Science Journal December 2012

December 2012

Oil Spills Charles Fisher â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Deep sea scientist PG 10

Science of the Body PG 4

New Materials: Nanotechnology PG 18

Engaging Future Scientists PG 26

Table of Contents

FEATURE STORIES:

4 Science of the Body

Investigate how Penn State scientists across the college are working to discover and understand how certain diseases and disorders function in hopes that their research eventually leads to prevention, better treatment, or a cure.

10 Oil Spills

Discover how Penn State scientists study oil spills to better understand the long-term effects and how they have created material to clean up the spills in water.

18 New Materials: Nanotechnology

Explore the world of nanotechnology and discover how Penn State researchers are developing new methods of using nanoparticles and applying them to medical, optical, and electronic fields.

26 For Our Future: Engaging Future Scientists

Understand how the college is using a new approach to recruit students with a new web-based tool, learn about a proposed center to students with careers in science, and preview a new college scholars program.

COLLEGE NEWS:

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT:

ALUMNI NEWS:

New Department Heads

Faculty Awards and Honors

Partnering to Improve Lab Safety

Faculty Promotions

Penn State Mourns Alumni Leader and Philanthropist Verne Willaman

New Faculty

Welcome to the Class of 2016 Years of Service Awards

DEPARTMENT NEWS:

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Student Awards and Honors 2012 Commencement

Two Awarded C.I. Noll Award for Excellence in Teaching

Astronomy

Undergraduate Scientists

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Graduate Student Focus

Fourth Annual Physicians Alumni and CME Weekend

Chemistry

OUTREACH:

Statistics

Penn State Science Outreach Programs

Alumni Society Announces Membership Changes

Reaching for the Stars Editor: Tara Immel Writers: Barbara Collins, Barbara Kennedy, Brenda Lucas, Christina Ombalski, Seth Palmer, Katrina Voss, Mary Beth Williams, Michael Zeman. Special thanks to all of our other contributors! Design: Graphics & Design Printer: Progress Printing

$50,000 Gift to the Student Academic Achievement Center Provides a Home for Science LionPride

Undergraduate Poster Session Winners Named Outstanding Alumni Awards Staff Changes in the Development and Alumni Relations Office Alumni Class Notes Penn State Eberly College of Science

Dear Friends of the College, The last year certainly has been a challenging one for Penn State students, alumni, staff, faculty and friends. We remain shocked and anguished that horrific crimes against young children were carried out by a formerly respected Penn Stater and took place on our campus. We grieve for the victims. In response, we are working to put in place information, structures and processes at Penn State that will help prevent such terrible things from happening, and we are supporting research and education at Penn State and beyond that will have a national impact. The depiction of Penn State in the media has also been challenging, focusing on the sensational and the negative. One exception to the negative press has been stories around the nation and around the world about Penn State research advances, a substantial number of which originate in the Eberly College of Science. Despite the negative media portrayal of nearly everything Penn State, things have been going very well in the college. Last year was another record year for student applications to Penn State and to the college. Approximately 8,000 undergraduate students matriculated at University Park in the summer and fall, including nearly 1,000 new students in the college. It has been wonderful to interact with the new students in the college this fall and see their energy and enthusiasm. The largest percentage increases in undergraduate applications for the last few years have been from international students, resulting in part from Penn State’s emergence as one of the world’s top research universities. This fall, a respected ranking from China, the Academic

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Ranking of World Universities, put Penn State at number 49 among all universities in the world. In addition to an excellent class of students, we had a group of outstanding new faculty joining the college this year. The college would not be able to continue to attract high caliber students and faculty without the engagement and support of alumni and friends of the college. This year, the college lost a leading advocate and supporter with the passing of Verne M. Willaman, a 1951 graduate and retired chairman and president of Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation. Verne’s vision of the University guided his extraordinary support and service to Penn State over more than four decades. You can read about Verne’s spirit of giving in the alumni section of this magazine. Financial support is not the only way to engage with the college and support its mission of frontier science, outstanding education and outreach to the nation and the world. Volunteering, mentoring students, and even taking a few minutes to respond to surveys and email requests are all important. I would like to thank those alumni who responded to the request for career information earlier this year and thank all alumni who have volunteered their time to serve the college in various capacities; no matter the level of the support you’re able to provide, your service and philanthropy are greatly appreciated. As we look toward the New Year, we are committed to exhibiting the qualities that make Penn State an outstanding academic institution while also sharing the compassion and altruism conveyed by Penn Staters that make it a truly world-class organization. Best wishes for a healthy and happy 2013. Sincerely,

Feature Story

Discovering and Understanding Human Disorders and Diseases

Science of the

Penn State Eberly College of Science

Body

Thousands of diseases and genetic disorders alter the lives of people and their families, from the day the condition is identified, to the oftenlong struggle of finding appropriate treatment. Although scientists have done substantial research on human diseases and disorders, researchers still do not understand how or why many of them occur in the first place.

While some have effective treatment options, others that are fairly common, such as cancer and autism, are puzzling to scientists and those affected alike. Although more progress has been made on understanding how these various diseases and disorders function in the body, not enough is known to develop treatments that result in a total remission or cure in most cases. Penn State scientists across the college are working to discover and understand how certain diseases and disorders function in hopes that their research eventually leads to prevention, better treatment, or a cure. A team of scientists at Penn State has developed a promising new strategy for “reactivating” genes that cause cancer tumors to shrink

Cancer cells. A research team led by two scientists at Penn State University has developed a promising cancer-fighting strategy for “reactivating” genes that cause cancer tumors to shrink and die. The discovery may aid in the development of an innovative anti-cancer drug that effectively targets unhealthy, cancerous tissue without damaging healthy, non-cancerous tissue and vital organs. Credit: National Cancer Institute

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

and die. The researchers hope that their discovery will aid in the development of an innovative anti-cancer drug that effectively targets unhealthy, cancerous tissue without damaging healthy, non-cancerous tissue and vital organs. The research was published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry (read the research in its entirety at www.jbc.org). Led by Yanming Wang, TEAM LEADERS associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and Gong Chen, assistant professor of chemistry, the team developed the new strategy after years of earlier research on a gene called PAD4 (peptidylargiYANMING WANG nine deiminase 4), which produces the PAD4 enzyme. Previous research by Wang and other scientists revealed that the PAD4 enzyme plays an important role in protecting the body from infection. The scientists compared norGONG CHEN mal mice with a functioning 5

Feature Story PAD4 gene to other mice that had a defective a PAD4 gene. When infected with bacteria, cells from the normal mice attacked and killed about 30 percent of the harmful bacteria, while cells from the defective mice battled a mere 10 percent. The researchers discovered that cells with a functioning PAD4 enzyme are able to build around themselves a protective, bacteria killing web that Wang and his colleagues dubbed a NET (neutrophil extracellular trap). This NET is especially effective at fighting off flesh-eating bacteria. Now, in their current study, Wang and his collaborators have focused on the less-desirable effects of the same PAD4 gene. While PAD4 is clearly a critical part of the body’s defense strategy, the gene’s over-expression may be linked to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. One situation in which the PAD4 enzyme is markedly increased is in patients with certain cancers, such as breast, lung, and bone cancers. “We know that the PAD4 gene acts to silence tumor-suppressor genes,” said Wang. “So we theorized that by inhibiting the enzyme that this gene produces, the ‘good guys’ – the tumorsuppressor genes – would do a better job at destroying cancerous tissue and allowing the body to heal.” To test their theory, Wang and his colleagues treated mice that had cancerous tumors with a molecule to inhibit the PAD4 enzyme. They found that, especially when combined with additional enzyme inhibitors, the treatment worked as effectively as the most-commonly-used chemotherapy drug, doxorubicin, which shrinks tumors by about 70 percent. Most striking, however, was that the PAD4 enzyme-inhibition strategy caused significantly less damage to healthy tissues. “Current chemotherapy drugs such as doxorubicin don’t attack just tumors; unfortunately, 6

they also attack healthy areas of the body,” Wang explained. “That’s why chemotherapy patients experience such terrible side effects such as weight loss, nausea, and hair loss. Because the PAD4 treatment appears to be less toxic, it could be an excellent alternative to current chemotherapy treatments.” Wang also explained that the PAD4 gene’s dual personality – on the one hand a helpful defense against bacteria, while on the other, a harmful silencer of cancer-suppressor genes – can be understood from the perspectives of evolution and longer life spans. “Our ancestors didn’t have antibiotics, so a bacterial infection could easily result in death, especially in young children,” Wang explained. “So, back then, an overactive PAD4 gene was advantageous because the NET bacteria-trapping mechanism was the body’s major defense against infection.” Wang also explained that on the other hand, because people today have access to antibiotics, we live much longer than our ancestors did. “PAD4’s bad effects – cancer and autoimmune diseases – tend to be illnesses that appear later in life,” Wang said. “So nowadays, an overactive PAD4 gene, while still protective against bacteria, can be detrimental later in life.” In addition to Wang and Chen, other researchers who contributed to this project include Yuji Wang, Pingxin Li, Shu Wang, Jing Hu, Megan Fisher, Kira Oshaben, Jianhui Wu, Na Zhao, and Ying Gu of Penn State’s Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. While Wang and Chen focused on a specific gene that will potentially enable cancer treatments to be more effective with less side effects for patients, Douglas Cavener, department head and professor of biology at Penn State, focuses on a protein that maintains behavioral flexibility. Penn State Eberly College of Science

The protein, named PERK, adjusts behaviors for new circumstances that are similar, but not identical, to previous experiences. PERK is a key regulator of translation control pathways known to be involved in learning and memory formation. The research paper, which describes the discovery, was published in the journal Cell Reports (read in full at cellreports.cell.com). “A major obstacle to investigating the role of the PERK protein in regulating behavior is that many other body functions also are dependent upon this protein,” Cavener said. “To overcome this problem, my lab developed a mouse strain that allows us to mutate the PERK gene specifically in a single organ or cell type, while the PERK gene remains normal in other parts of the body.”

DOUGLAS CAVENER

“Genetic mutations of the PERK gene result in several severe dysfunctions in humans and mice, known as the Wolcott THE PROTEIN, NAMED PERK, ADJUSTS BEHAVIORS Rallison Syndrome,” Cavener said. “We also have used FOR NEW CIRCUMSTANCES THAT ARE SIMILAR, similar mouse strains, in BUT NOT IDENTICAL, TO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES. which the PERK gene was removed from the pancreas, The research study described in the Cell Re- to show that PERK also plays a dominant role ports paper employed a special strain of mice in in regulating insulin synthesis and secretion.” which the PERK gene – and therefore the PERK Cavener developed the forebrain-specific mouse protein – was missing only from the forebrain. strain in collaboration with Mimi Trinh and “This mouse strain allowed us to investigate the Eric Klann at New York University. function of the PERK protein in the brain withIn one experiment in the study, the mice were out the severe complications of other dysfunctions tasked with navigating a water maze, which inin the body,” Cavener said. cluded elevating themselves onto a platform to get out of the water. Normal mice, and those lacking the PERK protein in their forebrains, learned to complete this task. However, in a second step, PERK-directed the researchers tested the mice’s behavioral flextranslational control of ibility by moving the maze’s platform to another cognitive location, requiring them to respond to a change function. in the terrain. Here, the normal mice located the Credit: Cell Reports platform, but those lacking the PERK in their forebrains were unable to do so or took significantly more time to complete the task. SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Feature Story 8

Person-to-Person

A second experiment used a different test of the role of the PERK protein in aiding behavioral flexibility. In this test, both normal and mutant mice heard an audible tone that was followed by a mild foot shock. At this stage, all of the mice developed a normal fear response – freezing at the tone in anticipation of the mild shock. However, the researchers subsequently removed the foot shock from the procedure and the mice heard only the tone. Eventually, the normal mice adjusted their responses so they did not freeze after hearing the tone. However, the mutant mice continued to respond as if they expected a foot shock to follow. The researchers sought additional support for their conclusion that the absence of the PERK protein may contribute to impaired behavioral flexibility in human neurological disorders. To do so, they conducted postmortem analyses of human cells from the frontal cortex of people without schizophrenia with frontal-cortex cells from schizophrenic patients, who often exhibit behavioral inflexibility. The samples from the non-schizophrenic group showed normal levels of PERK protein while those from the schizophrenic patients had significantly reduced levels of the protein. “A rapidly expanding list of neurological disorders and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Fragile X syndrome, already have been linked to aberrant protein synthesis,” explained Eric Klann, a professor in NYU’s Center for Neural Science and one of the study’s co-authors. “Our results show the significance of PERK in maintaining behavioral flexibility and how its absence might be associated with schizophrenia. The researchers hope that the findings may offer new insights for addressing such afflictions as autism and schizophrenia, which are marked by impaired behavioral flexibility.

Li Chen, a Ph.D. student in the Huck Institutes’ Center for Cellular Dynamics, studies cell biology and works closely with Melissa Rolls, researching microtubule and neuronal polarity. Chen decided to make cell biology the focus of her LI CHEN

career path because it provides her

with the incomparable opportunity to visualize the insider world of cells. “A confocal microscope was still a luxury in my undergraduate lab so I was very excited to find that Dr. Rolls has two in her own lab! I started my rotation in her lab by examining mitochondria localization in neurons and found the cells are just marvelous to look at,” Chen said. Chen recently worked with Rolls and two other graduate students, discovering how nerve pathways may hold benefits for individuals with neurodegenerative disorders. The results of this research were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In her role, she designed and performed experiments, analyzed data, made figures and proofread the manuscript. “Dr. Rolls has always encouraged me to think out of the box and never be intimidated to test ideas that may sound crazy. Of course, the guesses were wrong for a lot of times, but each time I was able to talk with her and many others in the lab and eventually had a better understanding of the situation,” Chen said. After three years at Penn State, Chen has settled into the Rolls’ lab and life in State College. After completing her Ph.D. in a few more years, Chen hopes to continue her research and work as a cell biologist.

Penn State Eberly College of Science

Researchers from the Huck Institutes’ Center for Cellular Dynamics – led by Center director Melissa Rolls – have found that a neuroprotective pathway initiated in response to injured or stressed neural axons serves to stabilize and protect the nerve cell against further degeneration. The results of the study have been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. MELISSA ROLLS Neurons, or nerve cells, typically have a single axon that transmits signals to other neurons or to output cells such as muscle tissue, and as these axons extend for long distances within the cell, they are thus at risk for injury. Furthermore – if an axon is damaged, its parent neuron can no longer function; and since many animals develop only one set of neurons, those neurons will mount major responses to axon injury. “Neurons are quite remarkable cells,” says Rolls. “Most of them need to survive and function for your entire lifetime. Maybe then it shouldn’t be a surprise that they do not give up easily when damaged or stressed, but it is amazing to be able to watch them fight back and stabilize themselves.” Rolls and her team set out to understand these cellular responses to axon injury by observing the effects of severing fruit fly axons with a laser. What they found was that the neurons responded to the injury by increasing production of microtubules – cytoskeletal components responsible for maintaining cell structure and providing platforms for intracellular transport – in order to stabilize the neural dendrites, which are the branched structures responsible for transmitting signals to the nerve cell body.

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Neurons expressing a toxic form of spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) with protective pathway enabled (left) and blocked (right).

Credit: Melissa Rolls.

In addition to acute injury response, the team also investigated neurons’ response to long-term axon stress – and found similar results. Accumulation of misfolded proteins or protein aggregates – responsible for neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington’s disease and spinocerebellar ataxia – induced the same type of cytoskeletal changes as acute axon injury. Rolls elaborates: “The assays that we use are all in vivo, so we can literally watch what the neurons do in different scenarios, including cutting of their axon. Being able to observe the cellular responses gave us some ideas we would not have come up with otherwise. Based on the observations, Rolls suggests that this pathway represents an endogenous neuroprotective response to axon stress — and could potentially be developed into a diagnostic tool for the detection of early stages of neurodegenerative disease, or even utilized in novel therapies for such illnesses. Understanding how specific parts of the body function in laboratory animals is an important step to scientists hypothesizing and comprehending how they operate in humans. Through this understanding, scientists can identify how actions within the human body – specifically in its genes, proteins, and neurons – cause genetic disorders. With the research that has been done, Penn State scientists are on the path to discoveries that may someday lead to prevention, better treatment, improved quality of life, or a cure for these diseases and disorders. 9

Studyin ga nd

Cover Story

e h t g n i t a i d e em

Penn State Eberly College of Science

Destruction WHETHER REFERRED TO AS THE DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL, THE BP OIL DISASTER, OR THE MACONDO BLOWOUT, THE DAMAGING EFFECTS REMAIN THE SAME.

Credit: Kristen Devlin, Penn State University

FOR THREE MONTHS IN 2010 THE NATION AND THE WORLD WATCHED AND LISTENED IN HORROR AND FRUSTRATION TO DAILY NEWS BROADCASTS REVEALING THE COSTLY EFFECTS OF WHAT WOULD BECOME THE LARGEST ACCIDENTAL MARINE OIL SPILL IN THE HISTORY OF THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY.

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Cover Story 12

Tar balls on Gulf Coast beaches, fouled wetlands and estuaries with their sick and dying plant and wildlife, an oil slick that spread over vast swaths of sea, and crippling of the fishing and tourism were some of the more easily-visible effects of this catastrophic oil spill. It turns out that things weren’t much better beneath the water’s surface either. Whales and dolphins continue to die at twice the normal rate according to a NOAA report on Cetacean mortality. And before all skimmer ships, floating containment booms, and anchored barriers were deployed and sand-filled barricades and dispersants were used, the crude oil found its way to deep water and to the bottom of the sea floor. Near to the disaster site, but lying covertly nestled at seemingly safe and immensely pres-

sure-packed depths, are deep-water coral. For Penn State Professor of Biology, Charles Fisher, whose research interests include the physiology of the animals and the ecology CHARLES FISHER of the communities that inhabit cold seeps and hydrothermal vents in the deep sea, one of his lab’s main research sites is the cold hydrocarbon seeps of the Gulf of Mexico. In fact, Fisher along with James Brooks of TDI Brooks International, were just recently honored with the Excellence in Partnership award by the National Oceanographic

A PORTION OF ONE OF THE IMPACTED CORALS and two

shows a more normal coloration for this species and the

attached brittle starfish. Living tissue is orange, and most

individual on the right is bleached white, and is much

of the skeleton is bare or covered by brown flocculent

more tightly wrapped around the branch than normal.

material. The brittle starfish are normal symbiotic

Both starfish were uncharacteristically immobile.

partners of this type of coral. The brittle star on the left

Credit: Lophelia II 2010, NOAA OER, and BOEMRE, copyright WHOI.

Penn State Eberly College of Science

THE DEEP SUBMERGENCE VEHICLE ALVIN is shown working at the coral site found to be impacted by the oil spill from the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico.

