April 07, 2011

Kutztown University student named Ali-Zaidi Award winner

Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu

Harrisburg –Alison E. Koser, a senior physics and mathematics major at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, has been named the 2011 winner of the Syed R. Ali-Zaidi Award for Academic Excellence. She will receive $1,000 along with a commemorative medallion for her achievement.
Raeesa S. Khan from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and Samantha G. Corvino from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania were selected as runners-up for the award. Each will receive $500.
The Ali-Zaidi Award is presented annually to a graduating senior at one of the 14 Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) universities. It recognizes outstanding academic achievement and participation in extra- and co-curricular activities. The award was established by Syed R. Ali-Zaidi, a founding member of the PASSHE Board of Governors.
Koser of Ephrata has a 4.0 grade point average as a double major at Kutztown. She has participated in the MRSEC Research Experience for Undergraduates at Pennsylvania State University and the Physics Research Experience for Undergraduates at the University of Chicago. She is a member of both the Phi Kappa Phi and Sigma Pi Sigma honor societies and was the recipient of the Kutztown University Physical Science Faculty Scholarship.
She has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, where she helped build homes in Pittsboro, N.C., and with Mennonite Disaster Service, taking part in disaster relief projects in Alabama, California and West Virginia.
Khan of Bloomsburg has earned a 3.7 grade point average while majoring in philosophy and political science with minor in legal studies at Bloomsburg University. She studied at the London School of Economics in the summer of 2007 and has participated in Model UN and the Osgood Center for International Studies in Washington, D.C. She has volunteered with Cross Cultural Studies, working with the elderly and teaching children in Costa Rica, and the Mubarak Institute of Literacy and Learning.
Corvino of East Greenbush, N.Y., has earned a 3.9 grade point average while majoring in mathematics and dance, with a minor in public health at Slippery Rock University. She participated in the Research Experience for Undergraduates at the University of Tennessee and the Summer Institute for Biostatistics at the University of Pittsburgh. She is a member of the Kappa Mu Epsilon honor society in mathematics and has been the recipient of numerous scholarships, including the Leadership in Science Scholarship, which she received twice.

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with nearly 120,000 students. The 14 PASSHE universities offer degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. About 500,000 PASSHE alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.
The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. PASSHE also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Freeport, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg.