Eberly Alumni
Newsletter
Office of Development and Alumni Relations
Save the Date: September 6
College Alumni and Friends Tailgate
Mark your calendar for the Eberly College of Science Alumni and Friends Tailgate on Friday, September 6!
The tailgate will be held the evening before the Nittany Lions take on the Bowling Green Falcons at Beaver Stadium.
Please watch for more details in future newsletters and in your email inbox!
Alumni Recognition
Distinguished and Honorary Alumni Award Ceremonies
On June 1, Ala Stanford and Nina Fedoroff were honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award and the Honorary Alumni Award, respectively.
The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor bestowed by Penn State upon an outstanding alumna or alumnus, and the Honorary Alumni Award honors those who are not Penn State alumni but who have made significant contributions toward the University's welfare, reputation, or prestige.
Alumna, NASA Astrophysicist Jane Rigby Awarded
Presidential Medal of Freedom
On May 3, alumna Jane Rigby—who oversees NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful telescope ever built—was awarded the highest civilian honor in the United States by President Joe Biden.
Find out more about Rigby's Penn State experience, path to NASA, and advocacy work for equity and inclusion in STEM fields.
Celebrations and Thank-Yous: Renowned Chemist
Stephen Benkovic, Alumna and Philanthropist Susan Grove
On June 14, many gathered to celebrate the career of renowned chemist Stephen Benkovic, Atherton Professor and Eberly Chair in Chemistry, and his wife, Pat, during a special ceremony to celebrate the naming of the Chemistry Building as the Benkovic Building in their honor.
Fifty-nine years ago, Stephen Benkovic joined Penn State as an assistant professor of chemistry, and seven years later he was named Evan Pugh Professor of Chemistry, the University’s highest recognition of its faculty.
On May 10, alumna Susan Grove and her late husband, Cada, were honored with a special ceremony for their support of the college’s Center for Excellence in Science Education, which was renamed the Cada R. and Susan Wynn Grove Center for Excellence in Science Education.
“I am enthused now by what I’m seeing, which is the growing community of faculty, as well as graduate and undergraduate students, in researching about teaching and in sharing the results of those experiments and research," Grove said.
The People of Penn State: Outer Space National Security with Lockheed Martin's Maria Demaree
Maria Demaree, a 1990 graduate in computer science, has been a part of Lockheed Martin for over 30 years and is currently the vice president and general manager of the National Security Space line of business at Lockheed Martin Space. Maria leads a workforce of over 7,500 team members while managing a $6 billion–plus customer portfolio.
Listen to Demaree's The People of Penn State podcast interview, about her role with Lockheed Martin, the organization's work in space exploration, her time as a member of Lion Ambassadors, and much more.
Q and A with Alumni Awardees Judd Moul and Mitchell Weiss
Penn State alumnus Judd W. Moul, M.D., is one of three from the Penn State Eberly College of Science to have received the 2023 Alumni Fellow Award, the most prestigious award given by the Penn State Alumni Association.
A 1979 graduate, Moul is the James H. Semans M.D. Professor of Surgery at Duke University Medical Center in the urologic surgery division and the Duke Cancer Institute. He is a retired colonel from the United States Army Medical Corps and was the director of the U.S. Department of Defense Center for Prostate Disease Research at Walter Reed Army Medical Center from 1991 to 2004.
Hear from Moul about his path toward becoming a physician, and his time at Penn State.
Penn State alumnus Mitchell Weiss is one of three Eberly College of Science alumni to have received the 2024 Outstanding Science Alumni Award. The award recognizes and rewards outstanding Penn State science alumni for their success as leaders in science and for the impact they have had on society and their professions.
A 1980 graduate with a degree in biophysics, Weiss is chairman of the Department of Hematology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Previously, he served for 15 years on the faculty of the University Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Hear from Weiss about his time at Penn State and his impactful career as a physician-scientist.
How Alumni on Our Technology Advisory Boards Help Bring Discoveries to Market
Researchers from across all seven departments in the Eberly College of Science—including Scott Lindner, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology—have worked with the college’s Office for Innovation to explore how their research discoveries might translate into products for the benefit of society.
The Technology Advisory Boards include volunteer alumni with broad experiences in a variety of disciplines, including biotechnology, physical and chemical sciences, analytics, and software. Learn more and connect on LinkedIn.
Know an Outstanding Penn Stater? Nominate Them for Our Outstanding Science Alumni Award
The Outstanding Science Alumni Award recognizes and rewards Eberly College of Science alumni for their success as leaders in science and for the impact they have had on society and their professions.
Nominees should exemplify the Penn State Values: integrity, respect, responsibility, discovery, excellence, and community. Read more or submit a nomination. Contact Jenn Lawrence if you have questions.
Donor Impact
New Faculty Endowment in Astronomy and Astrophysics Created by Keiko Miwa Ross
Penn State’s 2020 Philanthropist of the Year, Keiko Miwa Ross, has directed over $17 million in support to landmarks across University Park. Now it will shape our understanding of the universe, with a $2 million commitment to endow the Lee M. Hammarstrom-Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Endowed Faculty Position in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics.
