times obituary

“This day would be incomplete without recognizing an individual who many years ago got on a plane and flew to Guatemala because she wanted a daughter, during that country’s civil war,” Elizabeth White, of Berwyn, said through tears as she received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Penn State Brandywine. “She is the most honest, loving and inspiring woman I know … Mom, you advocate love and kindness, truth and goodness and justice for all. It is an honor just to be your daughter.”

White’s moving remarks to her mother were part of a Penn State Brandywine commencement tradition dating back to 1992 when the campus began allowing its graduates to say a few words on stage as they received their degrees. Of the more than 90 graduates at the ceremony on Friday, December 16, nearly every student shared messages of thanks to loved ones and mentors.

Stephanie Tracy (bachelor’s degree, human development and family studies), of Broomall, who played on the men’s soccer team for three of her four years at the campus, thanked Athletic Director Jim Gastner. “On my first day as a scared freshman, you saw something in me that it took me two and a half years to see,” she said. “Without you, I wouldn’t be here.”

Garnet Valley resident Stephen Ianniccari (bachelor’s degree, business) incited laughter from the crowd when he said, “First of all, I’d like my brother to thank me for the day off from school.”

For Brittney Walker (bachelor’s degree, communications), of Yeadon, graduation day held special meaning. After years battling muscular dystrophy, she is known across campus for being active in countless clubs, activities and departments. Her positive attitude remains an inspiration to the campus and her fellow graduates. She thanked God, a number of faculty, students and staff by name and her family. “To the offices here, I would be up here for four hours thanking everyone,” she said to a room full of roars and cheers in her honor. (To read Walker’s triumphant story, visit http://bit.ly/brittneywalker.)

Chancellor Sophia Wisniewska and Brittney Walker

"I couldn't have asked to attend a better college. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for making this possible,” said Lee Burpee (bachelor’s degree, communications), of Conshohocken.

"To the faculty: thank you for bringing passion into your work every day," said Kimberly Davis (bachelor’s degree, human development and family studies), of Kennett Square.

Keynote speaker Gerald J. “Jerry” Parsons, of Chester Springs, a 1974 Penn State graduate who spent two years at the Brandywine campus, inspired the graduates to work hard, be persistent and be passionate about their futures.

Jerry Parsons

“I would not be the business person I am today without a degree. Use it well and be Penn State Proud,” the chairman and CEO of CTDI, Inc., said. “Be yourself. The world is a much better place because we are doing the best we can.”

Just one year after graduating from Penn State, Parsons and his father, Donald, founded CTDI, Inc. in the family’s garage. Today, the company is recognized as a premier service provider and strategic partner in the global telecom service arena.
 
“You will and you can make a difference,” he insisted. “Never stop dreaming.”

To order photos from the photographer, Third Eye Productions, Inc., click here and use password 121611.

Corporate communications major Brittney Walker, of Yeadon, will finally fulfill a dream on Friday, Dec. 16, when she walks on stage to receive her diploma from Penn State Brandywine. Through much adversity, she has not just persevered; she has flourished.

When she was 13, Walker was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy (MD). According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders, MD refers to a group of more than 30 genetic diseases that cause progressive weakness and degeneration of skeletal muscles used during voluntary movement. The National Center for Disease Control and Prevention cites that every year in the United States alone, between 400 and 600 children are born with MD.

Walker noted that the “biggest obstacle I overcome daily is my physical disability.” However, she adds “I don’t like labels so I don’t consider myself handicapped.” She certainly does not let MD slow her down.

Assistant Professor Jennifer Zosh, a mentor and friend to Walker, said, “One of the things that has always impressed me about Penn State Brandywine is the resiliency of our students. They face incredible challenges, and they not only rise to the occasion but also become stronger than they ever knew possible. Brittney Walker is an example of one of these amazing students. Despite taking up to 20 credits in a semester, being actively involved in student groups and working in the office of Student Affairs, she always takes the time to be friendly and helpful in any way that she can--to faculty, staff and peers. She is an amazing student, an amazing leader and an amazing person. I consider myself very lucky to have been a part of her Penn State family.”

Over the years, Walker has been an extremely active member of the Penn State community. She started out as a work-study participant in the Admissions office. Then she moved on to a position in Student Affairs, where she performs clerical duties and also helps coordinate programs such as Multicultural Week.

In addition to her classes and office duties, Walker is very active in campus clubs. She served as Student Government Association (SGA) secretary during the 2008-2009 academic year and president during 2009-2010. She left SGA so she could participate in THON, the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. She served as a THON member during her first year, became the family relations chair during the 2009-2010 fundraising year and served as the chapter’s overall co-chair, along with Martina Gill, during 2010-2011.

All of the proceeds from THON’s fundraisers benefit pediatric cancer research. The largest fundraiser is the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon. During this event, dancers stay on their feet--and the dance floor--for 46 straight hours. While her MD prohibits Walker from dancing, she travels to University Park for the event every year and stays with the dancers the entire time, getting them whatever they need.

“They all call me momma bear,” Walker said, laughing. While sticking around for all those hours is physically draining, Walker noted “it is worth it when you see the smile on the kids’ faces … it’s the best thing to see them carefree for that weekend. We don’t complain about being tired, because they don’t complain about their treatments.”

When asked about her future plans, she said she has a “strong desire to help young people, whether it’s at-risk kids or young ladies. My heart goes out to adolescents.”

Walker adds that she recently lost two people that were very close to her and her family and she saw how this hurt her little brothers. Through this, she has begun to act as an unofficial mentor to young people at her church. She also plans to return to school at some point to obtain a doctorate in psychology.

Meanwhile, Walker is excited about graduating. “ A lot of people didn’t believe in me,” she said. “I try and use that as a point” to demonstrate to others that they too can achieve their dreams. “Sometimes I get up in pain or get on two buses to get here and then stay until nine o’clock at night. If I can do that, then other people can accomplish their goals, too.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Penn State Brandywine family,” Walker said. “It has been a blessing to meet people here; they are like my family. Penn State Brandywine has definitely become my second home.” In the future, she plans to keep strong ties with the Penn State community by continuing her work with THON and by also possibly joining the alumni association.

-Jennifer Santangelo, senior

Joanna McGowan’s son, Christopher, was diagnosed with autism when he was just two years old. Since that day more than two years ago, McGowan, campus registrar at Penn State Brandywine, her husband, Dave, and their two sons have embarked on a difficult journey of healing, acceptance and never-ending love.

On December 4, 2011, McGowan published the children’s book, “You Are My Star,” inspired by Christopher and illustrated by children on the autism spectrum. All proceeds from the book benefit Talk About Curing Autism (TACA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping families affected by autism.

“The book is for all children, but it’s specifically geared toward children with special needs,” McGowan said. “They work really hard. I think a lot of times the fact that they’re kids, too, gets lost in all the work they’re doing. The book is meant to be inspirational, to show love and acceptance while at the same time believing in hope and possibility for the future.”

The McGowans are grateful for the support of TACA, and have benefitted from monthly meetings and the opportunity to connect with other parents and experts. They have also received financial support, including a grant to attend a conference and a scholarship for hyperbaric oxygen therapy for Christopher. Like most families affected by autism, the McGowans have excessive expenses that are often not covered by insurance, leaving little left over for charitable contributions; so the book provided a way for them to give back. “TACA is a really great organization,” she said. “I wanted to do something to contribute that would be meaningful.”

Joanna McGowan with her son, Christopher, in the hyperbaric oxygen chamber

McGowan emphasized that the thing she loves most about TACA is that the organization is all about directly helping families. This is done through education, reference material, scholarships and, of course, a support system. It’s this network of moms and dads that helped McGowan find the illustrators for her book: their own children with autism, ranging in age from 5 to 11. McGowan’s son, Christopher, provided the drawing for the page that reads, “You are the star/Shining brightest for me/I love who you are/And whoever you’ll be.”

“Please don’t give up/On all you can achieve/Anything is possible/As long as we believe,” another page reads.

Christopher has made a lot of progress, McGowan said, but “he still has a long way to go. He works really hard.” He participates in almost 40 hours per week of behavioral therapy, spends a half-day in an autistic support classroom, attends a social skills group and gymnastics classes and sees a variety of medical specialists regularly.

McGowan’s message to other families who have children with special needs is, “Don’t give up hope. Don’t underestimate potential. Keep working hard. Keep loving your child.”

To purchase or preview “You Are My Star,” visit http://bit.ly/YouAreMyStar online. For more information about TACA, visit http://www.TACAnow.org online.

Melmark is a local organization serving adults and children with intellectual disabilities, acquired brain injuries, autism spectrum disorders and other neurological and genetic disorders.

The event “promises to be a great way to let students know about a variety of career options in behavioral analysis,” said Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Studies Jennifer Zosh, who organized the talk.

Guld holds an M.A. in psychology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and a Ph.D. in special education and applied behavior analysis from Ohio State University.

Visit http://www.melmark.org/ for more information about Melmark. To learn more about the event, contact Professor Jennifer Zosh at 610-892-1438 or jzosh@psu.edu.

Over Thanksgiving break, 18 students and two faculty members embarked on an educational journey through London, England as part of Penn State Brandywine’s Global Programs. The students took courses, completed projects that required them to explore the city on their own or with their peers and even interacted with the locals.

Under the instruction of Assistant Professor of Business Administration Don Taylor and Instructor Vippy Yee, students studied international capital markets, international business, civic and community engagement and urban sociology.

For his Special Topics in International Business course (FIN 456), Taylor said his class visited the London Metals Exchange, the Bank of England, CME Clearing Europe, Sotheby’s and Barclay’s Capital Markets Group.

“There was a presentation at each location where the institution explained its role in the financial marketplace and its operations,” he said. “An economist at the Bank of England explained the bank’s role in promoting monetary stability. At Sotheby’s the class attended an auction on European paintings and heard a presentation from one of Sotheby’s rare books experts, who showed the class a rare sixteenth century book published posthumously by Nicolaus Copernicus that included a diagram of the planets revolving around the sun. The book sold at auction for £825,000 or about $1,300,000.”

Taylor explained that one of his course requirements was that his students keep a journal of their visits, “explaining the role each institution plays in the international marketplace.”
 
But it wasn’t all work and no play. Students got a rare glimpse of London (a 25-mile, 360-degree view to be exact) from atop the London Eye, visited Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, the winter carnival at Hyde Park, the Roman Baths, Windsor Palace and Stonehenge. They even shopped at Fortnum & Mason, Harrods and the popular London markets. 

“A group of students extended their pinkies at high tea,” Taylor observed, while “some students took a day trip to Stratford-upon-Avon where they toured Shakespeare’s birthplace and attended a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company.”

Sophomore Tran Do studied Urban Sociology (SOC 15), led by Yee, and as part of an assigned multi-media comparative project, Do explored the differences and similarities between London’s Chinatown and the one in San Francisco, Calif., where she lived until she was 15.

“London was everything I had expected, and then some,” she said in a blog post she wrote for the campus about her experience. “Before traveling to London, we were required to read articles and books and watch a number of short videos that compared London to Philadelphia. We were then tested on what we learned prior to leaving the States and again upon our return. While exploring the city, I witnessed firsthand many of the things talked about in the readings and videos.

“Going on this abroad program forced me to step outside of my comfort zone, from interviewing strangers for my project to finding my way around London with only a map and a Tube pass. Without a doubt, this trip was remarkable and it opened my eyes to what life is like in Europe.”

Visit http://pride.bw.psu.edu/blog/ to read Do’s first-hand account of her experience in London on the Brandywine Blog. For more information on Penn State Brandywine’s upcoming programs to Barcelona in March and Vienna/Prague in May, visit http://bit.ly/globalprograms online.

Gerald J. "Jerry" Parsons '74, B.S., chairman and CEO of CTDI, Inc., will deliver the commencement address at Penn State Brandywine on Friday, Dec. 16, starting at 10 a.m. in the Commons Building gymnasium.

Parsons, of Chester Springs, founded CTDI in 1975 along with his father, Donald, in the family's garage. In 1987, Parsons became president and CEO and has since led the company through the dynamic telecom landscape with an unwavering commitment to strategic diversification, technological innovation, and service quality. In 2006, he assumed the role of chairman and CEO and as a result of his innovative business strategies, CTDI is now recognized as a premier service provider and strategic partner in the global telecom service arena. Parsons continues to position CTDI as a leading global service company within the industry.

In 2004, the National Catholic Educational Association awarded Parsons the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award and the Papal Honor of Sir Gregory the Great for his personal devotion to Catholic education. He is a member of the Board of Directors for United Way of Chester County and was awarded the Chairman’s Award for outstanding community impact. Additionally, Parsons was inducted into the Chester County Business Hall of Fame, is a founding member of the Board of Directors at Stonebridge Bank, is a member of the Fairfield University School of Engineering Advisory Board, and currently serves as president of the Penn State Brandywine Advisory Board.

If you are unable to attend the event, you may watch the program live by clicking here the day of the event.

Ten Penn State Brandywine students attended the National Center for Student Leadership Fall 2011 Conference in Miami, Fla. earlier this month. The conference consisted of three days of presentations and workshops that were aimed at offering students the opportunity to build upon the leadership skills needed to improve themselves as well as their campus communities.

The students were accompanied by Matthew Shupp and Ronika Money, director and assistant director of Student Affairs, respectively. Money noted that the event “not only afforded our students the opportunity to hear the voices of a variety of speakers from across the country, but also the opportunity to do self-assessment on their individual leadership abilities. While we like the idea of our students utilizing what they have learned to enhance the Brandywine community, we truly appreciate their utilization of their knowledge to enhance the world.” 

The event opened with a keynote presentation by speaker Alexis Jones. Jones, a former contestant on the hit TV series Survivor and now a business owner, shared her secrets for setting attainable goals and achieving them. Freshman Brendan Hayes-Oberst said she was “nothing short of phenomenal.”

There were a variety of workshops offered at the conference that focused on teaching students success strategies that could be applied to any aspect of life. Topics ranged from overcoming frustration to defusing personality conflicts. Hayes-Oberst attended a workshop in which he learned how to “get up after falling down and how to learn from my mistakes.”

One workshop sharpened students’ skills on how to mingle, meet new people and make contacts. Another taught students how to de-stress by breaking complicated tasks into simpler ones.

Participants learned how to effectively work in a group and how to help others understand their accountability within a group. According to Hayes-Oberst, Brandywine student attendees “gained many valuable tools” from the conference that will serve them well in the future. 

McManus spent two years at the Penn State Brandywine campus before graduating from Penn State’s main campus in 2001. He had planned for a career in teaching, and after an internship as a student teacher, he became a substitute for the Chichester School District.

McManus had intended to return to Penn State to pursue an advanced degree in the field when his mother fell ill. “When my mother got sick with cancer … family took precedence over everything at that point,” he said. Through the loss of his mother, McManus felt an intense desire to “help others in song.”

He had started playing guitar in high school and said that was “the beginning of the artist in me.” Songwriting came next. “Lyrics are critical to me,” McManus explained. When asked how he comes up with song lyrics, he said it is all about “brainstorming, which is kind of like what you do when you write a paper” for school.

McManus noted one episode at Penn State that changed the course of his life: he gave one of his professors a recording of music tracks he had made. The professor liked it and asked McManus if he had ever listened to Bob Dylan. When McManus responded he hadn’t, the professor recommended some Dylan albums. “If ever there was a moment that Penn State impacted my music career, it was then,” he said.

In the spirit of the tradition of philanthropy at Penn State, McManus donated all the proceeds of his release party on October 27 to the Trevor Foundation, a non-profit that helps with suicide prevention and crisis intervention for gay and lesbian teens. “I have friends that are gay and I wanted to support their rights,” he said. “I felt that the Trevor Project was doing a really good thing by helping these kids to be at one with themselves, and I wanted to support that.”  

Even though he is not teaching in the classroom, McManus is teaching others through his songs. “My mom used to always say that nothing is a waste of time and you learn from everything.”  This is certainly true of McManus.

McManus’ album, “613,” is available for download on iTunes and Amazon. Visit his website at http://www.john-mcmanus.com for more information.

-by Jennifer Santangelo, senior

Wednesday, Nov. 16: Hoa Pham, director of outreach at LIFT, a welfare advocacy organization for Southeastern Pennsylvania

Friday, Nov. 18: Andrea Brooks, program coordinator for the Bethesda Project, a homeless shelter and advocacy agency (http://www.bethesdaproject.org)

Monday, Nov. 28: Mahbubur Meenar, assistant director (GIS Operations and Research) at the Center for Sustainable Communities; adjunct assistant professor (Community and Regional Planning), Temple University

Stutman recently recieved a Ph.D. from Temple University and brings with him exciting and beneficial experience working in public history. His class focuses on “history of care of the impoverished (emphasis on gender, race, nationality, age of poor and welfare givers), 18th Century to present.” It uncovers this history both chronologically and thematically. Students explore what political thinkers, legislators, community and church leaders, business leaders, artisans, industrial and agricultural workers, and reformers alike actually thought (and continue to think) about the meaning of poverty and welfare.

The class has explored many of the following themes: indentured servitude and slavery; poor houses, prisons and pauperism; policies, politics and reformers; gender, poverty and welfare; race, ethnicity and poverty; poverty, welfare and children; industrial unions, agricultural granges and populist movements; poverty and housing; poverty and education; poverty and the New Deal; individualism, big business laissez-faire politics and poverty; the war on poverty; welfare reform; and depressions, recessions and poverty.

Distinguished Professor of English Adam J. Sorkin was shortlisted for the British Poetry Society’s Corneliu M. Popescu Prize for Poetry Translated from a European Language into English. His nomination stemmed from a translation of Mircea Ivanescu’s "Lines Poems Poetry," published by the University of Plymouth Press. This work, along with five others, was honored by selection as part of the group of finalists out of an initial pool of 73 submissions.  Sorkin’s translation of a book of poems by Marin Sorescu, "The Bridge," won this prize in 2005.

Sorkin worked closely with co-collaborator Lidia Vianu, a professor at the University of Bucharest. Sorkin noted how helpful it is to work with a native speaker: “She brings inside knowledge about language and her poetry traditions” to the project, he said.

While translation, even with a native-speaker as collaborator, remains challenging, Sorkin said he is “grateful for translation because it re-energized my career. When your avocation becomes your vocation it’s really nice.” Translation has also had a positive impact in the classroom. “It has given me a surer and richer sense of language. It has also given me an insider’s view when teaching poetry.” 

