It was with great pride that Will Martin ‘13 CSD, the 2013 overall chairperson for THON, announced last February that Penn State students had raised $12.37 million, an amount that shattered the previous year’s record of $10.36 million. A yearlong effort to raise funds and awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer, THON culminates in a 48-hour dance marathon—known as THON weekend—held at the Bryce Jordan Center. “THON weekend was an incredible experience,” said Martin. “It was so inspiring to see thousands of students come together for one cause. The weekend reflected hours upon hours of work put in by the THON community. I was so proud to announce the year’s total because it was a reflection of those efforts. THON continues to amaze the world as we take strides to conquer pediatric cancer.” Prior to THON weekend, if you asked Martin what he was up to, chances are he was sorting out last-minute details for THON weekend. For example, he may have been investigating who would provide security at the dance marathon, how frequently the bathrooms would be cleaned, or which donors planned to visit. Then again, he might have been meeting with President Erickson to give the latest updates on preparations for THON weekend, attending a meeting of the advisory board of the Four Diamonds Fund, or talking with reporters about his hopes for the fundraising effort. As overall chairperson for the world’s largest student-run philanthropy, Martin had these types of tasks and more to deal with. Yet through all of the meetings, some of which extended into the wee hours of the morning, and all of the myriad fundraising tasks, he managed to excel outside of THON—in his courses, in his research, and in his preparations for a future career as a speech-language pathologist. In particular, he conducted research on language and socialcognitive development in preschoolers. Specifically, with his
20 | Health and Human Development
adviser Carol Miller, associate professor of communication sciences and disorders, he investigated children’s abilities to manage information and action so as to produce the right response at the right time. The team also examined “theory of mind,” or the understanding that people have mental states (thoughts, beliefs, desires, etc.), that these mental states motivate their behavior, and that different people can have different mental states about the same thing (e.g., Even though I don’t like carrots I can understand that you do and would eat a carrot if given the choice). In addition, they investigated different ways of measuring language ability in children. “We tested preschoolers in two age groups, roughly 3 1/2 years old to 4 years old and 4 1/2 years old to 5 years old, to see how the younger and older groups differ in terms of their language and social-cognitive abilities,” said Martin, who helped with all phases of the research project, including training the other lab assistants; coordinating schedules; and collecting, scoring, and recording data. While Martin’s coursework and research set him on the path to attend graduate school with an ultimate goal of becoming a speech-language pathologist, it was his experience running THON that convinced him this was the right path. “Serving as overall chairperson for THON reinforced that I want to work with people,” said Martin, who added that he is particularly interested in helping adults who have lost their ability to communicate to relearn communication skills. “I’ve learned that having strong relationships with your coworkers, colleagues, clients, supporters, and members is a huge part of the success of any operation. THON has taught me how to work with different people from different backgrounds and different experiences. When you respect people and have a strong relationship with them you’re going to succeed.” Martin was accepted to the University of Pittsburgh’s Speech-Language Pathology graduate program. He began coursework there this fall. ◆
Penn State News
Excelling on—and off—the THON dance floor