BEHREND M A G A Z I N E PENN STATE
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The HEART of Athletics BRIAN STREETER, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS, INDUCTED INTO THE ERIE ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
From the CHANCELLOR
Respectful debate essential to the college experience The October episode of my “Behrend Talks” podcast featured former Gov. Tom Ridge, who led Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2001 and later served as the first Secretary of Homeland Security. He didn’t hold back: His comments about election security, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the winner-take-all approach to modern politics support the notion that our nation has fallen short. This passage particularly resonated with me: “We need to get back to respectful conversation and debate,” Ridge said. “That is an essential part of the college experience—those conversations over lunch, or dinner, or in the dorm rooms, where you push and probe and challenge each other through a rigorous exchange of views. It makes you sharpen your own thinking and more deeply consider your own point of view.” The opportunity for face-to-face debate may be limited in our current COVID environment, where facemasks and social distancing physically separate us, but our students continue to open themselves to new perspectives. Our Global Boarders program offers virtual language seminars and group discussions of world events. Our classes and clubs are using Zoom to connect with an international cadre of guest lecturers, now that travel is no longer expected. They’ve heard from a Russian dissident, from a British lord who served in the cabinets of Margaret Thatcher and John Major, and from executives of KeyBank and BNYMellon. The college’s cultural programming, from the Harambee dinner to the Rhythms of Life Series, which features music, dance, and storytelling from all regions of the world, softens our sense of geographic difference. The exposure to different traditions can shift not only our perceptions but those of an event’s hosts: Following the death of George Floyd, in town-hall meetings on race and inequality, several students of color suggested that a simple first step—attending one of their campus events—would begin to broaden the conversation about the many ways we are alike, even when we think we are not. One dinner or dance recital won’t bridge our differences. No single thing will. The largest issues facing our nation—climate change, racism, health care, and income inequality—also vexed the generations that came before us. What’s new is the expectation of a quick fix. We have had so much, for so long, that we have come to assume that we can as a country develop a vaccine, or a patent, or a judicial precedent that instantly will make everything better. That thinking overlooks the diversity of the world in which we now live, where the “right” answer to any given problem will never be right for everyone. For our part, here at Behrend, we need to keep the conversation going, in the dorm room and the dining hall and on the paths across campus. But we also need to commit to listening, to learning from the experiences of one another, and to taking action to improve our world. If you have thoughts or ideas, I invite you to share them with me.
CHANCELLOR RALPH FORD RMF7@PSU.EDU
To hear episodes of the “Behrend Talks” podcast, visit behrendtalks.buzzsprout.com Volume 37, No.2 Penn State Behrend Magazine is published twice a year and provided free to alumni and friends of Penn State Behrend by the Office of Strategic Communications. Executive Editor: William Gonda wvg2@psu.edu. Editor: Heather Cass hjc13@psu.edu. Design: Martha Campbell mac30@psu.edu. Contributors: Robb Frederick ‘92. Photos: Rob Frank ‘06, Matt Kleck. Change of address/Unsubscribe: Development and Alumni Relations at 814-898-6089 or amm74@psu.edu. Correspondence: Behrend Magazine, 207 Glenhill Farmhouse, 4701 College Drive, Erie PA 16563-1902. Phone 814-898-6419. Copyright ©2020 Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. 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 21-128.
All of the photos in this publication were taken prior to January 2020, were self-submitted, and/or were taken with high social distancing measures in place.
BEHREND PENN STATE
BEHREND MAGAZINE
M A G A Z I N E ON THE COVER
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Brian Streeter, senior director of Athletics, loves sports. He loves coaching. He loves Penn State Behrend. When he arrived at Behrend in 1997, the only athletic facility on campus was Erie Hall, which housed ten active teams. Today, the college boasts twenty-four teams and Streeter needs a golf cart to travel to all of the athletics fields and facilities that have been built from one end of campus to the other. From Junker Center and its pool, an eight-lane competition track, ball fields, and a lighted soccer/lacrosse stadium, Streeter has been the driving force behind nearly a quarter century of sustained growth in athletics at Behrend. For that, he was recently inducted into the Erie Athletics Hall of Fame. Read more about Streeter and his accomplishments on page 6.