The gift honors Ross's friendship with Lee Hammarstrom, a Penn State engineering alumnus and a pioneer in intelligence space systems, and it will support the work of Joel Leja, an assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics whose work explores the formation of distant galaxies.
“Lee and I first connected at the college’s Ashtekar Frontiers of Science Lectures," Leja said, "and I am glad that this public outreach effort helped to draw attention to the work that is happening at Penn State. The universe is the world’s biggest laboratory, both awesome and inspiring, and this support will help us continue pushing the bounds of knowledge.”
Check out Joel's lecture, “Surprises at the Dawn of Time from James Webb: A First Look at the First Stars, Galaxies, and Black Holes."
Martarano Leadership Fellows Program,
Career Development Professorship
Louis Leblond, associate teaching professor of physics and director of online education in physics, has been named a Martarano Leadership Fellow.
The Martarano Leadership Fellows Program (formerly known as the Tombros Fellows Program) is intended to provide professional development opportunities for faculty in the Eberly College of Science. The professional development programs supported by this fund are intended to broaden faculty members' perspectives and experiences in academic leadership, gain insight into the management of the Eberly College of Science, and/or have the opportunity to develop new programs.
David Toews, assistant professor of biology, has been named the Louis Martarano Career Development Professor of Biology at Penn State.
The Louis Martarano Career Development Professorship was created to provide critical financial support and encouragement for faculty starting their academic careers in the Eberly College of Science. In addition to providing recognition of the recipient's current achievements, the professorship demonstrates belief in the recipient's potential to achieve eminence in his or her field.
Three Undergraduate Students Honored with Kirchner Family Award
Penn State Eberly College of Science undergraduate students Fiona McConnell, Kylie Nitz, and Kellyn Roth have been honored with the inaugural Kirchner Family Award for Sustainability Innovation.
The award is given to undergraduate students enrolled in the college who show a commitment to transforming Penn State as a leader in, and living laboratory for, sustainability.
This inaugural award was presented to McConnell, Nitz, and Roth for their accomplishments during the 2023-24 academic year.
College Highlights
AstroFest Celebrates 25 Years of Community Outreach
The college's popular AstroFest program, a longtime outreach of the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year.
The first program, held in 1999, was the brainchild of then-undergraduate students Karen Knierman, Jane Rigby, and Nahks Tr’Ehnl. Since that first year, the event has impacted more than 45,000 community members.
If you're visiting State College for the 2024 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, join us from Wednesday, July 10, through Saturday, July 13, in Davey Lab!
Learning Assistant Program: A Unique Student Program in Learning, Leadership
The college’s Learning Assistant (LA) Program provides students with an opportunity to work in the classroom and hone their communication and leadership skills in a course they have successfully completed. LAs are peers who work as a team with faculty to assist with active learning in the classroom.
By the numbers:
- 839 learning assistants supported 44 courses in the college during the 2022–2023 academic year.
- 8,000 to 10,000 undergraduate students are impacted by the Learning Assistant Program each year.
- Students who attended office hours with learning assistants scored 20 percent higher on exams in one precalculus course.
Check out this video to learn about the program and hear from two students about their experiences.
Nikki Crowley: 'Peeking into Peptides: Decoding the Brain's Messages and Manipulating the Molecular Mailmen'
The Penn State Alumni Association recently held a Virtual Speaker Session featuring Nikki Crowley, assistant professor of biology and Huck Early Career Chair in Neurobiology and Neural Engineering, who presented her work studying the intersection of neural circuits in the brain, novel neuropeptides, and addiction.
In the News
New Alzheimer's Research from the
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
You may have read in Newsweek about new Alzheimer's research from Scott Selleck in the biochemistry and molecular biology department.
Read more about Scott's research in our press release, "Potential new target for early treatment of Alzheimer's disease."
Scott is also passionate about giving opportunities to undergraduate student researchers. Check out the video below to hear from former student Alyssa Connell, now a research assistant in the Selleck lab.
University Highlights
Penn State 4th in US, 51st Globally in 2024 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings
Penn State ranks No. 4 in the United States and No. 51 overall among the top international institutions assessed by the 2024 Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings. These rankings aim to assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global goals adopted by all U.N. member states that look to improve life for all people and protect the planet.
This ranking places Penn State in the top 2.6 percent of higher education institutions worldwide. The rankings were much more competitive this year, with 1,963 institutions participating—an increase of more than 23 percent from last year.
According to THE, the rankings are calculated using calibrated indicators to provide comprehensive and balanced comparison across four broad areas: research, stewardship, outreach and teaching.
Penn State’s ranking is due in part to its breadth and depth of impactful research, including its strength as Pennsylvania’s land-, space-, sun- and sea-grant university.
Remembering We Are Weekend
We are so thankful for everyone who came back to the University Park campus and visited us during We Are Weekend!
We were thrilled to welcome alumni from across Penn State to tour the historic cottages where our Forensic Science program stages its mock crime scenes.
You help put the “we” in “We Are Penn State!”
Join our community of alumni and friends today.
For more than 150 years, we have been keeping alumni connected to the University and to each other.