Partnership Program (NOPP), for a research project begun in 2008 deep in the Gulf of Mexico â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the primary purpose of which was to gather data that will inform environmental review and decision making for the protection of deep-water corals and other hard-bottom communities in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Gaining a better understanding of the long-term effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the deep sea is of utmost importance to Fisher. Back in late March 2012, compelling evidence of the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on deep-sea corals was published online in the Early Edition of the journal Proceedings SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Credit: Image courtesy of Chuck Fisher of Penn State University and Timothy Shank of WHOI; deep-sea time-lapse camera system provided by WHOI-MISO

of the National Academy of Sciences. The diverse team of researchers, led by Fisher, used a wide range of underwater vehicles, including the research submarine Alvin, to investigate the corals. They also used comprehensive twodimensional gas chromatography to determine precisely the source of the petroleum hydrocarbons they found. Other researchers on the team include the paperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lead author, Assistant Professor of Chemistry Helen White of Haverford College, Erik Cordes of Temple University, and Timothy Shank and Christopher German of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), 13

Cover Story 14

A Dream Come True

which operates the Navy-owned submersible Alvin. Fisher, Cordes, Shank and German are co-authors of the study, along with 10 other scientists from WHOI, Penn State, Temple and the U.S. Geological Survey. The study’s findings are significant for a number of reasons, White says. “These biological communities in the deep Gulf of Mexico are separated from human activity at the surface by 4,000 feet of water. We would not expect deep-water corals to be impacted by a typical oil spill, but the sheer magnitude of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and its release at depth make it very different from a tanker running aground and spilling its contents. Because of the unprecedented nature of the spill, we have learned that its impacts are more far reaching than those arising from smaller spills that occur on the surface.” The study grew out of an initial research cruise to the Gulf, led by Fisher in late October 2010 – approximately six months after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This expedition was part of an ongoing study funded by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Ocean Exploration and Research program. Using the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Jason II, the team examined nine sites at distances greater than 20 km from the Macondo Well and found deep-water coral communities unharmed. However, when the ROV explored another area 11 km to the SW of the spill site, the team was surprised to discover numerous coral communities covered in a brown flocculent material and showing signs of tissue damage. “We discovered the site during the last dive of the three-week cruise,” said Fisher. “As soon as the ROV got close enough to the community for

LAKSHMY RAJUKUMAR Lakshmy Rajukumar is a graduate student in Mauricio Terrones’ lab. During her undergraduate years in India, Rajukumar was fascinated by nanotechnology – especially materials like carbon nanotubes and graphene. Since then, she has held the desire to work with prominent scientists in this field. “It was a dream come true for me when professor Terrones accepted me into his research group,” Rajukumar said. She is currently working on the synthesis and characterization of novel carbon nanomaterials (CNTs), particularly branched Multi-Walled CNTs (MWNTs) and networks of MWNTs through doping. She is trying to optimize the doping process by varying the process parameters, in order to fine-tune the chemical and physical properties of the MWNT networks. Rajukumar describes the lab environment as “quite cordial,” and says that Terrones is a good mentor and very approachable. She explains that all the team members discuss work quite openly with each other, and that there is a lot of exchange of ideas in the lab, which she views as a mutually beneficial process. Rajukumar believes the most rewarding part of the lab is that she is learning a lot. She also really appreciates how the lab has enabled her to meet and make friends with a lot of people who come here as visiting students from other countries. Rajukumar hopes to continue on to a career in academia in the future, but she says she is also open to trying out industrial research as well. At the moment she says that she is truly enjoying her experience working with Terones and his lab group.

Penn State Eberly College of Science

the corals to come into clear view, it was clear to me that something was wrong at this site. I think it was too much white and brown, and not enough color on the corals and brittle stars. Once we were close enough to zoom in on a few colonies, there was no doubt that this was something I had not seen anywhere else in the Gulf: an abundance of stressed corals, showing clear signs of a recent impact. This is exactly what we had been on the lookout for during all dives, but hoping not to see anywhere.”

grant program, which aids scientists seeking to respond quickly to urgent issues such as natural disasters or crises resulting from human activity. To examine the deep water, the team used the autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry to map and photograph the ocean floor, and the deepsubmergence, 3-passenger, robotic-armed vehicle Alvin to get a better look at the distressed corals. During six dives in Alvin, the team collected sediments and samples of the corals and filtered the brown material off of the corals for analysis.

ONCE WE WERE CLOSE ENOUGH TO ZOOM

To identify the oil found in the coral communities, White worked DOUBT THAT THIS WAS SOMETHING I HAD with Christopher Reddy and Robert Nelson at WHOI using NOT SEEN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE GULF. an advanced technique called comprehensive two-dimensional These coral communities were at a depth of gas chromatography, which was pioneered at 4,300 feet and in close proximity to the Macondo WHOI by Reddy and Nelson for use in oil-spill well, which had been capped three months pre- research. The method, which separates oil comviously after spilling an estimated 160-million pounds by molecular weight, allows scientists gallons of oil into the Gulf. Because the timing to essentially “fingerprint” oil and determines and unprecedented nature of this observation its source. suggested that the damage observed visually reThis exacting petroleum analysis, coupled sulted from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the with the analysis of 69 images from 43 individscientists rapidly organized a second research ual corals at the site – performed by Pen-Yuan cruise, which began in December 2010, barely a Hsing, a graduate student of Fisher’s at Penn month after their return to land following their State – yielded strong evidence that the coral initial discovery. communities were impacted by oil from the MaJoining this second research cruise, again condo well spill. headed by Fisher, was Helen White, whose exFisher said these findings confirm a serious pertise as a geochemist was key to the inter- impact from the spill on the animal communidisciplinary effort. This rare opportunity for ties in the deep sea more than 7 miles from the the researchers to return to a deep-water site Macondo well. He added, “Our ongoing work in so quickly for the subsequent study was made the Gulf will allow us to better understand the possible with funding from the National Science long-term effects of the spill on the deep sea, Foundation’s RAPID Collaborative Research and to define the footprint of the impact zone

IN ON A FEW COLONIES, THERE WAS

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Cover Story for deep-water corals around the Macondo well.” neering at Rice University; and other scientists As investigation continues in the Gulf of Mex- from the United States, Spain, Belgium, and ico and more answers are discovered pertaining Japan, published the results of its research in to just how all environments are impacted by oil Nature’s online journal Scientific Reports. spills of such a huge magnitude, Penn State has Terrones explained that carbon nanotubes faculty in the trenches working to help discover are tiny tubes with diameters ranging from 1-50 ways to weaken such negative effects by inter- nanometers – much narrower than the width of cepting the oil before it has a chance to wreak a human hair. They are also 100 times stronsuch harm. During the months after the Deep- ger than steel and about one sixth the weight. water Horizon Oil Spill, the news broadcasted (Read more about nanotechnology in the New and the nation watched the skimmer ships and Materials feature story.) the floating containment booms work to entrap the oil; THE BORON PUTS KINKS AND ELBOWS INTO and we watched as 1.8 milTHE NANOTUBES AND PROMOTES THE lion gallons of dispersants were dumped into the water FORMATION OF COVALENT BONDS, WHICH to help break up and dissiGIVE THE SPONGES THEIR ROBUST QUALITIES. pate the oil slicks. Measures had to be taken and attempts to right the wrong had to be made, but nothing “Our goal was to find a way to make threeseemed to work fast enough or efficiently and dimensional networks of these carbon nanotubes effectively. Moreover, it’s still not known today that would form a macroscale fabric – a spongy how safe or harmful some of the efforts to help block of nanotubes that would be big and thick were themselves. enough to be used to clean up oil spills and to Earlier this year, researchers at Penn State perform other tasks,” Terrones said. “We realUniversity and Rice University developed a ized that the trick was adding boron – which is method to clean up oil spills in water using a chemical element that is next to carbon on the solid, spongy blocks of carbon nanotubes. Sepa- periodic table – because boron helps to trigger rating oil from seawater is just one of a range the interconnections of the material. To add the of potential applications for the new mate- boron, we used very high temperatures and then rial formed using carbon and a dash of boron. ‘knitted’ the substance into the nanotube fabric.” The international team, Ajayan explained that the boron puts kinks which includes Mauricio and elbows into the nanotubes and promotes Terrones, a professor of the formation of covalent bonds, which give the physics and of materials sponges their robust qualities. “The boron helps science and engineering to tangle the sponges into a complex network,” at Penn State; Pulickel Ajayan said. “In the past, people have made Ajayan, the Benjamin M. nanotube solids via post-growth processing but and Mary Greenwood An- without proper covalent connections. The adderson Professor in Engi- vantage with our method is that the material is MAURICIO TERRONES

Penn State Eberly College of Science

MAURICIO TERRONES AND HIS COLLEAGUES have created spongy blocks of carbon nanotubes that have an astounding ability to absorb oil, separating it from seawater. The new material, which could be used to clean up oil spills in oceans, also has other novel applications related to electronics, materials science, and medicine.

Credit: Jeff Fitlow, Rice University

created directly and comes out as a cross-linked porous network.” First author Daniel Hashim, a graduate student at Rice University, explained that the spongy carbon-nanotube blocks that he and his team created are special for two reasons. “First, they are superhydrophobic, which means that they hate water, so they float really well. Second, they are oleophilic, which means that they love – and thus absorb – oil. In fact, they can absorb 123 times their weight in oil,” Hashim said. To demonstrate, Hashim dropped a nanotube sponge into a dish of water with used motor oil floating on top. The sponge soaked it up. He then put a match to the material, burned off the oil, and returned the material to the water to absorb more. “This material can be used repeatedly and stands up to abuse,” Hashim said. He also explained that a carbon-nanotube sponge remained elastic even after 11,000 uses in the lab. “Another interesting feature of these nanotube sponges, which are 99 percent air, is that they also conduct electricity and can easily be manipulated with magnets,” Hashim said. Ajayan said that he and other members of the research team are continuing to work on how to make even larger sheets of the carbon-

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

nanotube blocks. “For oil spills, you would have to make large-enough sheets or find a way to weld smaller sheets together,” Ajayan said. Terrones added that the team members also are looking into ways to exploit the three-dimensional structure of the nanotube sponges for use in other applications. “Oil-spill remediation and environmental clean-up are just the beginning of how useful these new nanotube materials could be,” Terrones said. “For example, we could make use these materials to make moreefficient and lighter batteries. We could use them as scaffolds for bone-tissue regeneration. We even could impregnate the nanotube sponge with polymers in order to fabricate robust and light composites for the automobile and plane industries.” In addition to Terrones, Ajayan, and Hashim, contributors to this study also include researchers from the following institutions: Rice University, the University of Vigo in Spain, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University of Illinois, the Instituto de Microelectrónica de Madrid, the Air Force Research Laboratory in Ohio, Arizona State University, and the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium. Knowing that there is no foolproof way to prevent a disaster like the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, and knowing that the threat of such disasters only goes away with a discontinued dependency upon oil, the best that can be hoped for are a better understanding of the effects of such disasters and improved ways to deal with them. Penn State is contributing to the crusade to help heal the wounds of such disastrous events, and proving to be an ally to the earth with the excellent research being conducted by faculty like Fisher and Terrones and their respective teams.

Feature Story 18

New

Penn State Eberly College of Science

Exploring Nanotechnology At Penn State, nanotechnology is actively researched across campus, as fundamental research is being translated to applications in biomedicine, photonics, and electronics. Researchers in the Eberly College of Science play central roles in the discovery of new nanomaterials and understanding their functional behavior. Nanomaterials are larger than atomic and molecular structures but smaller than bulk materials, and have at least one dimension of the nanoscale size (one nanometer is equivalent to one billionth of a meter; a single human hair measures between 50,000 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 100,000 nanometers in diameter). The distinguishing feature of nanomaterials is the new functional properties are observed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for example, they emit light or behave like semiconductors â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that are a direct result of this intermediate size regime. Two recent examples of new innovations from the Department of Chemistry highlight achievements of Penn State scientists in the global focus on emerging nanotechnologies.

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Feature Story A team of Penn State University scientists has invented a new system that uses magnetism to purify hybrid nanoparticles – structures that are composed of two or more kinds of materials in an extremely small particle that is visible only with an electron microscope. Team leaders Mary Beth Williams, associate professor of chemistry, and Raymond Schaak, professor of chemistry, explained that the never-beforetried method will not only help scientists to remove impurities from such particles, it also will help researchers to distinguish between hybrid nanoparticles that appear to be identical when viewed under an electron microscope, but that have different magnetism – a great challenge in recent nanoparticle research. Schaak explained that purifying hybrid nanoparticles presents an enormous challenge,

TEAM LEADERS

MARY BETH WILLIAMS

RAYMOND SCHAAK

especially when nanoparticles are designed for human use – for example, for drug delivery or as a contrast-dye alternative for patients undergoing MRI studies. “The problem is that although molecules are synthesized and purified using well-known methods, there have not been analogous methods for purifying nanoparticles,” Schaak said. “Hybrid particles are especially challenging because the methods that are used to make them often leave impurities that are not easily detected or removed. Impurities can change the properties of a sample, for example, by making them toxic, so it is a major challenge to find ways to remove such impurities.” The innovative technique that the team developed uses the magnetic components of nanoparticles to tell them apart and to separate impurities from the target nanopar“NANO-OLIVES” are made up of an iron oxide “olive” with an iron and platinum ticle structures. “pimento.” Together the components make a highly magnetic particle structure, which may one day be useful for data storage in computers. Credit: The Schaak/Williams research groups, Penn State.

Penn State Eberly College of Science

THE “NANO-FLOWER” is an extremely small particle made up of a gold core and iron oxide “petals.” Structures like this one are of great interest in biomedicine for drug delivery and for use as an MRI contrast agent. Credit: The Schaak/Williams research groups, Penn State.

because of their petal-like arrangement around a solid core, from spherically shaped particles. Williams explained that the magnetism of the particles depends on their shape, so particles of a different shape adhere to the capillary wall when different magnetic fields are applied, thus allowing the researchers to distinguish between the different particles. In another example, the researchers showed how the magnetic-field method can be used with a class of nanoparticle dubbed the “nano-olive,” which is a spherical particle comprised of two different materials joined in a shape reminiscent of an olive. The nano-olives, which are composed of iron, platinum, and oxygen, may look alike, but they have different magnetic properties that enable them to be separated and the purified particles have slightly different internal compositions that are impossible to detect under a microscope. The new purification and separation method has many applications, especially within the fields of medicine and diagnostics. The system holds the promise of helping to improve drug-

“Our method uses magnetic fields to slow the flow of particles through glass capillaries,” Williams explained. “We use a magnet to pull magnetic particles against the wall of the tube and, when the magnetic field is reduced, the particles flow out of the capillary. Magnetism inWE USE A MAGNET TO PULL MAGNETIC creases as particle PARTICLES AGAINST THE WALL OF THE TUBE AND, volume increases, so small and gradual WHEN THE MAGNETIC FIELD IS REDUCED, THE changes in the magnetic field let us slowPARTICLES FLOW OUT OF THE CAPILLARY. ly separate and distinguish between nanoparticles based on even delivery systems, drug-targeting technologies, medical-imaging technologies, and electronminute magnetic and structural differences.” The researchers provided two examples of how ic information-storage devices. For example, their new, innovative method works. In one, the nanoparticles could be used in lieu of contrast researchers separated “nano-flowers,” so named dye when patients undergo MRI imaging stud-

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Feature Story ies. Such particles could be used to track where a drug is traveling in the human body. “Some patients are allergic to traditional contrast dyes, so nanoparticles offer a promising alternative,” Williams said. The team also hopes that their technique can someday be applied to cancer-fighting drugs to improve their effectiveness. “Unfortunately, many chemotherapy drugs don’t discriminate: They attack healthy tissue, as well as cancerous tissue,” Williams said. “If nanoparticle technology can be used to manipulate exactly where the drugs are going, which tissue they attack, and which they leave alone, it would greatly reduce some of the bad side effects of chemotherapy, such as hair loss and nausea. But to do this we need to be able to separate out impurities and validate the purity of the nanoparticles to ensure they are safe for medical use. That’s where this new technology comes in.” While the Williams/Schaak research is primarily applied to particles with future medical applications, other nanomaterials research at Penn State instead aims to improve technologies such as optics, electrics, and lasers. For the first time, a group of chemists, physicists, and engineers has developed crystalline materials that allow an optical fiber to have integrated, high-speed electronic functions. The potential applications of such optical fibers include improved telecommunications and other hybrid optical and electronic technologies, improved laser technology, and more-accurate remote-sensing devices. The research was initiated by Rongrui He, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Chemistry, and is part of international team of

scientists led by John Badding, a professor of chemistry, involved in this research. Badding explained that one of the greatest current technological challenges is exchanging information between optics and electronics rapidly and efficiently. Existing technology has resulted in sometimes-clumsy ways of merging optical fibers with electronic chips. “The optical fiber is usually a passive medium that simply transports light, while the chip is

IF NANOPARTICLE TECHNOLOGY CAN BE USED TO MANIPULATE EXACTLY WHERE THE DRUGS ARE GOING, WHICH TISSUE THEY ATTACK, AND WHICH THEY LEAVE ALONE, IT WOULD GREATLY REDUCE SOME OF THE BAD SIDE EFFECTS OF CHEMOTHERAPY. the piece that performs the electrical part of the equation,” Badding said. “For example, light is transmitted from London to New York via fiberoptic cables when two people set up a video call on their computers. But the computer screens and associated electronic devices have to take that light and convert it to an image, which is an electrical process. Light and electricity are working in concert in a process called an optical-electrical-optical conversion, or an OEO conversion.” Badding said that, ideally, rather than coupling the optical fiber to the chip, as is routine in existing technology, a “smart fiber” would have the electronic functions already built in.

JOHN BADDING

Penn State Eberly College of Science

of my comfort zone by providing something new

a graduate

(nanomaterials),” Beveridge said.

research assistant in chemistry, has contributed significantly to JACOB BEVERIDGE

the work done on this nanoparticle

project and other research in the Williams lab. His work focuses on the development of new analytical techniques to study magnetic nanomaterials, and involves multidisciplinary research with collaborators in chemistry, physics, and materials science. Beveridge knew from an early age that chemistry was his calling. “Ever since making stink gas with my childhood chemistry set, science has interested me. I like to come into lab and work toward discovering things that no one else has. The world works in a very intricate manner; being able to learn about and discover those things on a regular basis is very fulfilling.”

In the Williams lab, Beveridge developed a technique called differential magnetic catch and release (DMCR), which purifies magnetic nanoparticles. With this technique, Beveridge has demonstrated the ability to separate and purify both spherical nanoparticles and also hybrid nanostructures. These results show promise for the ability to study the synergistic effects within hybrid nanostructures, build higher order multicomponent nanostructures, and implement these nanostructures in real world applications. Because of work on a similar type of research and close location to the Schaak lab, Beveridge has been able to extend his research connections beyond the Williams’ lab. The Schaak group is comprised of graduate students who are experts in nanomaterial synthesis, which allows for many on-going collaborations. Beveridge’s research has also allowed him to collaborate with research groups in the Department of Physics and take

Although analytical and instrumental

advantage of the world class characterization

chemistry was Beveridge’s favorite class as an

facilities at the Materials Research Institute on

undergraduate, he was compelled to try a new

campus.

approach when starting graduate school at Penn State. “Mary Beth Williams’ research focused on developing new analytical techniques for applications in nanomaterials. This was something that interested me and provided a challenging field where I was comfortable (analytical chemistry) yet also pushed me out

For his outstanding research discoveries, Beveridge has received several awards, including the 2012 Rustum and Della Roy Innovation in Materials Research Award and a Braucher Fellowship. His collaborative work with the Williams and Schaak groups has also been published in several chemistry journals.

