Honor Bound Fall/Winter 2023

FROM DREXEL UNIVERSITY’S PENNONI HONORS COLLEGE • FALL/WINTER 2023

Drexel master’s alumna on Fulbright and National Geographic fellowships documents and photographs insect collections in Borneo

PLUS: • Reliving recess through outdoor play • Learning to communicate science • One student’s personal leap of faith into the CustomDesigned Major

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Student Spotlight

Drexel Dragon Jedi hosts events each term, sometimes in collaboration with other organizations such as 8totheBar. Keep an eye out for their TikTok and Instagram (@drexeldragonjedi) for news on when and where events will be held.

Above: Custom-Designed Major Lillian Fenzil performing with Drexel Dragon Jedi in collaboration with the Drexel Motion Capture Club.

Below: Lillian practicing a fight sequence.

From the Dean

L

ike a Jedi Master, Lillian Fenzil learns from her peers. That is why as president of Drexel Dragon Jedi, collaboration and constructive criticism is emphasized to the interdisciplinary student organization, a collection of performance artists who choreograph fight sequences that would impress any jedi in the Star Wars universe. At the end of each practice, they seek feedback from their peers in order to hone their skills and best prepare performances for public events. And as someone who’s goal is to work with students, Lillian, a custom-designed major in academic counseling and advising ’26, believes this continuous desire for feedback will always keep her developing as a learner and mentor. The Honors Program student and former STAR Scholar uses the components of her major — communication, understanding the mind, and diversity — to encourage herself and others to grow through constant reflection.

We were so pleased to greet our new first-year Honors College students as they moved into Bentley Hall and began the fall term at Drexel. We celebrated their arrival with the Bentley Block Party that featured games an assortment of stylish swag (designed by our co-op student Felicia Wolfer, graphic design ’24; see page 9). I even sketched many of our students who were willing to wait in line; they seemed pleased with my amateur skills!

Students immediately began hanging out Bentley Hall’s Annette Pennoni Living Room, putting together puzzles and thumbing through books in our library.

They are also outdoors, playing frisbee and ping pong in the space in front, trying to take advantage of the last of the warm weather.

I was particularly gratified that a large cohort of Honors Program students have opted to enroll in our newly created “Honors with Distinction” first-year sequence. We had projected that 60 students would sign up; 117 did. Dr. Kevin Egan, Director of Academic Programs, has done a brilliant job developing this sequence and finding creative ways to fit it into the packed Drexel schedule. Students will take the three-course, 5-credit sequence that is part of our Program in Civic Foundations as the first lap of their Honors with Distinction track.

We are also gratified that a generous donor, John Martinson, who has a special interest in Honors Programs, has generously endowed the Honors with Distinction program. This gives us the opportunity to build a creative combination of coursework and programming where students will get in-depth knowledge of the history and context in which American society developed, focusing on texts and documents associated with Philadelphia. We think the program will add an important piece to Drexel University President John Fry’s civic engagement initiatives and to the work of the Lindy and Dornsife Centers.

Alums who have not seen Bentley Hall are invited to drop by and tour our space and meet with our staff and students. We are always eager to have you share your experiences post-Drexel, and I would be glad to host you for one of my frequent Dean’s Teas where you can chat informally with our students.

Paula Marantz Cohen Dean, Pennoni Honors College Distinguished Professor of English 215.895.1266 • cohenpm@drexel.edu

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Contents FALL/WINTER 2023

4

In Brief

10

Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice

BY ERICA LEVI ZELINGER

12

Pennoni’s Program in Civic Foundations Joins Forces with STAR Scholars

16

Bugging Out

BY ERICA LEVI ZELINGER

22

Teaming Up With Tesla

24

Turning Pointe

BY ERICA LEVI ZELINGER

BY ERICA LEVI ZELINGER

BY KEVIN EGAN

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14

Her Bag of Toys Brought All The Kids to the Yard

BY ERICA LEVI ZELINGER

BY ELISABETH DUMONT

ON THE COVER

Comments? Contact us at pennoni@drexel.edu

Dean: Dr. Paula Marantz Cohen Editorial Staff Editor: Erica Levi Zelinger Copy Editor: Dr. Melinda Lewis Designer: Isabella Akhtarshenas Graphic Design Students: Estelle Guillot, Felicia Wolfer Administration Director of Administration & Finance: Ann Alexander Executive Assistant to the Dean: Karen Sams Director of Strategy: Dr. Melinda Lewis

2

It Does Take A Rocket Scientist

BY ERICA LEVI ZELINGER

The Case for Collaborative Care

Honor Bound Magazine is published biannually by the Marketing & Media team of Drexel University’s Pennoni Honors College.

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Academic Programs Director: Dr. Kevin D. Egan Associate Director: Dr. Katie Barak Associate Director, Honors Program: Julia Wisniewski Program Manager: Lauren Davis Academic Advisor, Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry: Charlotte Shreve Marketing & Media Director: Erica Levi Zelinger Associate Director: Brian Kantorek

Undergraduate Research & Enrichment Programs Director: Jaya Mohan Associate Director: Leah Gates Associate Director: Kelly Weissberger Associate Director: Emily Kashka-Ginsburg Assistant Director: Cara Fantini Program Manager: Roxane Lovell Program Manager for Outreach: Rachel James

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Alumni News

Support the Pennoni Honors College You can make a difference! When you make a gift to the Pennoni Honors College, you support the tradition of an interdisciplinary education. Every gift counts. To learn more about how you can support the Honors College, contact:

Sarah Fike Nannery sef82@drexel.edu 989.576.1309

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In Brief

Keeping her cool As summer temperatures soared in Philadelphia over the summer, some neighborhoods suffered more than others, and effective heat mitigation techniques are needed now more than ever. Alyssa Kemp, environmental engineering ’25, studied the installation of cooling structures in the Hunting Park neighborhood as a 2021 STAR Scholar. She shared this communityengaged research with a national audience in the WiSys Quick Pitch competition at the 2023 National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Eau Claire, Wisconsin in April. After advancing out of the semi-final round, Alyssa delivered a compelling three-minute pitch in the finals to win second place in the Social Sciences and Humanities category. —Rachel James

Written up Two Smart Set essays, written by Megan Harlan and Aaron Burch, were recently listed as notable essays in the 2023 edition of The Best American Essays.

Harlan’s essay, “Matter,” published July 14, 2022, takes us on a journey to the coast overlooking L’Île d’Aval, an island

easily interrupt every other artwork — when all artworks seem to beg to be interrupted, as on our browsers — we lose that inherence of form, that hope for a coherent sculpture of time,” Harlan writes.

Burch’s June 6, 2022

in Brittany, where she touches on pointillism and pixels and

essay, “A Good Idea,” details

how “nearly ever form of art has been recast as ‘content.’”

the emotional time Burch

“Because for the merely mortal among us, a frame corrals

and a friend tried to rescue a

the one element of living — of physics — that we least

deer stuck in a fence on the

control: Time. Art takes the essential scrolliness of life — the

“…I’m

years — and attempts to

capturing time and honing from it truths beyond its simple unstoppable passing.

But when every artwork can

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thinking

Known for incorporating creative assignments into her syllabi, Melinda is often most pleased with the projects from students who claim they have no creative skills.

Submissions include mood boards, poetry about fandom, ASMR videos and parodies of critical reviews. For their final for a Fall 2022 course on Cass Elliot from the Mamas and the Papas, Melinda instructed the students to create a mock retrospective of the folk singer’s work and the impact she had on pop culture. Applying their individual academic backgrounds, students took center stage with ideas like curating a benefit concert, analyzing Spotify’s algorithm to deduce how Mama Cass’s music is served up, and creating a hip-hop mixed tape in the singer’s honor.

Just as important as it is to score high on the ability to make her students think critically and be intellectually challenged, Melinda also gets an A+ from her students in creating a comfortable classroom experience.

“The always works with her students’ abilities and limitations while simultaneously pushing us to create work that we are proud of and invested in,” says one student.

Another praised her for seeing her as human: “That class made me feel seen, validated, and considered, like I wasn't a robot students expected to complete assignments and nothing else.”

again

about those videos of people

give it meaningful, humanage-old and effective tool for

When teaching popular culture courses, Dr. Melinda Lewis encourages her students to ask, “So what?”

