Science News - 2024

SCIENCE NEWS P E N N S TAT E B E H R E N D S C H O O L O F S C I E N C E

8 Celebrating 75 Years of Science

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EV Charging Stations Installed Fun with Physics: Just Add Water Wintergreen Gorge Trail Update Eclipse 2024: What to Know and Expect New Program Mixes Science and Business

WINTER/SPRING 2024

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE As we celebrate Behrend’s 75th anniversary, it is remarkable to think about how far Science at Behrend has come DR. MARTY KOCIOLEK in that time.

While many things have changed, our core priorities remain the same and are reflected in this issue of Science News.

Concern for our planet and our impact on the world drives many of the things we do. The introduction of electric vehicle charging stations, college-wide sustainability efforts, and faculty research at the interface of society and the environment are all testaments to our commitment to better understand and better steward the world around us.

Leveraging technology to advance our core mission of teaching is always at the forefront of our minds.

We’re using virtual and augmented reality (VAR) to enhance our training of future nurses, and through the college’s partnership with MageeWomens Research Institute, we’ve acquired high-end microscopy equipment to explore the inner reaches of cells. Those are just two examples of the ways we are working to deliver education that supports our students’ future career success.

As both scientists and educators, we are committed to educating not only our own students but lighting the spark in future generations of scientists. Bungee-jumping Barbies, floating cardboard boats, and glasses to safely view an upcoming one-in-a-lifetime eclipse: They all represent the effort to spread the word and knowledge of science that is central to our school’s mission.

I hope you enjoy reading about the exciting happenings in the School of Science, and as you do, reflect on how Science has changed—and stayed the same, too—over the past 75 years at Penn State Behrend.

In Brief Dr. Michael Rutter, associate director of the School of Science, charges his electric vehicle at a charging station near the Science Complex.

NEW EV CHARGING STATIONS INSTALLED The first time Dr. Michael Rutter, associate director of the School of Science and associate professor of statistics at Penn State Behrend, charged his Nissan Leaf on campus, a man walking nearby stopped to watch. A plugged-in car is still an unusual sight at Behrend, and Rutter was the first person to use one of the college’s new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, which came online this past fall.

Behrend is the first higher education institution in the region to provide EV chargers on campus. They are available to all members of the Behrend community and to the public.

“That makes me proud,” said Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason, director of sustainability at Behrend. “This really encapsulates the role that higher education should play in providing a vision for the future and demonstrating how to embody it.”

The college has installed three charging stations: two in the Prischak parking lot, near the School of Science, and another in the Burke Center parking deck.

Each station has two ports and is geolocated on the ChargePoint app.

“We’re part of this network,” Mason said.

“People can charge their cars while they walk in Wintergreen Gorge or on campus.”

Behrend is known for its beautiful campus and variety of habitats—wetlands, woods, grasslands, marshes, Wintergreen Gorge, and much more. The Office of Strategic Communications has launched a series, Nature of Behrend, to highlight some of the remarkable natural features of campus. Check it out every Monday at facebook.com/pennstatebehrend and Instagram.com/psbehrend.

ON THE COVER: As Penn State Behrend celebrates its 75th anniversary, we look at the history of the School of Science, which has been a vital part of the college from its very beginning. What started as a few classrooms and three laboratories has grown into an entire complex with more than twenty-five classrooms and twenty labs. Read more on page 8.

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BEHREND SHINES BRIGHT College earns silver STARS rating for sustainability achievements

Penn State Behrend recently earned a silver rating from STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System. The designation, which is valid for three years, is a measure of the college’s work toward environmental, social, and economic sustainability.

Behrend previously held a bronze rating from STARS, which is a program of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. No other college in northwestern Pennsylvania holds a STARS rating.

The college’s initial rating, in 2020, provided a baseline assessment of Behrend’s sustainability work, which is viewed through five primary categories: academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership.

“STARS provided a way to get people across campus involved,” said Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason, director of sustainability at Behrend. “It also highlighted that sustainability is about everything: how much water we use; the food that we serve; our

diversity, equity and inclusion priorities; what’s happening in our classrooms; and how we landscape.”

The report also identified areas for improvement. Mason works with faculty members across the college to incorporate elements of sustainability in the learning outcomes of their courses. She has also expanded the college’s sustainability-based engagement, using peer-topeer learning and outreach through the Sustainable Food Systems program, and she has begun a Sustainability Ambassadors program. Students in her inaugural class were actively involved in reporting STARS data.