Early in the project, the team had to deal with two challenges: the difference in shape of the optical fibers and chips, and the small size of the pieces. Rather than merge a flat chip with a round optical fiber, they found a way to build a new kind of optical fiber with its own integrated electronic component, thereby bypassing the need to integrate fiber optics onto a chip. To do this, they used high-pressure chemistry techniques to deposit semiconducting materials

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Significant Contributor

Jacob Beveridge,

directly, layer by layer, into tiny holes in optical fibers. “The big breakthrough here is that we don’t need the whole chip as part of the finished product. We have managed to build the junction – the active boundary where all the electronic action takes place – right into the fiber,” said Pier J. A. Sazio of the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom and one of the team’s leaders. “Moreover, while conventional chip fabrication requires multimillion-dollar clean-room

Feature Story facilities, our process can be performed with simple equipment that costs much less.” While this new technology can be applied to electric technologies, the team is investigating alternative uses, including solar-cell applications. Another project of Badding’s has also studied methods for fiber optics in solar cell development. “What’s most exciting about our research is that, for the first time, optical fibers with hydrogenated amorphous silicon are possible; however, our technique also reduces certain production costs, so there’s no reason it could not help in the manufacture of less-expensive solar cells, as well,” Badding said. Badding and his international team of scientists developed a new chemical technique for depositing a non-crystalline form of silicon into the long, ultra-thin pores of optical fibers. The technique, which is the first of its kind to use high-pressure chemistry for making well-developed films and wires of this particular kind

of silicon semiconductor, will help scientists to make more efficient and more-flexible optical fibers. Optical fibers with a non-crystalline form of silicon have many other applications. For example, such fibers could be used in telecommunications devices, or even to change laser light into different infrared wavelengths. Infrared light could be used to improve surgical techniques, military countermeasure devices, or chemical-sensing tools, such as those that detect pollutants or environmental toxins. Badding explained that hydrogenated amorphous silicon – a noncrystalline form of silicon – is ideal for applications such as solar cells. Hydrogenated amorphous silicon also would be useful for the light-guiding cores of optical fibers; however, depositing the silicon compound into an optical fiber – which is thinner than the width of a human hair – presents a challenge. “Traditionally, hydrogenated amorphous silicon is created using an expensive laboratory device

BADDING AND HIS TEAM built an optical fiber with a high-speed electronic

A CROSS SECTION of the diagram

junction – the active boundary where all the electronic action takes place

shown at left. Credit: Badding lab, Penn

– integrated adjacent to the light-guiding fiber core. Light pulses (white

State University

spheres) traveling down the fiber can be converted to electrical signals (square wave) inside the fiber by the junction. The potential applications of such optical fibers include improved telecommunications and other hybrid optical and electronic technologies and improved laser technology. Credit: Badding lab, Penn State University

Penn State Eberly College of Science

A BED OF AMORPHOUS HYDROGENATED SILICON WIRES that were prepared in the pores of optical fibers. The wires have been chemically etched out of the optical fiber to reveal them. Scale bar is 100 um. Inset: An array of amorphous hydrogenated silicon tubes deposited in an optical fiber. The optical fiber has been cleaved in half to reveal the array of tubes. The very thin glass walls of the fiber surrounding each tube are largely obscured. Scale bar is 5um. Credit: John Badding lab, Penn State University.

known as a plasma reactor,” Badding explained. “Our goal was not only to find a simpler way to create hydrogenated amorphous silicon using silane, but also to use it in the development of an optical fiber.” While the study of nanoparticles may be a relatively new field in modern science, the need and desire to understand and create new ma-

terials for various applications continues to increase. Researchers in science labs across Penn State who specialize in nanotechnologies and nanoparticle research are continuing their work in hopes of making discoveries that can be used for new applications in in biological, medical, optical, and electronic fields.

OPTICAL FIBERS WITH A NON-CRYSTALLINE FORM OF SILICON HAVE MANY OTHER APPLICATIONS. FOR EXAMPLE, SUCH FIBERS COULD BE USED IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICES, OR EVEN TO CHANGE LASER LIGHT INTO DIFFERENT INFRARED WAVELENGTHS.

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Feature Story

For Our

Engaging Future Scientists How did you figure out what you wanted to be when you grew up?

Did you have specific vocational aspirations when you began college, from which you never waivered? Or did you embark on a pathway only to discover your passions in areas you did not know existed?

Penn State Eberly College of Science

Even the brightest and most promising students may not have a clear picture of where their college degree will lead them. Indeed, students who enroll in the Eberly College of Science have some of the highest high school grade point averages and SAT scores at University Park. Many of these students come to college with a singular goal in mind (e.g. medical school), which others loved science in high school and remain uncertain about their future professions. Our experience has shown us that rigor-

Future

ous technical degrees push students to think deeply and quantitatively, and prepare them for a wide range of professions that impact areas ranging from curing disease to discovering ways to harness solar energy or solving the mysteries of the universe. Helping students to understand this aids their decision-making about academic planning in their majors. The college is launching a new web site at the end of this year to help students to explore how math and science degrees lead to professions that will make a difference. Rather than asking students what subject they like the most in high school, the interactive tool begins by asking students to identify which of the areas defined as global challenges they are interested in. Students choose from among “solve energy and envi-

ronmental crises”, “cure disease and improve human health”, “end world hunger” and other major areas. The site then leads students to a page displaying professions in the area; for example, “cure disease and improve human health” leads to a page with physician, dentist, researcher, physical therapist, dentist, etc. By selecting a career, students then are provided with a description of majors in that college. Most importantly, the student is ultimately connected to the profile of a Penn State Science alumnus who has done it: the programming selects an alumnus profile from a database with the same major degree and profession that the student selected. A goal for the site is to provide better information about where degrees in math and science can lead, and to introduce the many more ways the many more ways to make a difference in the world, in an effort to both attract and retain students in math and science. Providing a better sense of the potential outcomes will help students to make decisions about their intended major. For example, out of the incoming class of ~ 900 freshmen, almost half indicate an interest in attending medical school but less than a

THE INTERACTIVE TOOL begins by asking students to identify which of the areas defined as global challenges they are interested in.

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

quarter will ultimately do so. Educating these students about alternative careers provides new avenues for them to consider while following their goal of improving human health. Highlighting the achievements of our alumni sends a powerful message about the future possibilities for students in the college. Using the internet and smart programming, the interactive tool is a great way to reach students with technology that they are familiar with. However, it is a portion of what we are doing: we are also putting in place the infrastructure to help students to achieve their goals once they come to University Park. A physical space that brings together all of the undergraduate advising and student support services is also needed, and the college has embarked on an ambitious plan to fully renovate the east wing of Ritenour Building. The student center in Ritneour will form the nucleus of undergraduate programs in the college, and be the central home for all students in math and science majors. The core mission for all staff and faculty within this space is to encourage, enable and support undergraduates in science and math to earn their degrees and to go on to make a difference in the world. Career information is at the heart of both the web site and the building. This office integrates with all of our undergraduate activities, from recruitment of future students to placement of students in internships and co-op experiences. The first floor of the wing contains a suite of offices including the Future Students Office, where pro28

spective students and their families come for information about admissions to Penn State, scholarships, and our programs. Career information is integrated into the tour and information sessions provided to prospective students. These offices are adjoined by the Experiential Learning Office, which includes co-operative education, internships, study abroad and research. Because each of these provides depth of perspective and hands-on experience, a college goal is for all of our undergraduates to have at least one of these experiences prior to graduation. Early planning for current (or even prospective) students can be what enables students to participate. Industrial partners of the college work in concert with the Career Information and Experiential Learning Offices to prepare students and match them with positions that suit their interests and talents. The second floor of the wing is dedicated to excellence in academic advising for students in the college. All students have an assigned academic advisor who is available to assist with academic planning. Recognizing that students often transition between majors during the first semesters of their college experience, the Ritenour renovation plan co-locates advisors from across the college. This enables students to go to a single location to obtain advice, and to find the resources available if they are interested in exploring options in another major. We need the best efforts of scientists and mathematicians from all backgrounds, and the college is committed to helping all students to succeed. Penn State Eberly College of Science

The Office of Diversity Initiatives and Multicultural Programs will also be housed on the first floor of the wing. His office interfaces with a new and exciting program, which has a mission to attract the highest achieving students who are dedicated to both excellence and diversity. In partnership with the College of Engineering, the Eberly College of Science has launched the Penn State Millennium Scholars Program for exceptional undergraduates who plan to go on to attain their Ph.D.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in science and engineering and who have an interest and dedication to diversity. The first cohort of Penn State Millennium Scholars will begin in summer 2013 in an intensive 6-week summer bridge program prior to their freshman year. The summer program is designed to build the foundation of a strong community of Scholars that shares a collective expectation for excellence and working together. In addition to coursework in math and science, Scholars will attend regular professional development workshops, seminars, and study skills sessions. Day trips to partners in industry will help Scholars to connect what they are learning to their long-range goals. Scholars work, live, and study together for the six-week program, building a strong cohort of leaders who are trained to collaborate to make great achievements. Scholars will participate in research throughout their academic career, including during the summer. Their research accomplishments will be compiled in a research thesis. Leadership and intellectual development of the Scholars will rely SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

on a network of alumni, faculty, and peer mentors to support, encourage and sustain their passion for science and engineering research. Significant broader impacts are expected. During the four years of their degree programs, the Penn State Millennium Scholars will be expected to take leadership roles within the larger undergraduate community. Having space to work collaboratively with other math and science students is key to realizing this vision. The lower level of the renovated Ritenour wing will serve this purpose. A large open area features moveable furniture to maximize the possible configurations â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from small study group to open seminar. White boards and digital displays will be available for students to use; smaller siderooms for more focused discussion and a large conference room are also on this floor. Penn State Millennium Scholars, and all math and science students, will have access to the study and collaborative learning areas seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. Our overarching vision is to create a central home for students in math and science, where they can go for academic advice, for career and experiential planning, and to work and learn together. When students are given the tools to explore and define how they want to make a difference in the world, the centralized advising and services available to them in Ritenour will help provide the support and resources for them to get there.

College News New Department Heads in the Eberly College of Science

gery, the mass spectrometry of biological molecules, and the processing of thin-film deposition. Her scientific accomplishments were recognized by a special issue of the Journal of Physical Chemistry in 2010. In recognition of her scientific accomplishments over the years, Garrison has received the Akron Section Award and

Barbara Garrison, Head of Chemistry Barbara Garrison, Shapiro Professor of Chemistry, has been appointed for a second consecutive term as head of the Department of Chemistry. Garrison is a physical chemist who uses computer modeling to study the effects of fast energy deposition and the resulting chemical reactions at solid surfaces. Her models of energetic particle bombardment of solids have built a theoretical understanding of the complex events that lead to the ejection of molecules from surfaces. This understanding has contributed to advances in the interpretation of massspectrometry data for organic compounds and biological molecules, and to the development of better techniques for doping and depth profiling of semiconductors. Her studies of laser ablation are applicable to the optimization of lasers for sur30

Barbara Garrison

Francis P. Garvan-John M. Olin Medal from the American Chemical Society, the Peter Mark Award from the American Vacuum Society, the New Faculty and Teacher-Scholar awards from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, and the Penn State Faculty Scholar Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Physical Sciences and Engineering. She is a Fellow of the American Vacuum Society, the

American Physical Society and the American Chemical Society. Garrison served as chair of the New Chemistry Building Committee at Penn State for nine years. Nationally, she has served on advisory committees for the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and the Office of Naval Research. She served for five years as an officer of the American Chemical Societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Division of Physical Chemistry. She also has been a member of the governing board of the Council of Chemical Research, a member of selection committees for American Chemical Society and American Physical Society awards, and a member of the editorial boards of several journals. Garrison earned a bachelors degree in physics at Arizona State University in 1971 and a Ph.D. degree in chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley in 1975, followed by postdoctoral studies at Purdue University. After lecturing at the University of California at Berkeley and Purdue University, she joined the Penn State faculty as an assistant professor in 1979. She was promoted to professor in 1986 and served as the head of the Department of Chemistry from 1989 to 1994. In 2011, Garrison guided the chemistry department Penn State Eberly College of Science

through their first external review since 1978. The review recognized the department strengths in interdisciplinary areas including materials chemistry, biological chemistry and inorganic chemistry. The excellence of the chemistry department was recognized in the latest NRC rankings in which the department rose a handful of positions to 12th in the nation in a combined R&S rating. Garrison’s goals in her next term are to continue hiring to increase the visibility of the chemistry department and to continue to work with the university to provide the infrastructure needed for the students and faculty in chemistry to excel in their mission of educating students, both in the classroom and the research laboratory.

puting, which is the interface between statistics and computer science. He also works with various methods of statistical modeling such as network models, which are graphical structures representing objects and their relationships, and mixture models, which are probabilistic models used to represent how sub-populations relate to an overall population. Hunter’s previous honors include an Outstanding Teaching Award from the Department of Statistics at the University of Michigan. He has published numerous scientific papers in journals such as Biometrika, the Journal of Nonparametric Statistics, and the Journal of Statistical Software. He has served as associate editor for the Annals of Applied Statis-

David Hunter, Head of Statistics David Hunter, a professor of statistics at Penn State University, has been appointed as head of the Department of Statistics. He succeeds Bruce Lindsay, Willaman Professor of Statistics, who had served as head of the department since 2006. Hunter’s research is focused on computational statistics, also known as statistical comSCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

David Hunter

tics, Network Science, and the American Statistician, and he has reviewed manuscripts for numerous scientific journals. He is a member of the American Statistical Association, and he has presented invited talks and workshops at scientific symposia across the United States and in Canada, Germany, Spain, Greece, France, Norway, India, and China. He has mentored over 35 Penn State graduate students. Before joining the Penn State faculty in 1999, Hunter was an instructor at the University of Michigan. He earned a doctoral degree in mathematics at the University of Michigan in 1999, and a bachelor’s degree, cum laude, at Princeton University in 1992. Hunter says that his primary goal is to maintain the vibrant, collaborative environment that has made Penn State’s Department of Statistics both a great place to work and one of the highest-ranked and mostrespected statistics departments in the nation. He plans to accomplish this by continuing the department’s recruitment of top faculty members and upholding the department’s philosophy of institutional support for both interdisciplinary collaborative research and theoretical statistical research. Another goal Hunter has is to focus on excel31

College News lence in the department’s educational mission. It is Hunter’s belief that true excellence in this area requires attention to each of the department’s undergraduate, graduate/professional, and consulting programs, as they are all interrelated. Hunter is excited about some recent education-related trends in the Eberly College of Science and he is looking forward to continuing to work with colleagues throughout his department, the college, and the University.

Zheng’s previous honors include an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, which he was granted in 1995. He has published over 70 mathematical articles in premier journals such as Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics, Archive for Rational Mechanics, Physica D, and Communications in Mathematical Physics. He has published a monograph called Systems of Conservation Laws, and he has contributed several chapters to mathematics and physics textbooks. He

Yuxi Zheng, Head of Mathematics Yuxi Zheng, a professor of mathematics at Penn State University, has been appointed as the head of the Department of Mathematics. He succeeds John Roe, a professor of mathematics who served as head since 2007. Zheng studies partial differential equations, an area of mathematics that has applications in all branches of sciences. Zheng’s focus is on hyperbolic partial differential equations, which typically are used in aerodynamics, materials research, astronomy, weather forecasting, and some financial, life, and social sciences.

Yuxi Zheng

has served as editor of the journals Dynamics of Partial Differential Equations and Communications on Pure and Applied Analysis, and as managing editor of Methods and Applications of Analysis.

He has presented many invited talks at scientific symposia in the United States and in Canada, Japan, Germany, China, and several South American countries. At Penn State, he is a popular teacher, and he has taught an especially popular graduatelevel mathematics course with a record number of doctoral students. He has directed five doctoral students, one of whom will serve as a department chairman at another university in six months. Zheng joined the Penn State faculty in 2001. He served as associate head for administration in the Department of Mathematics from 2003 to 2006 and from 2009 to 2010. From 2010 to 2012, Zheng was at Yeshiva University in New York to help the institution successfully establish a doctoral program in mathematics. He earned a doctoral degree in mathematics at the University of California at Berkeley in 1990, and a bachelor’s degree at Shandong University in China in 1983. Zheng said that he is happy to take on the task of department head. He is proud of his department’s members and that the Penn State math department has recently ranked around 10th in the entire nation, and he says he looks

Penn State Eberly College of Science

forward to making the department even better. Zheng has said that even in light of the difficult financial times ahead, he is committed to looking for opportunities to expand the department’s resources, external and internal, on-line or on-site, and minority or majority. Zheng desires to pursue excellence in both the sheer beauty of mathematics and its

applications through growth and development, and to support the visitors’ program and interdisciplinary activities, so Penn State’s department of math can become an international hub of mathematical sciences. For the department’s enterprise in the immediate future Zheng proposes to increase the number of Chowla post-

doctorals by 100%, to increase faculty hiring at two assistant professors per year, to enhance small research grants and professional development for fixed-term instructional faculty, to reduce the teaching load for the top ten percent of graduate students by one credit-hour per year, and to strive for no further reduction in staff force.

Penn State and Dow Chemical Company Partner to Improve Lab Safety Penn State and the Dow Chemical Company have

in scientific fields important to Dow and to the na-

recently joined together to launch an exploratory

tion’s future. The initiative, which began with pilot

program to promote safety awareness and best

programs with the University of Minnesota and Penn

practices at University Park. The Departments of

State, is an outgrowth of an earlier initiative by Dow

Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Materials

to invest $25 million per year for 10 years among 11

Science and Engineering are piloting the program,

academic institutions, including Penn State. The goal

which began in May 2012, to help improve university

of the safety program is to provide better training for

laboratory safety.

graduate students so that the transition to the safety

Although safety in university laboratories across the country has improved since the implementation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administra-

culture prevalent in industry is a smooth one for future generations of students. “A core part of our mission at Dow is to support

tion Laboratory Safety Act in 1990, it is still a chal-

universities and help them continue the tradition of

lenge for universities to sustain safe laboratories with

excellence in chemical engineering, chemistry, and

transient populations.

materials science,” said William F. Banholzer, Ph.D.,

Based on 2010 OSHA personal injury rate data,

executive vice president and Dow’s chief technology

it is about seven times safer to work in a Dow

officer. “Dow recognizes that laboratory safety is a

laboratory than a university or college laboratory.

continuing challenge for universities everywhere,

Because of this, Dow has committed to pilot pro-

and we have the expertise to be part of the solution.

grams to promote safety and strengthen research

This pilot program leverages Dow’s strength in Continued on next page

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

College News creating and sustaining a culture of safety in our labs — a culture that centers on driving behavior toward

In order to gain a better understanding for how

incident prevention, with a high level of employee

Dow approaches safety in their labs, safety repre-

engagement.”

sentatives from the three departments at Penn State,

In it’s partnership with Penn State, Dow will assist in

which included faculty and graduate students, visited

developing tools uniquely adapted to the academic

Dow research laboratories to see firsthand. During

laboratory setting in order to foster a culture of labo-

the visit to Dow, the Penn State team worked with the

ratory safety. The focus of the tools will be on incident

company to identify safety approaches that would

prevention and engagement in safety practices to

be most suitable for implementation in the research

provide safe working and research environments.

laboratories at Penn State.

“We’re honored that Dow approached us with

“We saw from our visit to Dow that a safe labora-

this opportunity to improve safety performance in

tory environment is no accident,” said John B. Asbury,

our laboratories,” said Henry C. Foley, Ph.D., Vice

Ph.D, associate professor of chemistry and faculty

President for Research and Dean of the Graduate

advisor to the student-run safety leadership team in

School at Penn State. “Our partnership with Dow will

the chemistry department at Penn State. “Rather, it

ultimately lead to a more rewarding research experi-

results from conscientious efforts to enhance com-

ence for our students and a safer work environment

munication among researchers, think critically about

for our faculty.”

possible hazards, and implement plans to mitigate

During the initial exploratory phase, which ran

those hazards. These principles form the design rules

through the end of August, Dow and Penn State

that guide the development of our safety program

focused on educating students and other research

going forward.”

personnel directly involved in research activities in the

In addition to the Dow site visit, the Penn State

laboratory using a bottom-up approach. The overall

safety team participates in biweekly conference

goals of this exploratory effort were to elevate safety

calls with Dow to identify assessment tools to establish

awareness among research personnel by leveraging

a baseline on current safety culture and behavior

Dow’s knowledge and experience in safety and to

while raising awareness of safe laboratory practices,

identify best approaches to assess the current level of

identify critical needs, and develop plans to advance

safety awareness and practices at Penn State.

the safety culture. The team also developed a plan

Representatives from Dow visited Penn State in July

for an interdepartmental online safety-reporting tool

to access current safety practices in chemistry, chemi-

through which students and faculty can communi-

cal engineering, and materials science and engi-

cate safety concerns and offer suggestions for safety-

neering laboratories. The two-day visit allowed Dow

related improvements.

employees to review the facilities, determine where

be an effective tool to achieve this awareness.