In addition to "Lines Poems Poetry," Sorkin has recently published two additional books of poetry: "Medea and Her War Machines," a collection of poems by Serbian-born, Romanian-language poet Ioan Flora, and "A Path to the Sea," a selection of poems by Liliana Ursu released in September. In all, he has published 44 books of literary translation.

Sorkin began translating in the spring of 1981, while teaching American literature at the University of Bucharest as a Fulbright lecturer. Since then, he has honed his translation skills, although he admits, sometimes a translator must make judgment calls that go beyond carrying surface meanings from one language to another. “In order to be a good translator, you have to, instinctively and consciously, try to find the inner truth” of the poem, he said. He often asks himself while translating if there are “metaphors that are more important than the actual word being translated literally. The tricky part is to find the right connotation, the suggestive context … translation is really part creation.”

-Jennifer Santangelo, senior

The goal of this meeting is to get input from students, faculty, staff, administrators and community partners about the plan. Presenters will meet with members of the campus, share the draft of the plan and hear ideas about how Penn State Brandywine can meet the plan’s goals. Meeting participants will watch an eight-minute video, “Sustainability at Penn State: We are just getting started,” and participate in group brainstorming and open discussion about the plan.

Penn State already has a number of sustainability initiatives in teaching, research, operations and outreach; there are classes, student clubs, “green teams,” recycling programs, energy conservation efforts and community engagement efforts, such as Farmers Markets. The Penn State Sustainability Strategic Plan seeks to recognize, support and expand these efforts.
For further information on this initiative, please refer to the following resources:

• To read the main article about the Sustainability Strategic Plan distributed via newswires during the week of August 29, visit http://live.psu.edu/story/54760 online. The story features a list of the plan's five goals as well as links to detailed stories about the first two goals.
• For an FAQ about the Strategic Plan for Sustainability, visit http://live.psu.edu/story/54759 online.
• For a list of sustainability initiatives already underway, visit http://green.psu.edu/psudoing online.
• For Penn State sustainability teaching and research, visit http://green.psu.edu/research online.
• For more about the University Sustainability Council and the sustainability plan's progress, visit http://green.psu.edu/SustPlan/committee.asp online. 

To attend this program, please RSVP to Jean Palladino at jep4@psu.edu.

Saturday, November 5, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday, November 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Commons Building Gymnasium

The 28th Annual William Rush Woodcarving and Wildlife Art Show and Sale will take place on Saturday, Nov. 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Penn State Brandywine Commons Building Gymnasium.

The event will feature hand-carved birds, animals, marine life, wildlife art and more for sale, all created by skilled artists. Door prizes will be awarded every hour; books, tools and supplies will be offered for sale and carving demonstrations will be held. The price of admission is a $4 donation benefiting the Penn State Brandywine Scholarship Fund. Children aged 12 and under are free.

Annually, as part of the Art Show and Sale, the chapter names a William Rush Carver of the Year. This year’s winner is Kenneth Phillips, who has been working with wood since childhood. He served in the Army Reserves for 11 years, spent more than 20 years as a ship draftsman/designer for Sun Ship Building and Dry Dock, Co. and served an additional 20 years as a mechanical design jobber.

Phillips said his father taught him everything he knows about wood carving. After his retirement, Phillips joined carving groups at the Folsom Senior Center (where he later taught) and the Aston Community center and went on to serve as vice president of the William Rush Chapter for one year. He enjoys sharing his love of wood carving with others and continues to attend classes twice per year at the Wallingford-Strath Haven Community Adult School.

Phillips has won several blue ribbons and is especially proud of his carvings of a mountain lion and grey wolf. He particularly enjoys carving wildlife and is an avid outdoorsmen. He enjoys spending time with his daughters and grandchildren when he is not fishing, target shooting or tending to his pond.

The William Rush Chapter of the National Woodcarvers Association takes its name from William Rush (1975-1833), a colonial Pennsylvanian who was apprenticed under his father in the shipbuilding trade. Rush’s interest turned to woodcarving, and his frigate figureheads established his fame. He worked from a shop in Philadelphia, carving not only ship figureheads, but also allegorical figures and life-sized busts.

For more information on the Art Show at Penn State Brandywine, contact Al Bailey at 610-494-2781.

The courses are designed to provide an understanding of workplace and employment issues from both the employee’s and the employer’s perspectives. Coursework covers subjects such as employment relations, employment law and policy, collective bargaining and contract administration and labor relations in the public sector. The courses are seven weeks long and meet in the evenings.

The program will enrich participants’ human resources skill sets or prepare them for a new career in labor relations, a dynamic field expected to grow significantly in the next 10 to 20 years.

The program is sponsored by Penn State Brandywine, and will be offered at the Great Valley campus through the University’s Video Learning Network, a multi-campus collaboration of high-technology classrooms equipped with high-definition video conferencing capabilities. Various Penn State campuses throughout the Commonwealth are able to receive and broadcast these programs. The goal of the Video Learning Network is to help Pennsylvanians acquire the knowledge and skills they need for the workforce at a Penn State campus conveniently located close to their home.

More information about this program can be found at  http://brandywine.psu.edu/CE/32179.htm, or by contacting the Continuing Education Department at ce@bw.psu.edu or 610-892-1300.

Vew the brochure.

The Penn State Brandywine tennis team finished first in the Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) Championships last weekend, October 21 through 23. The new champs finished the regular season undefeated with a 9-0 record in the PSUAC and an overall score of 78 in the championships, followed by Penn College with a score of 55.

Freshman Stephen James won first flight singles 6-1, 6-2; junior Max Berry won second flight singles 6-1, 7-5; senior Kevin Kelleher won third flight finals 6-10, 7-5, 6-2 (all three against Penn College); freshman Nick Desiderio won fifth flight finals and freshman Norris Hua was fourth flight singles runner-up.

The men also took both doubles titles in the conference with James and Berry winning first flight doubles 6-4, 4-6, 10-6 and Kelleher and Desiderio taking second flight doubles 6-2, 6-3.

Junior Natasha Ciminera and freshman Morgan Nalley were runners up in both ladies singles matches. Nalley paired up with sophomore Tran Do in women’s doubles and finished second.

Under the direction of Associate Professor of Earth Sciences Laura Guertin, honors student Zanya Stephenson has been researching and adding topics almost weekly to the Civic Issues website. Minute-long podcasts and VoiceThreads introduce the topic, then anyone can weigh in via comments. Those who use Twitter are encouraged to tweet their thoughts using “#BWTakesOn.”

“I research different issues that I think are interesting and would appeal to a wide range of audiences,” notes Stephenson. Guertin added, “We work to expose students to complex issues and ideas in dynamic ways to encourage them to be more thoughtful and active citizens of the world.” 

This allows for “collaboration and asynchronous discussion” while creating “a forum to weave conversation between disconnected audiences,” Guertin said. “A K-12 teacher or college professor can play the podcast at the beginning of a class period” and then center discussions on the issues raised. In this way, Civic Issues in a Minute is a forum for adults to participate in democratic discussions while also serving as an educational tool.

Stephenson serves as the project manager and chose a wide range of topics, including banned websites, access to social media and facial recognition software. This broad spectrum of issues was purposely developed to appeal to everyone—globally and locally.

This has been a learning experience for Stephenson, too. “Having researched the issues that are added to the website, I have definitely learned a lot. These topics are new to me and make me aware of what is taking place in our society. I love how the project aims at getting everyone involved and hearing different individual’s perspectives on an issue. It’s just a great learning experience.”

Weigh in on the issues at http://www.personal.psu.edu/uxg3/blogs/civicminute online.

Current and former students from Penn State Brandywine joined Senator Dominic Pileggi’s fifth annual Kids’ Fun Fair to engage with local families and discuss their research on child development on Saturday, Oct. 8 at Sun Valley High School in Aston. Two current students and one alumna accompanied Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Studies Jennifer Zosh to represent the campus’ new Brandywine Child Development Lab (BCDL), where they explore how young children learn.

Senior Lisa DeCecco, of Secane; junior T’Chell Looby, of Media; and 2011 HDFS graduate Laura Twiss-Garrity, of Pottstown, conduct research on cognitive development in the lab alongside Zosh. They have developed games that explore what kids know about objects, numbers and language, and invite local parents with young children to participate.

Zosh said she was thrilled her students had the opportunity to interact with families at the fair. “I think the experience helped my students get a sense of what is important to parents and what issues today’s families are facing,” she said. “The students were able to talk to parents about how the work we do in our lab forms the foundation for the things they read in parenting magazines or on blogs. Parents often wonder about the best ways to teach their children or what in the world is going on in the head of their small child. Research done in laboratories such as the BCDL helps to uncover these secrets. One of the things I am most passionate about is opening the lines of communication between the scientists in the laboratory and the families in the communities, so this was a particularly important event. We’re becoming a part of a network of organizations that promote child development in Delaware County and beyond.”

Looby and DeCecco are both HDFS majors who work in the lab as part of a required independent research option within in the program. Looby’s research focuses on word learning in young children, while DeCecco concentrates on early memory development. Twiss-Garrity worked in the lab as an undergraduate and currently volunteers her time studying the development of number knowledge in young children while applying for graduate school.

“I think the event was a great platform for the Brandywine Child Development Lab to put its name out there to get not only local families but also politicians and local organizations interested,” Twiss-Garrity said. “The research we’ll be doing in the lab looks at how children learn about the world around them. The types of questions that we look to answer impact all children, so it’s important that these local families help us find the answers.”

Visit http://bit.ly/q5yOFN to read a Brandywine Blog post written by Twiss-Garrity about her thoughts on the experience. Visit http://bcdl.bw.psu.edu/ for more information on the Brandywine Child Development Lab.

Photo caption: Senior Lisa DeCecco (left), alumna Laura Twiss-Garrity (middle) and junior T'Chell Looby (right) attended Senator Pileggi's Kid's Fun Fair to talk with local families about opportunities to participate in the research they conduct in the Penn State Brandywine Child Development Lab

Some universities and organizations will use the grant monies for increased security and police presence, according to a PLCB press release. However, at Penn State Brandywine, “the grant monies will be used to increase education and counseling services on campus,” said Director of Student Affairs Matthew Shupp, whose efforts secured the grant monies for the campus. One of the programs the grant will support is the Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) program, designed to help students make less risky alcohol use decisions. Implemented as a part of the Student Code of Conduct, it stipulates that students found in violation of campus drinking rules will undergo treatment in this program, he added.

In addition, Brandywine will use the funds to increase support services for students to identify and assess risks for underage or binge drinking and curb these behaviors. According to the Centers for Disease Control, alcohol is the most commonly used drug among teens and young adults. The services made possible by the PLCB grant are designed to protect students and support their general well being.

Advertising pro Ed Tettemer, founder of Philadelphia-based ad agency Red Tettemer, will share his experiences as a self-proclaimed “dot connector” at Penn State Brandywine as part of the campus’ Common Read program on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 11:30 a.m. in the Tomezsko Classroom Building, room 103.

Students, faculty, staff and community members are currently reading and reflecting on the book, This I Believe II: More Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women, by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman. The book is a collection of 75 essayists, from a waitress to an Iraqi War veteran, who complete the thought proposed in the book’s title.

Periodically, readers gather to discuss the philosophy behind the book and their own beliefs and hear from speakers from both on and off campus. Tettemer’s talk will focus on his philosophy, which he calls “The Emotional Guide: How to Create Brands and Communication Based on Belief Systems.”

Tettemer is a marketing strategist responsible for the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation’s “Philly’s More Fun When You Sleep Over” campaign and author of the Pennsylvania travel/adventure blog, “The Shunpiker’s Guide.” He is creative director of TrackPackPA.com and serves on the boards of directors for the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, among many others, and on several of Mayor Nutter’s advisory councils. He is also a strategic advisor for the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Tettemer’s talk is free and open to the public. Visit http://bit.ly/BWCommonRead for more information on the Penn State Brandywine Common Read program.

The rainbow flag flew alongside the American and Penn State flags on the Brandywine campus the week of October 10, and supporters donned purple clothing and rainbow ribbons as a sign of solidarity for National Coming Out Day, Tuesday, Oct. 11. The Office of Student Affairs collaborated with students, staff and faculty to provide a week of events to support members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and questioning (LGBTQ) community.

Volunteers passed out information for those in need of guidance or who are struggling with their sexual identity, and members of the campus participated in activities, such as writing messages of hope on their handprints. Many faculty, staff and students were more than happy to share their thoughts on the importance of a safe, welcoming campus for those who identify as LGBTQ.

Assistant Professor of History Julie Gallagher, a member of the LGBTQ community, said, “I feel it’s particularly important for institutions that serve young people, like high schools, colleges or universities, to create an atmosphere of safety for not only intellectual exploration, but for the exploration of self in all of its manifestations, including sexuality. In our society at large, we have seen significant progress, particularly with the U.S. military’s recent elimination of the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy.  People’s right to be open about their sexuality and serve the nation with honor are no longer competing ideals, and that’s great. But we have further to go. We need all spaces where people spend time to be free of intimidation, discrimination and violence because of their sexual identity. It is great that Penn State Brandywine is sending such a clear message that our campus is such a place.”

Freshman Ebony Ford said, “National Coming Out Day is important to the LGBTQ community and society as a whole. Too many people feel that if they support the LGBTQ community they will be accused of being homosexual. This is untrue and allies can play a big part in making members of the LGBTQ community feel accepted. National Coming Out Day is important to me because it gives me hope that everyone isn’t as hateful or intolerant as the people I’ve come into contact with as a lesbian member of the LGBTQ community.”
Junior Bobbi Caprice said, “I am not LGBTQ, nor do I really have a personal connection with anyone who is. However, I am a believer that everyone should have the right to be themselves. I can't imagine someone telling me that I shouldn't or can't love [my boyfriend], Vinny. I personally live by the quote ‘treat people how you would want to be treated.’ I support anyone who is being themselves.”

Visit http://bit.ly/oEWInj to watch as members of the campus community talk about why National Coming Out Day and Brandywine’s support for those with diverse sexual identities is important.

World-renowned classical guitarist Pat Mercuri will return to the Penn State Brandywine campus on Thursday, Oct. 6 for a free public performance in the Main Building Auditorium (room 101) from 7 to 8:15 p.m.

Each year, Instructor in Music Allen Goldenberg invites Mercuri to campus as a way to introduce his students and the larger community to a softer side of the guitar, as played by Mercuri.

Mercuri’s musical expertise includes the guitar, mandolin and banjo, individual and classroom instruction in music, musical ensemble coaching and music arranging. He has performed and traveled with the Philadelphia Orchestra since 1972, the Opera Company of Philadelphia, the New York City Ballet, and the Opera Festival of Philadelphia and several others.

Mercuri served as the principal guitarist for the Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia from 1976 to 1993, was a soloist with the Concerto Soloists Chamber Orchestra and the Amerita Chamber Players and performed and recorded with the Philly Pops under Peter Nero. He has recorded as mandolin soloist with the Symphony Orchestra of America and has performed in Russia, Denmark and England, as well as at Lincoln Center with the N. Y. Philharmonic and Stuttgart Ballet, among many others.

Currently, Mercuri is String Music Instructor at Hamilton Township Public Schools in Hamilton Square, N.J.

Several Penn State Brandywine students donned nineteenth century garb and gave a walking tour of Cumberland Cemetery on Sunday, Sept. 25. Junior Eileen Fresta created the tour during her summer internship at the cemetery.

Fresta researched some of the most important people interred at Cumberland Cemetery and explored what life was like in Delaware County hundreds of years ago. She used her findings to create a tour that included anecdotes about the lives of the cemetery’s inhabitants.

Fresta was joined by sophomore Sarah DeMartino, junior Rob Ripson, senior Jennifer Santangelo, Instructor in American Studies Larry Smythe and cemetery staff and volunteers. Smythe played the part of local legend Thomas Pratt, the original owner of the land on which the cemetery now sits.

The volunteers borrowed their period costumes from the Historical Society of Delaware County and planted themselves at assigned graves. When tour guides brought visitors through, the participants remained in character and told their life stories. 

“More than 70 community members attended the tour to learn about some of Middletown’s more illustrious residents from the past, and about burial customs in the 1800’s,” Fresta explained. “The tour was so successful due to the help of the volunteers. The feedback has been positive and the cemetery owners would like to make this an annual event.”

Some of the deceased portrayed by the volunteers included Hannah Minshall, the mother of the Painter brothers; a firefighter that died in the 1800’s; a Civil War soldier and 27-year-old Anna Smith, whose family lived in the caretaker’s cottage from approximately 1836 to 1865. When interior renovations began on the house, a box of letters belonging to Anna was discovered hidden in the eaves of the attic. The letters provide a rare glimpse of life in Delaware County during that period. They further revealed that Smith’s little sister died at age six and is believed to be the first to have been buried at the cemetery.

Cumberland Cemetery is the final resting place for many local illustrious residents, including John Tyler, founder of the Tyler Arboretum. To explore some of Fresta’s historical discoveries, visit http://www.cumberlandcemetery.com/history.asp online.

Laura Guertin, associate professor of earth sciences, hosted the annual event and kicked off the discussion by informing students that a recent Pew research poll cited that as many as 60 percent of adults are using some form of social media.

Guertin was drawn to the topic after flash mob activity made headlines over the summer. Here and abroad, mobs formed after calls to assemble were disseminated on Facebook and Twitter. These social media sites enabled participants to coordinate times, places and targets for their violent activity.

In San Francisco last August, officials shut down all cellular service in public transportation areas to prevent smart phone applications from being used to incite mob activity.

Most students agreed that it was unconstitutional to temporarily terminate cell service, even in the event of an emergency.

“Social media should not be controlled,” sophomore honors student Sarah DeMartino stated. “It is not right for people to choose to shut down something like cell phone reception.” She added that people could not call for help if they did not have access to cellular service.

Junior Aimee Ralph said she “is on the fence because social media is a great tool … but if people are going to organize a mob, then it should be monitored.”

National Constitution Day originated in 1952 when Congress passed a law declaring September 17 as a day to celebrate the “signing and formation” of the United State’s Constitution. 

-by Jennifer Santangelo

The idea was formed after students grew concerned for residents of these affected towns, especially those in Bradford County, the hometown of Instructor in Communications Karrie Bowen.

“The students here at Brandywine have gone above and beyond to help people in need, and as someone who knows so many people who have lost so much, I am unbelievably moved,” Bowen said. “People have literally lost every possession they have, and there are roads that are impassable and will be that way for months, so travel and the ability to work and purchase basic necessities are all real challenges.”

Junior Alexandra Morson, SGA events coordinator, said, “It has been devastating seeing pictures of what these people have gone through. Most of the aid is being sent to the cities, and the people living in these rural towns have to travel to shelters for help.”