IN THIS ISSUE
2 Erie Insurance Named Corporate Partner 5 Alumni Support Students In Need 8 Resilience Defines Behrend Students and Faculty 11 Student Success Stories 12 Catching Up with A Few Alumni 18 New Scholarships Advance Educational Equity 22 Interns, Alumni Help Erie Company Launch Product 26 Wintergreen Gorge Phase 1 Improvements Completed
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In BRIEF
Erie Insurance named Corporate Partner of the Year
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enn State has recognized national insurance leader and longtime corporate ally Erie Insurance as its 2020 Corporate Partner of the Year. The annual award celebrates corporate partners that have demonstrated exceptional commitment in promotion and support of Penn State, excellent track records of philanthropy and research, and active engagement of students and alumni in the workplace and the classroom. Founded in 1925 and headquartered in Erie, Erie Insurance offers comprehensive auto, home, business, and life insurance. A Fortune 500 company, rated A+ (superior) by A.M. Best Company, Erie Insurance operates in 12 states and the District of Columbia. Through more than twenty years of partnership with Penn State, Erie Insurance has deepened its mission of community service to the northwestern Pennsylvania region. The company’s philanthropy has supported priorities at Penn State Behrend with more than $2 million in total giving. Its gifts have created scholarships at Behrend and funded enrichment and youth education outreach programs across the college. In 2018, Erie Insurance pledged $1.5 million to Penn State Behrend to create the Excelerate program, its broadest and most significant contribution to the University yet. Leveraging a match from University funds for economic development initiatives, the gift generated $4 million toward scholarships for first-year students through the Pathway to Success: Summer Start (PaSSS) program, as well as funding for upper-level students to gain experience working with local businesses and nonprofits in the region. The company’s giving also supports the Susan Hirt Hagen Center for Community
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PENN STATE BEHREND CHANCELLOR RALPH FORD AND ERIE INSURANCE PRESIDENT AND CEO TIM NECASTRO
Outreach, Research and Evaluation (CORE) at Behrend, helping to extend Penn State’s work toward positive youth enrichment in Erie County. “Erie Insurance has embraced its role as the largest employer in Erie County by actively engaging in projects and initiatives that continue the forward momentum of our community,” Penn State Behrend Chancellor Ralph Ford said. “With financial support and commitments of time and expertise by the company’s employees, Erie Insurance is an active, steadfast partner. The company’s involvement at Behrend, from the Excelerate program to giving at CORE to individual mentoring and scholarship opportunities, doesn’t just support the University and our students. It is an investment in our shared future.” Erie Insurance has also made annual gifts to career enrichment opportunities and student outreach initiatives like Penn State Behrend’s Math Options
Career Day and Women in Engineering program, among others. The company maintains an active presence at Behrend through leadership roles and support of career development opportunities for students. Company representatives regularly serve on the Council of Fellows as advisers to the college chancellor and participate in efforts to offer industry expertise and mentorship to students. “Erie Insurance is honored to be named Penn State’s 2020 Corporate Partner of the Year,” said Tim NeCastro, president and CEO of Erie Insurance. “For more than 95 years, we have been committed to following the Golden Rule by treating people right, supporting the community and investing in its future. Partnering with local academic institutions such as Penn State to develop and secure talented people here in Erie, Pennsylvania, is just one way of keeping that commitment.”
BEHREND MAGAZINE
Lawmakers drop in on Political Science Zoom meeting Students in the Political Science program typically end the academic year at a celebratory dinner with their faculty members. This year, with restaurants closed due to COVID-19, the program’s chair, Dr. Robert Speel, came up with something different: A group Zoom call with surprise appearances by U.S. Senator Bob Casey and U.S. Representative Guy Reschenthaler. “It was a way to still have the dinner, and to make it one they’ll remember,” said Speel, an associate professor of political science. Casey talked with the group for about 15 minutes. Reschenthaler, who graduated from Behrend with a Political Science degree in 2004, spent nearly an hour on the call. “It wasn’t quite, ‘Please hold for the president,’” said John Jarecki, now a Political Science graduate who is continuing his studies at the University of Dayton School of Law, “but it was still pretty surreal.”
