and
news notes
Ryan’s NSF grant will fund more than 25 scholarships for environmental science or marine science students.
In science, perseverance is imperative when looking for positive outcomes. No one knows that better than KU’s Dr. Christopher Sacchi, environmental science program coordinator, and Dr. Wendy Ryan, marine science program coordinator. Their perseverance over a number of years has just been rewarded with close to a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. It is the largest grant ever received by the Department of Biology and the university’s first S-STEM grant focused on scholarship.
“With the grant, we hope to promote even greater opportunities for the cohort of students who are awarded KU Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) scholarships as well as the many other students who will benefit from participating in the academic- and career-support activities,” Sacchi said. The grant will serve to showcase two things, explains Ryan. “We’ll be able to highlight the strengths, opportunities and interdisciplinary features of the environmental and marine sciences programs as well as draw attention to the rest of the science programs here at KU,” she said. The four-year grant will fund 25 to 30 scholarships as well as provide for supplemental education, career and leadership development activities for more
KU Alumna, U.S. District Judge Presented with Criminal Justice Award Newly confirmed U.S. District Judge Arenda
Barack Obama in June 2011 to serve as a U.S.
Wright Allen ’82 returned to Kutztown University
District Judge for the U.S. District Court of the
on April 3. Wright Allen graduated from KU
Eastern District of Virginia. Her qualifications as a
with a bachelor of science in criminal justice. She
federal public defender and Norfolk, Va., commu-
was invited to campus to be presented with the
nity member as well as her past experience as an
Department of Criminal Justice Outstanding Alumni
assistant U.S. attorney and Navy JAG officer
Award. The award was presented by Dr. Al Pisciotta,
helped to earn her unanimous support from
chair of the Department of Criminal Justice, during
the U.S. Senate. Wright Allen is the first
the department’s NCJHS induction ceremony.
African-American woman to serve as a U.S.
Wright Allen was recommended to President
6 TOWER | Summer 2012
District Judge in the state of Virginia.
students in the environmental or marine science programs. Some of the grant will be used to attract seminar speakers to campus and fund student excursions to museums, zoos, aquariums and an annual trip to the Marine Science Consortium in Virginia. “This is a great opportunity to further influence our students at a fundamental level by providing scholarship support and an array of activities to support their growth and success,” Sacchi said. It also provides an opportunity to distinguish KU science programs from the competition. “One of our goals is to enhance our programs so that we can attract more attention from students interested in studying the sciences and have them attend Kutztown,” Ryan said.
PHOTO BY HUB WiLLSOn ’71
Professors Sacchi and
national Science Foundation Awards Biology Department nearly $600,000