Dow and Penn State are currently evaluating the

safety changes need to be implemented, and talk to

success of the exploratory phase to determine a

faculty, post-docs, and students about safety pro-

future course of action. The long-term objective of this

cedures. Strong student involvement in focus groups

partnership is to establish a sustainable program that

conducted by the Dow team revealed that students

addresses the key needs identified by the assessment,

recognize the need for greater awareness of safety in

improves the safety awareness, and leads to the em-

the laboratory and that the bottom-up approach will

brace of safety as a culture at Penn State.

Penn State Eberly College of Science

Penn State Science Welcomes the Class of 2016 Freshman orientation, held on Sunday, August 26 for the nearly 900-member class of 2016, was a chance for new students to spend part of their day getting to know the college, each other, and what is expected of them as students at Penn State. Mary Beth Williams, associate dean for undergraduate education and associate professor of chemistry, facilitated the event and gave the new undergraduates the tools and encouragement they need to start out on the right path. While acknowledging that the sciences are rigorous, and

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

that courses and exams will be challenging, Williams also offered encouragement for the students throughout her presentation to the large group in Schwab Auditorium. She noted that the incoming class has outstanding academic credentials; With an average high school GPA of 3.86, and average combined SAT verbal and math scores of 1226, this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s class ranked high above the average of other University Park freshman, with an average of 3.57 GPA and SAT of 1190. In addition to talking about academic requirements, Wil-

liams also wanted for the day to leave the new students with a sense of community, a feeling of belonging as a new member of the college. By providing the students with information about the accessibility of resources, such as academic advising, and

College News tutoring, Williams encouraged the group to connect with their support team in the college and seek help when they need it. To connect with each other, Williams divided the large group of students into smaller groups, where each represented a global challenge that science can solve, including: ending world hunger, curing disease, solving energy crises, teaching future scientists, securing the nation, and addressing environmental emergencies. She tasked the groups with thinking about the issues, as well as potential career paths and majors for each. The exercise not only urged the students thinking about global issues, but also helped them realize how they can work to solve the problems now and in the future. After the group activity, Williams also persuaded the

students to bond with each other in an unusual manner. In the largest thumb wrestling game ever held in Schwab Auditorium, Williams directed the students to simultaneously thumb wrestle with the person on either side of them. What the students didn’t realize was the game was more than just another icebreaker; it was science in action. When

you hold someone’s hand for six seconds a chemical – oxytocin – is released, which enhances the feelings of trust and connectedness between people. How do you get a roomful of strangers to hold hands for six seconds? Host a thumb wrestling competition. Even Dean Daniel Larson participated in the game to help foster a connection between students and college leaders and faculty. After the group meeting, the students met with their respective departments, and then attended an involvement fair and ice cream social. The involvement fair and social was another avenue for new students to explore the opportunities available to them as a science student, including clubs, volunteer, and academic activities. Giving incoming science students the opportunity to interact with each other, and meet college administrators, faculty, and staff throughout the day, helped to reinforce the sense of community and establish a positive connection to the college from the start of their academic careers. Welcome to the class of 2016!

Penn State Eberly College of Science

Years of Service Awards Each calendar year, faculty and staff across the University are recognized for the time they have spent working at Penn State. The Years of Service Awards were designed to honor full-time faculty and staff at Penn State who have worked at the University for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 or more years. The Eberly College of Science is lucky to have so many dedicated faculty and staff members working in the college, and honored 159 employees in 2012. 25+ Years of Service: Michael Akritas Harry Allcock James Anderson George Andrews Steven Arnold G Jogesh Babu Carol Baker Augustin Banyaga Piotr Berman Robert Boor Jean Brooks Kenneth Brown Woodrow Brownawell Donald Bryant David Burrows Albert Castleman Moses Chan Milton Cole Daniel Cosgrove Dohn Dunmire Daniel Durachko Eric Feigelson Ken Feldman Richard Frisque Sabrina Glasgow Murat Gunaydin Ross Hardison Beverly Hazzard Teh-Hui Kao Valarie Kelley Barbara Kennedy Robert Korman Melissa Lachat Wen-Ching Li Luen-Chau Li Bruce Lindsay John Lintner Maria Long Bruce Lord Cathy Lutz Dennis Marince

Przemyslaw Maslak Andrea Mastro Julian Maynard Henry Mc Coullum Peter Meszaros Douglas Miller Webb Miller Ellen Moyer Gary Mullen Sandra Murray Randi Neshteruk John Nousek David O Neill Adrian Ocneanu Anthony Omeis Theresa Peters Ronald Porter Lawrence Ramsey Mary Anne Raymond Lisa Reiter Richard Robinett James Rosenberger Ayusman Sen Carl Sillman Ming Tien Chen-Pei Tu Christopher Uhl Leonid Vaserstein Steven Weinreb Nicholas Winograd Eric Younken Jerie Zitek 25 Years: David Allara Paul Baum Johnny Bloom Timothy Bowmaster Lynda Fisher Luann Franklin Raymond Funk Martin Furer Rebecca Halpenny

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Steven Heppelmann Mark Maroncelli B Tracy Nixon Roy Willis 20 Years: Jane Charlton Robert Crable Larry Johns Linda Kunes Bing Li James Marden Shari Miller Karl Mueller Linda Price Benjamin Pugh Alexander Wolszczan 15 Years: Jamie Arnold Philip Bevilacqua William Brandt Craig Cameron Stephane Coutu Vincent Crespi Joyce Greslick Denise Hlivia Xiaoe (Jenny) Li Joseph Reese Connie Smith Hemant Yennawar 10 years: Sarah Ades Nathanial Brown Nina Bumgarner Gong Chen Linda Clark Douglas Cowen Michael Green Caryl Gronwall Yi Hu

Glenn Johnson Kenneth Keiler Carsten Krebs Josetta Lichty Benjamin Owen Mercedes Richards Donald Richards Alexander Soudakov Liza Wilson Jie Xu 5 Years: Adam Bergstein Barbara Collins Anjuli Datta Meghann Devlin-Durante Anne Eisentraeger Matthew Ferrari Joshua Fritsch Durga Ghosh Debashis Ghosh Lasse Jensen Tracy Langkilde Tae-Hee Lee Bratoljub Milosavljevic Victoria Nocek William Noid Lee Ann Pannebaker Mihran Papikian Andrew Read Timothy Reluga Lacey Rigg Melissa Rolls Raymond Schaak Karen Seitz Derek Sim Philip Stemple Mathieu Stienon Lori Van Der Sluys Stephen Van Hook Nancy Wilson Huiqing Zeng Zhibiao Zhao

Department News In each issue, the college will feature news and articles from departments who wish to contribute. In this issue, astronomy, BMB, chemistry, and statistics have included news, updates, and information from their departments.

Astronomy Investigating Quasars Intergalactic space, the region between galaxies, is not an empty void but contains a population of invisible (to the eye) clouds of gas. These tenuous objects were first detected over 40 years ago by the shadows that the clouds cast in the light of distant and luminous beacons called quasars, but remain mysterious as they contain chemical elements, such as Magnesium, Iron, and Silicon, that can only be made in stars much more massive than the sun, yet they reside far from the galaxies, where such stars are found.

Jane Charlton and two of her undergraduate researchers, Ben Rosenwasser and Gloria Fonseca, examine the different chemical elements present in one of the newly discovered gas clouds.

This summer, a team of four undergraduates, supervised by Professor Jane Charlton, investigated the properties of these gas clouds using data from the Hubble Space Telescopeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. The spectrograph spreads out the light of the distant quasar beacon, like a rainbow, and allows the students to identify the unique absorption patterns produced by the elements Silicon and Carbon. The four students, Amber Roberts, Ben Ros-

enwasser, Gloria Fonseca, and Alex Koury, meticulously searched the spectra of one hundred quasars, and found 13 previously unknown gas clouds. The newly discovered clouds include some of the nearest known to our own galaxy; their proximity to the Milky Way will allow particularly extensive study of their characteristics. In addition to the four current students, there have been thirteen undergraduate alumni involved in research on

Penn State Eberly College of Science

quasar spectra with Charlton over the past decade; they are now employed in a wide range of positions, including the Deputy Operations Project Scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope and an educational video game programmer. Not only are the undergraduate students investigating the process of star formation and the dispersion of their chemicals throughout intergalactic space, but they also are gaining problem-solving abilities that will serve them well in a wide variety of science and science related careers.

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Eight New Faculty Members Welcomed in 2012. The new faculty include: Lu (Lucy) Bai,Â assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and assistant professor of physics, who joined the department in January 2012. Paul Cremer, professor of chemistry and biochemistry and molecular biology, who joined the department in September 2012. Santhosh Girirajan, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology

South Frear Building Updates We are excited about the major renovations taking place in South Frear, a BMB research and teaching laboratory facility. The third floor was recently redesigned and renovated for the Energy Frontiers Research Center, a research team supported by the Department of Energy. Work and design is in progress for all other floors, including research space on floors 2 and 4, and laboratory teaching spaces on the first floor. Some of our new faculty, namely Lucy Bai, Paul Cremer, Tom Mallouk, Shaun Mahony will have their labs in these great new facilities!

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

and anthropology, who joined the department in July 2012. Shaun Mahony, assistant professor in biochemistry and molecular biology, who joined the department in August 2012. Tom Mallouk, Evan Pugh Professor of Materials Chemistry and Physics and professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, who joined the department in July 2012. Paul Medvedev, assistant professor of computer science and engineering and biochemistry and molecular biology, who joined the department in July 2012. Michael Mwangi, clinical assistant professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences and clinical assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, who joined the department in January 2012. Thomas Wood, Biotechnology Endowed Chair of Chemical Engineering and professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, who joined the department in January 2012.

Department News

Chemistry Joining Forces The Department of Chemistry has joined forces with the Eberly College of Science to bring you highlights of our activities. The new, expanded Science Journal covers many of the topics that we had been including in the annual Department of Chemistry newsletter. Therefore, we are suspending our annual newsletter for the near future. You will find lots of news about chemists in the Science Journal including new

faculty hires, faculty, staff and student awards as well as articles on activities, research and instruction. There is a feature story about the new nanomaterials research of the groups of Mary Beth Williams, Ray Schaak, and John Badding. Another article describes the efforts of a group of graduate students led by John Asbury who are working in conjunction with a team from Dow Chemical Company to improve the safety habits of researchers working in chemistry labs. We are excited about a faculty member who joined us

this year. Paul Cremer, professor of chemistry and biochemistry and molecular biology, and holder of the J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Natural Sciences, joined the department this fall. Research in the Cremer lab involves the interplay of physical chemistry, biological chemistry, nanomaterials, and sensor design. Emmanuel Hatzakis also joined the department this fall as director of the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Facility as Alan Benesi retired after 25 years of service to the department. Barbara Garrison Department of Chemistry

Statistics Statistical Consulting Center Under New Leadership James Rosenberger, professor of statistics, has taken over as the director of the Statistical Consulting Center (SCC) in the Department of Statistics, as of July 2012. Hardly a newcomer to the department, Rosenberger brings a wealth of statistical and administrative experience to the job: he served as head of Penn State’s Department of Statistics from 1991 to 2006, and he also currently coordinates its extensive online course offerings. 40

The SCC, which will celebrate its 30th birthday in 2013, is an educational service unit within the Department of Statistics providing advice, project management, data management, and statistical analysis for Penn State and private research communities. In addition, it serves as a training ground for statistics students, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels, who interact with the professional staff of the SCC and its clients. These multiple roles are reflected in the Center’s threepart mission to provide statistical input to research projects,

to train statisticians to interact effectively with investigators from other disciplines, and to encourage research collaboration between statisticians and other investigators. According to Rosenberger, “My goal for the center is to provide high-level statistical advice to the research community that reflects the importance the granting agencies already recognize as the proper role of statistics in high-quality, reproducible scientific research findings.”

Penn State Eberly College of Science

Faculty Spotlight

Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The CAREER award is the most prestigious award given by the NSF in support of junior faculty Faculty Awards members who exemplify the and Honors role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, Career Awards excellent teaching, and the John Asbury, integration of education and research. The CAREER an assistant award provides five years of professor of chemistry, has funding and is given to assistant professors by NSF been honored with a Depart- directorates at different times ment of Energy during the year. Office of Science Early Career Carsten Research award. The award is Krebs, a designed “to bolster the naprofessor of tion’s scientific workforce by chemistry and providing support to exceptionof biochemisal researchers during the try and crucial early career years, molecular when many scientists do their biology, has been chosen by the most formative work.” The Society for Biological Inorganaward also aims to provide ic Chemistry as the recipient scientists with incentives to focus on fields of research that of the Society’s 2012 Early Career Award. The SBIC are a high priority to the Early Career Award has been Department of Energy and to described as the signature the United States. award in the field of biological Kirsten inorganic chemistry. It is Eisentraeger, awarded to the most meritorian associate ous scientist who has completprofessor of ed no more than 15 years of mathematics, distinguished research in the has been field. The award comes with a honored with a monetary prize and a plaque, SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

and will be presented to Krebs before his plenary lecture at the 16th International Conference for Biological Inorganic Chemistry in Grenoble, France. University/College Awards Philip C. Bevilacqua, a professor of chemistry, has been honored with the 2012 C.I. Noll Award for Excellence in Teaching by the Eberly College of Science Alumni Society. Instituted in 1972 and named in honor of Clarence I. Noll, dean of the college from 1965 to 1971, the award is the highest honor for undergraduate teaching in the college. Students, faculty members, and alumni nominate outstanding faculty members who best exemplify the key characteristics of a Penn State educator and a committee of students select among nominees. J. Martin Bollinger Jr., a professor of chemistry and of biochemistry and molecular biology, has been selected by the Penn State Graduate School to receive the 41

Faculty Spotlight Howard B. Palmer Faculty Mentoring Award. The award, which includes a monetary prize and a certificate, is presented to a full-time faculty member who demonstrates “effective mentoring through guiding and nurturing the collegial and professional development of junior faculty.” This award was established in 1991 in honor of Howard Palmer, who served as senior associate dean of the Graduate School from 1985 to 1991.

Jainendra K. Jain, the Erwin W. Mueller Professor of Physics, has been named an Evan Pugh Professor, which is the highest honor the University bestows on its faculty. The Evan Pugh Professorships, named for Penn State’s first president, are awarded to faculty members who are acknowledged pioneers in their fields of Richard Cyr, research or creative activity; a professor in have demonstrated significant the Departleadership in raising the ment of Biolstandards of the University ogy, has been with respect to teaching, honored with research or creativity, and the Undergrad- service; and have demonstratuate Program Leadership ed excellent teaching skills Award for 2012. This award is with undergraduate and meant to recognize a faculty graduate students who have member who has demonstrated subsequently achieved distincexemplary leadership benefittion in their fields. ing an existing Penn State undergraduate degree proBruce gram. The goal of the award is Lindsay, to recognize those individuals Willaman who have major responsibilities Professor of for the delivery of undergraduStatistics and ate education within a unit and former head of who are providing leadership the Departthat has transformed or ment of Statistics, has been revitalized the undergraduate appointed as Holder of the program within the unit. Eberly Family Chair in Statistics, one of the highest

honors awarded to faculty members in Penn State’s Eberly College of Science. The appointment, effective on 30 June 2012, was made by the Office of the President of the University, based on the recommendations of colleagues and the Dean, in recognition of Lindsay’s national and international reputation for excellence in research and teaching. Katherine Masters, a lecturer and lab director in the Department of Chemistry, has been selected to receive Penn State’s George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching. Penn State’s president, Rodney Erikson, presented Masters with the award during a formal ceremony in April. The award, named after Penn State’s seventh president, was established in 1989 as a continuation of the AMOCO Foundation Award, and honors excellence in teaching at the undergraduate level. Eric Post, a professor of biology, has been selected to receive the 2012 Penn State Faculty Scholar Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Life and Health Sciences. Established

Penn State Eberly College of Science

in 1980, the award recognizes scholarly or creative excellence represented by a single contribution or a series of contributions around a coherent theme. A committee of faculty peers reviews nominations and selects candidates. Raymond Schaak, a professor of chemistry, has been selected to receive the 2012 Penn State Faculty Scholar Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Physical Sciences. Established in 1980, the award recognizes scholarly or creative excellence represented by a single contribution or a series of contributions around a coherent theme. A committee of faculty peers reviews nominations and selects candidates. Carl E. Sillman, a senior lecturer who has taught courses in microbiology, molecular genetics, cell biology, immunology, and biotechnology, has been honored with the 2012 C.I. Noll Award for Excellence in Teaching by the Eberly College of Science Alumni SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Society. Instituted in 1972 and named in honor of Clarence I. Noll, dean of the college from 1965 to 1971, the award is the highest honor for undergraduate teaching in the college. Students, faculty members, and alumni nominate outstanding faculty members who best exemplify the key characteristics of a Penn State educator and a committee of students select among nominees. Miscellaneous Awards and Honors George Andrews, an Evan Pugh Professor of Mathematics at Penn State University, has been selected to receive an honorary degree from SASTRA University in India. The degree will be awarded as part of the 125th anniversary celebration of Srinivasa Ramanujan, an Indian mathematician who, with little formal mathematics training, made extraordinary contributions to the fields of mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions. Andrews is an authority on Ramanujan’s work, and he is collaborating on a multi-volume study of Ramanujan’s lost notebook,

which Andrews discovered in the Trinity College Library at Cambridge in 1976. Moses Chan, an Evan Pugh Professor of Physics, testified before the U.S. Senate on whether the sell-off of the nation’s helium reserve has an adverse effect on the nation’s scientific, technical, biomedical, and national-security users of helium. Chan, a member of the National Academy of Sciences / National Research Council (NAS/NRC) Committee on Understanding the Impact of Selling the Helium Reserve, gave his testimony to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on 10 May 2012. William Noid, an assistant professor of chemistry, has been honored with a Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation TeacherScholar Award. The award supports the research and teaching careers of talented young faculty in the chemical sciences and includes a monetary prize.

Faculty Spotlight C.R. Rao, Emeritus Holder of the Eberly Family Chair in Statistics, long recognized as one of the world’s top statisticians, has been honored with his 35th and 36th honorary Doctor of Science degrees. The awarding universities are Karnatak University, located in Dharwad, India, and the International Sanskrit University, located in Tirupati, India. Rao was presented with the degrees during ceremonies at the respective universities. James L. Rosenberger, a professor of statistics, has been elected to the position of Vice President of the American Statistical Association (ASA). The ASA is the world’s largest community of statisticians, supporting “excellence in the development, application, and dissemination of statistical science through meetings, publications, membership services, education, accreditation, and advocacy.”

Alexander Wolszczan, Evan Pugh Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, has been honored as the first recipient of the Frombork Gold Medal by the Gieysztor Academy of Humanities and the Cathedral Chapter of Warmia in Poland. The award commemorates the discovery and reburial of the remains of Nicolaus Copernicus, a Renaissance astronomer and the first person to formulate a Sun-centered cosmology. After Copernicus’s death, his body was buried in an unmarked grave under the floor of the cathedral of Frombork, a town in northern Poland. In 2005, a team of Polish researchers tentatively identified the remains and, in 2008, DNA extracted from a tooth and a bone was matched to that of a hair found in one of the astronomer’s books. On 22 May 2010, Copernicus’ remains were reburied in a tomb in the same cathedral during a Roman Catholic ceremony.