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE GUY RESCHENTHALER ’04
U.S. SENATOR BOB CASEY
New programs offered The bachelor’s degree in Polymer Engineering and Science will give students an understanding of the structure, properties, and processing of polymers, which are among the most versatile materials in use today. Graduates of the program will have the knowledge and skills to design polymer systems meeting unique applications in a wide range of industries. The Biomedical Engineering minor combines studies in biology and engineering, providing students with the foundational knowledge to apply engineering principles to medicine, health care, and related fields. In the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology minor, students use the priciples of chemistry to understand biological
molecules, structures, and reactions and also examine how such molecules interact to form cells, organisms, and behaviors. For students enrolled in these minors, the college is pursuing research, internship, and co-op opportunities with MageeWomens Research Institute and other medical enterprises in the Erie and Pittsburgh areas. The Data Visualization minor is designed to provide students with the skills to translate big data into visual stories that provide insights for decision-makers in government, insurance, banking, health care, research, and more. The minor includes coursework in digital arts and design and recommended study in data analytics.
THE COLLEGE HAS ADDED A NEW MAJOR AND THREE NEW MINORS TO EXPAND OUR STUDENTS’ CAREER OPTIONS. FALL 2020
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In BRIEF
Eva Tucker Jr. IN MEMORIA M
EVA TUCKER JR., a longtime faculty member at Behrend and a leader in the Erie community, died April 30 at the age of 84.
Tucker taught geoscience at Behrend, where he also supervised undergraduate research projects and contributed regularly to scholarly publications. He retired in 2001 after nearly forty years with the college. “Eva had the rare ability to be low-key and approachable, while also being a force for change,” said Penn State Behrend Chancellor Ralph Ford, who served as a faculty member alongside Tucker in the 1990s. “His strength as a leader came from his ability to connect with people, not just on campus but in the broader community.” Tucker was a well-known leader in the Erie area, serving on several boards. He was also active in community centers and with the Erie chapter of the NAACP. He was perhaps best known in the community as a member of the school board of the Erie City School District for more than three decades. That position epitomized Tucker’s lifelong commitment to education, whether in Erie elementary schools or the halls of higher learning at Behrend.
College launches podcast, webinar series BEHREND TALKS Behrend Talks is a podcast featuring a variety of guests talking about topics key to the growth and success of the Erie region and beyond. The talks are hosted by Chancellor Ralph Ford and cover everything from resiliency and mental health in the COVID-19 era to politics with former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge. Find past episodes at behrendtalks.buzzsprout. com or subscribe to Behrend Talks on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or Google Podcasts.
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RISE & SHINE WEBINAR SERIES Development and Alumni Relations is hosting informative webinars featuring Behrend faculty and staff and others presenting on topics both timely and timeless. The first event in the Rise & Shine series took a look at improvements to Wintergreen Gorge with Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason, sustainability coordinator. See it at behrend.psu.edu/riseandshine, where you’ll also find a list of upcoming Rise & Shine webinars. A new webinar will be posted each month. Register in advance to get a link to attend.
BEHREND MAGAZINE
Auslander gift establishes early career professorship at Behrend A new endowed early career professorship will honor Dr. Chester “Chet” L. Wolford, a former professor of English at Penn State Behrend. The endowment was made possible by a gift from a former student—Ed Auslander, the retired president and chief executive officer of LORD Corporation, a leading provider of adhesives, coatings, and control systems for the automobile, aerospace, and defense industries. Auslander, a 1985 graduate of the Penn State College of Engineering, earned a master of business administration (M.B.A.) degree at Behrend in 1991. Throughout his career, which included oversight of business operations in twenty-six countries, with annual revenue in excess of $1 billion, he relied on skills he learned in a business writing course taught by Wolford. “My first course at Behrend was taught by Dr. Wolford,” Auslander said. “I vividly remember my first paper in his class. I thought it was outstanding, but I received a C. Dr. Wolford provided some guidance that has stayed with me: He said, ‘Write
about what interests me.’ In other words, think of the customer first.” Wolford was a member of the Behrend faculty for thirty-two years, teaching writing and English in both the School of Business and School of Humanities and Social Sciences. “I have thought of Dr. Wolford often over my career,” Auslander said. “His advice—be efficient, effective, and concise with your words—was so profound that I still think about it every time I write. I will always be thankful for the guidance I received from him.” To honor Wolford, who died in 2009, Auslander and his wife, Elaine, made a gift of $400,000, which will support the teaching and research of a Behrend faculty member in the first decade of their career. The University will match $100,000 of that gift, which will create the Dr. Chester “Chet” L. Wolford Early Career Professorship. The first recipient of the professorship is Dr. Joongseo Kim, an assistant professor of management in the Black School of Business.
