As an educator, Beth Rogowsky is a veteran. Rogowsky, an associate professor of teaching and learning at
Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg, taught for more than a decade in rural and urban middle school classrooms and completed a three-year postdoc fellowship in neuroscience at Rutgers University. The combination of hands-on teaching experience and scientific research made her the perfect co-author for the book, Uncommon Sense Teaching: Practical Insights in Brain Science to Help Students Learn, which is making waves in the teaching world. (
Note: Since this story was written, Beth Rogowsky is now a professor of teaching and learning at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg.)
The Faculty Professional Development Center at
PennWest California has recognized four professors for excellence in grants, research, teaching and service in 2021-2022. The Merit Award recipients are chosen by faculty committees and reflect a commitment to provide high-quality education for California students.
Dr. Gooyong Kim, associate professor of communication arts at
Cheyney University, was awarded the Alex Trebek Legacy Fellowship through the Television Academy Foundation and granted access to the Foundation's 2022 Media Educators Conference in Los Angeles this October. By connecting with the television professionals and resources of the organization, Kim will enhance his curriculum and further prepare Cheyney students for the new and evolving demands of the television industry. Kim is an active researcher and acclaimed author on topics from K-Pop to South Korean women’s socio-political activism.
Dr. Joseph Croskey, chair of the Department of Student Achievement and Success at
PennWest Clarion, took the message of mindfulness and compassion to the United Nations staff in Cophenhagen, Denmark, this summer as part of the UN and Lululemon’s Peace on Purpose program. Alongside other experts, Croskey taught three, eight-hour workshops aimed at equipping UN humanitarian and development workers with mindfulness-based tools and practices to prevent burnout, develop compassionate leadership skills, and more.
René Fuanta, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at
East Stroudsburg University, has been elected to serve as the associate director for Sigma Xi’s Mid-Atlantic Region. Sigma Xi, the scientific research honor society, is the international honor society of science and engineering.
PennWest Edinboro faculty member Penelope Orr, Ph.D., clinical coordinator of Edinboro’s nationally acclaimed art therapy program, has received a Fulbright Award to launch the first corresponding graduate-level program in India. Orr, who was instrumental in creating the Master of Arts in Counseling – Art Therapy program at Edinboro, earned the Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship to establish the program at MIT Art, Design & Technology University (MIT-DTU) in Pune, Maharashtra.
Academic success for students at
Indiana University of Pennsylvania who are parents of young children may become a little easier, thanks to additional funding for IUP’s Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program. In October 2021, IUP was notified of $605,244 in funding from the Department of Education to continue the program through 2025. Kalani Palmer, an associate professor in the Department of Professional Studies in Education, is the project director of CCAMPIS at IUP.
Kutztown University professors and internationally renowned musical duo Dr. Maria Asteriadou and Kurt Nikkanen have made it their mission to nurture promising students and promote the university’s musical offerings within the community, recruiting a new generation of young virtuosos.
Faculty awards at
Commonwealth University-Lock Haven were presented to Dr. Jennifer Deitloff, recipient of the Outstanding Service Award, and Marjorie Maddox Hafer, recipient of the Outstanding Scholarship Award. To be considered for the Service Award, applicants provided a narrative that detailed their departmental, APSCUF, university, and community service, as well as any samples of their work.
In August, two music faculty members from
Commonwealth University-Mansfield were awarded the opportunity to perform in Vienna, Austria. Drs. Alissa Rose, professor of voice, and Christine Moulton, professor of flute, performed in the 10th International Congress of Voice Teachers at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
Studying plant sciences can take you into some surprising career paths. Dr. Christopher Hardy, a forensic botanist and a professor in the biology department at
Millersville University, has been called on in several investigations to lend his expertise.
Shippensburg University faculty member Dr. Christine Royce was honored with the 2022 Outstanding Leadership in Science Education Award from the National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA). Since 1979, this prestigious award recognizes and honors an NSELA member who, through professional work, has demonstrated outstanding leadership in science education at the school, county, regional, and national level.
Xinchao "Steven" Wei,
Slippery Rock University professor of physics and engineering and director of SRU's School of Engineering, received the 2021 Professor of the Year Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers, Pittsburgh Section.
West Chester University biomorphologist Frank Fish accepted a 2022 Ig Nobel Prize in a live virtual ceremony on September 15. Only 10 projects from around the world were honored this year. The Ig Nobels recognize science that makes people laugh, then think. As Fish’s email signature says, “You're not doing science, if you’re not having fun.”