Congratulations to the following faculty members on their recent promotions in academic rank: To professor: Martin Bojowald, physics David R. Hunter, statistics Helge K. Jenssen, mathematics Christine D. Keating, chemistry Carsten D. Krebs, chemistry Jia Li, statistics Kateryna D. Makova, biology Radu Roiban, physics Steinn Sigurdsson, astronomy and astrophysics To associate professor: John B. Asbury, chemistry Tyce R. DeYoung, physics Anne K. Eisentraeger, mathematics Tracy L. Langkilde, biology Aimin Liu, biology Kenneth M. O’Hara, physics Yu Zhang, statistics Jun Zhu, physics

Penn State Eberly College of Science

New Faculty

Review of Physical Chemistry, and Proceedings of the NationPaul Cremer, al Academy of Sciences and he is a Fellow of the American professor of chemistry and Chemical Society and the of biochemistry American Association for the and molecular Advancement of Science. In addition, Cremer is one of the biology and J. youngest chemists to serve as Lloyd Huck an editor for the Journal of the Chair in Natural Science, American Chemical Society. focuses his research on the interplay of physical chemistry, Before joining the Penn State faculty in 2012, Cremer was a biological chemistry, nanomaprofessor of chemistry at Texas terials, and sensor design. A&M University and a postCurrently, he is working on doctoral researcher at Stanford developing new kinds of University. He earned a biosensors – devices that combine a biological component doctoral degree at the University of California at Berkeley with a chemical-detector in 1996 and a bachelor’s degree component, such as those that at the University of Wisconsin are used to detect the efficacy of drug molecules. The new bio- in 1990. sensors that he and his lab Santhosh have developed are unique in Girirajan, that they incorporate nanomaassistant terial films and nanopores for professor of measuring proteins, small biochemistry molecules, and viruses binding and molecular to model cell membranes. He biology, focuses and his lab also are developing his research on untangling the chemistry that will allow genetic basis of complex transmembrane proteins to be disorders that affect humans. purified, isolated, and characSpecifically, he researches terized on glass chips that use variable expressivity – how some of the same lithographic different individuals with the technology used to make same genotype vary in their computer processors. He has clinical presentation of a published numerous scientific disorder and how their genes papers in journals such as the are expressed. In recent Journal of the American research, Girirajan has studied Chemical Society, the Annual SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

how complex genetic disorders sometimes are associated with rare copy-number variations (CNVs) – regions of the genome with either deleted or duplicated sections of a string of genetic code. His goal is to use what he discovers about the molecular pathways involved in human disease in order to design more-effective therapies and treatments. Girirajan has published numerous scientific papers in journals including Nature Genetics, PLoS Genetics, Genome Research, the European Journal of Human Genetics, Genetics in Medicine, and the Journal of Medical Genetics. He serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Pediatric Genetics and as a reviewer for such journals as Nature Genetics, the American Journal of Human Genetics, the Journal of Medical Genetics, Human Molecular Genetics, PloS Genetics, and Genome Research. Before joining the faculty at Penn State, Girirajan was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Genome Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. He earned a doctoral degree at the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2008. He earned bachelor-of-medicine and bachelor-of-surgery degrees at Bangalore University in India in 2001. 45

Faculty Spotlight Heather Hines, assistant professor of biology and entomology, studies the genetic modifications behind the diversity found in nature. Hines currently studies wing-color patterns in butterflies of the genus Heliconius. These patterns exemplify a phenomenon known as mimicry, where species evolve to look like one another to avoid predation. Her research focuses on two Heliconius butterfly species that use extensive mimicry in over 20 color-pattern complexes across the tropics. This research integrates skills from four scientific domains – genomics, population genetics, phylogenetics, and developmental biology – to uncover the gene networks involved in the formation of diverse and repeated color patterns, as well as the evolutionary mechanisms underlying the development of mimicry. Hines will extend these areas of research to develop an understanding of the exceptional diversity of color patterns in mimetic species of bumblebees. Hines has given lectures and invited talks at scientific conferences throughout the 46

United States and she has published scientific papers in journals such as Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PLoS Genetics, and Systematic Biology. Before joining the faculty at Penn State, Hines was a postdoctoral research fellow at the North Carolina State University, where she researched the developmental genetics of adaptive wing-pattern variation in butterflies. Hines earned doctoral and master’s degrees in entomology at the University of Illinois in 2008 and 2004, respectively, studying several aspects of the evolutionary history of bumble bees and the evolution of sociality in wasps. She earned a bachelor’s degree in both biology and anthropology, with honors, at the University of Iowa in 2001. There, Hines studied the effects of landscape loss on pollinator diversity, focusing on impacts on the economically and environmentally valuable bumblebees. Boris Kalinin, associate professor of mathematics, is a mathematician whose research interests include

dynamical systems, smooth ergodic theory, and geometry. He has investigated rigidity phenomena in dynamics and group actions with an emphasis on the interplay of differentiable, algebraic, and probabilistic properties. Kalinin has published numerous scientific papers about his research in journals such as Annals of Mathematics, Geometry and Topology, the Journal of Modern Dynamics, and Geometric and Functional Analysis. He has served as a referee for various peer-reviewed journals including Inventiones Mathematicae, Forum Mathematicum, the Journal and Bulletin of the London Mathematical Society, the Journal of Modern Dynamics, Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems, and Mathematical Research Letters. Before joining the faculty at Penn State, Kalinin was an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of South Alabama. He also held a postdoctoral position at the University of Michigan, as well as visiting positions at the University of Texas, Penn State, and the Institute for Mathematical Research (FIM) in Switzerland. He earned a doctoral degree in mathematics at Penn State in 2000. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematPenn State Eberly College of Science

ics at St. Petersburg State University in Russia in 1995. Paul Medvedev, assistant professor of computer science and engineering and of biochemistry and molecular biology and Quiggle Career Developmental Professor, focuses on the interface of biology with theoretical computer science. Specifically, he studies problems where rigorous algorithms and analysis can have a demonstrated impact in the biological sciences. His current focus is on detecting and understanding DNA structural and copy-number variations – large alterations of the DNA landscape that play an important role in the development and progression of diseases. He also is interested in other areas of research such as phylogenetics, graph theory, computational complexity, and on-line algorithms. He has published scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals such as Nature Methods and the Journal of Graph Theory, and his work has been featured on the cover of Genome Research. He has served as a reviewer for Genome Research, BioinforSCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

matics, Discrete Applied Mathematics, and several other journals. Before joining the Penn State faculty in the fall semester of 2012, Medvedev was a visiting scientist at the Oregon Health and Sciences University and a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California at San Diego. He also has worked as an advanced software engineer at Altera Corporation – a manufacturer of programmable logic devices located in San Jose, California. Medvedev earned a doctoral degree in computer science at the University of Toronto in 2010. He earned a master’s degree in computer science at the University of Southern Denmark at Odense in 2004 and a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, at the University of California at Los Angeles in 2002. Michael Mwangi, clinical assistant professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences and clinical assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, is a biologist who tries to solve difficult problems in biomedicine using computer science, mathematics, and more-tradi-

tional research carried out in the laboratory. One tool that figures prominently in his work is next-generation DNA sequencing – an advancement that has revolutionized biology by allowing for the rapid determination of an organism’s entire DNA sequence. Currently, Mwangi is trying to unravel the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in MRSA – a bacterium sometimes found to infect patients in hospitals – and several other important bacterial pathogens. Some strains of these bacteria have evolved resistance to many drugs, raising the specter of untreatable disease. Mwangi also has a growing interest in the field of metagenomics, which involves analyzing the complex and diverse bacterial populations, or microflora, that inhabit humans and other animals. Such microflora may play a profound role in many diseases ranging from Crohn’s to autism. Mwangi is the recipient of a Rockefeller University Marie-Josee and Henry Kravis Postdoctoral Fellowship. He has published numerous scientific papers about his research in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PLoS Pathogens, Nature Structural, and Molecular Biology. His work has been 47

Faculty Spotlight featured by the Wall Street Journal, BBC news, and the London Science Museum. Before joining the faculty at Penn State, Mwangi was a member of the adjunct faculty at Rockefeller University, specializing in computational and experimental biology, and a quantitative analyst at Citigroup – an American multinational financial services corporation. He earned a doctoral degree in theoretical physics at Cornell University in 2006. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physics at the University of Western Ontario in 1999. Thomas Wood, professor of chemical engineering and of biochemistry and molecular biology, and Biotechnology Endowed Chair of Chemical Engineering, is a scientist

whose primary focus is understanding the genetic basis of the formation of biofilms – complex assemblages of microorganisms that attach to surfaces. Wood’s lab strives to discern the physiological relevance of toxin and antitoxin systems in procaryotes – organisms whose cells lack a nucleus. He and his colleagues have discovered that both toxins and antitoxins are regulators that control vital elements of cell physiology including responses to stress, tolerance to antibiotics, and formation of biofilms. Additionally, Wood is working to control biofilm formation for engineering applications, such as remediation, biocorrosion, biocatalysis, and microbial fuel cells. Wood and his lab also are developing biofilms for applications in green chemistry – the design of chemical products that reduce or eliminate the generation of hazardous substances. He has

published over 190 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals and he has served on the editorial and major advisory boards the journals Microbial Biotechnology, PLoS ONE, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, and the Journal of Science, Technology, and Humanities. Before joining the Penn State faculty, Wood was the T. Michael O’Connor II Endowed Chair and Professor of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University with joint appointments in the Department of Biology and the Department of Toxicology. Wood earned a doctoral degree in chemical engineering at North Carolina State University in 1991. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at the University of Kentucky in 1985.

Penn State Eberly College of Science

Student Spotlight 2012 Braddock Scholarship Recipients The Braddock Scholarship, an award for exceptional freshman science students, was set up by the late Homer Frick Braddock, a Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, native who earned his bachelor’s degree in mining engineering from Penn State in 1906. Braddock went on to make a fortune with his business partner by developing new techniques for producing TNT – enabling him to retire to Denver, Colorado, by 1926. Braddock gifted 5.6 million dollars, earmarked mostly for scholarships in the sciences, to Penn State in 1980’s – the largest single bequest in the university’s history at the time. Since 1984, this generous gift and prestigious financial award has provided needed and helpful funds to over 240 deserving students. Today, the Braddock Scholarship is available to outstanding high-school seniors who are interested in the study of astronomy and astrophysics, biochemistry, biology, biotechnology, chemistry, forensic science, microbiology, molecular biology, physics, or pre-medicine at Penn State. Several scholarships are offered annually to students with excellent SAT performances, excellent letters of recommendation, and outstanding high school transcripts. Successful applicants also demonstrate an emphasis on science coursework or intent to major in one of the college’s disciplines.

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

The Braddock Scholarship of up to $8,000 is for full-time students and is renewable for up to four years or until the student has earned 130 credits. The scholarship is contingent upon maintaining a semester GPA of at least 3.50. The Braddock Scholars for 2012 are: Janine Mistrick

Joshua Bram

Jacqueline Patterson

Sarah Chang

Priyanka Solanki

Victoria Bertocci

Avik Sarker

Shalome Sine

Eva Mei Shouse

Kyle Lindheimer

Kaitlyn Stocker

Valerie Lindner

Rachel Thomas

John Reshma

Anna Wing

ASK = ALUMNI SHARING KNOWLE DGE

Share your expertise. Stay connected to PSU. Become a mentor.

Penn State Science needs mentors from all science fields for our science undergraduates more than ever. Take part in the ASK program by applying online at http://maryh.wufoo. com/forms/mentor-application/ or contact meh25@psu.edu for more information.

Student Spotlight

Spring Commencement Speaker Urges: Do Something That Matters Nearly 13,000 students Universitywide received their diplomas during the spring commencement ceremonies held May 5-7, 2012. U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu spoke at the Eberly College of Science undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 5, at the Bryce Jordan Center on the University Park campus. A distinguished scientist and Nobel Laureate, Chu addressed about 630 soon-to-be graduates. Chu summed up his message to graduating science seniors: Do something that matters. “Your time and your energy are the most valuable resources you will ever have,” Chu told the crowd. He encouraged the soon-to-be graduates to take chances after leaving Penn State, and to not be afraid of making mistakes. “In my career, I’ve tried a lot of new things, and I’ve made mistakes,” he said. “It’s ok to fail, as long as you give it your best, learn through your experiences and move on.” “Your biggest failure will occur if you go through life and never fail,” he continued. “If you do that, you’ll never know what you could have been.” Chu, the former director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and former professor of physics and molecular and cell biology at the University of California, was co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1997. He has

devoted his recent scientific career to the search for new solutions to energy challenges and stopping global climate change. As U.S. Secretary of Energy, Chu is charged with helping to implement the President’s goals to invest in clean energy, reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil, address global climate change, and create jobs in the energy sector. He talked with the graduating class about the need for clean energy research, an area he said is ready for American leadership and innovation. “Our whole structure of research and development remains the best in the world,” he said. “Will we sit on the sidelines and concede leadership to other countries?” He also encouraged the group to get involved in projects that will make a difference for the future. “More than ever our country needs you to take chances and do something meaningful,” he said. “You can become a teacher who reaches a child, a small business owner who hires her neighbors.” Chu ended his speech with straightforward remarks for the class, “Come get your degrees. Then take some chances, and do something that matters.”

Penn State Eberly College of Science

During the ceremony, Penn State President Rodney Erickson presented Chu with an honorary doctor of science degree from Penn State. The holder of 10 patents, Chu has published nearly 250 scientific and technical papers. Chuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s research in atomic physics, quantum electronics, and polymer and biophysics includes tests of fundamental theories in physics, the development of methods to laser-cool and trap atoms, and the manipulation and study of polymers and biological systems at the single-molecule level. While at Stanford, he helped to start Bio-X, a multidisciplinary initiative that brings together

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

the physical and biological sciences with engineering and medicine. About 30 alumni of his research group have gone on to become professors in their own right and have been recognized by dozens of prizes and awards. They include four Penn State professors: Nate Gemelke, assistant professor of physics; Kurt Gibble, professor of physics; Tae-Hee Lee, assistant professor of chemistry; and David Weiss, professor of physics. Chu is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academia Sinica, the Korean Academy of Sciences and Technology, and numerous other civic and professional organizations. He received bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degrees in mathematics and physics from the University of Rochester and a doctorate in physics from the University of California. To view more photos from the spring 2012 commencement ceremony, visit flickr.com/ pennstatescience

Student Spotlight

Spring 2012 Commencement â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Department Student Marshals Astronomy and Astrophysics:

Physics:

Patrick Breysse

Matthew Jaffee

Faculty escort: Lee Samuel Finn, professor of

Faculty escort:

physics, astronomy and astrophysics

Richard W.

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology:

Robinett, professor

Chetan Safi

of physics

Faculty escort: V. Reddy Padala, senior lecturer

Premedicine:

of biochemistry and molecular biology

Matthew Scanlon

Biotechnology:

Faculty escort:

Kian Hui Yeoh

Keefe Manning,

Faculty escort: Maria Krasilnikova, assistant

associate

professor of biochemistry and molecular biology

professor of

Microbiology:

bioengineering

Megan Fisher

Science:

Faculty escort: Yanming Wang, associate

Amy Hudak

professor of biochemistry and molecular biology

Faculty escort: Laura Murray-Kolb, assistant

Biology:

professor of nutritional sciences

Ryan Bober

Statistics:

Faculty escort: Kenneth Weiss, Evan Pugh

Dragos Nistor

Processor of Anthropology and Genetics and

Faculty escort: Linda Clark, research associate

Science, Technology, and Society

and assistant professor of physics

Kelly Lipp

ROTC:

Faculty escort: Blair Hedges, professor of biology

John Conrad

Chemistry: Elizabeth Seibel

College Student Marshals:

Faculty escort: Thomas Mallouk, Evan Pugh

Zachary Hostetler, biochemistry and

Professor of Materials Chemistry and Physics

molecular biology

Forensic Science:

Faculty escort: Song Tan, professor of

Kerry McGinley

biochemistry and molecular biology

Faculty escort: Robert Shaler, former director,

Jennifer Stella, biology

Forensic Science program

Faculty escort: Loida Escote-Carlson, assistant

Mathematics:

professor of biochemistry and molecular biology

John Urschel Faculty escort: Andrew Belmonte, associate professor of mathematics and materials science and engineering

Penn State Eberly College of Science

Summer 2012 Student Marshal Saryet Kucukemiroglu of York, Pennsylvania was honored as the student marshal for the Eberly College of Science during Penn State University’s summer commencement ceremonies on Saturday, 11 August, at the University Park campus. Saryet’s faculty escort for the commencement exercises was Durland O. Shumway of the Department of Statistics. Saryet graduated from Penn State with a 3.86 grade-point average and bachelor’s degrees in life science and biostatistics with a minor in business. She was a recipient of a research award for Best Paper at the 2011 Conference of the International Academy of Business and Public Administration Disciplines; a service award, which she was granted for being a session discussant at the 2011 Conference of the International Academy of Business and Public Administration Disciplines; a Keystone Honor Society Award in both 2010 and 2011; a Campus Academic Honors Award in both 2009 and 2011; and a Penn State University Honors Scholarship, which she was awarded in 2007. She was on the Dean’s List every semester during her years at Penn State. In the laboratory of Robert Farrell, a Penn State associate professor of biology, Saryet experimented with Vero cells – experimental lineages of cells that are sometimes used to make vaccines – and HT-1080 tumor cells – experimental lineages of fibrosarcoma cancer cells that are used extensively in biomedical research. She analyzed how these cells react to novel bioactive compounds. In addition, she has studied the relationship between various factors of wellness SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

and customer satisfaction in dental care with Ali Kara, a Penn State professor of business administration, and she presented her research findings at the International Academy of Business and Public Administration Conference. In her free time, Saryet enjoys listening to music, visiting art museums and ancient historical sites, playing the piano, watching movies, and traveling. She plans to enter a doctoraldegree program in biostatistics at Florida State University. Saryet said that she feels very honored to have been selected as a student marshal. She added that “the most important memory I will take with me from my time at Penn State is how many wonderful friends I had and how I learned so much from the people I met.” Saryet, a graduate of York Suburban High School, was accompanied at commencement by her father, Orsay Kucukemiroglu, who earned master’s of science and master’s of art degrees at Penn State; her mother, Alexa Kucukemiroglu, who earned a bachelor of science degree at Penn State; and her sister, Setenay Kucukemiroglu, who currently is majoring in marketing at Penn State.