SGA will accept donations of gently used clothing, household items and other basic necessities, such as bleach, over-the-counter medicines, toiletries, cleaning supplies, non-perishable foods, first aid kits, diapers and baby formula. All donated baby supplies, toiletries and cleaning supplies must be new and unused.

The drive will end on Friday, Oct. 14. Drop-off bins are located in the Main Building outside the Admissions office, in the main stairwell of the Vairo Library, Commons/Athletic Center second floor and the Tomezsko Classroom Building lounge.

For more information, contact Aimee Ralph, SGA public relations coordinator, at atr5022@psu.edu 610-892-1240.

Orner, a Schreyer Honors scholar from Brookhaven, attended a customized tour of Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia in April 2010 for honor students studying Philadelphia’s disease history. The students were invited to submit a photo, poem or short story that reflected on their trip to Laurel Hill. Orner’s poem, titled “Sleeping,” was chosen in July 2010 for inclusion in the anniversary book, which was released last month.

"The inspiration for my poem was, oddly, a headstone I saw,” Orner explained. “All it said was ‘SLEEPING.’ That image got stuck in my head. I didn't know if it was a name, a message or something else. I wrote my ideas down in a poem."

Honors Coordinator Laura Guertin, associate professor of earth sciences at the campus, said, "I'm thrilled to see Lauren's poem selected for inclusion in Laurel Hill Cemetery's collection of reflections. It confirms for me that outside-the-classroom learning experiences, even something as non-traditional as a cemetery tour, have incredible value and an amazing impact on our students."

"It feels amazing to see my name in a book,” Orner said. "I am an English major and a book nerd, so it was a special moment for me.”

It’s that time of year again: fall! And what better way to celebrate than with an outdoor, carnival-themed celebration? Penn State Brandywine’s annual Penn State Day festival will take place on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., on the campus grounds.

The fun-filled day will feature games for all ages, including a diaper derby and toddler trot, best dressed Penn Stater, a pumpkin painting and a pie-eating contest. The Nittany Lion will pose for photos with festivalgoers and can usually be found bustin’ a move on the dance floor when the live music gets rolling.

During the event a larger-than-life-sized pink Dietz & Watson piggy bank will appear on campus. The gigantic pink piggy bank, which is approximately four feet high and six feet long, will be on campus to help raise awareness and funds for the breast cancer movement for the Philadelphia Affiliate the of Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. Each year, five of these piggy banks travel throughout Delaware County to raise awareness and funds. In its first three years, Pretty in Pig has raised approximately $200,000 from their travels.

Penn State Day is free and open to the public and includes carnival-themed food, plus Penn State favorites like grilled stickies. Student clubs and organizations will offer information about their various activities on campus.

Before the event, the Blue and White Society will host a 5K on the campus cross country trail (more information below).

High schoolers considering college at Penn State Brandywine, are invited to attend a morning “Get to Know Us Program” from 9:45 a.m. to noon. Admissions staff will discuss what it takes to get accepted. Students will learn about the many academic and social opportunities on campus, take part in an application workshop explaining what to do when it's time to apply and get a student-led tour of the campus. To register for the Admissions program, click here. Or call 610-892-1200 for more information.

5K Run and 1 Mile Walk

Runners will loop through the woods on a true cross country course to raise money for student scholarships during the Penn State Day 5K Run/Walk at the Brandywine campus on Saturday, Oct. 22.

The event, which is open to the public, will feature a one-mile short course for those who choose to walk, and will kick off the campus’ annual fall festival, Penn State Day.

Registration will begin at 9 a.m. and the runners will take off on the winding trail at 10 a.m. Walkers begin at 10:10 a.m. All are welcome to then head over to the Penn State Day festival on the campus grounds.

The online pre-registration fee for the 5K is $25. Those who wish to sign up on the morning of the race will pay $30. All students with a valid ID (Penn State or other) will pay $10. Online registration ends on Monday, Oct. 17 at 11:59 p.m.

Awards will be given to runners with the best times in various categories. Those who pre-register will receive a T-shirt, Gatorade, water and fruit on race-day.

The campus’ course is regularly used by its cross country team and played host to renowned author and runner Chris McDougall, who, alongside members of the campus community, tackled the course barefoot in December 2009.

Proceeds from the run/walk will benefit the Delaware County Alumni Chapter’s Scholarship for Brandywine students and the Penn State Brandywine Alumni Society Scholarship.

Visit http://tinyurl.com/5w7tty4 to register for the 5K or contact Alexander Pratt at 610-892-1253 or AEP5006@psu.edu for more information. Both events will be held rain or shine.

The Day's Events

Admissions Program

9:45 a.m.-noon
Information covered: Penn State admissions criteria, Penn State Brandywine offerings, an academic fair, application workshops, and a campus tour by our Lion Ambassadors.
To register for the Admissions program, click here.

5K Run/Walk

9 a.m., registration
10 a.m., Run
10:10 a.m., Walk

Penn State Day

11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
There will be a FREE all-campus fall festival featuring live music, games, barbecue, student club activities, and more. Bring your family and enjoy the day with us! No registration required!

In support of the fight against breast cancer, the Penn State Brandywine women’s volleyball team will host a “Dig Pink” fundraiser on campus, Saturday, Oct. 1, with matches against Pennsylvania College of Technology, Penn State Hazleton and Penn State Schuylkill.

The team is encouraging all guests to help them achieve a “pink out”--think “white out” at Beaver Stadium--by wearing pink. T-shirts will be sold at the event. All donations will benefit the Side-Out Foundation, which awards grants to medical research organizations and entities dedicated to providing compassionate support to breast cancer patients and their families, according to its website. The team hopes to raise $500 in donations.

“This is a great opportunity for our four schools to come together to support an important cause,” said Brandywine’s Sports Information Coordinator and Head Volleyball Coach Melissa Algeo.

The games will be played in the Penn State Brandywine gymnasium, at 25 Yearsley Mill Road in Media, and will begin at 12 and 2 p.m.

For more information or to donate, visit http://www.side-out.org/application/ous/fundraising_page/45952 or contact Melissa Algeo at 610-892-1470.

On Sunday, Nov. 13, Penn State Brandywine will host a TEDxPSU Watch Party as part of a larger event being held at University Park to bring together innovative and thought-provoking individuals to share ideas worth spreading. The participants at the Brandywine event will interact with those at University Park and around the world via the web to engage in dialogue about the challenges and opportunities facing society.

The campus hosted two preview events this semester to set the stage for the main event at University Park. Each featured live talks and pre-recorded videos that explored a variety of topics, ranging from gender issues to social media concepts, which encouraged discourse among participants.

At the final event, which begins promptly at 9:30 a.m. and lasts until 5:30 p.m., attendees will watch live TED videos and presentations being streamed directly from University Park and will be encouraged to respond via twitter (@TedxPSU) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TEDxPSU).

TED is a nonprofit organization that began in 1984 with a conference designed to open up the lines of communication between the worlds of technology, entertainment and design. Since then, TED has grown into a movement aimed at encouraging dialogue between people from all walks of life. TED talks are generally short, averaging about eight minutes each. However, the themes behind these talks are usually weighty, sparking debate, discussion and fostering critical thinking.

This event, which is open to the public, will take place in room 103 of the Tomezsko Classroom Building and lunch will be provided. There is no charge to attend, however, registration is encouraged. The TEDxPSU Watch Party is being co-organized by the Penn State Brandywine Honors program, the Information Sciences and Technology (IST) department, the Laboratory for Civic Engagement and the Penn State Brandywine Alumni Society. Visit http://tinyurl.com/tedatbrandywine to register.

“There is nothing as gratifying as being able to tell students they are being published, especially a freshman,” Goldschmidt stated.

Among the best of the freshman writers are Xiao Tan, Wendy Fan, Susan Ator and Sarah DeMartino.

“With every student there is a story,” Goldschmidt said. “Xiao was very unsure about writing, but by the end of the semester she wrote a beautiful essay.”

Tan is a second year student from China. She chose to write her essay on the popular Chinese television show “China’s Got Talent.” Tan admits that she had been following the program on the Internet, but she ”never thought [her essay] would be published. When I was in China, I was a really good writer.” However, Tan found the language barrier difficult to overcome. “The Writing Studio really helped me develop,” she said.

Each year, English professors from Penn State's 19 campuses are on the lookout for exceptional essays from their freshman English classes they deem worthy of publication. At the end of the academic year the best of the best are submitted to the journal's editorial board, which decides which essays will make it to publication. The journal is often used as a classroom textbook in many English classes at Penn State; the essays serve as writing models for students in the freshman courses.

Each year, the Penn State Brandywine community comes together not just for classes and common hour, but also to share a “common read.” It’s the campus’ version of a book club, only on a much larger scale.

This year, a committee chose the book and those who wish to read it will come together to discuss the book itself, as well as related topics. This year’s common read is "This I Believe II: More Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women," by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman. The book is a collection of 75 essayists, from a waitress to an Iraqi War veteran, who complete the thought proposed in the book’s title.

To kick off the yearlong series of events surrounding the book, the campus will host an opening talk, “Reasons to Believe: Making Sense of Our Commitments,” on Thursday, Sept. 15 at 11:30 a.m. in the Tomezsko Building Lounge. Associate Professor of Philosophy and Environmental Studies David Macauley will discuss the tension between providing reasons for what one believes and the often non-rational aspects of the belief itself. Light refreshments will be served. This program is free and open to the public.

Participation in the common read and related events is free (excluding the cost of the book) and open to the public. This I Believe II can be purchased in the Penn State Brandywine Bookstore, located on the first floor of the Main Building.

Visit http://bit.ly/BWCommonRead for more information.

The group was asked by ConKerr Cancer to help them collect pillowcases for its Wall of Smiles project for September's Miles of Pillowcase Smiles campaign. ConKerr Cancer was formed when Cindy Kerr, whose son, Ryan, was diagnosed with cancer in 2002, began making pillowcases to brighten up his and other children’s hospital rooms in the Oncology Unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. 

For a $1 donation, sign a paper heart that will accompany one of the pillowcases donated by the campus to children in area hospitals (Penn State pillowcases go to the Hershey Medical Center). The collected funds will be used to purchase the material needed to sew the pillowcases.

To date, Knittany Lion Needleworks has donated 579 pillowcases to ConKerr Cancer.

 To volunteer or donate, contact Diane Shorter at 610-892-1279 or DDS4@psu.edu. Visit http://www.conkerrcancer.org/ for more information on the project.

Professor Laura Guertin’s teaching came to life on Tuesday, August 23, as a 5.8 earthquake literally rocked Penn State Brandywine. As associate professor of Earth sciences, she helped install an earthquake monitoring station on campus in 2008 that not only picked up the vibrations from this earthquake, but continues to detect those occurring in South America and even the magnitude 9.0 that devastated Japan in March.

The seismograph, an instrument buried six feet under the campus grounds that measures seismic waves triggered by earthquakes, volcanoes and other sources, is a “significant tool that helps us in Pennsylvania give insight on what’s going on across the globe,” Guertin explained.

Desks vibrated, computers rocked and Guertin fled her office for the safety of the campus grounds. Immediately, she said she was surrounded by former and current students who wanted to pick her geological brain.

“For me as an instructor, I was really excited because students remembered learning about earthquakes in my class,” she exclaimed. “They started gathering around me and pulling up on the their phones the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) website I had told them about. It made a real connection for them. It was great to see them remembering and applying what they had learned in my class.”

As the resident earthquake expert on campus, she said she’s still getting emails and calls for answers. One alumnus, Matthew Zagursky, now a Philadelphia police officer, remembered the four science classes he had with Guertin as a student and came back to campus the next day to talk about plate tectonics. Other alumni are reaching out through Twitter.

Even the campus’ Facebook page (www.facebook.com/pennstatebrandywine) was abuzz. “I thought the girl behind me [was] kicking my chair until everyone started freaking out,” one student wrote.

“I was in my philosophy art and film class and all of a sudden the place started shaking,” said another.

Guertin explained that the east coast of North America was once an active plate boundary and there are old fault lines from that boundary in Virginia and many that cut through the Keystone State. “We haven’t been an active plate boundary since 245 million years ago, during the formation of the supercontinent Pangaea and the final stage of Appalachian Mountain formation. These mountains have been eroding away ever since,” she said.

“This earthquake reminds us that we don’t know what’s coming. The faults that we think are inactive may not be. Earthquakes can occur at any time and we still have so much research to do to understand them.”

Since the campus’ seismograph is connected to the USGS’s database, the activity recorded was a “key piece of information as they determined where the earthquake occurred,” Guertin explained. That station picks up two types of signals. “When an earthquake occurs there are multiple waves of energy that expand from the hypocenter: a P Wave (Primary Wave), or compressional wave, is the initial low shaking back and forth in the same direction the wave was moving that everyone felt, and the S Wave (Secondary Wave), or shear wave, causes even more shaking perpendicular to the direction the wave is traveling, just as a snake moves side-to-side as it slides forward. Knowing the difference of time between when those two waves arrive at our station and other stations helps us calculate where the earthquake occurred.”

Even students can act as “citizen scientists” and help determine the earthquake location and damage. The “Did you feel it?” page on the USGS website offers non-scientists a chance to contribute to a larger global database. “Our students can help scientists do their calculations and measurements in determining where the largest amount of damage occurred” by filling out a brief survey about what they felt and when. “What a wonderful opportunity for our students to study Earth in action and for scientists to learn from students.”

As for the results of the seismograph’s reading of the quake, Guertin said experts at University Park are still evaluating the data, but are “extremely happy with the clarity of the signal.”

“Could another earthquake occur in Virginia or even Pennsylvania?” Guertin asked. Her answer was certain.  “Absolutely! It’s not a matter of ‘if’, it’s a matter of ‘when.’”

Penn State Brandywine Physical Plant assessed building conditions and determined that the campus sustained no damage, said Director of Business Services Lisa Yerges.

For more information on this and future earthquakes, visit http://www.earthquake.usgs.gov/ online.

The bachelor of psychology degree program will combine the knowledge, skills and values of psychology with a liberal arts foundation.

“A degree in psychology is an excellent path for those who wish to help others,” said Director of Academic Affairs Paul deGategno. “The possibilities are endless for students who pursue careers in this diverse field. They will have the opportunity to work in organizational development or human resource management, among many other options. We’re excited to be adding to the diversity of our campus academic offerings and know students will welcome this new career choice.”

The program will examine how humans think, feel and behave in courses focusing on clinical, social and developmental psychology, as well as personality development. A capstone course is required during each student’s final year of study and will focus on his or her experiences in the form of a thesis, internship or research project. Working closely with a faculty member, students will develop valuable writing and research skills.

The program provides students the choice to pursue a bachelor of arts degree, which will offer broad exposure to the many facets of the field, or a bachelor of science degree, which provides the same exposure with added science or business options to suit students’ specific career goals.

The program’s real-world experiences will help build resumes, provide valuable skills and lessons and prepare students for work in human service agencies, personnel, industrial settings, laboratories or continued training in graduate and professional studies, such as medical and law school.

“I am delighted that Penn State Brandywine is adding a four-year program in psychology to its degree portfolio,” said Cynthia Lightfoot, professor of human development and family studies, and campus coordinator of the psychology major.  “Students interested in a variety of career fields or in continuing their studies in graduate or professional school will now be able to complete the baccalaureate psychology degree at the Brandywine campus.”

For more information on the program, contact Cynthia Lightfoot at 610-892-1432.

Are you or someone you know looking for a college where you can feel at home and succeed? Meet with admissions counselors from more than 130 colleges at the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling (PACAC) Regional College Fair at Penn State Brandywine on Thursday, Sept. 29, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

Let your wants and needs be heard during one-on-one conversations with counselors from colleges in the region and as far as Hawaii. The college fair is free and guests are welcome to stop by anytime throughout the event to get personalized information about each college.

For more information go to http://www.pacac.org/ or call 610-892-1200.

View the PACAC College Fair poster.

Directions to the campus.

Members of the Penn State Brandywine chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America - Phi Beta Lambda participated in competitions and shared their successes and ideas at the organization’s National Leadership Conference in Orlando in late June.

(Pictured from left) David Vesely, Martin Iepson (club president), Richard Cook, Karthik Chadalawada and John Dezell participated in competitions that focused on certain topics, such as agribusiness, computer forensics, health care administration, leadership and social networking/media.

The students will participate in general motivational sessions, professional development and career planning workshops at the upcoming National Fall Leadership Conference in Philadelphia in November.

Local middle school science teachers explored innovative ways to teach Earth science at Penn State Brandywine from July 17 to 21. The workshop, focusing on plate tectonics, is part of Penn State’s Earth and Space Science Partnership. Funded through a National Science Foundation-Targeted Math Science Partnership grant, two University professors designed and led the program to introduce new and exciting methods of teaching in the Earth sciences.

Brandywine Associate Professor of Earth Sciences Laura Guertin and University Park Professor of Geosciences Tanya Furman worked together to create a curriculum with an accompanying workbook that focused on “earthquakes, volcanoes, the movement of tectonic plates and the history of plate tectonics,” Guertin explained. “Sample activities looked at the differences in volcanic activity in the Hawaiian Islands versus in Indonesia, addressed geologic mapping and examined the seal-level history in the western United States through the sedimentary layers in the Grand Canyon.”

Guertin and Furman created the workbook to guide the teachers during the five days of activities. It included maps, resource guides, helpful websites, classroom activities and challenging science problems and questions with authentic scientific data. The teachers also learned about Pennsylvania’s geologic history and the time of coal formation.

Participants used the campus’ computer labs “to access online discussion boards relating to the workshop and to develop new lesson plans based on the material they learned during the week,” Guertin said.

Furman said she and Guertin are helping to bring “content to context” so these teachers can be better educators and help their students fully understand Earth sciences-related subjects.

The professors said they received positive feedback from the participants and will host a two-day follow-up seminar, along with additional weeklong summer workshops at Brandywine and University Park for the next four years.

K-16 teachers interested in learning more about the workshops can visit http://www.essp.psu.edu/ and participate in the continuing discussions at http://www.paesta.psu.edu/ online.

-by Dave Serpentine

Penn State Brandywine Associate Professor of Engineering Ivan Esparragoza was honored with an international award for his collaborative work on a project that provides resources and opportunity to encourage minority students to participate in the engineering and technology fields.

He received the award for Outstanding Division Paper in the Minorities in Engineering Division at the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference and Exposition in Vancouver, British Columbia, last month. ASEE brings together engineering educators to collaborate on solutions to promote excellence in instruction, research, public service and practice, according to its website.

Esparragoza shares this award with Florida Atlantic University Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Maria Larrondo Petrie. The two have worked together on the project, known as “Mind Links,” since 2006, and provided the manuscript or “paper” about the project for evaluation at the conference.

“A set of blind peer-reviewers examine all the manuscripts for the division and provide an evaluation,” Esparragoza explained. “The papers with the highest evaluations go to the technical committee for the division and they select the best paper to receive this award.”

After years of research, “The ‘Mind Links’ paper report is a collection of web links that will provide information and resources that would allow minority students and faculty to take full advantage of the myriad of programs and information designed to promote their participation in the engineering and technology fields,” he said.

Esparragoza said he believes his ASEE membership has helped him advance as a professor. “I am always exploring new ideas for teaching and learning about other practices and topics that could impact my students. For example, my Introduction to Engineering Design course has changed a lot along the years due to my participation in sessions and initiatives that originated in the ASEE annual conference.”

He thanked the ASEE for the award and expressed his devotion to the society. “It is wonderful to see that others appreciate the effort we have done in putting together this work. However, I think that the best reward is to see minorities using these resources and taking full advantage of them to advance their careers in engineering and technology.”

--Dave Serpentine

Beginning this fall, Penn State Brandywine, located in Media, will offer a select array of undergraduate courses at the Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies. Courses will be offered in the day and evening to meet the needs of undergraduate students who live or work nearby the Malvern-based graduate campus. 

“In response to the growth of community college students in Chester County, Penn State Brandywine wants to offer the opportunity for transfer students to access Penn State upper division courses at a convenient Chester County location,” said Brandywine’s Director of Student and Enrollment Services Deborah Erie.

Of the six offered courses, four will satisfy general education requirements for any Penn State program and will meet the needs of all current Penn State Brandywine students. These courses include art history, astronomy, mathematics and education theory and policy. The additional two courses include management and marketing; Brandywine faculty will teach all six courses.

High school students are encouraged to consider the course on education theory and policy for dual enrollment. It will be offered in the evening and will begin after Labor Day to correspond with high school schedules.

Students planning to transfer into Penn State Brandywine’s Bachelor of Science in Business program may find the marketing and management courses particularly valuable, as will members of the public interested in taking a course on a nondegree basis for professional development.

“In addition to making Penn State coursework more convenient, we recognize that the cost of gas has continued to rise, making commuting more expensive for students,” said Brandywine’s Director of Academic Affairs Paul deGategno. “Through this collaboration between the two campuses, Penn State has an opportunity to help Chester County commuting students reduce their costs.”

Great Valley is providing a one-stop-shop for students enrolling in any of these courses, allowing them to register in its Registration Office, buy textbooks, obtain a Penn State ID, study and conduct research in the Library and use the Computer Center and other facilities at the campus, in addition to the resources available at Brandywine.

Penn State Great Valley Chancellor Craig Edelbrock noted that the collaboration between the two campuses is longstanding. “Faculty at our two campuses periodically meet to collaborate on research and the sharing of best practices,” he said. “And, each year, a number of undergraduate students who complete a baccalaureate program at Penn State Brandywine continue on in a master’s degree program at Great Valley. So offering undergraduate courses at Penn State Great Valley is a logical ‘next step.’”

Visit www.bw.psu.edu/BWatGV or call 610-892-1200 for more information or to enroll in any of these six courses. For more information on Penn State Brandywine dual enrollment opportunities, contact Jeremy Branch at 610-892-1202.

Penn State Great Valley offers graduate degree programs in business administration, curriculum and instruction, finance, information science, leadership development, software engineering, special education and systems engineering. Graduate certificate programs and programs leading to Pennsylvania Department of Education Certification also are offered. The campus also offers professional development courses and conference planning services.

Penn State Brandywine offers four-year degrees, varsity sports and a variety of clubs and organizations. With an award-winning faculty, the campus also provides international study opportunities, honors and civic engagement programs and undergraduate research.

As an intern for the Oliver H. Bair Company, owner of the Cumberland Cemetery in Media, the American studies major is sorting through old cemetery records that date back to 1860 to orchestrate a walking tour of the site.

Fresta said the script used during the tour will contain background information on approximately 20 local historic people buried at the cemetery, including Thomas Pratt, founding father and resident of Middletown Township.

“It's a lot of fun,” she said.” The people in the office are great, and I'm very intrigued by the background research. I've already uncovered long-forgotten, ‘buried’ information that I'll use for the tour. It's very interesting to look at the old cemetery records, to find out what was going on in the community during a particular year.”

Fresta was inspired to take on the internship after taking American Studies 491 and English 402 with Professor of English and American Studies Phyllis Cole.

“There are many things to read and study about famous people in history, but it's even more interesting to read about and learn how local farmers and their families lived, especially the people who lived in the same area where I've lived for so long,” Fresta said. “There is a lot of information available, it just takes time to find it and transcribe it.”

The walking tour is scheduled for Sunday, September 25 and Fresta is looking for volunteer tour guides. For more information, contact her at emf5187@psu.edu.

Penn State Brandywine senior Sara Neville and junior Labanya Mookerjee presented their research projects at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference and Exposition in June at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. Traveling with these students was their adviser and mentor Laura Guertin, associate professor of Earth sciences.

ISTE is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the use of information technology to aid in learning and teaching of kindergarten through twelfth grade students and teachers.

Both Neville and Mookerjee were invited to present at the ISTE conference because each has created a tool designed for use in the classroom that revolves around Google Earth, which allows visitors to view any location, from galaxies in outer space to the canyons in the ocean, via satellite imagery, maps, terrain and 3D buildings. Neville’s project focuses on science and books, Mookerjee’s on music.

For the past two years, Neville has been working on an innovative Earth and space science program designed for sixth through twelfth grade science teachers. She has presented this program to teachers locally and in Delaware and Kentucky.

Her presentation was on “the collection of activities titled The Earth and Space QUEST, and the application of these activities in middle and high school science classrooms,” she explained. “Each QUEST is a visual representation of the content of a nonfiction book. The content of Earth science-based books takes readers around the world, and Google Earth is a perfect platform for students to visualize geospatial relationships and make the content seem relevant. In addition to these book tours, I've created lesson plan guides that include key terms, vocabulary, discussion questions and other supplemental information for teachers.”

Sara Neville with her Earth and Space QUEST pesentation at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference in Philadelphia

Neville said she was inspired to create this tool during a summer workshop for pre-service and in-service science teachers in 2009. The group was asked to read "The Control of Nature" by John McPhee but she said they found it difficult to put the book’s content “into relevant context for us. I got the idea for creating a virtual journey through the book after doing something similar in a geoscience class ... and the QUEST was born!”

She has worked on three book tours and hopes to focus on educational technology and curriculum development in Earth and environmental science after graduation.

Mookerjee, on the other hand, has created lesson plans that can be used to teach music in kindergarten through eighth grade classrooms using Google Earth. With the help of Guertin, Associate Professor of Music Education Ann Clements from University Park and music education graduate student Teri Yerger, Mookerjee has created an interactive, online international map of musical instruments. Using Google Earth, the students are able to connect geography and culture with the sound of music.

“The conference was an awesome experience, and I am truly grateful to Dr. Guertin for introducing me to such opportunities!” Mookerjee said.

Guertin emphasized the rigorous and competitive nature of the conference, “This conference only accepted 35 percent of all the session proposals submitted for review. This is a significant achievement by both of these undergraduate researchers for their work to get accepted. This demonstrates how relevant and significant their work is at an international level.”

Megan Kawamoto is spending her summer not on the beach or by the pool, but in a cemetery. The sophomore engineering major has teamed up with Associate Professor of Earth Sciences Laura Guertin to study marble gravestones to uncover hundreds of years’ worth of pollution and climate information. Their results will help unearth just how much more pollution is in the air today.

The data is being collected from 57 tombstones at Cumberland Cemetery in Lima, Pa., for the EarthTrek Gravestone Project, which aims to map the location of graveyards around the globe and then use marble gravestones in those graveyards to measure the weathering rate of marble at that location. Once Guertin and Kawamoto finish analyzing their data, they will send it to the global database.

“The weathering rates of gravestones are an indication of changes in the acidity of rainfall between locations and over time,” Guertin said. “The acidity is affected by air pollution and other factors, and could be used as a measure of changes in climate and pollution levels.”

Every time it rains, the raindrops contain more than just water, she explained. As well as the small particles of dust that the water drops form around, the water can contain chemicals found in the atmosphere. Often the rain will end up being slightly acidic. This “acid” rain can then chemically affect (weather) materials with which it comes in contact. The amount of weathering that occurs from place to place differs and may be changing over time.

Marble is a common stone used to make gravestones and is mostly made up of the mineral calcite. Calcite is a carbonate mineral, and so it reacts with any acid, including the weak rainfall acids, and dissolves. This means that over time, marble headstones are slowly weathering away.

Visit http://www.goearthtrek.com/Gravestones/Gravestones.html to learn more about the EarthTrek Gravestone Project.

Senior Stephanie Tracy has accomplished many things as a student at Penn State Brandywine. She played on the men’s soccer team for three years and is currently on the cross country team. She has earned a 4.0 in each of the last two semesters and served as secretary of the Student Government Association (SGA) this past academic year.

Now Tracy can add an even bigger honor to her list as the recipient of the University’s prestigious John Egli Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Award, which is given annually to outstanding female and male scholar-athletes throughout the Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC).

Tracy is Penn State Brandywine’s sixth female and eighth overall recipient of the John Egli Award, which was created in 1982. The award was presented at a special banquet luncheon held at University Park. On hand to present the award was Tim Curley, director of athletics at Penn State University Park.

Tracy, who is majoring in human development and family studies (HDFS) and minoring in civic and community engagement, also received the Academic All-Conference Award, the All-Conference Award, the Recognition of Outstanding Contribution Award, the James King Memorial Award and the Four Year Athlete Award.

The award was established in honor of Assistant Professor John Egli in recognition of his dedication and devotion to the University, where he served as a student, athlete, faculty member and coach. Particularly significant were his service and contributions as the first Commonwealth campus coordinator of athletics. Egli was responsible for establishing and developing the athletic programs currently enjoyed by countless students across the Penn State system, and served as athletic director and men’s basketball coach at Penn State DuBois.

To be considered for the award, a student must have had a distinguished athletic career in a campus athletic program, have a minimum grade point average of 3.0, be a full-time, upper-class student, be active in other campus activities and exemplify high morals, leadership and outstanding character, Sports Information Coordinator Melissa Algeo explained.

“I am very honored to have even been nominated for this award let alone to have received it,” Tracy said. “Coach [Jim] Gastner (campus athletic director) has always been supportive from the first day I set foot on his soccer field to try out on the men’s team as a scared, little freshman. I am proud of my accomplishment but I cannot and will not take full credit. Without Coach Gastner I would still be the same person I was as a freshman--scared, lacking confidence and convinced that I would fail out of college.”

In a letter to PSUAC Commissioner John Fritz, Gastner explained why he chose Tracy for the Egli Award. “Steph Tracy embodies what it means to be a student athlete and is a shining example for others to follow. She was a member and top runner on our inaugural cross country team and Steph’s seventh place finish at the PSUAC Championships this year led our women’s team to a second place finish.”

Reflecting on her experience thus far at Brandywine, Tracy said, “My time at Brandywine has been the best four years of my life. I’d pick Penn State Brandywine every time. Thank you to all of you who made winning the John Egli Award possible!”

Penn State Brandywine Professor of English Phyllis Cole was honored last month with the prestigious Distinguished Achievement Award of the Ralph Waldo Emerson Society. An active member of the group for more than two decades, Cole said the award was not only a surprise, but also humbling.

“The company I am in makes this a really significant honor,” she said. “The people who have won this award are nationally and internationally-known Emerson scholars, at a time when Emerson’s stock is very high. It’s a recognition by a group of people I really value.”

Cole is also only the second woman to receive the honor since the award was created in the early 90s by the society, which she called a “constituent author society of the American Literature Association.”

The award was given to recognize Cole as a scholar of Ralph Waldo Emerson and “a good citizen of the society,” for which she served as president from 2004-2006, but most of all to give praise to a book published 13 years ago--"Mary Moody Emerson and the Origins of Transcendentalism" (Oxford, 1998).

Cole explained that her book on Waldo’s aunt, Mary Moody Emerson, explores the idea that while Waldo's philosophy revolved around the concept of originality and self-reliance, “he was original through his aunt. He even corresponded with her while at Harvard, and she was telling him which books to read. She pioneered in expressing the ideas of individualism and worship of God in nature that were later the creed of American Transcendentalism.” Cole concluded that Emerson was more reliant on others than people realized. Her book focuses on Mary Moody’s role in helping “Waldo become who he was. Before the “Father of the Literary Canon,” as he’s called, “was the woman.”

Doing her research in the 1980s, Cole discovered that Mary Moody was a voluminous letter writer and even found in Harvard’s Houghton Library her fifty-year-long diary, which at that time the university didn’t realize it had.

“This was not only key to Waldo’s growth but also an amazing, prodigious accomplishment by a woman of her era,” Cole said. “Now women’s diaries and letters have become a whole literary study.” She said this unearthing of history was part of her own process of becoming a feminist.

Mary Moody’s "Almanack," as she named her diary, is now being edited for publication by the Brown Women Writers project as part of a “huge online database,” Cole said. “Others are doing that amazing work, but I’m glad to have prompted them to it.”

With the award comes a certificate and medallion depicting Ralph Waldo Emerson’s likeness, which Cole said she will wear proudly with her Penn State Brandywine cap and gown.

Penn State Brandywine athletes were recognized for another great season at the 23rd annual Athletics Banquet on Sunday, May 15, at D’Ignazio’s Towne House in Media.

Laura Patton, intramural and fitness center coordinator, said the banquet was held to recognize student athletes who have performed well during the season both in the classroom and on the field of play. 

Steph Tracy won the John Egli Award, the most prestigious honor given annually by the Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC). A male and a female awardee are selected from the more than 1,400 athletes in the conference to recognize their outstanding contributions as students, athletes and community members. The award is presented at a special banquet held at University Park. On hand to make the award this year was Tim Curley, director of athletics at Penn State University Park.

Left To Right: Ken Swalgin, faculty athletic representative (FAR) for the PSUAC; Egli Award recipient Steph Tracy; Tim Curley, director of athletics, Penn State University Park; Jim Gastner, director of athletics, Penn State Brandywine.

Tracy, who played for the men’s soccer team for three years and ran cross country last season, said, “I am very honored to have even been nominated for [the John Egli Award], let alone to have received it. Coach [Jim] Gastner (campus athletic director) has always been supportive from the first day I set foot on his soccer field to try out on the men’s team as a scared little freshman. I am proud of my accomplishment but I cannot and will not take full credit. Without Coach Gastner I would still be the same person I was as a freshman, scared, lacking confidence and convinced that I would fail out of college.”

Tracy is finishing her current term as treasurer of Student Government, will be running cross country in the fall, will be eligible to receive USCAA All-Academic honors and continues to work with local animal rescue organizations.

Dan Cavaliere, a recent business graduate who won several awards, including the James King Memorial Award, the Unites States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Academic All-American Award, the PSUAC Academic All-Conference Award and the Four Year Athlete Award, shared his thoughts about Penn State Brandywine. “Penn State should understand the importance of athletics as well as academics as the University is attempting to grow,” he said. “A university should be known for its athletics, academia and its ability to land graduates into jobs.”

Cavaliere revealed his greatest memory of Penn State Brandywine. “My last college game and graduation were rather emotional as it brought sports and education to a close for me.” Check out the latest "Brandywine Pride" Spring/Summer 2011 magazine for a complete story on Cavaliere at http://bit.ly/BPSP11 or http://bit.ly/BrandywinePrideSP11 (PDF).

One student athlete said, “During a career, you win many games, sometimes championships; but being recognized for character and leadership, those accolades are truly special. Along the way, I developed many friendships, saw new places and most of all, fulfilled my dream of playing a college sport. Athletics teaches individuals things they cannot learn in the classroom and I can say Penn State Brandywine has taught this veteran a few more things even during the last steps of his career.”

Nine students were nominated for the James King Memorial Award, which recognizes a player having the qualities most desired in student athletes: scholarship determination, fair play, teamwork and athletic prowess. 

Head Basketball Coach Larry Johnson was named Coach of the Year by the PSUAC, and recently retired Associate Professor of Kinesiology Dan Doran received a special award for his continual support and dedication of the campus and athletics. Throughout the 40 years Doran was a member of the faculty, he was a championship coach, athletic director, mentor and friend to thousands of students.

Chad Thomas won the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Academic All-American Award and teammate Kevin Lowthert won the All Atlantic Regional Team Award. Basketball player Rasheed Wilkins won the USCAA All-American Award and the PSUAC Newcomer of the Year Award.

by Dave Serpentine, senior

Penn State Brandywine held its twentieth annual Math Options event, warmly welcoming seventh grade girls from 24 local schools, who are interested in math and science, on Friday, May 20. The event encourages young girls to consider pursing math or science in the future and shows them just how fun it can be. The girls learn they can break the mold and be successful in these fields that are historically male-oriented.

The students were split up into nine groups and each participated in three unique sessions designed to help them better understand each subject area. They completed tasks related to communication skills, teambuilding, collaboration, listening and comprehension, following directions and creativity.

During lunch, the girls heard from a panel of professionals with experience in various math and science-related fields, followed by a mini career fair that illustrated how these middle school girls could obtain a job in the future.

Overall, there were 11 sessions instructed by 16 guest presenters, women who have excelled in math and science fields in their own businesses or for prestigious companies.

One group learned how to make Silly Putty from scratch while another group teased their brains with a drawing game. One girl described her own drawing to see if her partner could draw the same thing from her description. They studied blood cells, wind and forensics, and were taught how to run a business and the importance of “going green.” They also discussed oil spills, psychology and how the mind works. The girls even learned about aeronautics through making paper airplanes and explored engineering by building a tower made of straws.

Sanne Eisenhauer, co-presenter for the “Straw Wars” session and senior administrative assistant at Lockheed Martin Corporation, said, “It’s fun to interact with children. This event is special because [these are] girls who are interested in this field.”

Kris Bartosiak, co-presenter of the “Let’s Make Silly Putty” session and president of Bar M. Associates, Inc. said, “I think it’s important to encourage girls in this field.”

Associate Professor of Education and event orchestrator Patricia Van Leuvan, said, “We ask that the schools pick girls who have potential in the areas of math and science but are not necessarily the best students, as they will probably get the encouragement from teachers and parents to continue the highest level of math and science in high school so that more options are open to them.”