“What I really want people to know is that we all have a role in sustainability,” Mason said. “It’s not the domain of the scientists or the engineers. It’s not the domain of faculty only. It’s the domain of every school of our college, and every person who works and learns here.

STUDENTS CAN SPEND SUMMER IN THE VINEYARDS Students interested in viticulture or food science, have the opportunity

to apply for a nine-week summer internship opportunity at Penn State’s Lake Erie Regional Grape Research and Extension Center (LERGREC) in North East, about 12 miles from the Behrend campus. LERGREC serves the Lake Erie Grape Belt—the largest viticultural area in North America outside of California.

Interns receive a stipend and housing, while training in viticulture, vineyard management, and enology and working with commercial partners in the wine and juice industry. Learn more at behrend.psu.edu/grapesummer.

FACULTY NEWS NEW FACULTY The School of Science welcomed three new faculty members: Dr. David Bialas, assistant professor of chemistry; Natalie DeVos, lecturer in mathematics; and Benjamin Gerstner, visiting assistant teaching professor of biology.

PROMOTIONS Dr. Adam Simpson was promoted to associate teaching professor of biology, and Gabe Kramer was promoted to assistant teaching professor of mathematics.

AWARDS School of Science faculty members were recognized with these awards: Dr. Lynne Beaty, assistant professor of biology, School of Science Award for Outstanding Mentoring; Dr. Dustin Hemphill, assistant teaching professor of physics, School of Science Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Research and Scholarly Activity; Dr. Samuel Nutile, assistant professor of biology, Dave Falvo Award for Excellence in Teaching; Dr. Beth Potter, associate professor of biology, Penn State Behrend Council of Fellows Faculty Excellence in Outreach Award; Jodie Styers, associate teaching professor of math education, School of Science Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Service and Outreach; and Dr. Blair Tuttle, professor of physics, Penn State Behrend Council of Fellows Faculty Research Award.

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In Brief

BUNGEE-JUMPING BARBIES SHOW MATH IN ACTION

It was a bad day to be a Barbie.

In a classroom at Penn State Behrend’s Burke Center, a group of middle-schoolers tied the feet of several Barbie dolls to long, stretchy chains of looped rubber bands. Then they dropped the dolls, head-first, toward the floor.

Some of the Barbies dipped close to but didn’t hit the carpet. That was the goal of the workshop—to demonstrate Hooke’s Law, which explains elasticity: A material’s ability to return to a normal shape after distortion.

Other Barbies—and, for equity, a few Kens—thwacked against the floor.

The session was part of Behrend’s annual Math Options Career Day, which brought nearly 250 seventhand eighth-graders to the college for hands-on learning activities designed to generate interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This was the twenty-eighth year for the program, which is designed to encourage middle-school students to pursue advanced math studies.

“Advanced math is going to give students more options down the road,” said Melanie Ford, director of Youth Education Outreach and the Engineering K-12 Outreach Center at Behrend. “In seventh grade, you don’t always know what those options are.

Programs like this allow teachers to add the ‘why’ to what they are teaching in the classroom.”

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FUN WITH PHYSICS (AND DUCT TAPE AND CARDBOARD) People say duct tape can fix anything.

Maarten Van Hees, lecturer in physics, challenged would-be sailors to prove it at the second annual Cardboard Boat Race, held on campus this past fall. The task: build a floating vessel out of nothing but cardboard and duct tape and paddle it 25 yards across the pool in Behrend’s Junker Center.

“The event is meant to show the fun side of physics,” Van Hees said. “We are experimenting with buoyancy.”

While cardboard floats, it, of course, falls apart when it gets wet, so the duct tape is used to make it sturdy and reliable enough to survive a race across the pool. In constructing their boats, teams must account for the added mass of people in the boat.

“They have to figure out how high to make the walls and how big to make the base,” Van Hees said. “Do you build a really big boat and sacrifice speed, or do you build a smaller, shallower boat that

can move faster, but is more likely to get wet and sink?”

That’s where the fun begins. “All the teams prioritize different things,” Van Hees said, “and then when the races start, everyone has a blast seeing how each team designed its boat, and what worked well and what did not.”

The event involved teams from Behrend and Erie-area middle and high schools.

The event included a design competition, a middle/high school division, and a float competition trophy awarded to the team with the boat that floated the longest without taking on water.

Whether teams sank, finished, or floated somewhere in between, Van Hees said they all left with a sense of accomplishment and joy, which is the whole point.

“That is truly my goal: to inspire students to find the joy in places they normally wouldn’t think to look for it, like physics,” he said.