Student Spotlight

Undergraduate Scientists Education Abroad: Gaining a Global Perspective in China Providing all science students with access to international opportunities during their time at Penn State is an ongoing initiative in the Eberly College of Science. The college encourages all science majors to graduate with an enhanced global perspective, since post-graduation, students will be working and interacting with people from a wide range of backgrounds. While some of this global education is taught in the classroom, other instruction is amassed from study abroad opportunities, international internships, and short-term learning experiences. Recently, Penn State’s Department of Mathematics and Peking University (PKU) offered a three-week summer course in dynamical systems at Peking University, China’s oldest and most prestigious university. The exchange program, which began in 2008 under the leadership of Dean Daniel Larson, Verne M. Willaman Dean of the Eberly College of Science, and Dean Jiping Zhanga from Peking University, gives undergraduate students at both institutions the opportunity to study mathematics abroad and develop international relationships. This year’s course was taught in two halves by two Penn State faculty members, Mark Levi, professor of mathematics, and Alexei Novikov, associate professor of mathematics. The goal of the course was to educate students about discov-

eries in dynamical systems of the 20th century, including simple examples of chaos in mathematical models, uncertainty principle in classical mechanics, and the golden mean in simple differential equations. For Nathaniel Shaffer, a senior majoring in physics and minoring in math and music technology, the decision to study in China was easy. “I saw the opportunity to learn about physically tractable mathematics in China and was completely sold. I’ve always held an interest in the Far East since I was a little kid, which has grown somewhat since coming to know quite a few Chinese international students here. The chance to get a taste of their experience for myself was too good not to take.” Penn State Eberly College of Science

Despite its challenging nature, Shaffer enjoyed the coursework and the opportunity to interact with Chinese students. “With Dr. Novikov, the course felt a bit foreign to me coming from a physics background, as many of the concepts were covered in a more abstract setting than what I’m typically comfortable with. However, there were several PKU students who clearly enjoyed that part of the course. In the time with Dr. Levi, his love of physics shone through nicely, which was more in my comfort zone,” Shaffer said. The only regret Shaffer has from the experience is that he did not interact with the PKU students as much as he wanted to. “The PKU students were in a busy exam time of their term, so I didn’t want to intrude on them. Because I limited my interaction, I feel I missed out on some important opportunities.” The university, located in Beijing, China, not only gave students the opportunity to study alongside their Chinese counterparts, but also provided them with a cultural and historic experience. Students visited the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, and the Forbidden City while immersing themselves in Chinese culture. While Shaffer enjoyed his trip, he says his reaction to China is hard to describe to those SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

who ask about it. “China felt simultaneously foreign and familiar, hectic and lax, modern and antiquated. Language incompetence really hindered my ability to get the most possible of my time there, and sometimes even so much as getting a meal off-campus was a stressful adventure. But there’s no doubt that the atmosphere felt lively and energizing, whether we were simply walking around town, scaling the Great Wall, or meandering about the Summer Palace.” Despite the language barrier, Shaffer was very satisfied with his brief international experience and recommends that other students consider a study-abroad experience. To students embarking on an international study experience, Shaffer suggests really trying to pick up at least some preliminaries of the language spoken in the country being visited unless very confident in your international peers’ willingness and ability to speak with you in English. Shaffer also advises those doing study abroad to not be shy about food, and to make no assumptions about what you’re about to eat. He says that, “beyond food, there’s so much to try, and I found the best way to experience it was by the seat of my pants.” Studying abroad is often one of the most challenging and exciting experiences that students encounter during their college careers. Make the most of it by learning about the different options available through the college’s Career and International Education Office (science.psu. edu/cie), individual department course offerings, and University Office of Global Programs (global.psu.edu).

Student Spotlight

Education Abroad: Research in Costa Rica In contrast to the recent beginnings of the exchange program with China’s Peking University, Biology 499A (BIOL499A): Tropical Field Ecology in Costa Rica, has a history dating back to 1992 and beyond. For 18 of its 20-year existence as an annual study-abroad option, James Marden, professor of biology at Penn State, has led the course with the help of Costa Rican researchers.

As its course number implies, BIOL499A is an upper-level course, and it is intended for students with a strong background in biology or related sciences. The course syllabus describes it as a “field-intensive, researchoriented course in Costa Rica during the midsemester break… with visits to a number of ecologically divergent sites.” For 16 days, a group of 20 students, made up of predominantly juniors and seniors, bounces from an Atlantic-slope premontane forest, to an active volcano and high mountains along the continental divide, to a lowland rain forest on the Pacific coast, and to a Pacific coral reef. This successful and ambitious itinerary allows the professor a near-perfect biological forum from which to sculpt the hands-on learning experience that just doesn’t come as easily within the traditional walls of the canned laboratory-classroom setting. As Marden sees it, a biologist being able to march students around Costa Rican Rainforests is as ideal a scenario as a professor of music having the ability to take students to Vienna for a symphony. While travelling from grey-enveloped Central Pennsylvania at the onset of winter to the balmy temps and perpetual bloom of Costa Rica is always enough to inspire, Marden has yet to be disappointed by the stimulatory effect that 56

touchdown in Costa Rica produces in the students, regardless of their point of departure. But what Marden finds really interesting about the course is its inherent multi-dimensionality: how it offers rich experiential, academic, and social aspects to the students. Whether inexperienced in travel or already accustomed to globetrotting, BIOL 499A’s style of travel is typically new for all students. Marden has found that those students coming into this course already having set foot in foreign lands, have usually done so accompanying their parents to hotels or resorts: a less organic and more walled-off enterprise than the travel done in BIOL 499A. During the course, students live with, travel with, learn from, and work among Penn State Eberly College of Science

Circular photos by J.H. Marden

Though very excited upon arrival in Costa Rica,

science and hoping to graduate

Kammerman also admits to feeling intimidated by the

in May 2013, Jake Kammerman

thought of working on research projects and having

exemplifies the young learner noted

to present them in front of his fellow classmates and

by Marden. Kammerman took

a panel of distinguished professors. Despite his initial

BIOL499A during his sophomore

academic trepidation, and the fact that the only

year (2011-2012) and heard about

research experience he had prior to BIOL499A was from

JAKE KAMMERMAN the trip from his BIOL110H professor,

his biology and chemistry lab courses, Kammerman felt

Tomas Carlo, who had gone on the trip in past years,

that this was ultimately not an issue, and that he was

and he was drawn to the idea of performing hands on

easily able to participate in all aspects of the research.

research in the rainforest. Kammerman is also minoring

In fact, he believes that the most beneficial experience

in Spanish, so having a chance to practice his language skills was exciting to him. Kammerman expected the class to be interesting and engaging, but he was skeptical about how much could be accomplished in such a short period of time. Kammerman said, “The class far exceeded my expectations by creating an experience that combined productive research with interesting lectures, hikes in the rainforest, and interactions with local people from the reserves and from the University of Costa Rica.” “Having the opportunity to work on a project with Eduardo Carrillo, a world-renowned conservationist from Costa Rica is something that I will never forget. “

Person-to-Person

A junior majoring in general

of the trip for him was overcoming that intimidation, and in the end feeling comfortable and proud to present his independent project to the class. Kammerman feels that having the chance to perform research in a natural setting and seeing meaningful results was very rewarding for him, and says, “Oftentimes it is difficult to see a real life connection to the research that is done in lab, but it is hard to miss this type of connection when you are seeing wildlife before your eyes.” Kammerman is currently in the Penn State College of Medicine’s early assurance program, and is I hoping to start medical school in either the fall of 2013 or 2014. He says, “Although this trip didn’t directly change my career goals, it reaffirmed the fact that I would like to do some type of medical work in Central or South America.”

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Student Spotlight locals in the various locations visited, allowing them to “see behind the curtain” of resort travel and to learn how to accomplish even simple tasks on their own and how to interact with the environment and the locals of a foreign country. As students are becoming more seasoned travelers and reveling in the paradisiacal flora and fauna that Costa Rica presents, they are performing rather rigorous field research all the while. They leave this 16-day excursion not only with a wealth of experiences and memories, but with 3 credits under their academic belts as well. Students are prepared through two precourse meetings and assigned readings that they are to have completed prior to arrival in Costa Rica. At two sites, faculty-lead researchprojects are conducted which students must help to design and carry out. They must then analyze data from these projects and present orally to the class and hand in as a formal write up. At the final destination, students perform independent research projects, which conclude with data analysis, oral presentation, and written abstracts. Feature lectures given by faculty and visiting scientists along the way are given on the evenings not devoted to research projects. The course is reserved for those students entering their junior and senior years, however,

each year about five sophomores are typically accepted to the course as well. Despite not having the same academic preparation as their older peers, the sophomores adapt and do well. “The course is a great for these younger learners to get ‘jazzed up for research’ early on in their academic careers,” said Marden. No matter their year, the hands-on opportunity offered in BIOL499A allows all participating students to engage not only with the local culture in Costa Rica, but to experience biology in a way that one cannot do in a lab alone. Current students interested in enrolling in BIOL499A during the 2013-2014 winter break can check out the class’ Facebook page for deadlines and more information: https://www.facebook. com/pages/Penn-State-Biology-499A-TropicalBiology/467275609958010

Penn State Eberly College of Science

Sarah Moore: Excelling in the Lab and on the Field Sarah knew that working in a research lab as an undergraduate was something she wanted to do before she even began her freshman year at Penn State

Sarah Moore, a third year senior biochemistry major and Schreyer Scholar from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, began investigating the labs in the biochemistry and molecular biology department and decided to join the Wang Lab, led by Yanming Wang, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, during her first semester. The Wang lab, which focuses on epigenetics, studies cancer, autoimmune diseases, and stem cell differentiation, interested Sarah so much that she has remained working in the lab throughout her college career. In the lab, Sarah researches the p53 protein and analyzes how p53 pathways are triggered or inhibited under certain conditions. The p53 protein responds to cellular stress, like DNA damage and nutrient depravation, by activating cell-cycle arrest, initiating apoptosis, or triggering autophagy. P53 also regulates a range of physiological functions, such as immune and inflammatory responses, metabolism, and cell motility. To determine the expression patterns of p53 modifiers and target genes in response to various stresses, Sarah first conducted an extensive literature review to compile a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) primer library consisting of 350 genes. Using the library, she performed qRT-PCR in cells with inducible p53 over-expression, DNA-damage, cancer drug treatment, serum starvation, and serum stimulation. By analyzing the data, Sarah has

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Student Spotlight 60

been able to predict the mechanism of action of a novel In addition to being successful in her research, cancer drug, 6e. Additional analysis of the data col- Sarah has also been honored with numerous awards lected in her experiment will yield further insight into throughout her college career, including the Underspecific mechanisms of each treatment and potentially graduate Summer Discovery Grant, the Whitfield allow determination of pathway interactions and cell- Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, the fate decision-making mechanisms. Through an inter- Herko Family Scholarship in Biochemistry and Moactive website being developed from her library, other lecular Biology, the Schreyer Honors College Summer researchers will have access to the information to pre- Research Grant, the Schreyer Honors College Ambasdict drug mechanisms, determine which pathways are sador Travel Grant, the Academic Excellence Scholbeing affected in particular disease models, and ulti- arship, the Lenfest Scholarship, the Pre-eminence in mately design compounds targeting these pathways Honors Education Scholarship, and the Dean’s List to fight the disease. Additionally, introductory-level every semester. biology students will be able to use this website While working in a lab was one of her goals as an to understand the major p53-dependent path- undergraduate, earning a spot in the Penn State Blue ways and impact that one gene can have on cell Band was another, equally important, one. As a third function. Sarah hopes to gain a first author publica- year member of the clarinet section, Sarah marches tion from her current work on the project. in Beaver Stadium every game day and participates For Sarah, discovering new things has been the in other functions, such as pep rallies, parades, and most rewarding part of working in a lab as an under- charity performances the Blue Band is involved in. A graduate. “I have always had a passion for learning, Blue Band tour guide, she also helps recruit the next and now I have the opportunity to learn things that no one else I HAVE ALWAYS HAD A PASSION FOR LEARNING, knows yet. Teaching is my other passion, and sharing what I have AND NOW I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO discovered with others, such as LEARN THINGS THAT NO ONE ELSE KNOWS YET. in a poster session or lab meetgeneration of marchers. Sarah plays in the concert ing, is extremely rewarding,” she explained. Working in the lab has not only helped Sarah band in the spring. She is also the executive board to better understand the scientific process, it co-chair of The GLOBE Honors Special Living Ophas also given her experience with protocols essen- tion, where she contributes by choosing books for the tial for work in a biochemistry lab and prepared her book club and bringing in speakers to facilitate book for her next step, graduate school. “I plan to attend discussions. In her free time, Sarah enjoys reading, graduate school to earn a Ph.D. in either biomedical scrapbooking, assembling jigsaw puzzles, biking, science or cell/molecular biology, with a focus on stem hiking, and kayaking. cell research targeted at treatment of neurodegenerative disease. Eventually, I hope to teach at the college level and continue doing research.”

Penn State Eberly College of Science

Above&Beyond Focus on Graduate Students

Astronomy Graduate Student Wins National FameLab Astrobiology Competition Brendan Mullan, a fifth-year graduate student in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, recently won NASA’s National FameLab Astrobiology competition. The event, dubbed a national science communication extravaganza, welcomed young scientists from across the country to compete to be named the best science communicator. Sponsored by NASA’s Astrobiology Program, the event is intended to encourage early career scientists to hone their skills in communicating complex scientific concepts to general audiences. Its main goal is to develop a network of like-minded science communicators in the United States that can collaborate, share experiences, and learn from each other as they all struggle to impress upon the public the fundamental importance of science in our modern world. Beginning in January, 70 early-career astrobiologists competed in FameLab preliminary competitions in Houston,

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Denver, Washington, D.C., and via YouTube. FameLab Astrobiology is an offshoot of International FameLab. Contenders across the country had two, threeminute opportunities to explain a science topic of their choice to a public audience, using only props they could carry onstage – no PowerPoint slides or charts allowed. A panel of science and

Student Spotlight science communication experts were called on to judge the competitions. Mullan participated in the Washington, D.C., preliminary competition, where he presented two science-related concepts. “I talked about how the star Betelgeuse will explode as a supernova in the future and why it won’t matter to us. I also presented a frat-tastic description of a mass extinction event that happened about 450 million years ago. In general I try to incorporate a lot of pop culture and (cheap) humor in my talks,” Mullan explained. Eleven contestants, including Mullan, were chosen from the preliminaries to move on to the final round held in Atlanta, Georgia, at the annual Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) in mid-April. “The eleven of us met the weekend before the finals in a two-day master class in science communication,” Mullan said. “We bonded almost immediately, and despite the looming competition, everyone was always friendly and supportive.” Before the final competition, Mullan and the other finalists had an opportunity to meet Nichelle Nichols, renowned actress of Star Trek, who moderated the events. “Meeting her is definitely a highlight of my life,” Mullan said. During the final round, the eleven contenders had only one, three-minute window to prove to be the best science communicator. “I pretended I was a real estate agent trying to sell the Earth to any interested aliens, and I was upset that no potential buyers had approached me yet. I used this angle as a gimmick to address the Fermi paradox – the unsettling reality that aliens have had more than enough time to communicate with or travel to our world, but we have no real evidence that anyone has tried,” Mullan said. The judges were sold, and selected Mullan as the winner of the national competition. He continued to the international Famelab Final at 62

the Times Cheltenham Science Festival in the United Kingdom on June 16, 2012. Despite being named best science communicator, Mullan is looking beyond the competition to other ways these scientists can give back to society. Brendan Mullan with Nichelle “Regardless of Nichols, renowned actress of who won, I think Star Trek the real winner was science. What I’m excited about the most is this new group of like-minded science communicators we have. We’re starting to exchange ideas for outreach activities, teaching strategies, and writing opportunities. Getting to meet all these tremendously talented writers, scientists, and communicators, and having the opportunity to continue learning from everyone’s experiences in the future is easily the best victory of all.” Mullan earned his bachelor of arts degree in physics and astronomy at Colgate University in 2007, and his masters of science in astronomy from Penn State in 2010. Currently pursuing his Ph.D., Mullan is studying how dense clusters of stars are born and survive in the wreckage of galaxy collisions many millions of lightyears away. Research isn’t Mullan’s career goal; his passion is science communication, which is why he chose to enter the FameLab competition. He has worked as a science journalist for Penn State Research Communications and as a freelance writer, covering developments in astronomy, biology, Penn State Eberly College of Science

neuroscience, and materials science. He has also contributed to a number of encyclopedias, websites, news outlets, and magazines with topics ranging from the inner workings of the mind, to the far future of the universe, to cutting-edge innovations in Nordic skiing equipment. In the classroom, Mullan has designed and taught several lab and lecture courses for un-

dergraduate non-majors. He is also a frequent contributor to the astronomy department’s outreach efforts, continually developing, coordinating, and performing new activities, demonstrations, and virtual tours for audiences of all ages. For information on the International FameLab competition, visit http://famelab.org/

Distinguished Graduate Fellowships Help Recruit Exceptionally Talented Scientists Penn State graduate students are tomorrow’s leaders, and the University works diligently to recruit and retain the best student. With the help of alumni and friends, the University is able to offer select students a distinguished graduate fellowship, which provides significant financial support that assists Penn State in its efforts to recruit the brightest students. These fellowships often help support students so that they are able to focus intensively on their research at one of the best research institutions in the world, Penn State. Michael Gresock, a current graduate student pursuing his Ph.D. in biochemistry, microbiology, and molecular biology, is a 2007 recipient of the William D. Taylor Distinguished Graduate Fellowship in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Gresock was interested in attending Penn State due to the availability of research labs that matched his interests, as well as engaging, enthusiastic, and expert faculty he met during his interviews. SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

“I applied to a variety of schools, including another Big Ten conference school and was accepted at all of them. The distinguished graduate fellowship award and the excellent research opportunities at Penn State were very important factors in my decision,” Gresock said. Gresock’s interest in science began during his undergraduate career at St. Vincent College as a biology major. He initially planned to attend medical school, but after working on two undergraduate research projects, he chose to pursue microbiology and molecular genetics research. That interest led him to his current research, where he is working on understanding the TonB system of Gram-negative bacteria. In order to survive, invading bacteria need to find a source of essential iron in a host. Bacteria require iron as an important metabolic cofactor, and iron enhances the ability of pathogenic bacterial strains to cause disease. In the presence of a systemic infection, the host can sequester iron in the liver, and the intestines stop taking it up. This innate immunity can be effective; however, some bacteria have evolved highly efficient iron uptake systems that can extract this sequestered iron. The bacterial TonB system 63

allows it to acquire iron and increases its virulence in an infection. Because iron acquisition forms the basis of a tug-of-war between bacterial pathogens and their human hosts, the TonB system represents a new focus for development of antibiotics. Gresock is working to define the molecular interactions among the proteins that comprise the TonB system, with attention to being able to interrupt them and prevent the bacteria from obtaining iron. Thus far, he has published one first-author paper and is a co-author on another. Determining how the TonB system works will hopefully lead to a much-needed new antibiotic target that disrupts TonB system function. After completion of his degree, Gresock plans to obtain a research postdoctoral fellowship that incorporates some academic teaching. His ultimate goal is to become a professor at a liberal arts college or small university. Although Gresock was considering Penn State for its strong focus on microbiology research, the Taylor Distinguished Graduate Fellowship helped cement his decision to attend. “The fellowship is a wonderful way to be recognized for academic achievement as well as providing additional support for graduate-level research,” Gresock said.