The chemistry major whose plan of study has him isolated within the hard sciences now looks at the social world around him with a more thoughtful eye. The physical therapy student who was leery of a class being too far afield from her major registered for another pop culture class. And a third student who never thought they’d be interested in the course at all, was grateful to be able to learn and expand her horizons.

In the eight years she has taught for Pennoni’s Honors Program and The Symposium, Dr. Lewis, director of strategy for Pennoni Honors College, engages students, pushes them to interrogate the world around them, creates an environment of respect, and makes learning a pleasurable process.

As one former student put it: “Her skills as a professor, [her ability] to create interesting topics and open classroom discussion [are] only suppressed by her ability to bring humanity into her classroom.” These are among the many endorsements that earned Melinda Drexel University’s 2023 Adjunct Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence. The award recognized Lewis and three others as adjunct faculty member who exemplifies the highest quality of teaching and mentorship of students.

She teaches topics from Drexel students’ everyday lives – sex, cinema, fame and fandom, politics and prose, weaving in the philosophical threads of Foucault and panopticons, celebrity and surveillance, and the culture industry.

Assignments for a course on Sex, Politics, and 90s Cinema include pieces about the male gaze, the NC-17 rating, and the genre of Black Queer documentaries. For Hot Messes, an HNRS 200 class about celebrity and aging, students had to make up a celebrity scandal, read about the 18th-century origins of celebrity worship and delve into Britney Spears’ conservatorship. Melinda lectures enthusiastically and moderates student-driven discussions with “more food for thought and things to think about that are interesting to the student – and not just ‘classroom interesting,’” says one student evaluation.

side of the road.

speeding-by minutes, days,

scaled shape. Art is our most

The AWARD GOES TO...

releasing and freeing wild

Spot On

animals from the accidental traps they’ve gotten themselves into and how the animals seem to give themselves over to

121 STAR Scholars spent 10 weeks conducting faculty-

their savior in this moment of calm like they understand,

mentored research, but in their free time, they put together

but this deer keeps jerking and jumping and flopping

a playlist of tunes on Spotify that best represents their

around every time I get near, and only more so when I grab

summer vibes.

its antlers.”

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In Brief

Patterning life Stitched together, a patchwork of memories, images that represent growth and challenge and friendship, sewn together to create a story of perseverance, Conway Zheng set out to tell the story of his sophomore year in a 90-panel crocheted cardigan.

After Conway participated in the STAR Scholars Program, he realized he needed to keep pushing himself toward new experiences that would help him grow. Enticed by the offerings of Undergraduate Research & Enrichment Program’s (UREP) Aspire Scholars Program, Conway, materials science & engineering ’25, applied because the workshops would help him navigate the professional world — something he sought help and guidance for. He held a work-study job in a lab. He moved to Reading, Pa., to co-op at a steel mill and lived with a friend’s family. He spearheaded a blacksmithing team for Drexel’s Material Advantage club. Each experience became a building block, an infusion of courage, to pursue his career ambitions of being a materials scientist or engineer.

As a 2022-23 Aspire Scholar, Conway has benefitted greatly from the lessons, tools and community provided by the program.

“We had discussions on making personal goals, little steps that we can take toward them, what kind of mentors would we like, and how to identify and reach out to those mentors,” he says. “We learned about different tools we can use to identify our values and organize our goals so we can focus on what we really want and what is important to us.”

The program, Conway acknowledges, gave him the opportunity and the initiative to think about all these

ideas. It provided a community of other hard-working sophomores. It also gave him the confidence to reach out to professionals in his field. It pushed him to leave his comfort zone: He commutes from his home in Clementon, New Jersey, but suddenly he was looking into how to apply for Study Abroad. Other benefits: The program also taught him how to show kindness to himself, to help him prevent burnout, and to deter him from comparing himself to others.

Conway’s confidence has grown exponentially both personally and professionally over the last year, says Cara Fantini, assistant director of UREP. “Conway took the Aspire curriculum in stride and brought his best self to our meetings. He has always been quietly studious but now he also emulates self-assurance in his decisions.”

Scholars are expected to complete a final project that captures their time in the program. Some students write essays. Some make videos. But to keep the momentum going, Conway wanted to tackle something big, ambitious.

So even though he’d only ever crocheted cute flowers or stuffed animals, a YouTube video of someone crocheting a cardigan sparked his determination – tongue-in-cheek pun intended, he says — to thread his experiences and relationships together to tell a story and wear it for all to see.

The loose-fitting button-up tells the story of Conway’s sophomore year: The cuffs and the collar mimic varsity jackets with Drexel’s colors. The bottom two rows are a continuous piece, depicting the commuter train Conway rides from New Jersey. Among the patches are daisies and daffodils to represent his growth in confidence;

co-oping at a steel mill, all essentially within one year of each other, I feel much more confident with trying new things. I am really proud of how I’ve gone from someone who was afraid of going to college far away from New Jersey to moving across the whole Pacific Ocean to study in Singapore!”

The cardigan, Cara agrees, is a testament to Conway’s journey.

“This project is the culmination of many leaps of faith that Conway has taken over the last year; and the outcome is a beautiful story that weaves them all together and reminds us of the value of believing in yourself.”

If he commits himself to a square every two days, he

"conway hopes to wear his heart — and his experiences — on his sleeve(s)."

hopes to finish in 2024.

chrysanthemums or mums to represent his mother, who always cooks a late-night dinner for him; a snail and fences to highlight the family he lived with while co-oping; patterns and animals to represent friends — who had his figurative back but would now be worn on his literal back.

Conway hopes to wear his heart — and his experiences — on his sleeve(s). He wants to show friends and family and mentors what they mean to him. He wants a sweater to keep him cozy, the way the warmth of his friends’ love has helped him grow.

Conway’s cardigan is not yet wearable. Each square takes him between one and a half and three hours to complete.

Read the room Julian Brown, psychology ’27, STAR, reads with a cup of coffee in Bentley Hall’s Annette Pennoni Living Room.

He has finished 24 of his 90 patches. He grew up rarely venturing farther than his apartment, school or parents’ restaurant, but he’s now studying abroad in Singapore — his first time on a plane by himself.

“After going through STAR Scholars, Aspire Scholars, moving out to live with a friend’s family (for co-op), and

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In Brief

Pop, the question Celebrates its 50th episode After so many questions and answers over the years, you would think that a longstanding podcast like Pop, the Question would run out of fresh material. On the contrary, Pennoni’s pop-culture conversation series kicked off its seventh season with the start of the latest academic year.

There’s the jaunty season premiere, exploring nooks and crannies of the Disney-Pixar classic Ratatouille with Pennoni alumnus and film fan Clayton Fosterweber. And, following that, PopQ celebrated its 50th episode with very special guest, Dean Paula Marantz Cohen.

In this landmark installment, PopQ host Dr. Melinda Lewis prompts Dean Cohen to shine the spotlight on one of her favorite TV series of all time: the original Perry Mason.

The two also cross-examine the later crime/investigation drama Columbo and its protagonist.

With 50 diverse episodes under its belt — addressing everything from superheroes, celebrity crushes, reality TV, and punk rock to science writing, dystopian literature,

and a speculative zombie apocalypse — the podcast series promises even more extraordinary Drexel community guests and topics of discussion for its Season 7 and beyond.

Find Pop, the Question at popqpodcast.com, on WKDU 91.7 FM every Friday morning, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. —Brian Kantorek

Former Water Woman Gives 2023 CustomDesigned Major Commencement Address Maura Jarvis, sustainable product development ‘16, was the keynote speaker at Pennoni’s 2023 CustomDesigned Major (CSDN) Commencement ceremony. In her speech, the environmental justice advocate, a water communications specialist with the Philadelphia Water

Department (PWD), also transforms into PWD’s superhero mascot, Water Woman. She spoke to the 15 CSDN graduates and their friends and family about superheroes, the major

"BEING ABLE TO MAKE SOMETHING FOR STUDENTS,

BY STUDENTS, IS AN INDELIBLE EXPERIENCE."

and absolute point, a fixed constant that cannot be altered.