Wattle fencing is a sustainable, more naturally attractive form of fencing. The fencing in Wintergreen Gorge was created by students and staff of the college’s Office of Sustainability.

GORGE TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS CONTINUE Phase Two of trail improvements in Wintergreen Gorge was recently completed, extending the

aggregate-topped path to Trout Run. The compacted aggregate surface is porous, allowing rain to penetrate it, but solid enough to make the trail more accessible to visitors in wheelchairs and those pushing strollers. A new boardwalk protects a marshy area near Fourmile Creek, and wattle fencing discourages users from creating additional footpaths that can damage vegetation and trees and cause erosion along the creek bank.

Phase Three of the improvement plan will entail removal of a culvert and creation of a bridge across Trout Run. That phase will begin once funding is secured, possibly in the fall of 2024.

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All Eyes on Erie Skies April 8 Total solar eclipse will draw big crowds to Erie, Behrend

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enn State Behrend has been preparing for Erie’s big moment in the sun— or rather lack of it—since the last total solar eclipse in the United States in 2017. At that time, the path of totality— where the moon aligns perfectly with the sun to temporarily block out all light—was in the central part of the country, several states away from Pennsylvania.

But on April 8, Erie—and Behrend— will be in the path of totality, a oncein-a-lifetime event that is expected to draw as many as 250,000 visitors to the

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area. Northwestern Pennsylvania is the only region of the state that will experience totality.

After seeing the crowds and enthusiasm that the partial eclipse elicited in 2017, Tracy Halmi, associate teaching professor of chemistry and outreach coordinator for the School of Science, realized that Behrend needed to start planning for 2024 early on.

Safety was Halmi’s first concern, so she championed the effort to secure more than 55,000 eclipse glasses, enough not only for Behrend students, staff, and faculty, but for every K-12 public-school student

in Erie, Crawford, and Warren counties, thanks to sponsors Greg Yahn and John and Louise Mangus. The glasses, along with special eclipse curriculum for K-12 teachers, will be distributed through the IU5, Northwest (Pennsylvania)Tri-County Intermediate Unit.

On the day of the eclipse, Behrend’s resident experts—Dr. Darren Williams, professor of astronomy and astrophysics, and Jim Gavio, director of Yahn Planetarium—will provide commentary during a live-streamed event at Junker Center.

Public viewing sites will be available across campus.

SAVE THE DATE

BEHREND TO RECORD MOMENTOUS EVENT

WHAT TO EXPECT:

The eclipse will begin in the South Pacific Ocean and cross Mexico before passing through the United States, arcing from Texas to Maine. In Erie, the eclipse will appear in the southwest sky at about 45 degrees. The partial phase will begin at 2:02 p.m. with totality (complete blacking out of the sun) from 3:16 to 3:20 p.m. During totality, there will be dusk-like darkness. Street lights will turn on. Birds and animals will think it’s nighttime.

Penn State Behrend will be one of thirty-five teams along the eclipse path that will be participating in the Citizen ContinentalAmerica Telescopic Eclipse (CATE) 2024 project, which will provide next-generation polarized observations during the eclipse using a network of telescopes that will provide sixty continuous minutes of totality images. The experiment is funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA. Participating teams will be provided with a telescope, camera, laptop, various other observing equipment, and educational materials. Learn more at nso.edu/citizen-cate.

WHAT TO KNOW:

You should not watch the partial phases of the eclipse without eclipse glasses or solar filters. The only time it is safe to observe without glasses is during totality, which will be 3 minutes and 41 seconds long.

For more information, visit behrend. psu.edu/eclipse. Check out tiktok.com/@ psbehrend to see several short videos about the eclipse event.

eclipse2024.org

ERIE SOLAR ECLIPSE TIMELINE, APRIL 8, 2024

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THEN

NOW

YEARS OF SCIENCE Science has been a priority for Penn State Behrend from its start.

When Behrend Center opened in 1948, the single academic building, formerly the barn on the Glenhill estate, included two laboratories—one for physics and one for biology—and the Behrend family’s former carriage house was turned into a chemistry lab. In the early days of the campus, nearly half of the available learning space was dedicated to the sciences.

By 1963, the student body had more than doubled to 300-plus students, and the science curricula took a giant leap forward with construction of the Otto F. Behrend Science Building. The facility was made possible by a gift from the estate of Ernst Behrend’s brother; at the time, it was the largest gift Penn State had ever received from a private individual.

In 1967, the Division of Science, as it was then known, hired its first female faculty member. Dr. Libby Smith, who taught biology. A colorful character beloved by students, Dr. Smith had a pet rat named Frisky and once canceled class so she could go to the airport to pick up a “very important jellyfish.”