The Distinguished Graduate Fellowship program is a University-wide initiative to attract the nation’s most capable graduate students to Penn State by increasing the number of available fellowships through philanthropic support. Selection of the Distinguished Graduate Fellows is made at the college level, in concurrence with the dean of the Graduate School. Currently, Penn State has eighteen named Distinguished Graduate Fellowships. Below are graduate students who are 2012 recipients of a Distinguished Graduate Fellowship in science. Lauren Elise Quevillon – Biology Campbell Distinguished Graduate Fellowship Donald Huston – Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Taylor Distinguished Graduate Fellowship Anne M. Sendecki – Chemistry Schriesheim Distinguished Graduate Fellowship Alena Erchenko – Mathematics Doty Distinguished Graduate Fellowship Andrew Marcum – Physics Elsbach Distinguished Graduate Fellowship Justin Lanfranchi – Physics Elsbach Distinguished Graduate Fellowship Craig Price – Physics Elsbach Distinguished Graduate Fellowship Kevin Lee – Statistics Brumbach Distinguished Graduate Fellowship

Penn State Eberly College of Science

Outreach

Penn State’s Science Outreach Programs: Moving From Good To Great

The office of Outreach and Science Engagement (OSE, formerly Outreach) in the Eberly College of Science is moving from good to great and calibrating success with multiple measures. Faculty and students are investing in outreach together and continuing to shape the next generation of critical thinkers one program at a time. The programs offered by OSE are designed to develop young leaders, to empower critical thinkers, and to rally our future generation to enter the fields of science. How does this happen? The OSE partners with passionate faculty at Penn State to assist in the cultivation of well-trained, talented students who commit themselves to both research and community outreach programs. The goal has always been to create effective, high impact events that empower faculty and students to play an outreach role for the college of science. OSE is now doing that better than ever. Michael Zeman, the Science-U program director, has stepped into a broader outreach leadership role as the new director of the OSE. Shortly after beginning his new role, Zeman and the outreach team invited faculty to pro-

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

vide input and feedback on programs and goals, yielding exciting results. Based on some of the improvements suggested by faculty, the OSE decided to further build upon the power of partnerships between faculty and students, make improvements in staff training, and reevaluate the design and scale of its programs. “We realigned our outreach mission and goals and are making changes to programs to increase our impact,” said Zeman. One of the most obvious changes in the office in 2012 is the name, which now includes the concept of science engagement. “Research indicates that those who are more engaged in public scholarship, experiential learning, or projectbased learning are more likely to be engaged citizens in their communities. Engagement in science means interaction with others. It means working together, processing scientific claims and evidence, and developing critical thinking

Outreach skills. We believe it is important for faculty and students to encourage application of learning to a wide audience, particularly in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math). We hope to share new discoveries, enrich learning, and inspire the next generation of scientists,” said Zeman. The first step in engagement is forming successful partnerships with faculty who wish to share their research with students, families, and community groups. OSE provides assistance to faculty in constructing broader impacts sections in grants, thus serving as a program center that faculty can plug into. Zeman said, “OSE is in place to assist faculty in achieving their research goals and broader impacts responsibilities through meaningful programming. Faculty can choose a program already in place, or invent their own.” Anjuli Datta, undergraduate program advisor and instructor in biochemistry and molecular biology, directed the Science-U camp, Nittany Lion, M.D., a pre-medicine camp, and commented on how the summer science program impacts all participants, including Penn State students. “As a director of Nittany Lion, MD, I had the pleasure of working with people of various backgrounds and interests. I enjoyed interacting with undergraduates outside of the classroom. Science-U encourages creativity, responsibility and leadership. Undergraduates play an integral role in the camp as curriculum mentors. Watching them in a developmental role as a leader is truly inspiring.” The time commitment of writing, directing or working a summer camp program is not for everyone, therefore, OSE continues to tailor a variety of programs to fit faculty and student needs during the academic year. There are now more OSE programs in place during the fall and spring semesters for students and faculty than 66

ever before, like Haunted-U – A Halloween Science Event, the all-girls STEM Career Day; Discovery-U: Where Genius Meets Imagination, a one-day lecture series showcasing student-nominated science and engineering faculty; THON Science Wish day; and large scale STEM fairs. Faculty may choose to collaborate with teachers and arrange shorter school or campus visits to build new learning tools that will have a lasting impact in the K-12 classrooms and reinforce scientific principles for years to come. Moreover, OSE is planning an increase in online outreach efforts showcasing innovative and inspirational research and teaching strategies. “OSE is providing new services for Penn State students who wish to enrich their academic experiences through service learning, volunteerism, and community engagement,” Zeman said. “We are running more programs during both the academic year and summers that match faculty and student interests and availability,” said Zeman. “One goal is to create a strong connection between our students, their chosen major, and the college, and to assist in career planning, pursuit of personal interests, and retention in the sciences.” Additionally, despite already having rigorous staff training in place since 2009, OSE improved the process of hiring and training both Penn State Eberly College of Science

faculty and student volunteers and wage payroll employees yet again. The largest outreach program, Science-U, now requires the completion of an online training course for curriculum mentors. Three learning modules – Safety, Pedagogy 101, and Inspiring the Next Generation – must be completed online prior to a face-to-face training session. In addition to increased training expectations, all volunteers and employees were required to complete mandated reporter training prior to working with youth. While the ScienceU summer camps have required child abuse history clearances, fingerprints, and criminal background checks before working with youth since 2009, the requirement now falls to anyone interested in working with minors at a Penn State science outreach function. Penn State students and faculty embraced the new training challenges and seamlessly incorporated safety and pedagogy expectations over the summer. Upon completion of the 2012 summer camp season, 88% of students said that the training was appropriate for the job expectations, 93% of students were satisfied or very satisfied with the opportunity to interact with faculty, 76% agreed that participating in science outreach programs advanced their SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

academic career goals, and 88% of staff were very satisfied with the opportunity to learn new teaching skills. “Science outreach is important for Penn State students because it shows us that our education really goes a great distance. It is one thing to study from a book and get an A in a class. The real gift is when we can take our college-level education, transform the knowledge into something that any age level can understand, and relay the information in a format that causes people to become as passionate as we are,” said Frank Wendt, undergraduate student and Forensic Science Club president, of his experience with OSE. OSE has been working to further refine measurable goals and objectives for each program and event. It is expected that new assessment and outcome measurements will improve the quality of the outreach programs for all participants in years to come. In addition to measurements that OSE already has in place – like staff, parent, faculty and camper evaluations, program videos, pre-professional science teacher development, and surveys – faculty are asked to design measurable outcomes for events they create. New measurable outcomes related to learning and attitudes toward the sciences will provide novel opportunities for growth in the OSE. The college has a growing community of students and faculty who believe reaching out to the community is an important component of becoming a leader in the sciences. Many are invested in the processes necessary to help others understand science. With successful, innovative programming, improved training, and faculty-student partnerships, Penn State science outreach continues to create excellent programs and new ways to connect with potential future scientists.

Public outreach has become a key initiative in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and staff, undergraduate students, graduate students, researchers, and faculty all take part. In recent years, the department has invited the public to participate in numerous science-learning activities, such as Astrofest, Elderhostel “Road Scholar” and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute courses, Exploration Day, stargazing, field trips to Davey Lab for planetarium shows, and teacher workshops. These programs promote science literacy to a wide range of demographic groups, including K-12 students, parents, teachers, college students, and senior citizens.

The department’s biggest event, AstroFest, which began in 1999, invites the public to Davey Lab for a free, four-night festival of astronomy held concurrently with the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. Astronomy students and faculty offer exciting activities during the event, including presentations, kids’ activities, and stargazing through the telescopes on the roof of Davey Lab. Some of the 2012 activities included rooftop observing through a

Penn State Eberly College of Science

Credit background photo: Chris Beckett and Stefano Meneguolo, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

Outreach

Reaching for the Stars: Astronomy Strives to Strengthen Public Astronomy Education through Year-Round Activities

variety of telescopes, planetarium shows, kids activities and crafts that included a simulation of the difficulty of searching for alien life in the Milky Way, bottle rocket launching, a simulated “dirty snowball” comet demonstration, guided tours of the solar system, and a series of tabletop demos that describe how astronomers use spectroscopy to discover planets around other stars. Many families have said they look forward to AstroFest every year, and the department sees many familiar faces every year of families and individuals who have been attending since the beginning. One family in particular comes every year and stays the entire time from start to finish each of the four nights. Their oldest son has grown from a toddler to a pre-teen during the years they have attended and they have all spent more than 100 hours over the years taking part in AstroFest activities! Since 2007, the department has hosted approximately 25 senior citizens annually for a “Road Scholar” course called “Planets, Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe” in partnership with Elderhostel, Inc. Elderhostels provide members of the public at ages 55 and over an opportunity for concentrated, in depth exploration of a specific topic. The program, which is co-taught by Jane Charlton, Chris Palma, and Kevin

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Luhman, combines an evening of observing with small telescopes with discussions and instruction in cutting-edge topics in astronomy. Since the first year, participants in their 80s and 90s have been in the course, and in 2012, a 92-year-old participant came back for a second time after first having attended in 2007! During the school year, the department participates in and hosts several public outreach activities. Astronomy students and faculty have played a large role (including one year when it was run entirely by the department) in a University-wide science, technology, engineering, and math event called Exploration Day, held annually in April. Exploration Day grew out of the annual “Space Day” event that used to be held on campus, and these days include many disciplines in addition to those focused exclusively on space. True to its roots in Space Day, Exploration Day is a free event for K-12 families that celebrates the spirit and opportunity of exploration and science that still includes a heavy focus on disciplines supported by NASA. It includes hands-on activities in science, as well as multimedia presentations and student developed displays and activities. Attendees learn about the night sky in a portable planetarium, make their own comets, and participate in a rocket launch. The event reaches about 2,000 people annually. The public is also invited to the rooftop of Davey Lab on Friday nights during the fall and spring semesters for free weekly stargazing. Faculty and students from astronomy and astrophysics take turns hosting these events with the Astronomy Club. From 8:30 -10:30 p.m., the public is welcome to observe planets, stars, and deep space objects like nebulae, galaxies, and star clusters that are currently visible in the sky using a variety of telescopes. Because the weather doesn’t always cooperate to allow the

telescopes to be opened, the Astronomy Club occasionally offers planetarium shows on cloudy nights and the department has been holding short public presentations on cloudy Fridays during the summer as well. More information on the rooftop stargazing program is available through a Twitter feed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; @PSUObservatory, however, it is used both to announce outreach on Fridays and to make announcements about class use of the telescopes for Penn State students Mondays - Thursdays. The department also does its part to help educate science teachers about astronomy and provide them with methods for engaging their students in science. The Penn State In-Service Workshops in Astronomy (PSIWA), held annually since 1996, are a series of content-rich summer programs for middle- and high-school science teachers. The purpose is to provide teachers with professional development that includes stimulating new activities and models research-proven instruction techniques for them to take back to their classrooms. The goal of the program is to give teachers tools they can use to increase and sustain student enthusiasm for physical science. The workshops have been taught by several individual faculty over the years, but a large number of faculty, researchers, and graduate students have also given guest presentations to the teachers. Beyond the workshop instructional sessions, the teachers have consistently said that the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of astronomers involved in cutting edge research is their favorite aspect of the program. In addition to educating teachers, the department also hosts planetarium shows for K-12 students and community groups throughout the year in their on-campus, classroom-sized planetarium. Although the current planetarium on campus has seats for about 30 students under 70

a 15-foot diameter dome, at its peak, 2,500 students were visiting a year! Each 25-45 minute planetarium show is accompanied with another activity, such as a 3D tour of Mars, the Milky Way, and the Universe beyond our Galaxy. These feature spectacular astronomical images from the surface of Mars, dusty nebulae, or dazzling galaxies, all rendered in three dimensions with the aid of special eyeglasses and a projection screen. These shows, hosted by faculty and student volunteers, are free of charge for the groups. Because of the extreme popularity of the outreach program, especially the planetarium field trips, the department is undertaking planning to build a new, fully digital planetarium facility with a 50-foot diameter dome and seating for more than 100. The hope is that such a facility may be built on campus within the next 5 to 10 years. Through the various activities the department hosts throughout the year, the faculty, staff, and students hope to expand astronomy awareness and offer participants fun and educational ways to explore the universe. By engaging audiences both young and old, members of the department are able to share their enthusiasm for astronomy and impart the desire for exploration and discovery. Undergraduate and graduate students find participating in these programs to be an excellent addition to their classwork and their research, and many Penn State astronomy students have made outreach a priority or even their entire career after leaving Penn State. Today, you can find Penn State astronomy and astrophysics alumni running AstroFest-like events at several other institutions around the country. To learn more about the department or get more information about its outreach activities, visit astro.psu.edu. Penn State Eberly College of Science

Alumni News

Penn State Mourns Alumni Leader and Philanthropist Verne Willaman

Penn State and the Eberly College of Science lost a leading advocate and supporter with the passing of Verne M. Willaman, a class of 1951 graduate and retired chairman and president of Ortho Pharmaceutical CorVERNE WILLAMAN, poration. Willaman, pictured in 1999 whose philanthropy and volunteer leadership helped the University’s life sciences and molecular biology programs to gain international prominence, died recently at his home in San Luis Obispo, Calif. “Verne’s vision of the University as a community of discovery guided his extraordinary support and service to Penn State over more than four decades,” said Daniel Larson, the Verne M. Willaman Dean of the Eberly College of Science. “Throughout his lifetime, his commitment to bridging scientific disciplines and boundaries helped to shape our mission as an institution, and his legacy will continue to inspire new generations of our faculty and students to the highest levels of achievement.” In addition to the dean’s chair held by Larson, Willaman’s gifts to Penn State included endowed faculty chairs in the life sciences and molecular biology as well as professorships, graduate fellowships, and support for a range of projects and programs. In honor of his parents, who operated a farm near Greenville, Pa., and encouraged SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

their son’s belief in the importance of education, he established the Prescott and Mary Willaman Scholarships to assist undergraduates with financial need and a proven academic record. He also served as a volunteer leader in Penn State’s fundraising campaigns during the 1980s and 1990s. Penn State honored Willaman as a Distinguished Alumnus, the highest recognition it can bestow on its graduates, in 1993. In 2004, the University named the Willaman Gateway to the Sciences, located between the Chemistry and Life Sciences Buildings, in his honor. “Penn State’s leadership in the sciences would not be possible without Verne’s leadership as a supporter and a volunteer,” said Rodney P. Kirsch, senior vice president for development and alumni relations. “Those of us who had the honor of working with him during his many years of service to the University will remember him as one of Penn State’s most passionate and thoughtful advocates and as a gracious, humble, and caring friend. We relied upon his advice and his inspiring belief in the University’s potential for greatness, and Verne remained loyal to the alma mater he loved until the very end of his life.” Born August 20, 1928, in Greenville, Pennsylvania, Willaman graduated from Penn State in 1951 with a degree in biological chemistry and then served a tour of duty in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Franklin D. Roosevelt. Afterward, in 1954, he joined Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation in New Jersey and rose through the executive ranks to become president in 1969 and chairman in 1976. He became a director and 71

Alumni News member of the executive committee of Johnson & Johnson in 1977 and retired in 1988. Among his professional activities was service on the board of directors and the executive committee of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association and the board of directors of the American Federation of Pharmaceutical Education. Willaman was active in civic affairs as well, chairing the Somerset County Heart Fund Drive and serving as a trustee of the Somerset County Medical Center. He was a founding member of the Middlesex County Multiple Sclerosis Society and also served on the National Council of Crime and Delinquency and as a trustee of Marcus J. Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Arizona.

In addition to the formal need-based scholarships Willaman established at Penn State, he assisted many students throughout his life with their college financial needs. He also provided substantial financial support to numerous other charitable causes supporting the arts, sciences, veterans, churches, libraries and school programs. Willaman is survived by his wife, Betty Willaman; his two children, Mark Merritt Willaman and Wendy Willaman-Renda; stepchildren, Keri Caserios and Kindi Freygang; three grandchildren; a sister-in-law, Dorothy Willaman, and two nephews, John Willaman and Dwight Willaman.

Two Awarded C.I. Noll Award for Excellence in Teaching Philip Bevilacqua, professor of chemistry, and Carl Sillman, a senior lecturer in biochemistry and molecular biology, are the 2012 recipients of the C. I. Noll Award for Excellence in Teaching. The C. I. Noll Award is presented annually to a tenure track and a non-tenure track faculty member within the Eberly College of Science. The award is designed to recognize faculty members who have taken a special interest in students, and who, through their interactions, have had a positive impact on them. Nominations are accepted from alumni, faculty, and all students. The Science LionPride student ambassador group has the designation of selecting the 72

recipients, who are then honored at the annual Science Benefactors Dinner. Philip Bevilacqua, a professor of chemistry, has a research program focused on the roles of RNA in biology. These projects center on the mechanisms of RNA as an enzyme and RNA’s role in innate immunity and plant biology. Since he joined Penn State’s faculty in 1997, Bevilacqua has mentored the doctoral work of 14 Ph.D. students. Bevilacqua teaches courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. His teaching at the freshman level has focused primarily on honors freshman chemistry, while at the senior level he has taught biological chemistry. At the graduate level, he teaches a course that he developed in nucleic acid chemistry. He has had over 20 undergraduates in his research Penn State Eberly College of Science

Staff Changes in the Development and Alumni Relations Office Brenda Lucas joined the Eberly College of Science in the role of development assistant in May 2012. In this role she works within a variety of areas including: football ticket planning, Millennium Society activities, annual giving, donor stewardship, development articles, and event planning. Lucas’ prior experience includes a wide array of development work, including planned giving, for non-profit health agencies in New York City and Philadelphia. She holds over 15 years of experience in the development arena. She looks forward to being an integral part of the development and alumni relations office in the college and using her development experience to benefit her alma mater (IFS ’88). Lucas resides in State College with her husband and two children. Pete Davey joined the Eberly College of Science in June 2012 with knowledge of animals and the sciences. A graduate of the University of Michigan

with a biology degree, Davey spent his early career in various training roles at Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut; Shedd Aquarium in Chicago; Ocean Journey in Denver; and Marineland in Florida before he retired from training in 2005. His experiences in training and animal care programs led him to publish his first book in 2004, titled “Whales with Fur”. Davey began his work in the development area in Hershey, Pennsylvania, as executive director of the Hershey-Derry Township Historical Society. Prior to coming to Penn State to work as a director of major gifts, Davey was in director roles at both the Harrisburg Area Riverboat Society and Junior Achievement of Central PA. In his new role in the college, Davey is looking forward to becoming an integral member of the science community again. Davey resides in the area with his wife and four children.

group, including 9 honors students, and has published 10 peer-reviewed research papers with undergraduate co-authors. In addition, his undergraduates have presented posters at several meetings. Bevilacqua also participates in the Distinguished Honors Faculty Program, through the Schreyer’s Honors College, where he meets regularly with groups of honors students to discuss various broad topics in science. Carl Sillman began teaching at Penn State in 1984 as a full-time instructor in the microbiology department. In 2002, he became a senior lecturer and has taught of microbiology, molecular genetics, cell biology, immunology, and biotechnology courses as general education courses for non-science majors to advanced courses for biochemistry and molecular biology, microbiology, SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

and biotechnology majors. He has developed advanced, inquiry-based laboratory courses for majors in the BMB department to design and complete research projects to writing researchstyle manuscripts and presenting posters on their findings. He also teaches an introductory microbiology course for non-majors; a seniorlevel lecture in microbial biotechnology; and, laboratory courses in medical microbiology, cell biology, and molecular immunology. Since 2005, Sillman has also served as director for the Science-U CSI summer camp for students in grades fourth to eighth. These campers use investigations involving various scientific disciplines in addition to “traditional” forensic science techniques to solve crimes in a weeklong summer camp experience.

Alumni News

$50,000 Gift to the Student Academic Achievement Center Provides a Home for Science LionPride When talking with Ken Herko, his passion for Penn State, its students – past and present – is evident. The experiences he had at Penn State, both inside and outside of the classroom, have impacted his life tremendously. In turn, he has committed time and resources to impact the experiences of current and future Penn State science students. Herko, who has taken a very active role in the Eberly College of Science in the last decade, received his bachelor of science degree in microbiology in 1991, and master of management

degree from Penn State Great Valley in 1997. Five years ago, while serving on the Eberly College of Science Alumni Board, Ken and his fellow board members developed the idea of establishing a student group to help recruit prospective students to the college. The group, now known as the Science LionPride, is called upon frequently for University, college, and community events that fulfill its mission: recruitment, alumni relations, and service. After serving six years on the Alumni Board, Herko’s term expired, however, he wanted to be sure that the Science LionPride students were taken care of after his departure. Since he had a significant role in establishing the group, Herko knew the challenges the group faced, including the difficulty of finding a regular space to meet, a place to call “home”. Herko knew he had found the perfect opportunity to help the group when he learned of the establishment of the Student Academic Achievement Center; He pledged $50,000 to dedicate a room to the Science LionPride. Herko’s gift allows a room to be allocated to the group for their use and to share with other students within the college. Another appealing piece of this project for Herko is the renovation of the east wing of Ritenour, a well-known building on campus, and redesign into a more useful space for science KEN HERKO, Science ’91, MA of Management ’97(GV) Ken Herko is associate director, Manufacturing Sciences (MedImmune LLC, a division of Astra Zeneca). He is responsible for purification of various therapeutic proteins produced in batch cell culture processes for use in early and late stage clinical trials.