“A choice, a force, an accident, destiny … I could have had an infinite number of outcomes or professions after declaring a custom major, but it was at that moment when I reached the absolute point that would ultimately lead me to standing before you as a superhero today. I also believe each of your choices to do the same was an absolute point for all of you. You each have a story that’s still being written, but I hope you agree that choosing this major was your absolute point that allowed you to tap into your unique power. On this day we honor your commencement, the beginning of a greater story in which you will achieve things so amazing and fantastic, they will be worthy of being told in a comic

Leading up to Pennoni’s 2023 Block Party during

“The opportunity to be involved in such an incredible

Welcome Week, Marketing & Media co-ops Felicia Wolfer,

process was invaluable,” Olivier says. “Being able to make

graphic design ’24 and Olivier Jacques, communication ’26,

something for students, by students, is an indelible

spearheaded the design and creation of SWAG materials,

experience. After months of vision boarding, promoting and

marketing photo shoot and Instagram campaign to This very publication, Honor Bound, received a first-

planning, it was even more rewarding to see students use

promote the September event and merch drop. The results:

place award in the faculty/administrator/student print

and interact with our products and material, whether it was

hats, cups, notebooks, tote bags, buttons and stickers that

category for the 2023 National Collegiate Honors Council

wearing our merch or interacting with our social platforms.

celebrate Pennoni as a guiding force, empowering Drexel

What Felicia and I created in that time was a great form of

students to explore the world around them.

empowerment for students — but also for me."

book or on a movie screen.”

Winning 'em over

Newsletter Contest!

8

Get this party started

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t g h n e i g G d ap i r B Between T heo e c i t ry and Prac Attending undergraduate research conferences provides students presentation experience, meaningful connections and food for thought

By Erica Levi Zelinger Drexel students attend the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Wisconsin. Meredith Davies stands in the back on the right.

M

eredith Davies went through nine rounds of edits

competition that you only have so much time to explain your

before she considered her STAR Scholar research

research, that you can’t use the fancy words you learned

complete in summer 2022. Two graduate students

in the lab, that you have to make the science as relatable

in the Wheatley Research Lab had weighed in. Her principal

as possible — her research explored injecting bubbles

investigator Dr. Margaret Wheatley had made changes.

containing this organic compound into a vein and then using

Then she presented her poster at the 2022 STAR Scholars

low-intensity ultrasound to release waves that burst the

Summer Showcase. She even talked through the same

bubbles and deliver a drug to a cancer patient as an alter-

research on microencapsulation of Rose bengal in micro-

native to chemotherapy.

bubbles for use with sonodynamic therapy — or an alternative to chemotherapy — at the Emerging Technologies

audience impact,” Meredith says, “and how your findings can

Consortium in Philadelphia.

affect someone’s life and future, instead of just discussing the

But when she submitted an application in January to attend and present at the World Congress on Undergraduate

nitty-gritty research methods.”

So, she went back to the Wheatley Lab where she had

Research (WCUR) in Warwick, UK with Pennoni’s

conducted the research to help flesh out the answers the

Undergraduate Research & Enrichment Programs (UREP),

reviewers required. Her revisions were successful.

she received comments from reviewers picking the research

Meredith was one of seven students who attended

apart sentence by sentence. They were looking for more

and presented at WCUR. A week later she was one of

clarity on the drug, more background on the technology, and

seven students to present at the National Conference on

whether the technique is viable for humans.

Undergraduate Research in Eau Claire, WI.

The rigorous review process, however, was an indis-

Meredith continues to mull over the comments and lessons

pensable experience for Meredith, a custom-designed major

she learned at these conferences when she volunteers at

in pharmaceutical sciences ’26, as her personal plan of study

the Lazarex Cancer Wellness Hub at the Lindy Center for

not only incorporates biomedical engineering and biochem-

Civic Engagement. She is working with West Philadelphia

istry, but also science communication.

residents in the Promise Zone on cancer education to

She knew from participating in the STAR Quick Pitch

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“It is just as important in research to emphasize the

improve clinical trial diversity. As part of her final project

for UREP’s Aspire Scholars program, she wrote a proposal

more opportunities to network and meet people from all

for virtual mini-courses on mental health programming

over the world.

for cancer patients, and credits attending these research

At NCUR, she attended a presentation made by the Mayo

conferences in furthering her science communication skills.

Clinic about translating research from the lab to the clinic.

“I need to be able to explain the term cancer, the risk factors,

There is a humongous gap in our current system, they noted,

the mitigation — and I need to be able to communicate that

where we are developing amazing technologies and drugs,

passionately whether you have a PhD or a GED.”

but it is taking 20-40 years to reach the clinic. How can we

“Meredith is a great example of how transformational

expedite this process?

attending undergraduate research conferences can be,” says

“I was impressed by how Meredith took full advantage

Emily Kashka-Ginsburg, associate director of UREP. “They

of these two opportunities while managing her rigorous

are inherently interdisciplinary, bringing together under-

coursework,” Kashka-Ginsburg says. “For WCUR, we took

graduates from across different fields of study to present

a red eye flight to the UK and two long bus rides to the

their work. Students often leave these experiences with new

University of Warwick before checking into our hotel. While

questions and motivations within their own research.”

the majority of our group slept for the various legs of the

Presenting orally, as she did at both conferences, was more

journey, Meredith spent nearly all of our transit time working

intimidating than a poster presentation, Meredith says. “But

to keep up with the coursework she was missing to be at

absolutely go for it. If you take the first step, you’ll get more

WCUR. Throughout the conference, she attended numerous

and more comfortable.”

presentations and social events, networked with peers from

At WCUR, sessions were presented by theme — health, data, power — while NCUR was divided by disciplines — hard sciences, public health. Meredith’s preference was the

across the globe, and gave a fantastic oral presentation on her quite technical research.”

Meredith has always imagined herself in a hard science lab

super interdisciplinary — WCUR where she sat on a panel

studying oncology, but working at the cancer wellness hub

of three students — one presenting about a new star in the

and interacting in the community has opened her eyes to the

sky and another working on an app for cardiovascular risk

multiple ways she can do research.

factors. The international setting at WCUR also offered

“It’s not just about test tubes.”

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Pennoni’s Program in Civic Foundations Joins Forces with STAR Scholars

By Kevin Egan, director of Academic Programs

T

his past summer, four STAR students took part in a special opportunity to link their research endeavors to broader conceptions of public purpose and civic good. These four students had been part of the Honors Program in Civic Foundations (PCF) first-year course series — an initiative funded by a grant from the Teagle Foundation, which supports and strengthens liberal arts education. A portion of this grant was dedicated to fund these four 2023 STAR Scholar students. The Teagle STAR Scholars were able to take advantage of this opportunity in two different ways: one student, whose work directly related to a civic enterprise, was fully funded by the Teagle grant. In this capacity, the Teagle STAR Scholar engaged in mentored research geared toward advancing the mission of civic education, and they worked with members of the PCF to identify such opportunities.

Additionally, the three other students who were engaged in research that fell outside the scope of a “civic mission” were able to still stay involved. In those cases, the Teagle grant partially funded their positions with the expectation that those students, along with fully funded STAR Scholar, participate in three discussion meetings throughout the term. These meetings were one-hour sessions over lunch during weeks 2, 5, and 8 of the summer term, during which the group discussed where they saw public purpose in the research they conducted. These conversations were intended to help them connect their work to the broader themes and concepts of the PCF. This allowed students who were engaged with both civic-oriented research and discipline-specific research projects to continue to grapple with the ideas that were discussed over the past year and think about new ways in which to apply them to their research commitments.

For this iteration of the Teagle STAR Scholars, Amelia Niedermier, architecture ’28, was fully funded and three others, Caroline Kokolus, nursing ’26; Ajani Levere, computer science ’27; and Emily Woodland, BS/MS biomedical engineering ’27, took part in the ongoing discussions. We used a framework developed out by Drs. Karen Bogenschneider and Thomas Corbett in their work on evidence-based policymaking to think about the different ways that research can be used for policymaking or more generally to benefit the public: • Deciding how to distribute resources (allocation shifting) • Informing design, implementation, or regulation (tactics shifting) • Making decisions based on desired outcomes (solutions shifting) • Transforming how we think about issues or choices (framework shifting) • Shifting public agenda priorities (salience shifting) • Bringing new issues into public dialogue (awareness shifting) In one of our meetings, we talked about which of these ways seemed to be reflected in, or had the potential for application of, their STAR research projects. Interestingly, each student found that a different idea (or combinations of ideas) resonated with them, the predominant ways being tactics shifting, allocation shifting, framework shifting, and solutions shifting. Yet, a common theme in discussing each of these was that they saw them geared toward their concerns of wanting to make the fruits of their research accessible, equitable and inclusive.

"The PCF course series was a critical educational opportunity because it blended my passion for civic engagement with research while allowing me to contribute to the community."