ED AUSLANDER ’85, ’91 M.B.A.
Alumnus provides crucial support to student hardship fund Behrend alumnus Justin R. Bloyd ’05 and his company, RB Sigma LLC, made a commitment to the college to help students who are struggling with challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through his company, a consulting firm that specializes in project management, innovation, and business development, Bloyd, who graduated
with a degree in history, made a gift of $25,000 to the hardship fund. He has given an additional $10,000 to the Black School of Business, where he has served as an Executive in Residence. The Student Hardship Fund provides assistance to students who are experiencing unexpected and extraordinary circumstances that affect their ability to cover costs associated with their education.
To donate to the fund, visit raise.psu.edu/behrendhardship JUSTIN BLOYD ’05
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ABOUT BRIAN Hometown: Dryden, New York First athletics job: Basketball coach at Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Started at Behrend: August 1997 Family: Wife, Sandy; two grown children, Jason and Amy
Wish list: “I’d like to add competitive dance and cheer,” he said. “Those teams are sports. And I’ll forever hold out hope for football.” Favorite pro teams: “I grew up in New York, so I love the Yankees, Giants, Knicks, and Rangers.”
EASY STREET(ER) Senior director of Athletics driving force behind sustained growth
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hen Brian Streeter, senior director of Athletics, arrived at Penn State Behrend in 1997, the college’s athletics program consisted of ten teams and one facility, Erie Hall. Today, Behrend boasts twenty-four teams, and Streeter often finds himself using a golf cart to travel to the fields and facilities located from one end of campus to the other. From Junker Center and a soccer-lacrosse stadium to an eight-lane competition track, ball fields, and tennis courts, he has been the driving force behind nearly a quarter century of growth in athletics at Behrend. It’s easy to see why Streeter was inducted into the Erie Sports Hall of Fame this year. It was a long time coming, but mostly, that’s because he kept declining the honor and instead suggesting other people to receive it. He’s like that.
COACH STREETER Life at Behrend has come full circle for Streeter. Soon, Erie Hall, where the college’s program began, will be demolished to make way for a $25 million fitness and recreation complex. The new facility will be another jewel in Streeter’s crown, though he would undoubtedly cringe at that reference. The last thing he wants to be is a king. Streeter is a head coach, through and through— collaborative, pragmatic, strategic, and hard-wired to tackle issues head-on. Before coming to Behrend, he was head basketball coach at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Sometimes, he misses pacing the hardwood, but he has never really stopped leading a team. “I coach now,” Streeter said. “My coaches are my team.” In fourteen years, Gabi Quiggle, administrative support assistant in Athletics, has heard him raise his voice just one time. She remembers it well because it is so rare for Streeter, who runs a tight but calm ship. This fact alone is likely a key reason that Streeter can count on one hand
how many head coaches have left Behrend in the past twenty-three years. It’s a remarkable testament; longevity is rare in college sports. Most head coaches move on every five years, and most athletic directors every seven. But at Behrend, Streeter and his coaches are as solid and reliable as the performance of their student-athletes, on and off the field.
