Alumna Kristen Ries Podcast

Kristen Ries returned to the University Park campus on April 6 to accept the 2023 Outstanding Science Alumni Award. During her campus visit, she was the guest speaker for the Penn State PreHealth Podcast. This episode, “Too Busy Treating Patients: An Interview with Dr. Kristen Ries” can be heard via RSS.com, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

Five Reasons to Attend 2023 We Are Weekend

There are lots of reasons to sign up for We Are Weekend, which will be hosted by the Penn State Alumni Association, June 16–17, on the University Park campus.

Here are five that stand out:

• Concert and ice cream social (1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m., June 17, Hintz Family Alumni Center)
• Commemorative photos (9:00 a.m. to noon, June 17, Nittany Lion Shrine; 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., June 17, Hintz Family Alumni Center)
• Campus tours (June 16 and 17
• Open Skate at Pegula Ice Arena (7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m., June 16
• Campus Rec Day Pass (June 17)

Visit the Alumni Association’s website to view the complete agenda, learn more, and register.

Nominations Now Being Accepted for Alumni Achievement Award

The Alumni Achievement Award recognizes alumni 35 years of age and younger for their extraordinary professional accomplishments. They demonstrate to students that Penn State alumni succeed in exceptional fashion at an early age.

Read more about the Alumni Achievement Award and the 2023 recipient, Leah Liu, on our website.

If you would like to nominate someone for the 2024 award, please contact Jenn Lawrence.

Five Penn State Faculty Members Receive 2023 Faculty Scholar Medals

Five Penn State faculty members have received 2023 Faculty Scholar Medals for Outstanding Achievement. Established in 1980, the award recognizes scholarly or creative excellence represented by a single contribution or a series of contributions around a coherent theme. A committee of peers reviews nominations and selects candidates.

Among them are Maciej Boni, associate professor of biology, and Miguel Alejandro Mostafá, professor of physics and of astronomy and astrophysics.

Boni has made major contributions to the prediction and management of infectious disease, nominators said. His research focuses on COVID-19, influenza, and malaria.

Nominators said Mostafá has significantly advanced the frontiers of fundamental knowledge regarding particle physics and astrophysics. That’s opened unprecedented windows into the physics of our universe. Read more on Penn State News.

Congratulations, Maciej and Miguel!

Keiler Honored with 2023 Graduate Program Chair Leadership Award

Kenneth Keiler, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and associate department head for graduate education in Penn State's Eberly College of Science, is the 2023 recipient of the Graduate School Alumni Society Graduate Program Chair Leadership Award. 

The award honors faculty members for exemplary leadership that benefits graduate students and faculty in an existing graduate program at the University.

Nominators said Keiler’s transformative leadership within the past five years has strengthened all aspects of the biochemistry, microbiology, and molecular biology graduate program. They said he has been a resource for other faculty members and his commitment to increasing diversity in STEM fields is showing immediate results. Read more on Penn State News.

Congratulations, Ken!

Mathews Earns 2023 Rosemary Schraer Mentoring Award 

Tiffany Mathews, education strategy and planning manager in the Eberly College of Science, is the recipient of the 2023 Rosemary Schraer Mentoring Award. 

Established in 1994 by family, friends and colleagues of Rosemary Schraer, a former associate provost of Penn State, the award is presented each year to a University employee who exemplifies Schraer’s giving of herself as a mentor and who has voluntarily, over a period of time, helped others recognize and achieve their potential. Consideration is given to employees who have a record of outstanding mentoring service that goes beyond the requirements of their employment duties and responsibilities. 

Those mentored by Mathews said she had a tremendous impact on their graduate school experience. They credit her unwavering support, appreciation, and empathy with helping them succeed. Read more on Penn State News.

Congratulations, Tiffany!

Ordway Recognized with 2023 Howard B. Palmer Faculty Mentoring Award

Richard Ordway, professor of molecular neuroscience and genetics in Penn State's Eberly College of Science, is the recipient of the 2023 Howard B. Palmer Faculty Mentoring Award.