P

CF nicely complemented Amelia’s STAR Scholar research working with associate professors Ulrike Altenmüller-Lewis, Debra Ruben and multiple

(Amelia Niedermier, Emily Woodland)

community groups to create a course-in-the-box for Drexel and other institutions for an introductory course on designing playful spaces.

“The PCF course series was a critical educational opportunity because it blended my passion for civic engagement with research while allowing me to contribute to the community. The series allowed me to experiment with my academics and passion for civic engagement while helping me grow in multiple dimensions of working for and with the community.

Emily saw her project “Drexel Dragon Heart: Next Generation Blood Pump Design for Pediatric Patients with Heart Failure” as an extension of what she studied in The Program for Civic Foundations.

“PCF strengthened my ability to empathize with not only my peers, but the entire Drexel community,” Emily says. “I see my STAR project as an extension of this same humanitarianism, as the devices I am helping to create will shape therapies for those in need far into the future.”

At first, Caroline says, her research project centered around developing medical devices for use in the home care setting didn’t seem to align with civic ideals. But through their group discussions, she discovered it was a good example of allocation shifting.

“By making this ultrasound therapy available in the home care setting, we are attempting to shift the way we approach the treatment of chronic wounds to better suit patients' and caregivers' needs,” Caroline says.

It was impressive to see a group of young researchers to be very well-versed in the technical and methodological aspects of their research, as well as conscientious of ethical considerations. I was also very impressed to hear them speak with sophistication about the way that community plays out in their respective research enterprises. For some, it is explicitly about working with members of the community surrounding Drexel as driving forces of the research itself; for others, their sense of community is derived by the intellectual community they feel is developing in their labs and research spaces — they talked about their heightened awareness of such community and its role in co-constructing knowledge.

Moving forward, we hope the Teagle STAR Scholar option will provide a space for students to develop the content knowledge and skills of a more traditional STAR experience while also cultivating more awareness of how that research fits into a broader spectrum of considerations for public purpose.

(Ajani Levere, Caroline Kokolus)

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13

The Case for Collaborative Care

moral distress often arises when nurses know what is

and Collaborative Education

the challenges that nurses face, our resolution stated,

By Elisabeth Dumont, nursing ’23

P

primary factor that led me to pursue a degree

in nursing was working to improve the blueprint for success by employing collaboration and teamwork. It was a natural fit to supplement my core curriculum by immersing myself in the Pennoni Honors College, a spot on the Drexel campus known for its collaborative efforts.

Being a Pennoni student offered me the opportunity to integrate information, research, and experiential learning covering multiple disciplines and fields of study. I took many classes outside of my core nursing courses, driving home the need for collaborative education among majors and disciplines. Course topics included biodiversity and the studies of American biologist, E. O. Wilson; community engagement and social impact; the architecture and history of Philadelphia rowhomes; examining how our society has evolved with modern technology; and exploring civility and social interactions and what it means to be “mannered” and/or “civilized” in today’s society.

Within the civility course, I participated in a moderated small group discussion from Pennoni’s Center for Civil Discourse. I was also able to incorporate my major into honors credit through Honors Option projects within my holistic self-care and gerontology courses. Overall, being a part of the prestigious Pennoni Honors program was a

helplessness has led nurses to leave the profession in droves, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The shortage of resources, low staffing levels, and hostile work environments further exacerbate moral distress, making it a critical issue that must be addressed. Further exploring

experience burnout, most likely due to stressful work My deeply engrained passion for nursing and health care motivates me to make a positive impact in the lives of patients as well as a contribution toward the advancement of the nursing profession. That is why, before I graduated in Spring 2023, and with help from Pennoni Honors Association (NSNA) Conference with the Drexel Student

decrease. Team members feel respected. The

forces from acting upon their values. This feeling of

we found that one-third to one-half of U.S. clinicians

College, I attended the National Student Nurses atient outcomes improve. Medical complications

right ethically but find themselves restrained by external

Nurses Association in Nashville in April. The purpose of this student-centered conference is to unite and guide nursing students, foster collaboration, provide networking opportunities with mentors and healthcare systems across the United States, and support our journey throughout our nursing education.

A major portion of the conference involved resolution hearings, where student delegates can listen and unanimously vote upon resolutions written by nursing students to be adopted by the NSNA. These resolutions included a diverse range of topics such as efforts to decrease nurse burnout, provide care post-COVID-19, advocate for increased accessibility to lactating spaces, enhance student nurses’ knowledge of cultural competence through simulation, and integrate interprofessional education into the nursing curriculum. The Drexel Student Nurses Association collaborated with nursing students at the University of Connecticut to submit a resolution titled Increasing Awareness of Supportive Nurse Leadership to Manage Moral Distress, Job Satisfaction, and Nurse Retention. Having heard stories from experienced nurses, we understood that

environments. Nevertheless, there are still many inspiring stories from nurses who decide to persevere and remain

"

Being a part of the prestigious Pennoni Honors program was a privilege that opened doors to unique opportunities for both personal and professional growth.

"

in their health care roles due to positive well-being and supportive leadership. Specifically, transformational leaders have the ability to stimulate intellect, guide nurses toward achieving their goals, encourage active participation, and boost self-confidence by entrusting nurses with responsibilities while still considering one’s individuality and unique potential. Therefore, Drexel and the University of Connecticut firmly believe that nurse job satisfaction is positively correlated with proper support and empowerment from leaders. Drexel and UConn advocated at this resolution hearing for increased education and understanding of moral distress, thus ensuring that all nurses are equipped to navigated challenging situations, such as COVID-19. The resolution sought to promote supportive nurse leadership styles, raise awareness about moral distress, and empower nurses to create positive work environments. With all of this in mind, nurse job satisfaction, retention rates, and overall well-being can improve, therefore benefiting both nurses and the patients they care for.

The NSNA conference allowed me to immerse myself in an educational environment, where inspiring speakers, engaging workshops, and the resolution hearings deepened my understanding of critical nursing issues and leadership skills. The sense of unity and passion my fellow students and I shared was truly inspiring and affirmed my commitments toward the nursing profession.

I am confident that I have gained further knowledge and motivation to strive for excellence as a nurse and make meaningful impacts on my future coworkers, patients, and my community.

privilege that opened doors to unique opportunities for both personal and professional growth. By embracing the Honors program’s commitment to innovative and interdisciplinary education, I have been empowered to excel in my studies, collaborate with esteemed faculty and actively engage in healthcare initiatives.

14

15

Bugging Out Drexel master’s alumna on Fulbright and National Geographic fellowships documents and photographs insect collections in Borneo

By Erica Levi Zelinger

T

he worksite is off the grid. Electricity is limited.

establish an insect specimen research collection to document

There is no AC. There is no refrigerator. Just

the understudied insect biodiversity of the peat swamp

two degrees from the equator at low elevation,

forest. She is targeting areas of the forest undergoing resto-

humidity hovers regularly around 90 percent. And if Isa

ration and also exploring how orangutans create habitats for

Betancourt doesn’t process her specimens promptly, they

other animals through their habitual nest creation.

may get stolen.

There’s no security breach or premeditated heist, though — the bug burglary happens right in front of her.

there, she thought, “Gosh, the bugs here are so cool, there’s so

Isa, MS communication ’20, is prepping to process and

little known about them … I felt the drive to come back here.”

photograph the insects which she has collected at a field

She specifically chose Fulbright Indonesia to apply to

site 9,500 miles from Philadelphia in the red, sparkling

because she already had connections and knew her way

swamp waters of Borneo. She takes out the collection vials

around some of the permitting and bureaucratic challenges

from the day's catch and pours the dead specimens on the

she’d face. While Indonesia is the fourth-largest country in

table, and suddenly, they start moving.

the world population-wise, it is disproportionally underrep-

An ant thief has strutted over, grabbed the stalk-eyed fly (Family: Diopsidae) with her mandibles and trotted away with it.

Sometimes the “enemy” is the very thing Isa is working

While hanging on the trunk of a tree in the forest mid-story, Isa focuses her macro lens to photograph an insect on a Komunda vine. Photo by Rumaan Malhotra

16

Isa, a graduate of Cornell University, first traveled to Borneo in 2014 as an orangutan research assistant. While

resented at entomology conferences and has a low number of entomology collections, Isa says.