Van Leuvan explained why the event is open only to seventh grade girls, “Seventh grade is a point when many students are making decisions about the level of math they will take, so we want to encourage them to aim high.”

Jennifer Zosh is proof that the program is effective. Once a seventh grade Math Options attendee in the early 1990s, she went on to earn a Ph.D. in psychological and brain sciences, now serves as an assistant professor of human development and family sciences (HDFS) at the campus and has led sessions at the event for the past two years.

by Dave Serpentine, senior

Penn State Brandywine’s spring commencement ceremony was marked with elation and a whole lot of emotion. After receiving their degrees, many of the 132 graduates opted to say a few words (and shed a few tears) at the mic as they walked off stage.

In what has become a time-honored tradition at the campus, the new graduates had a chance to address their peers, families and the rest of the campus community to give thanks, express excitement or in the case of the class of 2011, unleash the waterworks of joy at this great achievement.

An emotional Jonathan Hartline, who received a bachelor of science degree in information sciences and technology, credited scholarship donors with making his education possible, and thanked all those who have helped him succeed, including the janitorial staff.

Ryan Roby thanked his father for donating one of his kidneys and giving him “a second chance at life” after receiving his bachelor of science degree in business.

“I’m thrilled to be here,” Brittney Mason said as she tearfully recounted the challenges she faced while earning her bachelor of arts degree in communication arts and sciences.

Keynote Speaker Todd Carmichael reminisced on his own college graduation as he encouraged the graduates to take control of their own futures and paint their own paths. “Your future is a blank white canvas,” the CEO and co-founder of La Colombe Torrefaction said. “Mix your paint colors. Don’t restrict yourself to what’s expected of you.

Carmichael has traveled the world, visiting nearly half the world’s countries, in search of not just adventure, but ways to responsibly and sustainably gather the planet’s best coffee. A passionate crusader for social and ecological causes, he has a decade-long history of undertaking self-supported treks into challenging environments. He’s crossed large parts of the Sahara on foot and was the first American to solo trek across Antarctica from the coast to the South Pole. The Antarctic trek also earned Carmichael the world speed record for crossing the continent by foot—39 days, seven hours and 49 minutes.

Before ushering the new graduates into a new world of opportunity and hope, Carmichael had an important message. “Success doesn’t happen overnight.”

It’s a big job keeping a college campus looking spectacular throughout the tough winters and hot summers in Pennsylvania. But Charles Daly has mastered the art of beauty at Penn State Brandywine, and the Athletics Department found a way to say thank you.

Each year, the Athletics Department honors a member of the campus with the Michael Menichini Award, named for an alumnus who is remembered as an outstanding student, good athlete, and dedicated friend, but who lost his life in a traffic accident in 1997 while serving as basketball coach at the campus. In recognition of his service, the award recognizes someone who has positively impacted the lives of student athletes.

Daly, this year’s recipient, “has been instrumental in reconstructing and maintaining our baseball field,” Athletic Director James Gastner said during a surprise reception for the head groundskeeper. “We now have the best infield in the league. Charles helped blaze the new cross country trail through the wilds of our ‘back 40’ and he has worked tirelessly to keep our athletics teams ‘on the field.’”

“Thank you. It’s a real honor,” an always-humble Daly said to the crowd. “I’m glad you appreciate what we do. And Brian’s awesome,” he said of his right-hand-man Brian Rostick. “He deserves this, too, so I’ll share this with him.”

Middletown Township made quite an impression during its 325th anniversary celebration and annual Community Day festival on Saturday, May 7 at Penn State Brandywine.

In addition to the more than 100 vendors and organizations that featured games, music, and great food and other items for sale, the Township kicked off the day of fun with a parade. Penn State Brandywine Chancellor Sophia Wisniewska made her way down the parade route in style, as she waved to onlookers from an American flag-clad corvette provided by the Delaware County Corvette Association.

The Township estimated that upwards of 2,500 people attended the festival throughout the beautiful, 70-degree, sunny day.

"We had a fantastic day this past Saturday for our annual Community Day and to celebrate our 325th birthday,” said Middletown Township Council Chair Scott Galloway. “Everyone would agree that it was a huge success, well attended and great weather! Thank you very much to everyone who spent so much time to make it a great day, and we look forward to next year!"

Community Day featured fun for all ages. There was face painting, clowns, a car show and food from local restaurants. Kids tackled each other in the moon bounces and took rides on the fire trucks. Attendees sang happy birthday to the township and bought various items or talked with vendors from dozens of local businesses.

"Middletown's 17th Annual Community Day and 325th anniversary parade was a huge success,” said Township employee and the event’s coordinator Debbie Timblin. “The weather was beautiful, Penn State Brandywine's campus was the perfect location and we could not have asked for better hosts. After four-and-a-half months of planning we are proud to say the day truly represented our mission statement: ‘Community, business and local government working together to celebrate the vibrancy and hometown pride of Middletown Township.’”

Sponsors for the event included the Middletown Township Department of Parks and Recreation, Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union, the Shirley Booth Team at Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors, Franklin Mint Development Team, Penn State Brandywine, Trident Mortgage Company and the Middletown Business and Professional Association.

Two Penn State Brandywine Cooper Honors Scholars presented their research at the 8th Semi-Annual Undergraduate Research at the Capitol Event in Pennsylvania in April.

Twenty-six students from eleven Pennsylvania colleges and universities were selected for this honor, which showcases outstanding and award-winning projects by undergraduate students from Pennsylvania. Penn State was also represented by students from University Park.

Senior communications major Brooke Ballard presented "An Evaluation Measuring the Patterns and Effects of Nonprofit Messaging Through Facebook," and sophomore Abbey Dufoe presented "A Web-Based Visitor Experience to the Tyler Arboretum Tree Houses with Google Earth." Associate Professor of Communications Arts and Sciences Susan Fredricks and Associate Professor of Earth Sciences Laura Guertin, who serve as student research mentors for Ballard, Dufoe and others at the campus involved in undergraduate research, accompanied the students on their trip to the Capitol.

State Representative Warren Kampf and State Senator Andy Dinniman visited the students’ posters.

The event, organized by the Legislative Office for Research Liaison (LORL), provides an opportunity to bring together college students, faculty and Pennsylvania legislators and staff to share the experiences of students engaged in scholarship and creative endeavors at their colleges and universities, according to the LORL website. 

Amidst a sea of smiling faces and cocktail dresses, friends of Penn State Brandywine came together at the campus’ Spring Soiree at the Merion Cricket Club in April to help make education affordable for current and future students.

Together the group raised nearly $30,000 to benefit the Penn State Brandywine Student Scholarship Fund. The event’s live and silent auctions included a Joe Paterno-signed football, vacation homes in Jamaica and Myrtle Beach, fine jewelry, Phillies autographed gear, tickets to the Philadelphia Orchestra and much more.

The emcee and auctioneer for the night was 6ABC Meteorologist Adam Joseph, who won the hearts of many of the female guests and was playfully blamed for the rain that failed to dampen the mood of the partygoers.

Throughout the cocktail-style event, more than 150 guests enjoyed music, lots of food and heard direct from the students how scholarships have helped them succeed and strive for a better future during a video created by senior Justin Carrington.

“I think that higher education is so important,” junior scholarship recipient Sara Neville said. “As an education major … I think the future really lies in our generation and subsequent college generations. Without scholarships, I don’t think our society would be as educated for the future.”

To view the photo Web gallery, click here.

If you'd like to order photos from the event, click here, or contact Mel Epps, Third Eye Productions, Inc., 215-635-1988.

One family’s tragedy has become one class’ combined mission for prevention education.

Last December, four-year-old Isabelle Jean Wage-Sindon, along with her father and paternal grandfather, were killed in a catastrophic house fire in Binghamton, N.Y. The house had no smoke detectors.

In memory of her daughter, Isabelle’s mother, Teresa Wage-Harrington, formed the Isabelle Jean Wage-Sindon Foundation with the mission to provide resources, information and education on fire safety for the community to prevent such a tragedy. But Wage-Harrington quickly realized she couldn’t do it alone.

A longtime family friend of Wage-Harrington, Penn State Brandywine Instructor in Communications Karrie Bowen asked her Marketing 310 class to dedicate the spring semester to building, from scratch, a complete marketing campaign for the Foundation.

“Ultimately, this class project has been a real exercise in what service learning is, and more so, a way for my students to get their feet wet in the real world of public relations, marketing and working in the non-profit sector,” Bowen said.

The end result was far more than anyone had expected.

“My students have risen to the challenge and developed a wonderful campaign, complete with grant writing, fundraising ideas and education and outreach,” she said. “Many of these ideas are going to be put in place immediately, and several of our students have voiced an interest in volunteering for the organization well after the course ends.”

The students presented their complete campaign to Wage-Harrington and her twin sister, Colleen Barton, to not only show what they had accomplished, but to get the Foundation off and running.

The campaign included a commercial, which the students hope will go viral on YouTube and will appear on television in Binghamton. They built a new media strategy, which includes a presence on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/IsabelleJeanWageSindonFoundation) and Twitter (@PrincessToAngel), and created a website for the Foundation.

The students, who said they each spent at least two hours each day throughout the entire semester on the project, wrote several grant proposals and hope to receive funding from the Pepsi Refresh Project, FM Global, Duracell and even the United States Government, among others.

They designed a billboard, a “scare tactic” advertising campaign that educates people on the tragedies that result when prevention measures are not taken, fliers and a pamphlet on the Foundation to be handed out at grocery stores and to parents and they have planned events such as a fundraiser to be held next fall at a bowling alley in Binghamton. They designed bracelets and T-shirts for sale, and have already contacted sponsors. They also want to reach out directly to homeowners to make sure they’re checking their batteries every six months.

One student even created the logo for the Foundation, which is a purple and pink crown in honor of Isabelle’s love of Disney princesses. During the presentation, each and every student wore one of her favorite princess colors, purple or pink, in her memory.

One student said, “We didn’t know we could care so much about this little person we don’t even know.”

Sophomore Aimee Ralph said to Wage-Harrington during the presentation, “This campaign means more to us than any grade.”

Junior Vinny Gallo agreed. “We got to really work on [this project] for a good cause to help save lives (rather than the hypothetical campaigns they’d built before),” he said. “It’s a really good feeling to work on something that means something.”

The nearly 20 students in the class all felt the same way. Freshman Ryann O’Donnell said of her dedication throughout the semester, “I would want to go home and work on this,” while junior Marissa Allen said, “I don’t feel like this was so much work because we were so passionate about it.”

But it was Wage-Harrington who was overwhelmed and moved by the students’ hard work. “I’m really appreciative because I set out to start this on my own and I didn’t know what direction to go in,” she said through tears as she clutched her surviving young daughter. “[The students] have made this more than I could have ever done on my own.”

Several students have expressed an interest in interning for the Foundation, while all of them plan to stay involved. “This project hit home for me,” O’Donnell said of her desire to continue working for non-profits in the future. She said the project made her realize “this is exactly where I want to be, hands down. This is exactly what I want to do.”

Teresa Wage-Harrington (center) is surrounded by students from Karrie Bowen's (far right) Marketing 310 class.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and Myra Goldschmidt’s honors civic engagement students were determined last spring to help victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Inspired by the words of Brandywine alumnus and humanitarian, Aldo Magazzeni, who shared his experiences during a campus visit, they came up with an idea that led to unimagined success in raising funds for this purpose.

Magazzeni, founder and director of Traveling Mercies, has devoted his life to improving the lives of the oppressed. His commitment to help rebuild a demolished elementary school outside of Port-au-Prince resonated with the Brandywine students. Their passion to help the innocent Haitian victims translated into pretzel sales, first on campus and then out in the community, and many people willingly dropped donations into the collection cans.

“This was a puzzle that needed to be completed,” said Goldschmidt, associate professor of English and Jane E. Cooper Honors Program coordinator at the Brandywine campus. “And it was these students who seemed destined to make that happen.”

 “Everyone was so enthusiastic and the more the project grew, the more Dr. Goldschmidt encouraged us. Everyone was bursting with ideas,” said sophomore Eileen Fresta, a student in the class.
“This effort was completely outside of the course. It was on the students’ time, and they all came together,” said Goldschmidt.

Two local Wal-Marts granted the use of their locations to sell pretzels. “Wal-Mart loved the fact that we were going beyond ourselves,” said Fresta. “The Nittany Lion mascot made an appearance, and people were donating whether they brought pretzels or not. The response from the people was so warm; we felt really good about being there,” she said.

Filling a bag with school supplies cost $6. “Our goal was 50 bags,” Fresta said. “We raised enough money to not only fill the bags, but had an extra $3,700 in cash. I never thought we would see that number.”

With the extra money, Traveling Mercies was able to build wells at two elementary schools so that the children would have clean water to drink.  Magazzeni also delivered the 50 Penn State Brandywine book bags, filled with the brand new school supplies, to the children, enabling them a chance to be children again, to delight in something new and to get back into the classroom.
The Brandywine students felt an immense feeling of accomplishment.

“The project strengthened the hope within me that if we stand together, and lend our hands to those in need, we can truly make a difference,” said junior Labanya Mookerjee, a student in the class. “Our group was so cohesive and enthusiastic about this endeavor; we really wanted to do everything we could to help. It was just wonderful to share this experience with my classmates.”
Magazzeni, who has affectionately dubbed the Haitian school “Penn State Haiti,” recently sent pictures he had taken of the children and their school.

“Before the pictures came back I knew we had done a good thing, but when I saw the pictures it was life changing,” said Fresta. “I had always pictured a child holding one of those bags, and here it was.
“This changed my life – meeting Aldo and being part of this project.”

“It was the most amazing teaching experience of my career,” said Goldschmidt.

For more information or to make a donation for the Penn State School in Haiti, contact Myra Goldschmidt at 610-892-1465 or mmg5@psu.edu. Checks can be made out to Traveling Mercies.

Alumna Crystal Bowhall is still feeling the aftershocks of the earthquake that devastated northeastern Japan in March. A teacher in Nagano Prefecture, she reconnected with her alma mater to bring hope to her fifth and sixth graders.

Since graduating from Penn State Brandywine in 2007, Bowhall has kept in touch with Associate Professor of Earth Sciences Laura Guertin, who recommended her for the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET), for which she now works as an assistant language teacher. After confirming that Bowhall was safe, Guertin wanted to help.

Together they devised a dinosaur letter-writing project. Students in Guertin’s Dinosaur Extinctions and Other Controversies class wrote letters about dinosaurs to Bowhall’s students to help distract them, teach them and let them know people care.

Each Brandywine student was assigned a photo of a dinosaur and was asked to describe it in the letter. “They’re still feeling the aftershocks,” Guertin told her class. “This is to help get them to smile and take their minds off the tragedy.”

Bowhall thinks the project is also a good way to help the students with their English. “I have spent nine months with the kids so their English level has definitely improved since they’ve started [learning] and I thought it would be a good idea to interact with people from the States,” Bowhall said. “They know about dinosaurs in Japan so that’s something they have in common” with the students at Penn State Brandywine.

Each of Guertin’s students was given the name of a student at either Iiyama or Akitsu Elementary School where Bowhall teaches. The excited Brandywine students added color to their letters, asked questions about their lives in Japan and wrote about what it’s like in Pennsylvania.

“I think this project is important because with everything that is going on over there right now, it will take their minds off of something so serious and be able to focus on something both fun and interesting,” said junior Mike McDade.

Senior Joe Ennis agreed, saying he hopes his letter will “educate and make a child’s day.”

Bowhall’s goal is to bring back some normalcy to the children’s lives. “I think the kids want to do life as normal and they’re all fighting for that,” she said. “The kids wrote messages to kids in the schools in Sakaemura” (a small town close by devastated by a 6.0 aftershock just hours after the initial quake). The message was to cheer up. “They’re always thinking about what they can do for the people around them.”

Though Bowhall lives nearly 200 miles from the epicenter of the quake, she could feel the earth rattle on that Friday afternoon while at work at Izumidai Elementary School.

“I started feeling dizzy but thought ‘it’s been a long week,’” she remembered. “Then I looked around and things were shaking.” This wasn’t her first earthquake, but it was definitely the longest.

“Should I get under my desk?” she remembered thinking. “For a moment I didn’t know what to do. It was quiet. It was just really scary.” After it was over, Bowhall turned on the TV. “You could see the newscasters really frantic and there was a tsunami warning. It was complete panic on the television.”

Luckily, Bowhall lives “nowhere near water. But I saw the live images on the news of the water hitting land [from the tsunami]. I was watching people running away and saying ‘no don’t go that way!’”

With cell phone reception down, Bowhall was unable to contact her mom who lives in Kawasaki, near Tokyo, and the rest of her family, though she later confirmed they were safe.

That first aftershock came at 4 a.m. “For a week or two you would just feel shaking,” she remembered. They started to guess the magnitudes. “Oh that was probably like a 2.0, and that was probably like a 4.0,” she recalled saying. “Some shake very violently and some are like swaying. [We started] hearing stuff about radiation and you think, ‘OK, what do I do?’ Then people start throwing around the word ‘evacuation,’ and again it’s ‘OK, now what do I do?” For now, she’s staying put, taking comfort in the coming together of the Japanese people.

“The people of Japan, in everything they do, they think about what can we do, how can we contribute, how can we change our lives to make someone else’s better?” she said. “Japan, the land of the rising sun. You really see these people working together. From a young age, they’re taught ‘you can’t do things alone, you have to work together.’ This continues on.”

In honor of their dedication to the campus community, the Penn State Brandywine Office of Student Affairs recognized student clubs, programs, advisers and overall outstanding students at the annual Student Leadership Awards ceremony on April 20.

It was no surprise that Brandywine THON earned the award for Student Club/Organization of the Year. Honorable mention in this category went to the Veterans Club. “THON has successfully gained and maintained 30 members throughout the academic year … and has gained the support of the entire campus community by holding events that engaged everyone,” Director of Student Affairs Matthew Shupp said, quoting the nominator, as he announced the winner.

The nomination for the Veterans Club read, “Even though the Veterans Club is a new club on campus … it is becoming a visible presence. The club members were or are currently enlisted in several branches of the military, and most of them have served in Iraq or Iran for several tours of duty. Sometimes it is difficult for them to meet because of their prior obligations to the military, but they are trying hard to get the club up and running.”

The winner of the Outstanding Program or Event of the Year award was the Student Government Association (SGA) Pep Rally, held last fall. “It was well attended and very entertaining, with free food, music, giveaways and athletic competitions,” the nomination read. “This event gave students, faculty and staff a chance to learn more about our sports teams.”