When the Penn State Board of Trustees authorized Behrend as the first campus outside of University Park to grant four-year degrees, the campus became The Behrend College. In the spring of the following year, Behrend awarded its

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first four-year science degrees—one in Chemistry, two in Biology, one in Mathematics, and one in Secondary Mathematics Education.

Mathematics faculty members Dr. Ron Larson and Dr. Robert Hostetler would publish their first calculus textbook in 1979, and Larson would go on to establish a mathematics textbook company with four employees in the South Cottage on campus. The company grew steadily, and today, nearly 100 employees of Larson Texts and its publishing arm, Big Ideas Learning, produce mathematics education materials for kindergarten through college calculus.

In 1997, the Division of Science became the School of Science, one of four academic schools of today’s college. A few years later, largely due to the work of Dr. Edward Masteller, professor emeritus of biology, Penn State Behrend earned recognition as an arboretum. It has since earned the Tree Campus USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation.

In 2006, given growth in science enrollment, programs, and course offerings, the school easily settled into the full set of buildings formerly occupied by the School of Engineering—what recent graduates and today’s students know as the Science Complex. The school’s chemistry labs, located in Otto Behrend Science Building, subsequently

underwent a $4.2 million overhaul in 2010, creating state-of-the-art facilities.

When the Erie Historical Society decided to close the Erie Planetarium in downtown Erie in 2014, the dome was moved to the School of Science, and Yahn Planetarium, supported by gifts from Erie’s Yahn family, was born. The planetarium offers weekly public shows in addition to a variety of programming for college students and outside groups, including K-12 schools.

In 2020, Penn State Behrend announced a $26 million initiative with Magee-Womens Research Institute to bring locally focused clinical medical research trials to the region, improving the health of generations of women. The initiative has led to the creation of two new facilities—the Christine E. Shewfelt Advanced Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Teaching Lab and the Janis L. Hill Biomedical and Translational Research Lab, where School of Science faculty are actively engaged in biochemistry and molecular biology research.

From 1948 to 2023, the history of Penn State Behrend has been as much about the evolution of science education as any other advancement. The highlights in this story only begin to scratch the surface of the role the sciences have played in the growth and success of Penn State Behrend over 75 years.

THEN NOW

Patterson’s Photo Legacy Though he taught generations of college students during his thirtyseven-year tenure as a mathematics professor at Behrend, Norman B. “Bill” Patterson established a legacy that goes far beyond linear algebra, differential equations, and statistics. When he retired in 1990, he left a treasure trove of photos documenting life at Behrend with intimacy and affection.

The camera he used to record much of it—a $129 model he saved all year to buy from Erie’s Boston Store in 1954—is in the archives at Lilley Library along with hundreds of his photos, a true gift to the college. The black-and-white photos shown here were taken

by Patterson.

THEN

NOW

As was customary in higher education, faculty members in the early days of Behrend were heavily involved in the life of the campus and its students. There were few administrators and staff members. It was faculty members who helped with student clubs, activities, and events.

“I was up there at the college for events and things three, four nights a week,” Patterson said. “And if you saw me, my camera would be right next to me. I took it with me everywhere I went.”

Read the full story about Patterson at Behrendblog.com.

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VR SIMULATIONS ENHANCE NURSING PROGRAM

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linical rotations are invaluable to nursing students, giving them real-world experience in a guided environment.

The model has limitations, however, particularly in acute care.

“Because of the acuity level of OB, ICU and ED patients, students don’t always have the opportunity to deliver direct patient care,” said Debra Loop, an assistant teaching professor and the simulation coordinator for the nursing program at Penn State Behrend. “They quickly become passive learners as they take on the role of observer.”

Pediatrics brings another challenge for Behrend students: The sickest local chil-

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dren tend to be transferred to specialty hospitals in Pittsburgh or Cleveland. That limits the types of patients that students see during their rotations.

To create more opportunities for students, Loop and Heidi Rich, assistant teaching professor of nursing, introduced patient simulations using virtual reality (VR). They partnered with instructors at Penn State Fayette—both programs being part of Penn State’s Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing—to offer VR interactions.

A $5,000 grant from the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence paid for the software, but Loop didn’t have to look far for the other equipment, including the Oculus headsets used to create the

immersive VR environments: Behrend’s Virtual/Augmented Reality Lab works with programs in the college’s four academic schools to develop enhanced learning modules and training simulations.