Separate from the Fulbright US Student Study grant, her stunning photography skills also garnered her a prestigious

with the National University in Indonesia on a Fulbright

Fulbright National Geographic Storytelling Fellowship,

fellowship studying. Once a curatorial assistant of

receiving additional funding from Nat Geo and mentorship

entomology at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel

from the magazine’s photographers to share her research

University, Isa has been in Indonesia since October 2022 to

through digital storytelling.

Pictured above from left to right: a Five-bar Swordtail (Graphium antiphates); the Emerald Moth (Tanaorhinus rafflesii)

17

I

sa’s Nat Geo contributions advance her goal of fusing

answers interview questions over voice messages sent via

the study of entomology with her communication

WhatsApp. But she must stop recording for a moment —

experience and connecting the public to the data and

she’s heard leaves rustling above and thinks there may be

knowledge she is discovering in the natural environment.

When she’s doing field work, Isa brings along her selfie stick — in part because of the live streaming she often does, but also to get her phone camera closer to the

an orangutan near camp.

While on the rugged island in Southeast Asia, she’s also logging field notes for Nat Geo’s website.

“What moves into the orangutan nest after the orang-

insects she is inspecting. And she doesn’t go anywhere

utans move out?” she writes, sharing information from

without a little container in case she sees something she

the Tuanan Orangutan Research Station in the Mawas

wants to catch and photograph later. She often posts

Conservation Area in the Kapuas Regency of Central Kali-

her findings or consults on iNaturalist, an online global

mantan, Indonesia.

network of people interested in documenting and sharing their biodiversity observations.

She's even discovered a new favorite insect group in Borneo — the raspy cricket also known as the leaf-rolling

Even as the insects chirp and sing in the background of Isa’s recordings, her inquisitive and soulful nature comes through.

“I find the rainy season here to be more magical [than

cricket, because while keeping it in a container with

the dry season] because the water table rises … and it

tissues to photograph it, she noticed that the spunky guy

feels different and it feels special and the water sparkles

with super long antenna produced and used silk to fasten

and it’s red, which sounds weird, but it’s a clear, pretty red

together leaves — and in this case tissue — to create a nook

from the tannins from the plants, and when the sun shines

to safely sleep in during the daytime. This cricket group is

through, the reflection lights up the bottom side of leaves

the only of its kind to produce silk!

in a beautiful, magical way.”

The nearby cell tower runs off solar power, so Isa

Pinned and dried insects with labels to make them research-grade will serve as evidence for the insect biodiversity checklist Isa is drafting for the Mawas Conservation Area peat swamp forest. They will be stored either at her counterpart university or in the National Indonesian Collection and be a resource for future studies.

Isa Betancourt and M. Hudan Assalam preserve dragonfly specimens that they collected along forest transects as a project to compare biodiversity in areas of the forest undergoing restoration.

I

"

Some people fear bugs, but most insects don't bat a wing about us. They are critical players in our environment.

sa can still recall where her love affair with bugs started: She was four and the summer sun was sinking toward the horizon, and there in the light

patches on the back porch of her suburban Philly home with her parents and identical twin sister, there was a butterfly that came to perch. The family named it Flyvie.

And for several days, Flyvie would return to visit the girls.

“When I was in college, I learned that this type of butter-

"

fly — the red admiral — is very territorial, and the males will guard a sunny patch for territory,” Isa said laughing. “So, while we thought that we were friends with Flyvie, Flyvie was actually angry with us. We were in Flyvie’s sunny patch that afternoon. It wasn’t as amicable of a relationship as we thought.”

Isa, a natural history ambassador and “badass trailblazer,” as one friend refers to her, loves that more than two decades after that memory, she understands the meaning behind that moment.

“The insect world is full of amazing interactions and colors and textures and inspiration,” she says. “There’s a lot we can learn from them: How they have existed on this planet for hundreds of millions of years. Insects pollinate. Insects are important decomposers. they are critical food sources for birds and other animals, they are recyclers, they are sources of inspiration and technology.”

18

Left: Isa holding a leaf katydid.

19

"S

he’s the published author of Backyard Bugs of

later, the golden tortoise beetle was also my favorite bug.

Philadelphia, once hosted a weekly livestream at the

She really has a gift for helping people learn to love some-

Academy, and planned a 3-course dinner made from

thing they start out fearing.”

the magicicada septendecim — the 17-year periodical cicada

Some people fear bugs, but most insects don't bat a

was served with cocktail sauce, smoked over three-cheese

wing about us, Isa says. “They are critical players in our

grits and covered in chocolate and served with cannoli.

environment. They pollinate, they are food sources for birds

Afraid of insects, you say?

and other animals, they are recyclers, they are sources of

Isa will find one you can appreciate. If you like music or

inspiration and technology, they have been used for medical

to sing, there are insects that produce funky sounds. If you

advancements, they are used for the grout of a mosaic or

like shiny things, there are some brilliant and iridescent

brick wall ... they hold the natural world together and fill

insects to observe. If you don’t like spiders, maybe you’d

the gaps. They are crucial for maintaining the balance and

like the pirate spider because it eats other spiders. Or Isa’s

we need them.”

favorite, the golden tortoise beetle, the zero-waste insect

Isa began working with the Undergraduate Research &

and fastest reversibly color-changing arthropod known to

Enrichment Programs on her Fulbright application materials

man, which she first came across right in Mantua near the

back in 2019. She first received the Fulbright for the 2020-

Drexel campus.

2021 year but had to push her start date back due to COVID.

“When Isa was doing her campus interview for her Ful-

“It took about two years before I was able to get going,

bright application, I asked her about her favorite Philadel-

but being connected with National Geographic is such a

phia bug,” says Leah Gates, associate director of Undergrad-

dream,” Isa says.

uate Research and Enrichment Programs. “Five minutes

One of the many strikingly patterned lichen moths that fly to the hallway lights at the Tuanan Orangutan Research Station (Species: Cyme reticulata)

Isa walks down the main trail at Camp Tuanan, armed with her bug net, compass, machete (around the waist), and backpack filled with water, snacks, notebook, camera and entomology supplies.

The phone leash is one of her favorite gadgets, as it allows her to keep her phone on hand and at the ready wherever she goes so she may quickly snap shots of surprise insects and other animal encounters. You never know what you might encounter in the forest or even while moving about the field station!

S

20

environmental social scientist, who supports her

and processes ideas for Isa’s project.

Isa was also selected to participate in the magazine’s second assistant program, allowing her to travel with Nat Geo photographer Jaime Rojo on assignment for a butterfly project, helping him set up shoots and allowing her to see the day-to-day business side of things.

“It was great to see all the thought and care and dedication and concentration that he put into his work,” Isa

Isa grew up in the Philly suburbs with the safe, fuzzy, and native eastern tent caterpillars. It was a surprise to her to learn how incredibly feared fuzzy caterpillars are in this tropical peat swamp forest!

They certainly look cute, but can leave intense rashes on the skin of those who are unlucky and brush up against them.

"

says. “This was a fantastic experience that really filled a lot of gaps for me about how being a photographer works. It was good for thinking about my gear and workflow as I was getting close to leaving for the fellowship.”

Nat Geo flew Isa back in January 2023 to attend a storytelling summit where National Geographic Society staff

There’s a lot we can learn from insects: How they have existed on this planet for hundreds of millions of years. Insects pollinate. Insects are important decomposers.

They are critical food sources for birds and other animals, they are recyclers, they are sources of inspiration and technology.

"

Explore Isa's latest field notes blog on Nat Geo!

he was matched with Nat Geo mentor Gabby Salazar, a conservation photographer and an

hosted workshops and select storytellers presented their assignments on the main stage.

Isa's earned the lifetime role of National Geographic Explorer, which provides her access to resources for storytelling, their internal grants database, and the explorer community.

While it is not guaranteed that her work will be published in the magazine, at the end of her Fulbright this fall, she’ll have a chance to pitch her work to editors and staff.

Additionally, financial support from an Insect Diversity Association Fund within the Entomology Department at the Academy, allowed Isa to support an Indonesian undergraduate student — M. Hudan Assalam — to work with her in the forest and mentor him as he works on a butterfly bait preference project for his undergraduate degree.

“Isa has really used her Fulbright to have an impact beyond her own research, from her public work to finding funding for Hudan,” Leah says. “She has even been mentoring one of our current Drexel students as he applies for a Fulbright to study orangutans at the same research site.”

She’s picking up a bit of Bahasa Dayak, the local language, as she traipses through the Bornean peat swamp forest. This endangered habitat, with an average peat thickness of about 15 feet, is a critical carbon reservoir.