Instructor in Education Jean McKay was honored with the award for Club/Organization Adviser of the Year, because one nominator believes “the club has grown because of her efforts. Jean has worked tirelessly to bring the Education Club to where it is today.”

Senior Brittney Walker was given the Deborah J. Erie Student Leader Award. Reading from the nominations, Shupp said, “Brittney Walker exemplifies an outstanding student leader. Her dedication and commitment to THON, "Lion’s Eye" and academics makes her a worthy recipient of this award.”

Another nominator noted, “Brittney Walker stands out from her peers because of the positive attitude and enthusiasm she brings to every campus experience. She takes on leadership roles in student organizations … and consistently rises to the challenge of leadership and serves as a model to other students. She is not just a student on this campus; she is a presence.”

Sophomore Chris Brown received the Outstanding Lion Service Award for his excellent job and enthusiasm as the campus mascot.

The Outstanding Adult Student Award was given to senior Katherine Peters and junior Jill Gillin. Peters, who nominated herself, said “The path I have traveled to get to where I am today has not been easy by any means. I often get emotional when telling others how I struggled with school for the longest time. However, I try to share my experiences from the past and demonstrate to others how they too can overcome obstacles.” The nominator for Jill wrote, “Jill is dedicated, enthusiastic, responsible and hard-working and truly serves as an inspiration, not only to her classmates but to the faculty and staff who have the pleasure of working with her.”

Senior Martina Gill was honored with the Outstanding Student Service to Campus and Community Award. “As co-chair of THON, Martina dedicated much of her time to overseeing canning weekends (while canning herself), organizing, advertising around campus and starting the ‘We are … Penn State!’ cheer at fundraising events,” the nomination read. 

The Barbara-Jackson Williams Award for Cross-Cultural Understanding was bestowed upon sophomore Yash Patel. “One of the best ways to establish cross-cultural understanding is through conversation,” Shupp read. “Yash Patel is a student leader who is willing to participate in conversations which expand his knowledge of others as well as their knowledge of him. He contributes ideas to better improve systems for clubs and organizations.”

Knittany Lion Needleworks was given the Diane D. Shorter Outstanding Community Service Award. “Although not a traditional student group on campus, Knittany Lion Needleworks does serve an important role in connecting everyone throughout the Penn State community to the local-to-international community. Our impacts are felt near and far,” the nomination read.

From the left: Yash Patel, Laura Guertin (representing the Knittany Lion Needleworks, Jean McKay, and Martina Gill 

Before the evening concluded, the gavel was officially passed from this year’s SGA president, sophomore Jerry Fokas, to incoming president, senior Steve Iatesta. “When I was in your shoes a year ago,” Fokas said, “Brittney Walker (outgoing SGA president) handed me a binder filled with the year’s accomplishments. I’ve not only held onto it, I have added to it, and I present it to you tonight with the hopes that you will pass it on to the next SGA president.”

In his remarks, Iatesta commented on his agenda for the coming year. “One of my objectives is to increase communication between student clubs and the student body,” he said. “I also plan to have regular ‘Lunch with the President’ events right here in the Lion’s Pit. I will ask students about their concerns and what we can do about that.”
In conclusion, he said, “As Penn Staters, our spirit is our greatest inheritance.”

Five students from Penn State Brandywine competed and won awards at the State Leadership Conference for Phi Beta Lambda in Gettysburg. During the three-day Future Business Leaders of America conference, the students networked with other members and business professionals from throughout the state, attended workshops and general sessions and helped to elect next year's Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) state officers.

Throughout the conference, the students competed in various events that tested their business knowledge and skills. Senior John Dezell placed first in the Management Concepts event, while Karthik Cahalawada and seniors Martin Iepson and David Vesely placed third in the Merging Business Issues team event. Vesely also finished out his term as state secretary for Pennsylvania PBL.

“Being a state officer and responsible for helping to put the conference together, I think the conference was a great success,” Vesely said. “We had an excellent keynote speaker and the workshops were all enjoyed. I talked to a lot of PBL members from other schools that also enjoyed the conference.”

Students in Penn State Brandywine’s “Water, Science and Society” course are culminating a semester’s worth of research with a two-week water awareness campaign, featuring 20 podcasts they’re calling “WaterBytes.”

During the first half of the semester, each of the 10 students in the course, which is designed for non-science majors, chose two case studies: one on domestic water issues and the other on global water issues. Students explored everything from the Tennessee coal ash spill and the Three Gorges Dam to the Chesapeake Bay’s declining crab population and fisheries in China.

After spending months discovering the problems, their instructor, Associate Professor of Earth Sciences Laura Guertin, asked the class how it wanted to spend the rest of the semester. The answer: finding solutions and sharing them with the community. “This knowledge shouldn’t be held in the classroom,” Guertin said, so her students did their research and embraced their love of social media to continue to learn and spread the word.

They Skyped with people at Water.org, which links donors to high quality partner organizations that help communities design and construct their own sustainable water supply systems, and Three Avocados, a non-profit that sells premium coffee to provide a better life for the poor in developing countries, to learn about their goals, objectives and challenges.

On April 18, the class kicked off its campaign with its first podcast released at http://waterbytes.tumblr.com/. Each student created two podcasts (20 in all) and they will release a new podcast every day. They have a Twitter account (@WeArePSUWater), are tagging on Delicious and are posting all over Facebook.

To create the podcast, campus funding provided each student with a digital voice recorder, and they used the campus’ Digital Commons.

“Coming into this class, I didn’t realize how many issues there are in our country and around the world regarding water,” said sophomore Sean Whitehead, who said he has emailed more than twenty times back and forth with various groups to conduct his research.

Sophomore Sara Neville who calls herself a “social media junkie” said, “This project has the potential to reach a lot of people and I just hope to connect with them.” She even made a connection with the Science Centre Singapore through networking at a web conference. After hearing about the project, contacts at the Centre might even help Neville and the class spread the word during their campaign, she said.

For more information on the two-week water awareness campaign, visit http://waterbytes.tumblr.com/ or follow it on twitter by searching for WeArePSUWater.

Senior Heather Heacock won third place in the state in the Learning Center Competition, and junior Victoria Gramlich was elected region president for the southeastern area, replacing another Brandywine student, senior Amy Moore. Gramlich, along with senior Justin Bush, also submitted learning centers to the competition.

The learning centers are interactive creations built by the students to be used in the classroom to teach lessons. Conference attendees--education students and teachers from universities throughout Pennsylvania--judged the centers and chose winners.

Heacock’s center was called “Recycling” and the purpose was for the kids to “have fun and recycle,” she said. After completing various activities, such as identifying objects that are better for the environment, leading a boy to a recycling center through a maze using soda can tabs and putting recyclable items into the correct bins (all created and labeled by Heacock), the students will earn a certificate that labels them a “Recycling Star.”

Bush designed a learning center called “Biodversity,” which featured five games to teach kids about the various organisms on earth and how they’re different. His trifold included a Price is Right-style wheel with a pie chart of all of Earth’s species of organisms and facts about each. He included a game called “Name That Species,” a Tic Tac Toe game where students had to pick an animal as their token and at the end the winner would describe its natural habitat, a jigsaw puzzle and the hierarchy of biological classification.

The students hope to use their learning centers in their own classrooms when they become teachers.

In addition to the learning center competition, the conference offers students a chance to network with their peers in the state, share information and engage in professional development, said Instructor in Education Jean McKay, who serves as the campus SPSEA Club adviser and also attended the conference. 

“They get to hear from their peers and veteran teachers in the field,” she said. “They don’t tell them how to think, they help them make good decisions.”

McKay said the conference allows the students to ask questions about what salaries they should expect after graduation, how to set up parent-teacher conferences and covers topics such as special education and technology in the classroom. They even heard from an attorney who coached them on the dos and don’ts of Facebook for teachers.

In an effort to continue the conversation, several of the students are working hard to bring the group to campus next September for a conference they’ve named “So You Think You Can Teach.” They received a $2,500 grant from SPSEA and an additional $1,500 from the campus’ Student Government Association, which will allow the students to invite their peers for a full day of professional development right on campus. They’re expecting nearly 250 students from around the state to participate in sessions throughout the day.

“It’s for the students, run by the students to present workshops on education,” McKay said. “They wrote the grant, they pursued it. I just guided them. We’re very proud of them.”

Students who have worked tirelessly throughout the year on various undergraduate research projects showcased their hard work and creativity at Penn State Brandywine’s annual Exhibition of Undergraduate Research Enterprise and Creative Accomplishment (EURECA) event on Tuesday, April 19.

Prepared to explain, and sometimes demonstrate, their research, the more than 60 students spoke with members of the campus about why they chose a certain topic, how they conducted their research and what they found.

The projects ranged in discipline from engineering and science to human development and family studies (HDFS) and literature.

Sophomores Latiful Hasan (engineering), Ashley Chan (interdisciplinary digital studio) and Douglas Hartline (chemistry), who is now at University Park, created a role-playing computer game called The Land of Wyberinnda (changing around the letters spells Brandywine) using Matlab’s Graphical User Interface (GUI). Hasan and Hartline were in charge of research and coding while Chan designed all of the graphics. Users find themselves in an unfamiliar land and are challenged to defeat different monsters at the end of four levels before going on to beat the biggest monster at the end of the fifth.

Hasan said the team “applied how much we know about programming” to create the game. Combining their understanding of design engineering, coding and problem solving, the team helped EURECA guests play the game throughout the afternoon.

Junior Annabella Gallagher (HDFS) displayed her research project, “Gender Differences in the Relation of Moral Identity and Aggression.” With the help of her faculty adviser Tia Kim, assistant professor of HDFS, Gallagher surveyed 292 adolescents in California to determine whether different personal identities were related to both physical and verbal aggression. They found that “moral identity is a strong predictor of aggression overall,” Gallagher said. Next year, she hopes to conduct a study on campus exploring gender differences and dating violence among college students. “I think more awareness needs to take place on dating violence,” she said.

“We believe undergraduate research builds experiences that will be valuable in future careers and in preparation for graduate-level learning,” Director of Academic Affairs Paul deGategno said in a letter to attendees. “The curiosity, creativity and commitment shown here act as a catalyst for true learning.”

EURECA is an annual event, but was planned this year to fall near National Undergraduate Research Week, which began on April 11. To begin the celebration, 11 students, accompanied by faculty, presented their research at the Sigma Xi Conference at St. Joseph’s University. They presented on various topics, such as “Cultural Experiences: How Men and Women React to Study Abroad,” by freshman Sarah Demartino; “As Seen on TV: The influence of Television Perceptions of American Blended Families,” by sophomore Allison Rodia and “Engineering Ethics: Case Study Approach in an Introduction to Engineering Design Course,” by junior Sara Neville and sophomore Mridul Bhandari.

At the conference, “Students were able to engage in scientific discourse with their peers and professors from other universities,” said Assistant Professor of HDFS Jennifer Zosh. “It was a great opportunity for students to talk about their research with someone other than their faculty advisers.”

Penn State Brandywine Instructor of Music Joseph Nocella, a renowned pianist, will make beautiful music with jazz saxophonist Steve Selfridge at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19, in the Main Building Auditorium (room 101).

Nocella, a 10-year veteran of the campus, met Selfridge when the saxophonist was in high school. “Steve and I go back some 15 years to when he was still in high school and was playing for me at St. Gabriel's Church where I was then director of music. He showed himself to be a real wunderkind,” he said. Since then, the two have performed together at the Media Jazz Festival, Chris’ Jazz Café and the Suburban Music School’s Master Series, among many others.

Selfridge is a music teacher active in Delaware County and Philadelphia, specializing in jazz and jazz education. He has served as a band director in the Garnet Valley School District since 2001 and is the co-founder and co-director of the Delco High School All-Star Big Band. He directs the Summer Jazz Workshop at Interboro High School and was director of the Kimmel Center Youth Jazz Ensemble in Philadelphia from 2006 to 2007.

Selfridge was named an "Educator 500" by the West Chester University 3E Institute in 2009, which recognizes educational excellence and entrepreneurship. He performs jazz saxophone regularly in the Philadelphia area with his own jazz quartet and as a member of the John Hoey Orchestra.
 
Nocella studied composition with American composer Romeo Cascarino and received his master of music degree at Temple University. He studied piano with Temple Painter and Tom Lawton and jazz improvisation with Al Stauffer.

Nocella’s music has been performed by the Concerto Soloists (now The Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra), the National Association of Composers USA, Temple University Composer Series, the Penn Alliance for American Music, Composer Services Inc. and the Crissey Concerts for Philadelphia Composers at the Settlement School.

Presently, Nocella is working on a commission from the New Jersey Tri-County Symphonic Band. His music has been broadcast on WHYY National Public Radio and he has twice been a guest on WRTI’s Crossover show with Jill Pasternak and Jack Berkel.

There has never been a shortage of excellence at Penn State Brandywine, and this year is no different. The campus honored outstanding students and faculty at its annual Academic Recognition ceremony on Thursday, April 7.

In a room packed with family, friends and a supportive campus community, nearly 170 students were presented with the Academic Achievement Award, which celebrates students at the campus with cumulative grade point averages of 3.5 or higher.

In addition, five students were inducted into the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society, which confers distinction upon students of the English language and literature in undergraduate, graduate and professional studies. The five students were juniors Mary-Therese Capaldi, Jennifer Santangelo, Lauren Orner and Martina Delgado, and senior Andrew Shaner.

Sophomore Patricia McGinnis received the President Sparks Award, for earning a 4.0 cumulative grade point average on at least 36 graded Penn State credits.

The President’s Freshman Award was presented to freshmen Sarah Demartino, Nicholas Vico, Timothy Yeung and Kayla Centone, and sophomore Labanya Mookerjee.

Senior John Formento received the Dr. Randall S. Stout Memorial Award for demonstrating superior academic performance and outstanding participation in the Bachelor of Science in Business program.

Sophomore Taj Magruder was recognized for receiving the President’s Volunteer Service Award from the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation for completing more than 250 volunteer hours in a 12-month period.

Senior Jacqueline Glace was honored with the Undergraduate Student Research Award. "From her time working for the Appalachian Service Project to her triple-barreled thesis, analyzing children’s books about Appalachia, writing and publishing her own story book and designing curriculum materials to teach children through it, Jacqueline Glace has proven a strong commitment to both research and its application,” said Professor of English, Women's Studies and American Studies Phyllis Cole as she presented the award.

Some of the award winners pictured above - Top from left: Jennifer Zosh, John Tierney, Elizabeth Dudkin, Stephen Cimbala
Bottom from left: Taj Magruder, Sharon Manco, Jacqueline Glace, Jean McKay, John Formento

The Undergraduate Faculty Research Award was given to Professor of Chemistry John Tierney. "The winner of this year’s award has been at our campus for over a quarter of a century, and during this time has attained legendary status for pursuing collaborative research with students,” Cole said. “He has demonstrated many times that sophomores taking the organic chemistry laboratory course can obtain results publishable in world-class journals.”

Distinguished Professor of Political Science Stephen Cimbala received the Faculty Research Program Award for scholarly or creative excellence. "He began by writing op-ed essays on American and international politics in the early ’80s and has never really stopped speaking to newspaper audiences,” Cole said. “Meanwhile, he also grew through an accelerating series of articles to his first edited book in 1984 and first single-authored book in 1987. Since then, he has edited 19 books and written 33 more. Our awardee has shared his insight into the news and provoked thought for three decades of students.”

Instructor in Language and Literacy Education Sharon Manco was honored with the George W. Franz Advising and Mentoring Award. As he presented the award, Associate Professor of Engineering Ivan Esparragoza said, "She serves our students with passion and dedication to ensure they can succeed in their careers, and she has gone beyond her work duties to serve as mentor, adviser and counselor for them."

Instructor Jean McKay received the Teaching Award for Part-time Faculty.
"Jean McKay is deserving of the part-time teacher award for her tireless and enthusiastic contribution to the success of her students, her colleagues and the campus,” said Senior Instructor in English Patricia Hillen. “Through innovations in courses, voluntary mentoring and collaboration with colleagues, she demonstrates enthusiasm, skill and professionalism."

This year’s Distinguished Teacher Award was presented to Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) Jennifer Zosh, by Instructor in HDFS Kathy Meehan, who said, “As one of her students said, 'The energy with which she teaches is unmatched by any other teacher I have had. Not only is she a master of Early Childhood development and psychology, she is also a wonderful adviser and Penn State cheerleader!'"

Associate Professor of Biology Elizabeth Dudkin received the Madlyn Hanes Faculty Award. Presenting the award, Professor of HDFS Cynthia Lightfoot said, "One of many to recommend her for this award noted that 'her high level of service and dedication to this campus should not only be recognized but also emulated.' I couldn’t agree more. It’s clear that in teaching, research and service, she hits a home run in every category."

Middletown Township will host its first parade in 25 years on Saturday, May 7 to kick off its annual Community Day festival.

The parade will celebrate the Township’s 325th anniversary. This special occasion is set to begin at 10 a.m. at the Granite Run Mall, then travel south on Route 1, turn right onto 452/Pennell Road and left at 352 to end at the Penn State Brandywine campus, where the 17th Annual Community Day festival will commence. Leading the parade will be the Penncrest High School Band.

Middletown Township, along with the help of the Middletown Historical Society and Middletown Free Library, have planned this parade for area residents. Middletown welcomes residents with significance to the Township’s history, such as previous council, board and committee members to participate. Please register by April 14 by visiting www.middletownfreelibrary.org online.

All residents and businesses are invited to come out and enjoy the festivities of the parade and Community Day. The day will be full of entertainment for people of all ages. Events will include musical acts, many food selections, a car show, and face painting, pony rides and inflatable play areas for the kids. Each year, this free event attracts more than 1,500 area residents.

Middletown Township is seeking volunteers to help with the event throughout the day. For more information on the event or to volunteer, call 610-565-2700.  

On Wednesday, April 13, the Middletown Township Business and Professional Association’s (MTBPA) monthly meeting will feature guest speaker Phyllis Cole, a professor at Penn State Brandywine who conducts student projects involving the Middletown Township Historical Society and Cumberland Cemetery. Campus Chancellor Sophia Wisniewska will provide opening remarks.
 
Led by Cole, Penn State Brandywine students have investigated history using a cemetery near the campus. Not only are grave markers interesting for their own design and demographic information, it is also possible to trace a particular life from the cemetery to the county archives to the historic houses and scenes that also surround it.  Learn more about this fascinating program by attending the lunch meeting.