“Immersive technologies have extensive interdisciplinary applications and proven benefits in academic outcomes,” said Dr. Christopher Shelton, assistant professor of clinical psychology and director of the VAR Lab. “This project is an effective way to leverage VR inside the classroom.”

Using the Oculus headsets and hand controls, the students worked through twenty-minute VR modules simulating the care of pediatric patients with asthma and diabetic ketoacidosis. They obtained a patient history, performed assessments, managed bedside tasks, and delegated work to a patient-care technician.

In each scenario, the student interacted with both the patient and the parents.

That isn’t always possible in Behrend’s advanced nursing labs, which are equipped with high-fidelity simulation mannequins, including a pediatric model. In those labs, having a parent present means bringing in additional staff to enhance the simulation.

“We can’t always do that,” Loop said.

“It’s important for students to be exposed to both, however. You need to be able to interact with the child and the parent, changing your vocabulary as you shift from one to the other, so everyone understands what’s happening.”

Traditional simulation is still fully integrated in the curriculum at Behrend, but Loop sees another advantage to using VR environments at times.

“In the traditional lab, only one person can be the primary caregiver in a simulation,” she said. “Everyone else sort of helps them out, until they get a turn. In VR, you are always the primary nurse.

“In a group setting, you can always step back and let a stronger student take over,” she said. “You can’t do that when you’re on your own. You have to make your own decisions, and you have to fully understand the reasons for those decisions.”

THE BUSINESS OF SCIENCE New Interdisciplinary Science and Business program lets students pick the perfect mix

WHERE ISB GRADS MIGHT WORK • • • • • • • • •

It can be hard for college students to choose a course of study when they have yet to discover where their interests and talents may intersect.

Like many students, Maria DiToppa came to Behrend with a plan to major in Biology but then realized it might not be the right fit for her and began looking for alternatives. She was surprised to find a new Behrend program—Interdisciplinary Science and Business—that felt custommade for her.

“I realized that ISB was meant for me,” DiToppa said. “I was attracted to the program by the integration of biology, which I am passionate about, with the business side of things, which I also enjoy.”

The more she researched the program, the field, and the job options, the more convinced she became that she had found her path.

“I am amazed at the career opportuni-

ties this degree has to offer,” she said.

“The combination of science and business can open a lot of doors.”

Science-related companies don’t hire scientists only—they need businessminded employees, too, to monitor supply chains, handle sales and accounts, interpret consumer behavior, and manage marketing.

Students in the ISB major take a variety of courses, such as statistics, biology, calculus, chemistry, economics, business law and ethics, finance, management, marketing, and project management. They can further tailor their degree to their interests by choosing a specialized block of courses on both the science side (quantitative science, laboratory science, or human health) and the business side (accounting and finance, technical sales, or operations and supply chain management).

DiToppa opted for human health and

Hospitals Pharmaceutical companies Chemical laboratories Medical laboratories Medical practices Environmental firms Consulting firms Water treatment facilities Municipalities

technical sales specializations. She plans to work in the field of medical sales.

“I hope to develop, market, and sell medical equipment,” she said. “I want to focus on women’s health in particular, as it’s an area that desperately needs more attention in today’s society.”

A recent guest speaker from MageeWomens Research Institute, which is partnering with Behrend in a $26 million women’s health research initiative, solidified DiToppa’s decision. Though she’s still a year from graduation, she is already putting her degree to work.

“I am a yoga instructor and I use my science knowledge, such as anatomy and physiology, for the holistic side of yoga, while I use the business knowledge to manage promotions and advertising and run my classes.”

For more information about the ISB major, visit behrend.psu.edu/isb.

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Penn State Erie, The Behrend College School of Science 1 Prischak Building 4205 College Drive Erie, PA 16563-0203

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SUPER SCIENCE SATURDAY

The School of Science hosted a new outreach event this spring that was completely created and run by Behrend STEM Leaders. Super Science Saturday—a day

for science, technology, engineering, and math for kids in grades 4-6—was a hit with the community, drawing more than 100 youth. The children visited various tables where they could play games, conduct experiments, and explore a variety of STEM-related concepts through hands-on activities, like designing a boat to race in a “stream” outside, engineering a car to “race” down a ramp, and learning about with circuits and gears.

Science News is published annually and provided free to alumni and friends of the Penn State Behrend School of Science by the Office of Strategic Communications, William V. Gonda, wvg2@psu.edu, senior director. Editor: Heather Cass, hjc13@psu.edu. Designer: Martha Ansley Campbell, mac30@psu.edu. This publication is available in alternative media on request.

Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. U.Ed. EBO 24-205

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