When she returns from Indonesia, she may apply for graduate school and the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program. She’s also interested in potentially working for a wildlife organization or finding a job as an entomology collection manager.

“I don’t have a set plan — I’m available for hire!”

Follow Isa on Instagram: @isabetabug

21

M

oving across country is stressful. Starting a new job is taxing. Finding a place to live in a city — much less a state — you’ve never

been to is overwhelming. But doing it alongside a friend from Pennoni Honors College helps.

Aviroop Majumdar and Gaurav Pandey were next-door neighbors their first year in Meyers Hall. Avi from Calcutta, India. Gaurav from Nepal. The two students became fast friends and shared a few mechanical engineering classes their first year. They both did STAR in Summer 2019: Avi, BS/MS mechanical engineering ’23, built and designed a remote-controlled racing drone.

Gaurav, BS/MS mechanical engineering ’23, Honors, did research at Ben-Gurion University in Israel, fabricating monolayers of polystyrene sphere on silicon used to manufacture nanowires. In September 2020, Avi began at Kulicke & Soffa in Fort Washington, Pa., working as an advanced packaging mechanical engineering co-op. When his co-op ended in March 2021, Gaurav took on that position and continued through the fall.

So, when they discovered senior year while working together on a design project that they’d both be working for Tesla in Austin, Texas, it just made sense. They’d be roomies.

On July 3, the duo set out to drive from Philadelphia to Austin, stopping in Washington, D.C. to see the Washington Monument; Knoxville, Tennessee to the Ijams Nature Center; Nashville to try hot chicken; Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas; and Memphis to the Petersen Automotive Museum, to see the first Tesla Roadster from 2008 and get excited about their new gigs.

They settled into a 2-bedroom apartment in Mueller, Texas.

Avi applied to Tesla in December 2022 through a posting he saw in Drexel’s Mechanical Engineering Department from Drexel alumnus Scott Goehringer, BS/MS mechanical engineering ’11, MS engineering management ’16. Gaurav applied for and interviewed for a position with Scott, as well as directly through the Tesla website.

Gaurav Pandey and Aviroop Majumdar with a 2008 Tesla Roadster in Memphis, Tennessee.

Gaurav works as an associate manufacturing equipment engineer on Tesla’s cybertrucks, Avi is a process equipment engineer working on battery cells.

Scott had only been at Tesla as a manufacturing engineer manager for a few months in 2021 when he was looking to scale up operations and hire several entry-level engineers and immediately reached out to his former engineering professors to establish a connection between Drexel and Tesla.

In the two years since, he has recruited 10 Drexel students.

“Because of the co-op program, Drexel students have done really well here,” says Scott. “They are among our best performing engineers. Drexel graduates have a willingness to get dirty. They have the mechanical and statistical background. They know how to run an experiment and put together a report. They have that troubleshooting mentality for problem-solving. It’s already in their back pocket.”

One bonus to interviewing with an alum: You don’t have to explain the co-op program, Gaurav says. Scott made offers to both Avi and Gaurav, though ultimately Gaurav accepted a different position at the company.

Tesla is especially fitting, Gaurav says, for Honors College students.

“You are taught to think differently and creatively and to think about how to solve a problem,” he says fondly. “It’s a lot like the Honors College."

Two Pennoni Honors College students move cross-country together for work

By Erica Levi Zelinger 22

Photo above and right: Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

23

W

hen Lozen Robinson was a preschooler in the Philly suburbs, she wanted to be a ballerina. It was more than just a little girl’s dream.

Trained in a classical Russian ballet school, Lozen spent

g n i n r u T

Po i n te

her childhood donning tutus and ballet slippers and spending her off-seasons in summer intensives.

But by the time she arrived at Drexel as a dance major she wanted something different than a career in dance.

She pursued Westphal’s dance movement therapy track, and then began poking holes at her narrowed focus. With a burgeoning curiosity in the mind-body connection, she opted to bypass the nutrition course offered to dance students and instead, enrolled in a cells and biomolecules class.

And then she fell for cells.

So she applied to the STAR Scholars program on a whim.

“I didn’t even know what research was,” she says. “I almost didn’t do it because I was so stressed out. I was coming off my first year as a dance major and contemplating neurobiology. But I found a principal investigator who was amazing

Custom-designed major Lozen Robinson may have hung up her ballet shoes, but the determination and discipline remain

By Erica Levi Zelinger

enough to welcome me into his autism lab and I was working with a grad student who was an ex-dancer. I didn’t feel like I belonged until this experience. This was the single most influential experience in college.”

"

I must have made 1,000 plans of study … I was going to go a different route … but then I realized — this was the program for me.

"

Lozen began contemplating double majors, but was really interested in three fields: biological sciences, health sciences and psychology. Once in STAR, she heard about Pennoni’s custom-designed major program (CSDN) and requested a meeting with Dr. Katie Barak, the associate director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry, who advises students about CSDN. "Many Custom-Designed students experience a moment of trepidation during the application process,” says Dr. Katie Barak. “Their plan-of-study and vision statement have been approved by experts, but they have to commit to themselves.

It's a really personal leap of faith.”

24

Lozen at the Eiffel Tower.

25

L

"

ozen grappled with the decision. “I must have made 1,000 plans of study,” Lozen jokes. “I talked to Katie, but the idea of a custom-designed major was so terri-

fying. I told her later I was going to go a different route…

"

but in time I realized — this was the program for me.”

Katie describes her as a unicorn. “From our first conversation, Lozen felt like one of our Custom students. She is a deep critical thinker who puts herself in unfamiliar, challenging positions. I was heartbroken when she

Lozen eating a cheese crepe along the Seine River in Paris.

faltered during the application process, but was overjoyed when it clicked."

If she hadn’t gotten into CSDN, Lozen admits, she would have transferred.

“Custom-design has given me the flexibility to explore that no other major or double major would have. I shout it from the rooftops. I think it is one of the best programs that Drexel has.”

Since joining the program, Lozen’s interests have continued to shift. A lot. Now an integrative neuroscience major in her final year at Drexel, Lozen is combining molecular neurobiology, psychosocial approaches and somatic dance movement therapy. Once a member of the Drexel Dance Ensemble, she gave up the contemporary craft because of the time commitment, but still practices yoga and Pilates.

“I don’t know if I see dance continuing in my career,” she concedes, “but dance will always inform my work — even if it’s indirect. It teaches a flexibility of mind that I haven’t learned anywhere else and it’s definitely not learned in science. I’ve been taught the grit that is needed to be a scientist."

Custom-design has given me the flexibility to explore that no other major or double major would have. I shout it from the rooftops. I think it is one of the best programs that Drexel has.

I

t’s that tenacity that landed her a spring/summer 2023 co-op in France after cold-emailing 15 different labs in Paris, getting three positive responses, interviewing with

two and getting offers from both.

There is already existing research about microglia — resident immune cells — in adults, but Lozen spent the summer working at École Normale Supéricure on brain development and neuroimmune interactions in young mice to help determine disease and disorder context such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Like STAR, this project became Lozen’s baby and she devoted herself to it during her time in Paris — in addition to trying all the French cheeses. The lapsed vegan reintroduced dairy because, “there’s a ‘law’ in Paris that you can’t live more than five minutes from a bakery and 15 minutes from a market.”

Lozen returned to Philadelphia for her senior year and headed back to the site of her first co-op, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, to collaborate with a music therapist working with a chronic pain population to study

"

Everything is research...

Scientific research in a lab, at a bench, with brains, has a reputation for being research, but if you are an artist, you can do research. Everyone can do research!

"

26

how music effects stress and resilience in patients.

Creative arts therapy still gets discredited in the medical community, Lozen says. “It is drug-focused, but there are non-pharmacological treatments available, too. It’s a necessary niche.”

“Everything is research,” she adds. “Scientific research in a lab, at a bench, with brains, has a reputation for being research, but if you are an artist, you can do research.

Everyone can do research!”

She’s also been in and around Philly her entire life, so Lozen is particularly interested in applying for graduate study in the UK and ending up in Europe long-term.

Lozen plans to work with Undergraduate Research & Enrichment Programs — because “Pennoni is truly the best thing at Drexel” — to apply for a selection of fellowships as well as PhD programs in neuroscience abroad.

Lozen at the Louvre.

