The Lion’s Eye April 28, 2010 Reipprp SE pe Penn State Brandywine Recognizes Its Finest in Academic Achievement By Christina Felizzi — Editor-in-Chief — clf5050@psu.edu Celebrating in Harrisburg with the Northeast Regional Honors Council Conference By James Donohue - Lion's Eye Staff Writer jed5165@psu.edu From April 8th through the 11th, college stu- dents from all over the Northeast Region met in Harris- burg to discuss and debate their ideas regarding centers that would further enhance education and all aspects of learning. Students met in small groups to commu- nicate and discuss new ideas, including “Incorporat- ing Multicultural Literature in the K-12 Curriculum,” “Using Language as a Bridge to Accepting Cultural Differences,” “Reach Out: Enhancing Education in the Dominican Republic,” and “Eutopoloy: Playing Your Way Through Social Responsibility.” These wordy top- ics are just a few of the many issues that students could discuss in their attempts to create new ways to learn in the Northeast. “It is important to note that none of these stu- dent presenters are seniors,” Dr. Laura Guertin added. “Undergraduate research is typically thought of as an activity that is not approached until the senior year, when students complete a capstone project.” Waiting until one’s senior year is not necessary when completing successful undergraduate work. In fact, noting that you were a part of something so substantial as an underclass- man is extremely helpful when applying for a job. With this inspiration students are able to greatly increase the deference for their resume when compared to other ap- plicants who are also entering the job market. This article can not cleary do justice to the vast scope of ideas and topics that these students were able to discuss at the Northeast Regional Honors Council Confrence, but my hope is to show the significance that this meeting had on enhancing the greater community. The Spring 2010 Academic Recognition Ceremony was held Thursday, April 15 at 6:30pm in the Common’s Building gymnasium. The fami- lies and friends of Penn State Brandywine students watched their sons and daughters being honored for their academic accomplishments for the spring se- mester. After a welcoming statement from Chancel- lor, Sophia Wisniewska, Senior Instructor of English, Patricia Hillen, also the recipient of the 2009 Madlyn Hanes Faculty Award, gave a inspiring speech on sustainability, not only in our environment, but in our futures. Following Professor Hillen’s insightful words, the honorees for the International English Honors Society, Sigma Tau Delta, were recognized, including junior June Carfagno, senior Andrew Dombalagian, senior Christina Felizzi, and Dan- ielle Gridley. Next, Phi Kappa Phi inductees were honored, including Dombalagian and Felizzi again, in addition to Benjamin Bean, Jill Gillin, Jacqueline Glace, Shake Jebejian, and Iris Thai. If students fall in the top 7.5% of the junior or 10% of the senior classes, they are eligible to be elected into Phi Kappa Phi in one of Penn State’s academic colleges. The President’s Freshmen Award was pre- sented to a group of seven students who have earned a 4.00 (A) cumulative grade-point average based on 12 graded Penn State credits by the end of fall semes- ter. Those students included Christopher Gramlich, Jurgen Kasa, Jeremy Lim, Skylar Luxon, Patricia McGinnis, Allison Rodia, and Thomas Wagner. Also, Sophomore Vickie Francis was this year’s recipient of The President Sparks Award. Not to be confused with the previous award, The Presi- dent Sparks Award is given annually to undergraduate students who have earned a 4.0 cumulative grade- point average based on at least 36 graded Penn State credits, while not exceeding 59 total credits earned. Once the rest of the 166 honorees from the various Penn State colleges were recognized, then followed the last set of awards, both student and fac- ulty centered. First, the Dr. Randall S. Stout Memo- rial Award was awarded to Rebecca Hart, who could not be present at the ceremony, but was honored for her superior academic performance and outstanding participation in the Bachelor of Science in Business Program at Penn State Brandywine. Then, the 2010 Distinguished Teacher Award was presented to Professor Katherine Meehan, instructor of Human Development and Family Stud- ies courses at Penn State Brandywine. This award honors a full-time faculty member who provides dis- tinguished teaching while providing encouragement and incentive for teaching excellence and contribu- tions to the Penn State Brandywine campus commu- nity. Finally, Dr. Phyllis Cole, Professor of Eng- lish was honored with the Faculty Research Program Award, which honors and recognizes scholarly or creative excellence in any area of the arts, humani- ties, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, business or communication and rewards a substantial series of contributions or a single exceptional contri- bution to any of these areas. The Undergraduate Research Faculty and Student Research Awards were given to Professor of Chemistry Michael De Rosa, of Wallingford, and sophomore Sara Neville, of West Chester, respec- tively. In addition, Senior Instructor in Business Administration Richard Barrett was the recipient of the 2010 George W. Franz Advising and Mentoring Award, which recognizes a faculty or staff at Penn State Brandywine who over time have excelled in helping others achieve their full potential. Finally, Professor of Human Development and Family Studies Cynthia Lightfoot received the Madlyn Hanes Faculty Award, which recognizes a full-time faculty member at the campus who has made outstanding contributions to the campus com- munity through exceptional achievement in teaching, research, scholarship, creative activity or service. Prior to the ceremony, EURECA (Expo- sition of Undergraduate Research Enterprise and Creative Accomplishment) was also held in the Com- mon’s gymnasium. From teaching elementary school children fractions with pizza and creating mechanical dancing robots, this program showcased the research conducted by students in poster, computer, and video presentation form, and served as the perfect introduc- tion to the awards ceremony which was to follow.
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