EMPHASIS ON STUDENT “We always refer to our players as student-athletes because they are students first,” Streeter said. “We are a Division III school, which means academics come first. We absolutely understand that.” He is quick to note too the appreciation by college leadership and faculty members for the importance of athletics. “The crux of the growth here,” he said, “are strong working relationships between Athletics and the rest of the college—and a mutual respect for academics and athletics.” Those relationships, Streeter says, are built on communication. “I have thirty-five people in my department with very different personalities,” he said. “We have to be able to talk to and try to understand one another, even if the best we can do is agree to disagree.” It’s a strategy that extends beyond Athletics. “I really feel like we’ve knocked down the barriers between faculty members and Athletics here at Behrend,” he said. He gives much of that credit to a good working relationship with Dr. Chuck Brown, associate professor of accounting, who has served as Faculty Athletics Representative at Behrend for over ten years. It’s reflective of Streeter’s management style, too. “I’m sort of a firefighter,” he said. “As soon as there is any sort of problem, I want to address it. I want to do it face-to-face so that little problems don’t explode. Let’s get together in a room and figure it out.”
STUDENTS AS ADVISERS He can empathize with nearly anyone he works with because he wears a lot of hats himself. “There is not a job here in Athletics that I haven’t done, so I can understand almost any problem and do my best to help them with it,” he said. “If a team is losing a lot, I know that nobody is taking that harder than the coach. You don’t give up on them. You let them know that they have your full support, win or lose.” Streeter also makes time to meet regularly with student-athletes. He started the Student Advisory Committee several years ago, in an effort to hear directly from students. “Each sport elects one person to be on the committee,” he said. “It’s not necessarily the captains, but someone who is a leader on the team. It’s enlightening to be part of it. Student involvement really keeps me going.”
TEAMWORK = SUCCESS Spend any amount of time with Behrend’s coaches, staff, and studentathletes, and you quickly pick up on the one-big-family vibe. There’s a sense of mutual support, and that extends to teams rooting for one another. “Every team has a buddy team, and they are expected to attend one another’s games,” Streeter said. “It worked so well that we have double buddies now. Every team now has two other teams they cheer on. I know we ask a lot of our student-athletes, but they love sports, and they can give time to support one another.” Volunteerism is also something Streeter believes strongly in. Every team does some form of service. Streeter, a thirty-five-year Red Cross board member and supporter of Special Olympics, doesn’t see accolades as the end goal of those volunteer efforts. “We don’t need or want recognition for those projects,” he said. “We help others because it’s the right thing to do. It’s about stepping outside yourself and helping others achieve success.”
ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2020 Penn State Behrend will induct eight individuals into the college’s Athletics Hall of Fame in Spring 2020. Slated to be inducted are: Kayla Frost ’10, soccer; Josh Fyffe ’10, baseball; Brooke Gallentine Muralo ’10, volleyball; Kevin Gorny ’10, cross country and track and field; Andy Iams ’10, cross country and track and field; Joe Nelson ’10, golf; Sheila Ogden ’10, volleyball; Robert Wittman; former intramural and recreational programs and facilities coordinator at Behrend.
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Behrend Rebounds PANDEMIC PROVIDES A CASE STUDY IN RESILIENCY This spring, Dr. Melanie Hetzel-Riggin, a professor of psychology at Penn State Behrend, was teaching a course on trauma and resiliency when COVID-19 plunged the class into a real-life case study. “When we left for spring break, I had been teaching about trauma,” she said. “When we came back remotely, the pandemic and stay-at-home orders provided a lesson in trauma, and the course gave them an intellectual perspective that would help them cope better with the situation.” The first goal in a crisis—including a pandemic—is to survive and be functional, Hetzel-Riggin said. That’s enough, at least at the start. “We’re in a long-term crisis,” she said, “but humans are incredibly resilient. We have evolved to handle challenging situations. We have learned how to survive, even when the chips are down.” Here are just a few examples of the ways that Behrend faculty, staff, and students rose to the challenges presented by the pandemic this year:
SUMMER LEARNERS ADAPT When the pandemic arrived in the United States, it disrupted not only the last few weeks of the academic semester for students, but summer plans, too. With activity across the country and most of the world at a standstill, job offers, internships, and research opportunities were suddenly vanishing or being put on hold. Even in a time as tumultuous as this, though, persistence and ingenuity pay off, and many Behrend students found ways to continue learning and getting hands-on experience from home this summer. Caralyn Harben, a junior majoring in Software Engineering, had been looking forward to spending her summer working at Northrop Grumman’s Redondo Beach, California, location before the coronavirus forced her to stay at home. While she lamented the location change, she was thankful to 8
CARALYN HARBEN WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE HER SUMMER INTERNSHIP FROM HOME.