Penn State Eberly College of Science

THE STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT CENTER will be conveniently located in the renovated East Wing of Ritenour Building. The center will allow for our science students to grow and succeed academically, intellectually, and socially.

students. The three floors of the new Student Center will bring together essential areas for science students that are currently scattered across various buildings, including: science undergraduate advising, career and international programs, undergraduate recruitment, the Science BS/MBA program, and a new initiative in tutoring and collaborative learning. The generous commitment to the Student Center isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Herkoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first philanthropic endeavor at Penn State. Herko created the Herko

Family Scholarship in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) to support juniors and seniors in the major. His pledge of $5,000 for 5 years made it more financially feasible for BMB students to complete their undergraduate degrees. Herko, who began at the Ogontz, now Abington, campus, and finished at University Park, benefited from an Army ROTC scholarship. During the time when Herko was in college, his father passed away. Herko recalls receiving wonderful support from faculty and staff at Penn State, which helped him through the difficult time, and enabled him to complete his degree. Knowing first-hand how invaluable extra support can be, Herko decided to pay it forward and help current Penn State science students himself by establishing the scholarship. To find out more about getting involved with the Student Academic Achievement Center, or to view other science giving opportunities, visit science.psu.edu/alumni.

SCIENCE LIONPRIDE students serve as ambassadors for the college and are called upon frequently for science tours and events, and fro service projects in the community.

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Alumni News

Fourth Annual Physicians Alumni and CME Weekend Viewed the Future of Medicine

bines biology and economics to understand how drugs lose their effectiveness; why parents stop using vaccines; and, what choices medical practices can make to improve health interventions. Al Romanosky, the medical director and state emergency preparedness coordinator for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, discussed a very unfortunate but necessary topic of Child Abuse: It is All About What and Who You Know. He provided strategies that the medical community could use to educate families and children about abuse. Romanosky further outlined the commonality of child abuse, its markers and indicators, and the immediate and long-term consequences of both physical and sexual abuse. He is a 1973 premedicine graduate of the Eberly College of Science. Following the afternoon of seminars, participants toured the new Millennium Science Complex to see first-hand how research is being done at Penn State in the new technologically advanced and collaborative labs. At dinner on Friday evening, Eugene Marsh, senior associ-

Credit: Nathan Cox Photography

Penn State physician alumni returned to University Park in September to earn required CME credits and interact with premed and medical students, as well as each other, and Dean Dan Larson. The focus of the 2012 seminar was â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A Look into the Future of Medicine.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Presenting Sonodynamic Therapy for Cancer Threatment was Wenwu Cao, Ph.D. This presentation focused on an experimental cancer therapy that is a non-invasive and locally targeted therapy utilizing low-energy ultrasound in combination with a sonosensitizer. Attendees learned how this treatment inhibits cancer cell growth and how it can be used as an alternative to chemotherapy. Cao holds a joint appointment between the Department of Mathematics and the Materials Research Institute, and is a graduate faculty member in bioengineering, and in materials science and engineering. Timothy Reluga, Ph.D., a mathematical biologist holding dual appointments in the mathematics and biology departments, spoke of how managing disease continues to be a challenge around the world, citing that one of the reasons infectiousdisease management practices have not been uniformly successful is that they do not operate in a vacuum. Healthcare Statistics of Immune Response and Viral Infections focused on the social, economic, environmental, and biological pressures that significantly impede management efforts. The approach to manage disease com-

Penn State Eberly College of Science

Alumni Society Announces Membership Changes Four new members were

’98 M MGT). We thank them for

advisory capacity and oversees

elected to three-year terms on

their six years of service to the

all alumni programs in the col-

the Alumni Society of the Eberly

College.

lege – awards, receptions, and

Membership on the Board of

College of Science. The new

student programs.

directors are: Heather Erdman

Directors of the Eberly College

(’91 B.S. Biol), Daniel Kapinos

of Science Alumni Society is

two new members will be sought

(’08 B.S. Stat), Abigail Smith (’02

open to any science alumnus

for the April 2013 elections. If

B.S. Biotc), and Pamela Swig-

who is also a member of the

you would like to be considered

gard (’89 B.S. Micrb).

Penn State Alumni Association.

for membership or would like

This board of eighteen is the

to nominate another qualified

terms expired on June 30, 2012,

governing body of the alumni

individual, please contact Bar-

were: Erin Grossi (’99 B.S. BMB),

society, and convenes once in

bie Collins, assistant director of

Philip Bugaiski (’94 SC BS), Colin

the spring and once in the fall,

alumni relations, 814-863-9763 or

Cameron (’84 B.S. Biol), and

with bimonthly teleconferences

bhc10@psu.edu.

Kenneth Herko (’91 B.S. Mircb;

held. The board serves in an

Members of the board whose

Because of expiring terms,

Alumni Society Board of Directors Mark S. Connolly, ’84 PhD Chem (president); West Chester, Pennsylvania Lisa Collins, ’79 B.S. Biol (vice president); West Caldwell, New Jersey Forough Ghahramani, ’81 B.S. Math (secretary/ treasurer); Princeton, New Jersey Heather Rayle, ’89 B.S. Chem (immediate past president); Shavertown, Pennsylvania Robert Clare, ’83 B.S. Mircb; Wayne, Pennsylvania Robert Duminiak, ‘00 B.S. BMB; Telford, Pennsylvania Heather Erdman, ’91 B.S. Biol; Frederick, Maryland Stacey Gleeson, ’92 B.S. Math; Newtown, Pennsylvania Daniel Kapinos, ’08 B.S. Stat; East Fallowfield,

Diane Krusko, ’77 B.S. Micrb; White Plains, New York Michael Lark, ’79 B.S. Micrb; Berwyn, Pennsylvania Steven Maslowski, ’95 B.S. Biol; Malvern, Pennsylvania Amy Bucher, ’86 B.S. Math; M.A. Math; Wappingers Falls, New York John McManigle, ’78 B.S. Sci; Rockville, Maryland Abigail Smith, ’02 B.S. Biotch/Mircb; Schwenksville, Pennsylvania Pamela Swiggard, ’89 B.S. Micrb; Phoenixville, Pennsylvania Jeffrey Trulick, ’90 B.S. Biol; Baltimore, Maryland Christina Winnicker, ’93 B.S. Biol; Andover, MA Carol Zaher, ’71 B.S. Zool; Los Angeles, California

Pennsylvania

ate dean of the University Park Regional Medical Campus, spoke about the new program, its affiliation with the Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, and its thirteen medical students who began their core clinical training at University Park. Dean Dan Larson also took the

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

opportunity to engage with the physician alumni and welcomed their return to campus. For more information regarding any of the seminar topics, please contact Barbie Collins, assistant director of alumni relations, at bhc10@ psu.edu.

Alumni News

Five Alumni Honored with Penn State’s Outstanding Science Alumni Award In its tradition of honoring high-achieving science alumni, the Penn State University Eberly College of Science honored five alumni with the Outstanding Science Alumni Award for the year 2012. Recipients of this award are: Eliav Barr, Gary R. Fleisher, Howard R. Gordon, Joellen M. Schildkraut, and Robert C. Shaler. The Board of Directors of the Eberly College of Science Alumni Society established this award to recognize alumni who have a record of significant professional achievements in their field and who are outstanding role models for students in the college. Since the inception of the award in 1995, the Eberly College of Science has honored 73 alumni with the Outstanding Science Alumni Award. This award is given by the college and its Alumni Society to recognize and reward outstanding Penn State science alumni for their success as leaders in science and for the impact they have had and will continue to have on society and their professions. Eliav Barr is vice president of the Infectious Disease Project at Merck Research Laboratories in West Point. Barr joined Merck in 1995 and, in 1998, became the head of a clinical program investigating a vaccine to combat the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes genital warts and which has been shown lead to certain types of cancer. He developed the clinical and regulatory strategies for the program, 78

designed and managed 17 clinical studies involving over 30,000 subjects worldwide, developed a program to evaluate the economic impact and long-term efficacy of the HPV vaccine, and oversaw analyses of key clinical studies. The program resulted in the first demonstration that prophylactic administration of a vaccine targeting HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18 is effective in helping to reduce the risk of genital warts, as well as cervical, vulvar, and vaginal cancer. The vaccine that was evaluated in these studies (GARDASIL®, Merck & Co., Inc.) has been licensed in over 100 countries. Currently, Barr is responsible for the leadership of all projects related to infectious diseases and he is the leader for Merck’s research-and-development efforts aimed at the hepatitis-C field. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Penn State in 1984, Barr earned a medical degree, summa cum laude, at the Jefferson Medical College in 1986 and completed a residency in internal medicine with a cardiology fellowship at Johns Hopkins University in 1990. He subsequently pursued postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan, and was a faculty member at the University of Chicago prior to joining Merck Research Laboratories. Gary Fleisher, physicianin-chief, pediatrician-inchief, and chairman of the Department of Medicine at Children’s Hospital in Boston and Egan Family Foundation Professor at Harvard Medical. Penn State Eberly College of Science

Fleisher is a founder of the field of pediatric emergency medicine. He was among the first of eight physicians in the world to obtain certification in this specialty. He co-developed the first academic program in this field in 1979 and initiated the first fellowship program in 1981. In addition, Fleisher is the senior editor of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, which is the first textbook in the field, and which has been translated into multiple languages. He co-edits Pediatric Emergency Care, the first journal in the field. He also is the editor-in-chief of the section called “Adult and Pediatric Emergency Medicine” at UpToDate, an evidence based, peerreviewed information resource. He was one of eight members of the first certification committee for the American Board of Pediatrics and has been an examiner for the American Board of Emergency Medicine. From 2010 to 2011, Fleisher served as the president of the American Pediatric Society. Fleisher’s research has focused on basic and clinical aspects of common infectious diseases encountered in children. His investigations have led to a better understanding of a number of diseases, particularly bacterial infections of the bloodstream and the meninges. Fleisher is the author of over 150 publications appearing in high-impact journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the Journal of Infectious Diseases, Pediatrics, and the Journal of Pediatrics. Fleisher received a medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in 1973. He received postgraduate training at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Currently, Fleisher holds certification from the American Board of Medical Specialties in three disciplines: pediatrics, emergency medicine, and pediatric emergency medicine. SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Howard R. Gordon is a Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of Miami in Coral Gables. Gordon’s expertise is in environmental optics, principally radiative transfer in the ocean-atmosphere system. He began his academic career as an assistant professor at the College of William and Mary in Virginia in 1965. In 1967, he became a faculty member at the University of Miami. He has been involved in the global remote sensing of marine phytoplankton, through observation of ocean color from earth-orbiting satellites, from its inception. He developed the atmospheric correction algorithms used by nearly all ocean-color sensors, as well as interpretive algorithms for relating the color observations to the concentration of phytoplankton. His research received nearly continuous funding from both the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Office of Naval Research for 35 years. Gordon is a fellow of the Optical Society of America and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He received the 1982 NASA Public Service Medal and was presented with the Jerlov Award from The Oceanographic Society in 2004. Gordon received a bachelor’s degree in physics in 1961 from Clarkson University. He received master’s and doctoral degrees in physics from Penn State in 1963 and 1965, respectively. Joellen M. Schildkraut is a professor of community and family medicine and an associate professor of medicine at the Duke University School of Medicine.

Alumni News Schildkraut’s research interests are centered on the genetic epidemiology of breast and ovarian cancers. At the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, she serves as the leader of the Cancer Prevention, Detection, and Control Research Program and she also directs a training grant, funded by the National Cancer Institute, focused on the preparation of scientists for the interdisciplinary environment in population science. Schildkraut has published over 130 scientific papers in journals such as Nature Genetics, the American Journal of Epidemiology, and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. She has contributed book chapters to several textbooks including Principles and Practice of Oncology, Approaches to Gene Mapping in Complex Human Diseases, Cancer Studies in Bayesian Statistics, and Genetics. She has presented her research at scientific symposia and workshops throughout the United States and she is a member of the Phi Sigma Biological Honor Society. She has more than a decade and a half of continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health and related organizations. Schildkraut earned doctoral and master-ofpublic health degrees in chronic-disease epidemiology at Yale University in 1987 and 1982, respectively. She earned a bachelor’s degree in microbiology at Penn State in 1978. Robert C. Shaler is professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State. In 2010, Shaler retired after having served as the founding director of the Penn State Forensic Science Program since 2005. Shaler is well known for supervising the massive DNA-testing ef-

fort to identify thousands of victims of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, and he is the author of Who They Were: Inside the World Trade Center DNA Story: The Unprecedented Effort to Identify the Missing, published in 2005, and Crime Scene Forensics – A Scientific Method Approach, published in 2012. Throughout his career, Shaler made many important research contributions to the field of forensic science. In 2010, he and Penn State colleague Ahklesh Lakhtakia created an innovative process to reveal hard-to-detect fingerprints on nonporous surfaces. Early in his career, he conducted a study on bloodstain evidence that led to the development of a bloodstain-analysis system that was used as the standard in forensic laboratories until the early 1990s. As a Penn State faculty member, Shaler is known for his teaching skills and his commitment to solid scientific principles. In addition to teaching and doing research, Shaler has served as a forensic-science consultant for government agencies and professional organizations. His other professional activities have included serving on the editorial review board of the American Journal of Forensic Pathology and Medicine and as an invited reviewer for the New England Journal of Medicine. He was a member and the chair of the New York State Crime Laboratory Advisory Committee, and he also has been an expert guest commentator for Court TV. He currently serves on the New York State Justice Taskforce Forensic Science Subcommittee and is a committee member of the Natasha Justice Project. Shaler earned master’s and doctoral degrees in biochemistry at Penn State in 1966 and 1968, respectively. In 2003, he received an honorary doctoral degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Penn State Eberly College of Science

Undergraduate Poster Session Winners Named The Alumni Society of the Eberly College of Science sponsored an undergraduate science poster session on April 21, 2012. Twenty-five students presented their research to the Alumni Society

Alumni Class Notes

and members of Penn State Science faculty and staff. Prizes, ranging from $250 to $750, were awarded to the top six exhibitors. Presenters were evaluated on innovation of research; content including a clear hypothesis and adequate data analysis; and, quality of the poster and oral presentation.

Brandon Botzer

Christina Ferry

Winners are as follows: Brandon Botzer (7 sem.), astronomy/astrophysics with minors in mathematics and physics “Peering through the Telluric Haze and Looking for Earth-like Planets” Genady Pilyavsky (8 sem.) astronomy/astrophysics with minor in mathematics “The TERMS Project: Improved Orbital Parameters, Photometry of HD168443 and the Photometry Pipeline” Jared Marshall (9 sem) biology and physics with a mathematics minor “The Development of New PAD4 Inhibitors for Cancer Treatment” Airina Lee (8 sem) biotechnology with economics minor “A Defense Mechanism in E.coli through the Alarmone ppGpp and Its Cofactor DksA” Christopher Natale (6 sem) biochemistry and molecular biology with a microbiology minor “Self-Incompatibility of Petunia: A Self/Non-Self Recognition Mechanism between Pollen and Pistil” Christina Ferry (9 sem) biology “Enhanced Inhibition of Proliferation in Human Colon Cancer Cells Over-expressing PPAE Gamma.” This exhibition was a celebration of the science research of Eberly College of Science students. Alumni evaluators commented that “the research presented far exceeded their expectations and were very impressed with the magnitude of the projects.”

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Russell J. Barber, ’12 B.S. Stat, ’12 B.S. ECLBS, moved to Arlington, Virginia, to begin work at Freddie Mac. He is serving as a single-family operations analyst. Alexandra A. Evans, ’12 Biol, began at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in August. Leah L. Ferrante, ’12 B.S. Biol, is attending medical school at West Virginia University. Thomas P. Sharnitz, ’12 Biol, is entering his first year of medical school at the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Steven G. Owens, ’09 Chem, resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his wife Kimberlee Dennis Owens, ’12 MGMT. The couple was married on July 15, 2012. Steven is a graduate student in chemistry at The University of Pittsburgh. Mark A. Snoop, ’84 B.S. Biol; ’86 M.S. Biol, was promoted to associate dean of sciences and mathematics at Tennessee Wesleyan College. He also serves as the chair of the Department of Natural Resources and is a biology professor. Michael H. Shenk, ’79 B.S. Math, is the puzzle editor for The Wall Street Journal. He is known as one of the most versatile puzzle constructors and editors in the country. For 16 years, he provided an assortment of puzzles for Games magazine. Mike also writes Java programs for Puzzability. Shenk co-founded Puzzability in 1996. 81

Alumni News TRADITIONAL ALUMNI of the Eberly College of Science gathered for a luncheon on June 1, 2012. Pictured here are science alumni representing the years of 1961 and earlier, 1962 and 1967. Those who graduated in 1962 received their Pioneer Medallions at the Pioneer Induction Ceremony.

Blue and White foreverâ&#x20AC;Ś Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve worked a lifetime to create financial security for yourself and your family. Now you can share that legacy with Penn State as well through your will or living trust. Whether you choose to direct your support to scholarships or research, faculty or program support, your bequest will be an enduring expression of your passions and values. Our Gift Planning team can work with you and your attorney to ensure that your intentions are fulfilled and that your estate receives the full tax benefits of your gift. To learn more about these opportunities, please contact: Robert Mothersbaugh, CFRE Director of Development and Alumni Relations Eberly College of Science 800-297-1429 rym4@psu.ed www.science.psu.edu

Brian McCullough, Esq. Gift Planning Officer Office of Gift Planning 888-800-9170 bjm172@psu.edu giftplanning@psu.edu www.giftplanning.psu.edu

B&W Forever_Science_0412.indd 1

4/19/12 2:38 PM

Penn State Eberly College of Science

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to hear your comments and feedback. Go to science.psu.edu/sciencejournal and use our feedback form.

CONNECT WITH US!

Share Your News! Penn State Science will feature the accomplishments of our alumni in the Science Journal Magazine, published bi-annually in spring and fall. This publication is distributed to all College alumni, donors, friends of the College, Science department heads, and deans of other Penn State colleges. Sharing your success stories is a great way to network with fellow alums and show how science grads have made an impact on the community

science.psu.edu Facebook.com/PennStateScience Twitter.com/PSUScience Linkedin.com (search Penn State Science)

and world of business! Received a promotion, new job, recent discovery or patent, new publication, marriage or birth announcement? We want to hear about your success or news as well as to share this accomplishment with our science alumni. Share your information either on line at science.psu.edu/alumni/forms/alumni-news or by emailing Barbie Collins, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations, at bhc10@psu.edu.

SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2012

Marketing Office 507 Thomas Building The Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA 16802-2112 814-867-3388 Email: sciencejournal@psu.edu

Upcoming Events January 9 • Mathematics and Southern California Alumni Reception • Joint Mathematics Meeting, San Diego Marriott Marquis and Marina February 9 • Science Alumni Mentoring Dinner and Workshop, Nittany Lion Inn, University Park, PA March 14 • Chicago City Lights Event at Adler Planetarium, Guest Speaker: Alex Wolsczcan, Penn State Evan Pugh Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics

April 19 • Dean’s Advisory Board Meeting • Alumni Board Meeting • Science Benefactors Dinner April 20 • Alumni Board Meeting • Campaign Committee Meeting • Science Undergraduate Poster Exhibit • Blue White Football Game • Mount Nittany Society Dinner, Penn Stater Conference Center May 30 - June 2 • Traditional Reunion Weekend • Science Brunch (May 31)

This publication is available in alternative media on request. The Pennsylvania State University is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and employment without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualifications as determined by University policy or by state or federal authorities. It is the policy of the University to maintain an academic and work environment free of discrimination, including harassment. The Pennsylvania State University prohibits discrimination and harassment against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or veteran status. Discrimination or harassment against faculty, staff, or students will not be tolerated at The Pennsylvania State University. Direct all inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy to the Affirmative Action Director, The Pennsylvania State University, 328 Boucke Building, University Park, PA 16802-5901; Tel 814-865-4700/V, 814-863-1150/TTY. U.Ed. SCI 12-124