January 2023 Issue
Eberly Alumni
Newsletter
Office of Development and Alumni Relations
Alumni Awards
Mark Becker
'85 Ph.D. Statistics
James Stith
'72 D.E. Physics
Two Eberly Alumni Selected to Receive Distinguished Alumni Award
Eight Penn State alumni were selected by the Penn State Board of Trustees to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award, which is the University's highest honor presented to its alumni. We are proud to share that two of these individuals are Eberly alumni!
Mark Becker, a 1985 Ph.D. graduate in statistics, is the president of the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities. During his presidency at Georgia State University, Becker made a commitment to address diversity, equity, and inclusion. Under his leadership, the university established the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. He also organized a 10-year strategic plan that helped Georgia State emerge as a national model for student success, with record-setting graduation rates, strong ties to the civic community, and a multimillion-dollar research program.
James Stith, a 1972 D.E. graduate in physics, is vice president emeritus at the American Institute of Physics. Stith attended a segregated school, and later used this experience to assist with opening a desegregated school in Virginia. Leading physics organizations have repeatedly turned to Stith for guidance and leadership. He retired as colonel from the United States Military Academy and was the first African American to earn tenure at West Point.
Becker and Stith will return to the University Park campus in June to attend the Distinguished Alumni Award ceremony. Read more about the Distinguished Alumni Award.
Leah Liu
'09 B.S. Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology
Eberly Alumna Selected to Receive Alumni Achievement Award
Leah Liu, a 2009 B.S. graduate in biochemistry and molecular biology, has been named one of Penn State's 2023 Alumni Achievement Award recipients. This award recognizes alumni 35 years of age and younger for their extraordinary professional accomplishments.
During her graduate and postdoctoral studies, Liu used ground-breaking techniques in her research. While Liu was studying at Harvard, her research uncovered new roles for cannabinoid receptor function in liver cell differentiation and metabolism. Her research also employed several new techniques and models, such as using in vivo pharmacological screening, TALEN-edited zebrafish mutants, and animal models of alcoholic, metabolic, and drug-induced liver injury.
We look forward to celebrating Liu's accomplishments at the Alumni Achievement Award ceremony on March 17! Read more about the Alumni Achievement Award.
Judges and Advisers Needed for Biotech Boardroom
We need your help to make the Biotech Boardroom a success! We invite you to support the event by serving as a judge or as an adviser to students on how to make their idea or pitch more powerful.
If you are interested in participating in the Biotech Boardroom, please complete this short survey.
The Biotech Boardroom is a pitch competition for biotechnology students to showcase their entrepreneurial ideas to alumni judges and mentors. The program
develops an avenue for students to learn about the intersection of biotechnology and entrepreneurship;
explores the benefits and growth opportunities that come from taking academic passions to the next level and creating something from scratch;
inspires students through competitions, a fast-paced environment, and connections to successful alumni;
introduces biotechnology as a basis for successfully launching new high-tech ventures;
creates a mutually beneficial network of students and alumni to accelerate opportunities for growth; and
helps students understand the huge scope of biotechnology, from agricultural to medical to therapeutic applications and how they can be applied to sustainability.
Alumnus Bob Houston's Seven-Figure Estate Commitment to Create Scholarship for Military Service
A seven-figure estate commitment from Penn State graduate and longtime volunteer Bob Houston has established an endowed scholarship to support students affiliated with the U.S. armed forces. The Robert J. Houston Military Excellence Scholarship in the Eberly College of Science will be awarded annually from an eligibility pool that includes undergraduate and graduate students who are enrolled in ROTC, whose parents are military veterans or who are themselves veterans of military service. Read more about Houston's scholarship.
RecCenter Helps Faculty, Staff Manage Letters of Recommendation for Students
A new online tool to help Penn State faculty and staff manage letters of recommendation for students, RecCenter, is now online and available to recommenders Universitywide. The tool was developed by Dave Toews, an assistant professor of biology in the Penn State Eberly College of Science, with Mitzi Ellis, a programmer and analyst with the college’s information technology group, and Chris Palma, the college’s associate dean for undergraduate students. Read more about RecCenter.
Alumni Society Board: Call for New Members
The Eberly College of Science Alumni Society Board will hold elections in May for several new board members. Board members serve a three-year term, which will begin on July 1, 2023, and ends on June 30, 2026. Read more about the board.
If you would like to be considered for membership on the Alumni Society Board, please send your resume or CV to Jenn Lawrence.
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.
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