The award honors and recognizes outstanding achievement by a faculty member with at least five years of service who effectively guides junior faculty. Howard Palmer served as senior associate dean of the Graduate School from 1984 to 1991.

Nominators called Ordway a generous mentor, a steadfast supporter of junior faculty members, and an advocate for increasing diversity in STEM fields. They said he’s a successful scientist who elevates those around him. Read more on Penn State News.

Congratulations, Rick!

Forty Graduate Students Recognized with Prestigious University Awards

Forty Penn State graduate students were named recipients of Penn State’s most prestigious annual graduate student awards, administered by the Graduate School in collaboration with several Penn State units. The awards recognize and celebrate graduate students who are excelling in teaching, research, and service, as well as other academic pursuits. Read the full article on Penn State News.

Alumni Association Dissertation Award

Thirteen graduate students received the Alumni Association Dissertation Award, including Emily Howerton (biology) and Siddharth Vishwanath (statistics). This honor recognizes outstanding professional accomplishment and achievement in scholarly research and is among the most prestigious available to Penn State graduate students.

Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award

Ten graduate students were recognized with the Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award, which recognizes graduate teaching assistants for outstanding teaching performance, including Cordelia Beck-Horton, master’s student in chemistry, and Margaret Lakomy, doctoral student in chemistry.

Graduate Student Excellence in Mentoring Award

Victoria Bonnell, doctoral student in biochemistry, microbiology, and molecular biology, is the recipient of the Graduate Student Excellence in Mentoring Award, which recognizes senior doctoral students for exemplary and effective mentoring of undergraduate and/or new or junior graduate students that contributes to the student’s personal growth, professional development and/or academic success. 

Penn State Global Announces 2022–23 Faculty, Staff, Student Awards

Penn State Global has announced the 2022–23 recipients of its annual awards that recognize the outstanding contributions of individuals and academic programs at Penn State who have helped to advance the University’s global engagement goals.

The Outstanding Program Award recognizes an innovative program at the University that has advanced the vision of a Global Penn State. This award recognizes a Penn State program that is agile and adaptable, and yet robust enough to be innovative and forward thinking.

This year’s award was given to the BIOL 499A course, “Tropical Field Ecology,” led by James Marden. The program has been running annually for over 30 years and was a trailblazing program of its time, which has set the standard for other faculty-led programs that have come since. Read more on Penn State News.

Congratulations, Jim!

Seventy-Four Graduate Students Earn Prizes at 2023 Graduate Exhibition

Seventy-four Penn State graduate students earned first-, second-, or third-place prizes at the 2023 Graduate Exhibition, held March 20–24 on the University Park campus and online. More than 275 students from more than 65 graduate programs participated in one of five categories: research, design, performance, visual arts, and video.

Founded in 1986, the Graduate Exhibition is a Penn State tradition that provides graduate students with an opportunity to discuss their research and scholarship with a general audience. Judges comprise local community members in addition to Penn State staff, faculty, and students.

Among the winners of the research poster competition were Sabrina Sony (biochemistry, microbiology, and molecular biology), who took third place in the Health and Life Sciences category, and Vaibhav Pal (chemistry), who took second place in the Physical Sciences and Mathematics category; and in the Special Awards, Jennifer Mott (biology) took third place for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award. Read more on Penn State News.

Congratulations, all!

Graduate Council Elects New Leadership

Penn State’s Graduate Council, the faculty-led governing body that establishes graduate education policies for the University, has completed elections for the upcoming 2023–24 academic year. The group has added several college representative leaders to serve on the council along with continuing the transition to new leadership for the upcoming year. 

On June 1, Jan Reimann, associate professor of mathematics, will assume the role of chair for the 2023–24 academic year, a position he was appointed to when he was voted chair-elect in 2022.

For Reimann, this role will help him continue to support graduate students in a meaningful way.

“I consider working with graduate students one of the best parts of my job,” Reimann said. “Nowhere else do I find the spirit of curiosity and scholarly exploration alive in such pure form. I have had great mentors throughout my time as a graduate student, and I try to follow their example as a teacher and mentor myself now.”  Read more on Penn State News.

Congratulations, Jan!