Cole is professor of English, women’s studies, and American studies at Penn State Brandywine as well as coordinator of the American studies degree program and coordinator of undergraduate research.

The meeting will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Penn State Brandywine in room 203 of the Commons Building. Members and the general public are welcome. Cost for the meeting is $15 for both members and non-members and includes lunch.

MTBPA was founded in 1968 to bring together members of the business community. The Association provides members with a forum to deal with issues affecting Middletown Township and enhances the relationship between members and the residents of the township.

For more information on the Association and learn about member benefits, visit the Association’s web site at http://www.mtbpa.org online.

Written by David Belanger, Delaware County Library System dbelanger@delcolibraries.org

Each year, the Penn State Brandywine Commission for Women searches from classroom to office and everywhere in between, to find the year’s most outstanding woman to name Woman of the Year. This year, the commission found not just one, but three.

As a member of the Office of Student Affairs, Diane Shorter is known for her dedication and calm demeanor when dealing with concerns of students and serves as a role model and mother figure to many of them.

“She is humble, kind, generous, and, out of the seven e-mails I received about her, my favorite quote is that she stands calm and collected amid chaos,” said Instructor in Communications Karrie Bowen, who served as this year’s Women’s Commission chair and announced the three winners at its annual luncheon.

Before a crowd of more than 100 staff, faculty and students in the Tomezsko Classroom Lounge on March 29, Bowen added, “She is a mother hen to our students. There is not one person that I have met in my time here at Penn State Brandywine that doesn’t just say ‘I love Diane Shorter’ when you mention her name.”

In the Female Student of the Year category there was a tie. Seniors Jackie Glace and Brittney Walker were nominated by their peers an equal number of times and both, the committee decided, deserved the honor.

“This young woman is an outstanding leader and a fantastic representative for Penn State Brandywine,” Bowen said of Glace, whose mouth dropped open at her seat as she realized she was the winner. “She is an exemplary student in every way possible. She is a Schreyer Honor student, she gives her time selflessly to help her community on both a local level, a regional level and a national level. She is honest, kind and loyal to all who know her--her teachers, her friends and the people she works with when she volunteers her summers with the Appalachia Service Project.”

Introducing Walker, Bowen said, “When going through the recommendations for Female Student of the Year, there was one statement that really struck a chord with me. ‘This young lady is an exceptional member of the Penn State Brandywine family who gives and gives and is selfless, sometimes to a fault.’ And trust me, that is true. She has a silent strength and wisdom that is not usually shown of someone her age. Truly, [she] embodies everything that is about celebrating Penn State University and the goals set forth by the Penn State Commission for Women.”

As is tradition, the campus welcomed a strong, successful woman to serve as keynote speaker for the luncheon. Philadelphia Daily News photojournalist Sarah J. Glover shared her journey from Sierra Leone, to the suburbs of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, to the Barack Obama campaign trail.

“What I have found in my life is purpose through my camera,” Glover said as she displayed photos of her travels. She shared her rules for success: find your own voice, use your talents, be who you are, never give up, be good to others, have fun always and follow your dreams. Through her photographs, Glover told stories of strength, sadness, the power to survive, change and hope.

After decades in a male-dominated industry, Glover advised, “If there are people who just want to trip you up, just go around them. Are you going to let people define you? Find your own voice.”

(If you are unable to attend the event, you may watch the program live by clicking here the day of the event.)

Penn State Brandywine graduates will get a dose of java-like energy on graduation day as they hear from keynote speaker Todd Carmichael, CEO and co-founder of La Colombe Torrefaction, on Saturday, May 14 in the Commons/Athletic Center Gymnasium at 10 a.m.

Carmichael has spent the past 18 years advancing the way the nation experiences its coffee. In pressing the limits of taste, service, and, most notably, coffee sourcing—venturing into the world’s developing countries to responsibly and sustainably gather the planet’s best coffee no matter the origins—he has converted the nation’s culinary elite into La Colombe drinkers.

A passionate crusader for social and ecological causes, Carmichael, according to his bio, has a decade-long history of undertaking self-supported treks into challenging environments. He’s visited nearly half the world’s countries, crossed large parts of the Sahara on foot, and was the first American to solo trek across Antarctica from the coast to the South Pole. The Antarctic trek also earned Carmichael the world speed record for crossing the continent by foot— 39 days, seven hours, and 49 minutes.

He’s been an attaché to the Saudi Royal family, is married to singer songwriter Lauren Hart, and has recently expanded his family exponentially by adopting three daughters from Ethiopia. He is also an author and contributor to the Huffington Post and Esquire magazines, and is currently working on becoming the first man to traverse Death Valley, north to south, unsupported and unaided.

For more information on the event, click here.

For the fifteenth year in a row, Distinguished Professor of English Adam Sorkin and the English Department will host the highly anticipated Litapalooza Literary Festival at Penn State Brandywine on Thursday, April 7, featuring poet Michael Waters.

The event offers students and guests an opportunity to hear from renowned poets and also to share their own creativity by reading, reciting, chanting, narrating, rapping or singing for their peers. The campus literary magazine, Penn in Hand, which features creative works by students, will be available at the free event, held in the Tomezsko Classroom Building lounge from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Refreshments will be provided.

Waters’ books of poetry include Gospel Night (2011), Darling Vulgarity (2006)--a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize—and Parthenopi: New and Selected Poems (2001)--a finalist for the Paterson Poetry Prize. His poems have appeared in various journals, including The Yale Review, The Paris Review, The Kenyon Review, Poetry, The Georgia Review and Rolling Stone. He resides in Ocean, N.J. and teaches at Monmouth University and the Drew University Master of Fine Arts Program in Poetry and Poetry in Translation. Waters is the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Fulbright Foundation.

The president of the not-for-profit organization Champions of Caring will visit campus to discuss how her organization helps Philadelphia’s youth change their own lives and improve their communities, on Tuesday, April 5 at 11:30 a.m. in the Main Building, room 101.

Barbara Shaiman founded Champions of Caring in 1995 because she was concerned about the violence, bigotry and indifference plaguing the nation, according to the organization’s website. “The daily occurrences of racism, religious intolerance and homophobia must be stopped,” it reads.

The organization is “dedicated to sensitizing, educating and empowering young people to take active roles in improving their communities” by teaching young students about history and encouraging them to be tolerant and caring to ensure that the atrocities of the past don’t repeat themselves. The organization accomplishes this by creating programs for schools, communities and in the workplace.

This event is part of the campus’ annual Spring Lecture Series, which was designed to inspire students to be agents of change by considering ways in which they, too, can contribute in their communities. The event is free and the community is welcome.

For information on about the Spring Lecture Series on Civic and Community Engagement, contact Don Taylor at 610-892-1471 or DAT17@psu.edu. For more information on Champions of Caring, visit http://www.championsofcaring.org/.

Penn State Brandywine Schreyer and Cooper Honors scholars are joining to fight human trafficking and slavery by raising awareness and funds on campus to help victims as part of the National Collegiate Honors Council’s National Honors Service Day.

“We Are … People Not Property” is the message behind their campaign, which will feature a collection drive from now until March 25. The students are asking for standard size toiletries.

Students will also sell strips of fabric for $2 to be worn as ribbons, hairpieces or on clothing and bags to show solidarity and support for the cause. The money raised will benefit an organization assisting the victims of human trafficking and slavery.

“I was so amazed to learn that trafficking and slavery happen here everyday,” said junior honors scholar Lauren Orner, the chair of the We Are … People Not Property project. “We all knew we had to do something to help, and hopefully through raising money and [collecting] supplies we can make a difference in the lives of these victims.”

On Tuesday, March 22, Erin Neff, assistant project manager of Courtney’s House, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that assists young male and female victims of domestic sex trafficking, will speak to the campus in room 203 of the Tomezsko Classroom Building. Lunch will be provided.

Neff has interned with Amnesty International and The Carter Center, as well as local partner organizations of the Human Rights Campaign. She was a corps member in AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) Class 15 and she has traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, where she volunteered at a shelter for girls. Neff will not only shed light on this heartbreaking issue, but she will also discuss a new group home opening in D.C. for victims.

The honors students were inspired by the book "The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today," by Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter, which they all read as part the campus’ Honors Literary Launch program, which is funded by a grant from Verizon’s Check Into Literacy Initiative.

The students are sharing information on Twitter. To join the conversation, visit http://www.twitter.com/notproperty or look up @notproperty.

Knittany Lion Needleworks will join the effort by knitting and crocheting blue and white scarves. The blue and white not only represents the University’s official colors, but blue is the international color for raising awareness of human trafficking and slavery and white is used to proclaim that a united front and a light for those trapped in darkness. Volunteers are needed to help with this initiative. The scarves may be any length and style, though both colors must be used. Completed scarves can be dropped off to Diane Shorter in the Office of Student Affairs, located on the second floor of the Commons Building on campus.

For more information on the collection drive, fabric sale or upcoming speaker, contact Lauren Orner at LMO5057@psu.edu or Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) and Honors Service Project Faculty Adviser Jennifer Zosh at jzosh@psu.edu.

DVACROA is a volunteer organization dedicated to professional development and building professional partnerships. The conference explored leadership, working together, recruiting and retaining veteran and active military students, social media, increasing retention and graduation rates and understanding generation Y.

Campus Registrar Joanna McGowan, who serves as DVACROA treasurer, worked to bring the group to campus and encouraged a number of staff to join her in presenting on various topics to the larger group of professionals.

"Since the Delaware Valley has so many institutions of higher education, I thought it was important to highlight our unique features--that we can provide students the benefits of a small college and offer a close-knit community, individual faculty relationships and guidance and leadership opportunities, while at the same time boasting the name recognition and award-winning faculty of a larger University," McGowan said. "I also wanted the attendees from other Delaware Valley institutions to know about our campus and see what we have to offer, and to change our status as the best kept secret in Delaware County."

Representatives from the Brandywine campus presenting at the conference in addition to McGowan included Admissions Counselor Jeremy Branch, Director of Student and Enrollment Services Deb Erie, Assistant Director of Enrollment Management Dennis Mejias, Assistant Director of Student Affairs Ronika Money, Director of Student Affairs Matthew Shupp and Assistant Coordinator for Advising Programs Jennifer Traubel.

Club organizers have been working with members of the campus Sustainability Committee in order to promote efforts that accomplish the "greening-up" of the Brandywine campus environment. Recycling these books for resale or reuse around the world is something in which the entire campus community can engage. A portion of the proceeds will be used for science and astronomy activities on and off campus.

Collection bins (labeled TEXTBOOK DRIVE) will be placed at the entrances of the Main Building, Tomezsko Building, Vairo Library and Lion's Den in the Commons Building. Textbooks older than 10 years cannot be accepted.

For more information, contact Yash Patel at YSP5009@psu.edu.

 Penn State Brandywine’s Commission For Women cordially invites you to join us in celebrating reflection, resilience, and connection.

March 1
“Perfection in an Imperfect World: Body Image and Size Acceptance”

Join Karrie Bowen and bring your lunch as we take an in-depth look and have a frank discussion about the idea of body image, fat acceptance, and sizeism in a media driven culture that has a specific and powerful definition of beauty.
Brown Bag Lunch Campus Forum
Karrie Bowen, Instructor of Communications
Commons Building Lion’s Den, 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

March 3
Irish Step Dancers

Presented by the Office of Student Affairs
101 Main, 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

March 15
“Inside Human Trafficking”

Guest speaker Ron Chance has a 20-year career in law enforcement, serving with the U.S. Department of Justice to address organized crime and racketeering. As National Intelligence coordinator he created a system to investigate major criminal activity, particularly human trafficking.
Campus Contacts: Thomas Yannuzzi, tjy11@psu.edu and Laura Guertin, uxg3@psu.edu  
Tomezsko 103, 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

March 17
“The Kids Are Alright”

Two teenaged children conceived by artificial insemination get the notion to seek out their birth father and introduce him into the family life that their two mothers have built for them. Once the donor is found, the household will never be the same, as family ties are defined, re-defined, and then re-defined again.
Film
Presented by the Office of Student Affairs 
Commons Building room 203, 11:30 a.m.- 12:45 p.m.

March 21
“Real Talk Seminar: Shadeism” - POSTPONED

Join Ronika Money and 30 faculty, staff, and students as we have a real discussion, no holds barred, about the impact of skin tone on society. Some critics argue that shadeism is worse than racism, and that anytime members of the same community tear each other down based on the tone of skin color, we do more harm than someone outside of the community. What do you think?
Facilitated by Assistant Director of Student Affairs Ronika Money

March 22
"Inside Courtney’s House: Saving The Victims of the Sex Trafficking Industry"

Guest speaker Erin Neff is the assistant project manager at Courtney's House. She has worked with many non-profit organizations that focus on civil and political human rights. She interned with Amnesty International, The Carter Center, as well as local partner organizations of the Human Rights Campaign. She was a corps member in Americorps NCCC Class 15, and she has traveled to Nairobi, Kenya where she volunteered at a shelter for girls.
Campus Contact: Jennifer Zosh, jmz15@psu.edu 
Tomezsko 203, 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

March 24
"What Henrietta Lacks Could Have Done as a Penn State Employee"

Join Diane Disney, professor of management, as she takes a personal and in-depth look at the Penn State Brandywine campus read, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
Campus Contact: Patricia Hillen, pah14@psu.edu 
Tomezsko 103, 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

March 25
Congratulatory Reception for Deb Ousey and Myra Goldschmidt

Hosted by Brandywine Learning
Vairo Courtyard
Rain location: outside Brandywine Learning, Vairo Library lower level, 12:30- 1:30 p.m.

March 29
Women’s Commission Luncheon
Keynote Speaker: Sarah J. Glover, Philadelphia Daily News

Glover's journey as a young black girl with a camera to an award-winning photojournalist for the Philadelphia Daily News will inspire you. In a career dominated by men, she's an anomaly. She's navigated her career and mommy-hood with laughs and a fervently good attitude. There's been highs and lows along the way; tag along for the journey of her lifetime to date. Sarah's story will inspire you to obtain your goals despite your circumstances.
Tomezsko Lounge with presentation to follow in Tomezsko 103, 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

Ongoing Events All Month Long

February 14-March 31
Heart for Herat

Help Penn State Brandywine students in their efforts to support women’s rights in Afghanistan. Purchase bookmarks for $1 or cards for $3 and help the Voice of Women Organization in its fight for social, political, and economic justice for the women of Afghanistan.

March 14-25

Students and staff from the Brandywine campus showed their Penn State spirit with an enthusiastic turnout at this year's 46-hour Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON), held February 18-20 at the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park. More than two dozen students attended the event. Chancellor Sophia Wisniewska was also part of the contingent, clad in the same bright green t-shirt worn by everyone in the group.

Freshmen Alexis Cicala and Amanda Rasley represented the campus as two of the more than 700 dancers on the floor. 

“Forty-six hours on my feet was nothing compared to the chemo and treatments children with cancer have to go through,” Cicala said. “I will never forget when the total was revealed and Tucker Haas, a child with cancer whom Amanda and I know, cried and hugged everyone around him. For such a young child he knew how much a million was. It wasn't a dollar or two, it was nine million. Those tears in his eyes made it all worth it.”

This year's THON raised a record $9,563,016.09 for the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital, exceeding last year's total by $1.7 million, and Brandywine's fundraising efforts contributed more than $12,000 to the outstanding success. Throughout the year, Brandywine students collected money on "canning" weekends, held a spaghetti dinner and auction and sold "Kandy and Kisses" for THON. Director of Student Affairs Matthew Shupp allowed his head to be shaved in a "Save it or Shave it" event that raised hundreds of dollars.

THON, started in 1973, has raised more than $78 million in the fight against pediatric cancer.

(Photo courtesy of Lauren Jerla)

Penn State Brandywine Knittany Lion Needleworks volunteers picked up their crochet hooks and participated in Save the Children’s “Caps for Good” campaign, which provides aid to four million newborn babies in poor countries who receive insufficient medical care. The group made 492 newborn caps, surpassing its previous record of 311 in 2008.

“We are thrilled with the increasing number of donations each time we work with Save the Children,” said Laura Guertin, co-chair of Knittany Lion Needleworks and associate professor of earth and mineral sciences at the campus.

Sophomore Eileen Fresta, a Schreyer Honors Scholar, made 50 of the 492 newborn caps.

“It seemed amazing that something that took so little of my time could potentially have such an enormous impact somewhere else in the world,” she said.

In addition, several residents at Granite Farms Estates also participated in the “Caps for Good” campaign, knitting a majority of the caps.

Guertin is nominating Knittany Lion Needleworks for the campus’ Diane D. Shorter Outstanding Community Service Award, which recognizes organizations that contribute to the spirit of civic engagement through raising awareness of and enlisting campus involvement toward supporting a cause. Guertin believes the organization unifies faculty, staff, students, alumni and even those with no previous connection with the University.
“We need to remember what it means to be Penn State,” she said. ‘We Are Penn State’ means that we are a land-grant institution that has a mission to serve the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and beyond.”

In March, Knittany Lion Needleworks will join the Schreyer Honors Program at Penn State Brandywine in its attempt to raise awareness about human trafficking and slavery. The group will create blue and white scarves for survivors of human trafficking and slavery.

“I am looking forward to Dr. Guertin’s next project for the Knittany Needleworkers,” Fresta said.

For more details on upcoming events, visit the Knittany Lion Needleworks blog: http://tinyurl.com/knittanylionneedleworks/ online.

--Written by senior Justin Carrington

Students raised more than $2,300 for THON at Penn State Brandywine by hosting several fun, campus events in honor of THON Spirit Week.

Beginning with a Kandy and Kisses sale on Valentines Day, students, faculty and staff emptied their pockets and shared a few laughs before heading off to the University’s annual 46-hour dance marathon at the Bryce Jordan Center over the weekend.

Director of Student Affairs Matthew Shupp helped raise more than $700 by shaving his head at an event aptly named “Cash for Curls.” Students donated in the bin for “save it” or “shave it,” and by the end, it was clear his hair had no hope. That’s right, his trademark long, curly locks are headed for Locks of Love.

Afterward, students offered themselves up during the campus Date Auction. And on Wednesday evening, the campus came together for a Spaghetti Dinner and Chance Auction in the Lion’s Den of the Commons Building. Attendees won tickets to the Philadelphia Art Museum, baked goods and lots of goodie baskets. The traditional Italian feast was donated by Joseph’s Catering, the campus’ on-site caterer. As a result of Joseph’s Catering owner Joe Betzala’s generosity, 100 percent of the event’s proceeds will benefit THON.