27

g of Toys a B r B e H the Kids to rought the Yard All

T

hey started a group chat appropriately called “Outdoor Recess,” and each day, someone would text, “4 pm today?” Someone would reply, “My class ends

at 5 — let’s play then.”

Shivani began lugging around a janky brown duffel bag — her words — to hold all the essentials: sunscreen, picnic blanket, Bluetooth speaker, a tennis ball, a pink volleyball, badminton rackets, water guns, playing cards, read-aloud books, Cards Against Humanity, a word-search book, a neon soccer ball, and her blue-green frisbee.

“I was always laughing and out of breath from running around and my heart was always thumping so hard I could feel it in my throat,” she says wistfully. “It was exhilarating

Bentley Hall RAs and students relive recess through outdoor play

and thrilling. Plus, it was a judgment-free zone. Anybody who wanted to play with us was welcome.”

Shivani 100-percent wishes she’d found her Outdoor

By Erica Levi Zelinger

Recess people earlier.

“Drexel’s whole thing is “Ambition Can’t Wait,” and Drexel students sure are ambitious and constantly working, [but with that] mentality, it can be difficult to find time for oneself. It helped me find joy in the present moments of each day. It kept me sane throughout what could have been the mundaneness of day-to-day routine life.”

With no formality to this group, Shivani isn’t sure if Outdoor Recess will continue outside Bentley.

“Everybody who participated found joy in playing outside, so they texted or came to the Bentley patio. Hopefully, people keep the spirit of Outdoor Recess alive.”

Shivani is now working as investment management paralegal at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. There is no impromptu Outdoor Recess. But in her free time, she still aims to play tennis and frisbee with family and friends.

“Maybe,” she says, “I’ll try to get something started on my

S

hivani Patel spent the early part of her senior year studying, doing homework and applying for jobs. All

As students passed in and out of Bentley, they’d wave

that time on her computer and phone, though, was

hello to her and Linda, and the duo would invite them

straining her eyes and giving her headaches.

“The only thing that really helped me was finding some

"

Outdoor Recess gave us a time to disconnect and reconnect with the activities we loved in our childhood.

"

to come play for a bit. Just five to 10 minutes of frisbee throwing. First, came fellow RA friends: Gabi Grego,

time to be outdoors throughout the day,” says Shivani,

Ian Hundley, Laila Saah, Cai Marsh, Om Umare, Jack

finance and economics ’23, Honors. “I would make sure

Sullivan, Rei Ballabani and Piya Saha. Then some of

to take a walk, lay in the grass to soak up the sun, or stand

Shivani’s Honors LLC residents like Zayn Hebenstreit.

outside in the rain for a bit.”

Others followed suit: Ivin Mathew, Annette Kroes, Lourdes

And often when she needed one of her outdoor

28

And that’s how Outdoor Recess began.

lunch breaks.”

Above: Shivani and friends playing outside Bentley Hall; below: the Outdoor Recess crew hosts a volleyball tournament.

Fernandez, Alex Goncea.

breaks, Shivani and her friend Linda Saah, business and

“Outdoor Recess gave us a time to disconnect and

engineering ‘23, both RAs in Bentley Hall, would take to

reconnect with the activities we loved in our childhood,”

the outdoors. But it wasn’t enough to just sit on the porch.

Shivani says. “Water gun fights, monkey-in-the-middle,

Shivani would pull out her blue-green frisbee that another

mindlessly bumping the volleyball, mini badminton

friend, Shivani Acharya, got her for her 21st birthday. They

tournaments. When I was with my Outdoor Recess people,

tossed it around mindlessly while chatting.

life felt so simple.”

29

Sana’i posing with a SpaceX shuttle.

It Does Take a Rocket Scientist

By Erica Levi Zelinger

S

ana’i Parker has always had his head in the clouds.

African American undergraduate students interested in the

watching and playing with toys that expanded his

aerospace industry. When he was selected as a Fellow, he

imagination with details about the region beyond the

then selected several companies to interview with including

Earth’s atmosphere. So, a summer internship working on

SpaceX, where he had to create a presentation on the most

SpaceX’s Production, Integration & Test Engineering team

challenging technical project he’d worked on at Drexel.

was an out-of-this-world experience for the Honors student from Philadelphia.

Curiosity fuels his passion.

“Space is full of endless possibilities, unanswered questions, and things yet to be discovered,” says Sana’i, mechanical engineering ‘25 with a concentration in aerospace. “The space industry has allowed us to push beyond the limits of our imagination, to go places where no one has gone before, and accomplish things once considered impossible.”

His ambitions are resoundingly pure, but he acknowledges, space exploration is not just about understanding what lies beyond our skies.

"It also opens the door to sciences and technologies that benefit us back here on Earth. It's helped with health and medicine, environmental and climate studies, transportation, navigation, robotics; and in lots of other areas you wouldn't guess.”

Using resources from Undergraduate Research & Enrichment Programs, Sana’i participated in the Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) program, as part of a multidisciplinary team tackling the High-Altitude Weather Balloon

"

The Honors Program has introduced me to topics, places, and conversations I never thought I’d have as an engineering student.

I’ve been able to visit museums, explore academic archives and read 100-year-old letters, help create a diorama, and hear a TED talk.

"

project, a NASA-backed study building balloons that will be

Sana’i spent the summer working at the SpaceX facility in

sent into the atmosphere to monitor pollution and perform atmospheric analyses.

A

s a student with a lot of hobbies and interests

to tick off in his final two years: visit the Observatory on

outside of STEM — photography, skating,

top of Main Building (he only just learned about it this

collecting records, thrifting, camping, hiking —

year), become a peer mentor in the College of Engineering,

the Honors Program, Sana’i says, has given him a unique

check out the restaurant on the top floor of the Academic

lens on what it means to pursue knowledge, and has helped

Building, volunteer through the Lindy Center, and run

articulate his thoughts and ask meaningful questions and

for or serve on the E-Board for some of the clubs he’s in,

outside the classroom.

including the National Society of Black Engineers and

“The Honors Program has definitely introduced me to topics, places, and conversations I never thought I’d have

American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Post-graduation, he’d love to go back to Asia and get to

as an engineering student,” he says. “I’ve been able to

Europe, where he’s never been. He’d like to work in industry

Hawthorne, California, with a production floor right in the

visit museums such as the Academy of National Sciences,

at a company such as SpaceX or alternatively, pursue a

middle of the main office space, where he says excitedly, you

explore academic archives and read 100-year-old letters,

master’s in aerospace engineering, with the goal of pursuing

He also applied and was the recipient of a Gilman

can see almost every part of the Falcon 9 and Heavy rockets

help create a diorama, and hear a TED talk, to name a few. I

higher academic research and potentially publishing papers

Scholarship, supporting underrepresented students in

being built and assembled. His team built and inspected the

have been able to meet and form connections with students

for aerospace-related topics such as nuclear and other alter-

education abroad. He studied engineering at the City

engines for those rockets, including investigating issues with

and faculty across all different backgrounds, studying

native or more sustainable propulsion systems.

University of Hong Kong.

the hardware, determining if hardware needed repairing or

or teaching in areas that are as far from engineering as

was acceptable for flight, assisting technicians with processes

possible, yet equally as enriching and interesting.”

He secured his internship through the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, a non-profit program that provides

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internships, scholarships, and executive mentorship to

As a student of outer space, he grew up reading,

such as welding, pressure testing, and brazing.

Sana’i has a few things on his Drexel bucket list he hopes

He adds, “I really believe in their potential: for both the future of traveling among the stars and to also help us take better care of this planet we call home.”

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Alumni News

Community Highlights

Alumni Spotlight

Gav Blaxberg, finance, ’21, Honors, was a guest on the podcast Confessions of a Market Maker and The Daily Traders.

Blaxberg is the finance industry disruptor who has taken X, formerly Twitter, by storm with his innovative use of Twitter Spaces. As the CEO of Wolf Financial, he has amassed a staggering 160K followers, making him a driving force in the finance industry. He previously has worked at Goldman Sachs and Versa Capital Management.

Christopher D. McCarthy, commerce and engineering, ’98; Honors, was listed in Variety500, which is Variety magazine's list of top leaders and icons in the entertainment industry. In addition, he was appointed to serve as a member of the board of directors of Coursera, Inc. McCarthy currently serves as president and CEO of Showtime/Paramount Media Networks and MTV Entertainment Studios. Prior to that, he held various other leadership positions at Paramount and MTV.

