Alumni Newsletter
Office of Development and Alumni Relations
Alumni Impact
Alumna Ala Stanford to Present Talk, Host Book Signing
Dr. Ala Stanford, a Penn State Eberly College of Science alumna and recipient of the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award, is visiting the Penn State University Park campus for a book signing on November 8 from 11:00 a.m. to noon at the Penn State Bookstore in the HUB-Robeson Center.
Stanford’s new book, Take Care of Them Like My Own: Faith, Fortitude, and a Surgeon's Fight for Health Justice, outlines her personal journey from attending Penn State to becoming a doctor and surgeon and eventually making an impact on thousands of people, specifically underserved communities in her home of Philadelphia, during the COVID-19 pandemic. It offers lessons about the power of communities working together to take care of one another and has been listed as No. 1 on the Amazon bestseller list in three categories: medical biography, public health, and racism and discrimination.
On November 7 at 6:00 p.m. in the Flex Theater at the HUB-Robeson Center, Stanford will present a talk titled “Leading Change: A Conversation with Dr. Ala Stanford,” where she will be speaking to the Penn State community, including prehealth and premed students, about her journey into medicine and beyond. She will share how she started at Penn State as a biology major with a goal of becoming a pediatric surgeon and eventually became a national leader in health equity and a cornerstone in the Philadelphia community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
College Highlights
Heard on Campus: MIT Astrophysicist Sara Seager
On October 29, MIT astrophysicist and planetary scientist Sara Seager presented the joint Science Achievement Graduate Fellows–Russell Marker Lecture in Astronomy and Astrophysics, titled “Exoplanets and the Search for Life Beyond Earth.”
“The line between mainstream research and crazy is constantly shifting,” she said. “People thought the entire field was going to a dead end. ... Now it is a vibrant field with thousands of exoplanets discovered.”
In the News
Unexplained Enigmas in the Orion Nebula May Be Victims of Stellar Bullying
Kevin Luhman, professor of astronomy and astrophysics, discusses his research with the James Webb Space Telescope. Read the full article in The New York Times.
Autumn Leaves Could Be Eating Away at Your Car
As beautiful as fall foliage is, those colorful leaves piling up on your car can cause serious damage, from stripping away paint to clogging your car’s air systems.
Teaching Professor Dan Sykes is featured in this Weather Channel video, discussing the underlying chemistry of leaf decomposition and how to protect your vehicle this season.
Upcoming Events
January 9, 2025: Alumni Reception at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Seattle
The Penn State Eberly College of Science invites you to a reception on Thursday, January 9, 2025, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Sheraton Grand Seattle Hotel, during the 2025 Joint Mathematics Meetings in Seattle, Washington.
Please consider joining us for food, drinks, and networking!
All Penn State alumni in the Seattle area are invited to attend, regardless of their Penn State major.
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For more than 150 years, we have been keeping alumni connected to the University and to each other.