The final hurrah was the dancer send-off on Thursday, Feb. 17. The campus’ official THON dancers, freshmen Alexis Cicala and Amanda Rasley, who boogied ‘til their feet fell off at THON’s main attraction at University Park, were showered with encouragement in the form of hand-made cards and plenty of hoots and hollers.

The campus is providing access to computers, cameras, editing software and training, while students are responsible for their script, cast, film and editing. Submissions are due by March 28. A panel of judges will select the top entries and winners for each category will receive prizes for themselves and their teams. The festival is open to all currently enrolled Penn State Brandywine students and alumni.

A number of information sessions will be held on campus to help students learn iMovie and other techniques for creating their films. Upcoming sessions will be held on Monday, Feb. 21 at 12:30 and 4 p.m. in the Commons Building, room 203 and on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. in the Main Building, room 205. 

For more information, contact Susan Curtis at sdc18@psu.edu or go to http://www.bw.psu.edu/nittanylionfilmfest online .

Two Penn State Brandywine faculty members shared their expertise on language and culture in a new book published by the University of Michigan Press. Myra M. Goldschmidt, associate professor of English, and Debbie Lamb Ousey, instructor of English as a Second Language (ESL), are the authors of Teaching Developmental Immigrant Students in Undergraduate Programs: A Practical Guide.

The book, a hands-on resource for teachers, focuses on a variety of approaches that can be used in working with immigrant students, and addresses both the academic challenges underprepared students encounter and their need to be connected to a campus community.  

Students entering college are not always prepared for the demands of a higher education curriculum and campus culture. Immigrant students, according to Goldschmidt and Ousey, can be even less prepared, since few of their academic literacy skills are well developed for higher education. Until now, very little material has been available to support teachers who deal with this challenge in their classrooms. Most textbooks on immigrant students focus only on writing or only on reading or are edited collections of essays or case studies. None focus on the comprehensive needs of these students.  

Readers of the book who work with this population of learners will be inspired by the ideas contained within the book and be motivated to incorporate, modify and expand upon them in their classrooms. For example, the book discusses approaches and strategies for teaching study skills, academic integrity, grammar and content-based courses.

“We have derived so much pleasure in watching our students grow, both bilingually and bi-culturally, that we wanted to share our lessons, both literally and figuratively, with those faculty who are, or who will be, fortunate enough to teach them,” Goldschmidt and Ousey said. “In fact, our students’ unedited voices are heard throughout the book to remind us never to lose sight of why we are teaching them.”

Penn State Brandywine’s chapter of THON is gearing up for THON weekend at University Park with a final push to reach its fundraising goals.

Penn State's IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, or THON, is the largest student run philanthropy in the world and is a yearlong effort to raise funds and awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer. The year culminates with a 46-hour dance marathon, this year slated for Feb. 18-20. THON has raised over $69 million since it was started in 1973.

At the Brandywine campus, THON Spirit Week will be held Feb. 14-18 and the "Cash For Curls" event on Feb. 15 promises to be one of the biggest highlights. Director of Student Affairs Matthew Shupp has agreed to put his hair up for auction to raise money for THON.

Since Feb. 1, faculty, students and staff have had the opportunity to participate in a bidding war to determine whether or not Shupp will be shaving his lustrous locks, or if his crowning glory will be saved. Shupp agreed last fall to donate his hair to help raise money for THON. Collection cans marked "Save It" and "Shave It" have been placed in locations throughout campus.

"I am looking forward to seeing what the campus wants more ... for me to shave it off, or for it to be saved!" said Shupp. "In any case, this is for a wonderful cause, and I am honored to be part of helping THON and the kids."

The bidding war will culminate in a Bid-Off, where it will be determined if Shupp keeps his mane for another year or goes bald. Faculty, staff and students will congregate in the Lion's Den in the Commons Building at 11:30 a.m. to continue to run the bid as high as possible. One stipulation is in place: in order for Shupp to shave his head, the "Save It" and "Shave It" pots must be at least a combined total of $600.

"The fact that Dr. Shupp has so graciously donated his hair says so much about what people are willing to sacrifice for the kids," said Brittney Walker, co-chair of the Brandywine THON chapter. "If he is willing to give up so much, I am hopeful that our campus community is willing to pitch in a dollar or two for this fundraiser."

In addition to raising money, if the bidding war determines that Shupp shaves his head, his hair will be donated to Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to children in the United States and Canada under age 21, who suffer from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.

The community is welcome to attend the event. Refreshments will be provided. For more information, contact Karrie Bowen, kab44@psu.edu.

To view the poster, click here.

“Its theme was chosen as a Valentine's Day event, and our aim is to give aspiring poets a few tips on writing poems about various kinds of love,” Main said. “We will read and analyze poems about romantic love, love of family and love of animals. Attendees can also read their own poems at the event,” she added.

Main is the coordinator of the campus’ Writing Studio. O’Brien has been an English instructor for over 20 years and currently teaches creative writing and composition. Additionally, Main and O'Brien have published fiction and poetry in local and national magazines and journals.

The Chester County Library is located at 450 Exton Square Parkway, Exton. Registration for the event, which is free and open to the public, is required because of limited seating. To register, go to http://bit.ly/i1pLUp online.

Penn State Brandywine students will kick off their campaign, "Heart for Herat," on Monday, Feb. 14, to raise money for the Voice of Women Organization (VWO). Founded by Afghan women's rights activist Suraya Pakzad, VWO provides education and shelters for women in Afghanistan, home to the city of Herat.

Pakzad is the recipient of the 2008 U.S. State Department's International Woman of Courage Award and the 2009 Voice of Peace Award. Time Magazine recognized her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2009.

"Heart for Herat" is a service-learning project organized by students in women's studies, business writing and literature classes. They are collaborating with VWO's U.S. partner, Traveling Mercies, a non-profit organization founded by Penn State alumnus Aldo Magazzeni. His organization brings clean drinking water systems to communities in Afghanistan and other countries. Since their meeting in 2004, Magazzeni said that he and Pakzad have built a friendship and trust through their common compassion for women and the cause of equality for all people. Magazzeni said that Suraya has taught him "how to endure, how to be courageous and that activism requires sacrifice."

Student-designed cards and bookmarks will be available for purchase in each campus building, from 9:15 a.m. until 6:15 p.m. on Valentine's Day. Bookmarks will sell for $1, cards will sell for $3 and donations will also be accepted. All donations from "Heart for Herat" will aid the VWO in future projects. The project, which will run through the spring semester and include off-campus efforts to raise money, will bring attention to Pakzad's cause. Students from across the campus are invited to join the project.

During the Taliban rule, Afghan women were treated as second-class citizens and denied many freedoms. In 1998, Pakzad began secretly running literacy schools and providing shelters for abused girls and women. She instructed her students to study by the fire, so they could throw their books into the flames if the Taliban appeared. Since the Taliban fell, the VWO has been operating openly and has expanded into other projects that help Afghan women. Despite continuing to receive death threats, Pakzad stands firm in her beliefs to better the lives of the women and children who are currently suffering in the Afghan community.

Phyllis Cole, professor of English and women's studies, and one of the organizers of the project, said, "The visits of Aldo and Suraya to our campus have had a real impact on students. It's moving to hear how grassroots efforts can create change.  What we're trying to do is create our own community of support that links with theirs.  As Aldo says, 'Do something even if it's small; create some world peace.'"

For further information, contact Maureen Fielding at 610-892-1439 or mdf6@psu.edu.

Adam J. Sorkin, Distinguished Professor of English at Penn State Brandywine, recently published an English translation of No Way Out of Hadesburg and Other Poems by Ioan Es. Pop. The book was published by the University of Plymouth Press in England in late 2010.

A multi-award winning, critically acclaimed author, Pop created this book of poetry inspired by his hardships and experiences as a teacher in an isolated village in northern Romania and later as a laborer in Bucharest in communist Romania in the 1980s.

Books such as Pop’s represent the attempt of Romanian writers to reach a new understanding of the circumstances and psychology of their lives during a period of repression and scarcity. Published in 1994, four years after the revolution, the poems reconstruct at the recent past in a metaphorical, mythical perspective. 

Sorkin’s translation was made jointly with Lidia Vianu, professor at the University of Bucharest. Their collaboration previously brought three other books of important Romanian poetry to the attention of the English-speaking world.

No Way Out of Hadesburg is Sorkin’s fortieth book of translated contemporary Romanian literature. The series in which it appears was chosen by a board of expert Romanian critics and writers and sponsored by the Romanian Cultural Institute in Bucharest.

Diane M. Disney, professor of management at Penn State Brandywine, has been elected vice chair of the Board of Directors of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA). Chartered by Congress as an independent, non-partisan organization, the National Academy works to improve the quality, performance and accountability of federal, state and local government.

Disney, of West Chester, was elected a Fellow of the Academy in 1997, when she was serving as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Civilian Personnel Policy and serving on numerous federal and international commissions. At Penn State she has served as dean of the Commonwealth College and chancellor of Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate and Professional Studies. She also serves on the boards of several Chester County organizations.

As a NAPA fellow, Disney has worked on management-related projects for the Defense Civilian Intelligence Community, the FBI and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Disney’s degrees include a B.A. from Stetson University (English, Russian, journalism), an M.A.T. (English) from Duke University, an M.B.A. from the University of Rhode Island and a Ph.D. (policy analysis) from Brandeis University.

On Tuesday, Jan. 25, Penn State Brandywine will welcome members of the Philadelphia chapter of Back on My Feet, an organization that works with volunteers to help better the lives of the city’s homeless population by running as a community several times per week.

 Katie Pfeifer, director of the chapter, will bring volunteers as well as resident participants of the program to share how the experience has touched their lives from 11:30 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. in the Main Building, room 101.

"Back on My Feet, founded by Anne Mahlum in Philadelphia in 2007—when she was just 27 [years old]—is a nonprofit organization that promotes the self-sufficiency of homeless populations by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem,” according to its website.

In addition to providing a sense of community, Back on My Feet “offers connections to job training, employment and housing.”

“We are delighted to have Back on My Feet coming to speak to campus this semester as an example of how young people without substantial organizational experience or financial resources can make a major difference in their communities,” said Assistant Professor of Finance Don Taylor, the chair of the committee that organized Pfeifer’s visit to campus as part of its Spring Lecture Series on Civic and Community Engagement.

This series was designed with the hope of inspiring students to be agents of change by considering ways in which they, too, can contribute in their communities.

 For information on about the Spring Lecture Series on Civic and Community Engagement, contact Don Taylor at 610-892-1471 or DAT17@psu.edu, or visit www.bw.psu.edu for upcoming events. For more information about Back on My Feet, visit http://philadelphia.backonmyfeet.org.

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, nearly 40 volunteers joined to bring warmth and hope to those in need through blanket making at Penn State Brandywine.

Students from the Rocky Run, Main Line and Ambler YMCAs joined the campus community to create 36 blankets for Project Linus, a volunteer organization that donates handmade blankets and afghans to “provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized or otherwise in need,” according to projectlinus.org.

The project formed in support of an initiative created by the campus’ Knittany Lion Needleworks volunteers, who hope to donate 100 blankets to Project Linus this spring for National Blanket Day. Ronika Money, assistant director of student affairs, said she thought the MLK Day project would help the volunteers, dubbed “blanketeers” by Project Linus, reach their goal more quickly.

To make the blankets, volunteers, ranging in age from elementary schoolers to adults, spent three-and-a-half hours cutting slits into precut pieces of fabric, then knotted them and sewed on labels that read “Project Linus. Providing security through blankets.” They will eventually reach the hands of children in places such as hospitals and shelters.

Knittany Lion Needleworks, coordinated by Associate Professor of Earth Sciences Laura Guertin and Student Affairs Specialist Diane Shorter, is a registered chapter of Project Linus.

On the outstanding turnout of 23 children from the YMCA, Money said, “Our project was most accommodating to kids of all ages--elementary to middle school kids. It’s a project that would work well with a younger age group.” And she said the young “achievers” had a good time.

Not only that, the experience allowed the children an opportunity to spend time on a college campus, an important gesture as the YMCA strives to encourage its youngsters to someday pursue a degree. This experience will “plant the seed for them to be interested in attending college,” Money said. They even chatted up some of the Brandywine students in attendance with questions about the college experience.

Parents from the Main Line YMCA are already pursuing tours of the campus and the group leader “may be interested in working with Knittany Lion Needleworks in the future. Each of the YMCAs expressed an interest in continued opportunities with the campus. So a few potential partnerships came out of the project,” Money added.

Penn State Brandywine senior Jackie Glace has two loves: teaching young children and volunteering with the Appalachia Service Project (ASP). The elementary education major united these two loves to pen a fully illustrated children’s book about a young girl’s journey from the Big Apple to wide open Appalachia for her Schreyer Honors Program thesis project.

“I wanted to combine both my passions -- teaching and working in Appalachia,” Glace said. Inspired by a children’s literature course and her experiences as a volunteer, and with the artistic help of alumna Christina Felizzi ’10, the book’s illustrator, Sam’s Big Move came to life.

In high school, Glace began volunteering with ASP, an organization that prepares youth and adult volunteers to help families in rural areas of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee by making their homes safer and more livable. Volunteers participate in weeklong sessions doing home construction.

Glace became enamored of the people and volunteered for five summers. Several years into the program she was given a paid leadership role, and in 2009 she spent the entire summer in rural Magoffin County, Ky. She was touched by the stories of the people she met. And today, those stories can be found on the pages of Sam’s Big Move.

The story follows Sam and her parents as they move from New York City back to her father’s hometown in Magoffin County. There she meets a new friend, Dustin, settles into a new house (inspired by a rundown house Glace helped bring back to life) and explores this new, drastically different lifestyle. Even Sam’s dog, Jasper, lives on in Magoffin County as Joe, the real-life pet of the family Glace stayed with in 2009.

The book helps young readers in urban areas, like the second graders at the Philadelphia elementary school where Glace is a student teacher, explore a world most never knew existed. Felizzi’s illustrations were inspired by real photographs, bringing to life the town and people for which Glace is so fond.

The book explores common themes of life in Appalachia. She researched other children’s books about the area, coming up with the top 10 themes -- the role of animals, food and hospitality and nature -- and built her story from there. Glace incorporated Appalachian clothing -- Dustin tells Sam kids in Magoffin only wear shoes for school and special occasions --, the idea of close-knit communities and self-reliance.

Glace even used Pennsylvania academic standards to create a lesson plan to accompany the book, she explained as she defended her thesis on Thursday, Jan. 13 in front of a packed room. Afterward, the line for her book signing extended into the hallway. Two dollars from the sale of each book will benefit ASP. She has already raised $90.

“It’s so neat to see [the book] in a tangible form and to be able to turn the pages and [say], ‘Wow, we did this!’” Felizzi said. “This is a dream come true for both of us.”

To order a copy of Sam's Big Move go to http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1844383.

Penn State Brandywine’s chapter of THON and Joseph’s Catering will be holding a benefit Spaghetti Dinner and Chance Auction on Wednesday, Feb. 16, from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Lion’s Den and the Lion’s Pit, located in the Commons Building. 

Penn State's IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, or THON, is the largest student run philanthropy in the world and is a yearlong effort to raise funds and awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer. The year culminates with a 46-hour dance marathon, this year slated for Feb. 18-20. THON has raised over $69 million since it was started in 1973.

Brandywine’s THON committee has planned a fun night of an auction with the dinner. Guests are invited to buy as many tickets as they would like for a set price, then use the tickets to bid on the items on display, which include tickets to a Camden Sharks game and the Brandywine River Museum, a gift certificate to Bull Durham’s Steakhouse in West Chester and a variety of gift cards from local merchants. Tickets will be 4 for $1.00, 10 for $2.00 and 20 for $5. Premium baskets and door prize tickets will be available for $2 each. Drawing of the chances will start around 5:30 p.m.

 “Making our traditional Silent Auction into a Chance Auction is new territory for us,” says Brittney Walker, of Yeadon, co-chair of THON and coordinator of THON’s Spirit Week. “However, we think that this year’s auction will appeal to everyone. There are going to be great baskets to take a chance on, wonderful food to eat in or take out and lots of fun for all as we work toward our ultimate goal, which is helping kids with cancer.”

The dinner, being donated by Joseph’s Catering, will consist of spaghetti and meatballs, tossed salad with house dressing, rolls and butter and sweetened iced tea for $5.00. All the proceeds will go directly to THON.

“Joseph’s Catering is so excited to be a part of this wonderful charity,” said Mary Pat Finn, of Joseph’s Catering. “THON is definitely a cause that is worth everyone’s time to support.”

The Chance Auction and Spaghetti Dinner is just one of the many events being held during THON Spirit Week from Feb. 14-18. THON is also hosting Kandy and Kisses on Valentine’s Day, the annual Date Auction and their “Cash for Curls” event on February 15 and the annual Dancer Send –Off on February 17. 

The THON committee encourages the local community to attend the event and hopes that it will become an annual event. For more information, please contact THON co-adviser Karrie Bowen, kab44@psu.edu.

Closely mowed lawns are relatively impervious as far as stormwater is concerned and have low wildlife value. Homeowners can help increase stormwater infiltration, create habitat, and reduce downstream flooding by substituting trees, shrubs, mulched beds, pocket meadows, and/or naturalized areas with native plants on parts of their property. On Sunday, February 20, Penn State Brandywine will host well known ecological landscape designer Larry Weaner in partnership with CRC Watersheds Association and Habitat Resource Network, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Weaner will provide guidance and many useful examples for homeowners wishing to both add interest to and environmental benefits to their managed landscape.

There will be a site tour of naturalized basins and lawn alternative properties on Saturday, June 18, from 9 to 11 a.m., starting point TBA. Both programs are free, but participants are encouraged to preregister with CRC at 610-892-8731 or crc@nni.com.

View the flyer.

Directions to the campus.

The event, which is open to the public, will feature dinner, exciting entertainment and a raffle of more than 40 baskets filled with goodies such as a weekend getaway in Avalon, N.J. and Phillies and Flyers tickets. Raffle tickets may be purchased prior to the event or the evening of the Beef ‘n’ Beverage. Proceeds will benefit the Intercollegiate Athletics Program and the Global Programs Scholarship Fund for students participating in international travel programs with the campus.

Admission to the event is $25. To purchase tickets or to learn more about the event, contact Theresa Walls at txw4@psu.edu or 610-892-1362; Gail Wray at gbw1@psu.edu or 610-892-1472 or Melissa Leinen at mhl13@psu.edu or 610-892-1470.