Jonathan Deutsch, PhD, hotel and restaurant management ’99, Honors, and the Drexel Food Lab was honored with the 2022 Entrepreneurship Award from Kendall College National Louis University and the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAFÉ) for the program's insightful improvements in food product design and culinary innovation.

The award was open to culinary instructors nationwide and recognizes ideas and initiatives that positively impact a college and community or for thoughtful innovation of operations.

Jonathan Ojany, architectural engineering ’97, Honors, was appointed chief financial officer of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). Ojany has extensive geographic, industry, functional and franchise leadership expertise. He joins KFC from The Coca-Cola Company, where he spent eight years in regional and global strategy and operational leadership roles based in Africa and the U.S. Most recently, he was vice president and head of Center Strategy and Operations, where he led a wide range of global initiatives, many in conjunction with Coca-Cola's franchise bottling partners.

Nick Barber, geoscience ’18, Honors, chats with us about starting a research group at his new place of employment, how Pennoni Honors College influenced his career, and about his growing family. Nick received his PhD in earth sciences from the University of Cambridge in August 2022. His PhD research developed data-driven methods used to understand both ore-forming and volcanic processes in subduction zones (places where one tectonic plate slides under another e.g., the Pacific Northwest, USA).

Kimberly A. DiGiovanni, BS/MS, environmental engineering ’08, PhD, environmental engineering, ’13; Honors, an associate teaching professor of civil engineering at Quinnipiac University, received the Emerging Leader Award from the American Council on Education Women's Network in Connecticut. Dr. DiGiovanni received the award for her commitment to student learning and development as she strives to support student progress with opportunities to apply what they learn in and through their work with community organizations, municipalities, and other non-profit organizations.

Dr. DiGiovanni joined the Quinnipiac faculty in 2015. She received Drexel 40 Under 40 in 2022.

Julia Fisher Farbman, communication ’13; Honors, was profiled in a Main Line Today magazine article about her first scripted biographical feature film, Audrey's Children, about the life of pioneering oncologist Dr. Audrey Evans.

Farbman is also co-producing the movie, which started filming in Philadelphia in August 2022. Farbman has worked in production for over a decade. Recently, she produced the Emmy-nominated Celebrate Equality: The Future of Women's Rights. She also co-created, hosted, and executive-produced Modern Hero, an award-winning Amazon series featuring female role models like Michelle Obama and Dr. Evans which accumulated 17 million hits.

Theresa Andrejack Loux, BS/MS civil engineering ’06; PhD, civil engineering ’10, Honors, received the 2022 Robert and Mitchell Landreth award. The annual award is bestowed by the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) in recognition of "distinguished engineering achievement related to the environment" by a college faculty member, graduate student or post doctorate working with geosynthetics. Loux is chief technical officer of Aero Aggregates of North America LLC in Eddystone, PA, and an adjunct professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ.

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Rohini D. Samudralwar, biological Sciences, ‘09; MD, ’13, Honors, was appointed assistant professor of Neurosurgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Medicine. She returns to Philadelphia after training in Houston, St. Louis, and initial academic practice at the University of Texas-Houston. Her clinical practice will be within the Division of Neuroimmunology and Multiple Sclerosis. In particular, she focuses on rare neuroimmunological conditions including neurosarcoidosis. In addition, she serves as associate program director of the neurology residency program and co-director of the neuroimmunology fellowship at Penn.

Pennoni Honors College: What have you been doing since Cambridge?

Nick Barber: I received a Wares Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from McGill University’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Montreal shortly before I defended my PhD. My project developed novel computational methods applied to erupted products from Ijen volcano in East Java, Indonesia. As part of this work, I travled to Naples, Italy, where I analyzed lava samples using microcomputed tomography. The resulting data estimates the 3D shape and volume of bubbles in my rocks, which can be used as a proxy for eruptive style. Our objective is to leverage this data to reconstruct what the last eruption of Ijen (1817 CE) looked like, and what impact a similar eruption might have today.

Lori Zimmer, photography, ’01, Honors, published, Art Hiding in Paris, the second novel in her Art Hiding series. She is also working on another book Not Your Muse that spotlights women in the arts who have been mislabeled "muses" by history rather than for their accomplishments.

Spread the News!

Please send your alumni announcements to pennoni@drexel.edu and let us know what you’ve been up to. Include your name, major, graduation year, and share with us your career stories, promotions, marriages, births, etc.

One of our first family photos. Taken on a glorious spring afternoon in Montréal, Canada PHC: Tell us about your new gig. You started your own research group?

NB: II began my current role as an assistant professor of Earth and environmental geoscience at Washington & Lee University (W&L) in July of 2023. As a professor at a liberal arts college, I am expected to prioritize teaching together with my ongoing and future research projects.

I am very excited to have the support I need to grow as both a scientist and an educator, and I have been made to feel so welcome by all my new colleagues at W&L. I have also founded the Volcanology and Igneous Petrology (or V.I.P.)

research group here at W&L. I have already welcomed the first V.I.P. member to my lab (Parker Comisac,’24), whose thesis research is studying the magma storage zone underlying a quiescent volcano in Indonesia. Going forward I plan to continue my volcanological research in Southeast Asia.

PHC: What types of classes are you teaching?

NB: This Fall, I taught EEG 211: Earth Materials. This is a course aimed at sophomores and juniors interested in a BA or BS in geoscience, but not restricted to majors. The course covers the foundations of mineralogy and then moves into more advanced topics in igneous and metamorphic petrology. For the Winter, I developed a course called Mineral Resources for the Green Economy. It will be a lecture course aimed at first-year students, where we attempt to answer the question: “how can we safely extract the minerals we need for a green future?” Finally, for the Spring, I am planning a “Volcanoes of the USA” intensive course, which would involve several weeks of fieldwork in the Southwest and Northwest, studying active and ancient volcanic systems.

PHC: What do you use in your teaching that you learned at the Pennoni Honors College?

NB: I have taken a lot away from the STAR Scholars Program in my approach to research mentorship. I remember what it was like being totally new to scientific research, and I like to think I am starting my lab out on the right foot thanks to STAR. I am drawing out some of my favorite lessons from Honors courses as I prepare my first semester of teaching. Whether it was an official HNRS course, or an Honors option on one of my required subjects, I recall the importance of discussion, reflection, and critique being crucial components of a Pennoni honors college course. I aim to bring a similar lesson style to my courses; in Mineral Resources, I hope to have students critically assess the economic and ethical dimensions of building a mine. I imagine such a lesson plan would be right at home at Pennoni!

PHC: How did Pennoni help shape your career trajectory?

NB: PHC has shaped my professional growth in incalculable ways. Starting with STAR, PHC helped me realize my goals of pursuing independent research. More importantly, the experience taught me what science was! Then on through

my pre-junior and junior years, the Fellowships team taught me how to write a convincing personal narrative, craft a research proposal, and dream big about my future. I never would have made it to Cambridge without PHC support and resources, and I never would have landed in a permanent job in academia without the steadfast support of PHC leaders like Jaya Mohan, director of Undergraduate Reseaerch & Enrichment Programs..

PHC: What is it like to be on the other side of a seminar table/lecture hall?

NB: Equal parts terrifying and exciting! The transition is made easier by the fact we have a small student-to-faculty ratio. That means I don’t have to stand in front of a 200-person lecture hall anytime soon. I’ll check back in and let you know how my first semester goes!

Side-by-side images of a feldspar mineral from Hyang-Argopuro volcano, Indonesia. Image was taken by Parker Comisac at the Virginia Tech Electron microprobe lab.

PHC: Your wife, Ashleigh, was also a quintessential Pennoni Honors College student.

What has she been up to lately?

NB: Ashleigh Jugan, environmental sciences ’18, Honors, Udall, Freeman, and Gilman Scholar, is in the final semester of her master’s dissertation on pangolin conservation. She is completing her master’s online through the University of Edinburgh. She also started a new role as the Coordinator for the Healthy Green Neighborhoods Initiative in Lexington, Virginia. She is looking forward to putting her conservation experience to work improving our new community.

We welcomed Laurence Barber into the world in April 2023. He is the best thing to ever happen to us. He has already traveled through three countries, seven U.S. states, and racked up thousands of air miles, and he’s only four months old!

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You can make a difference! When you make a gift to the Pennoni Honors College, you support the tradition of an interdisciplinary education. Every gift counts. To learn more about how you can support the Pennoni Honors College, contact: Sarah Fike Nannery sef82@drexel.edu 989.576.1309

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