still have the opportunity to support the company’s Space Systems division as a software engineering intern. “I was lucky that Northrop Grumman decided to continue their internship program with many of us, including me, working remotely,” Harben said. A team of Engineering students— Michael Magnotti, Samantha Melnik, and Cameron Butts—worked remotely on a paid summer research project with Dr. Faisal Aqlan, associate professor of industrial engineering, and Carol Putman, assistant teaching professor of management. The project focused on applying an abstract concept to everyday business processes. At the end of the summer, the team submitted their work to the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management Undergraduate Paper Competition, where they won third place.
THE SHOW MUST GO ON(LINE) When it came to remote instruction and learning, the musical and performing arts were particularly challenged. How do you host a band concert when members are spread out across the country? How do you put on a stage performance when the actors are not even in the same city? Fortunately, artists and musicians are skilled at thinking outside the box. Dr. Gabrielle Dietrich, associate teaching professor of music and director of choral ensembles, came up with a plan to allow each student to step into the spotlight—a virtual cabaret performance. Students recorded their own videos, which Dietrich uploaded to YouTube and compiled into one “show,” which the classes gathered to watch together virtually. Emily Cassano, assistant teaching professor of music, theater, and visual
BEHREND MAGAZINE
SEEING STARS ONLINE WITH YAHN PLANETARIUM
Be Prepared Cover STUDENTS IN PERFORMING ARTS CLASSES RECORDED THEIR FINAL PROJECTS FROM HOME AND UPLOADED THEM TO YOUTUBE.
arts, was able to transition her theatre and acting classes to a remote format, with some courses proving more challenging than others to teach from afar. “All in all, the Musical Theatre and Intro to Theatre classes went smoothly,” Cassano said. “One of the nice things was that many different outlets released recordings of live performances online, so my students had access to many more musicals than they would normally have had.” Dr. Gary Viebranz, teaching professor of music and director of instrumental ensembles, presented students with an asynchronous project that explored the elements of music through short vocal improvisation on various topics. Finished work was uploaded to create a repository of sound files. These were then assembled to create a “sound collage,” with the final product being a four-movement “Remote Motet” on the theme “Behrend is … .” Viebranz’s students came together, virtually, on the scheduled concert date to see and hear their composition. They closed out the semester with a virtual alma mater, inviting alumni to join current students in creating a performance video for commencement.
SCIENCE STORY TIME AT-HOME EDITION The School of Science began offering free Science Story Time events to the Erie community a few years ago, each pairing a storybook reading with a hands-on science lesson for preschool-age children. The program offers young children, accompanied by a parent or caregiver, the chance to visit campus and learn that science can be fun. Started by Tracy Halmi, associate teaching professor of chemistry, it was instantly popular. When the COVID-19 crisis forced the cancellation of all gatherings on campus, Halmi decided to take Science Story Time online with the help of Kennedy Wittman, a senior majoring in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. Under Halmi’s guidance, Wittman took the lead on lesson planning, which gave her valuable experience for her future career as an elementary school teacher. Wittman shot the videos in her home, demonstrating fun experiments such as “lava lamp in a glass,” “fizzing planets,” and “three-ingredient slime.” The videos were then uploaded to behrend.psu.edu/ storytime. There are currently a dozen fun experiments posted.
Yahn Planetarium at Penn State Behrend has been going nonstop for six years. In that time, more than 46,000 visitors have attended programs. When the facility had to be closed, Jim Gavio, planetarium director, began offering public programs online for free. Gavio has been recording presentations and posting them online at behrend.psu. edu/yahnplanetarium. He is also doing monthly star talks, in which he guides viewers looking at the current night sky in the Erie area, as well as occasional special presentations, such as one on SpaceX’s Demo-2 launch and one on the basics of using a telescope. The planetarium is also offering virtual field trips, interactive group presentations led by Gavio via Zoom. “I use an astronomy program that simulates the night sky here in Erie so that I can point out specific constellations and stars and planets that they would see in the sky that night,” Gavio said. JIM GAVIO, DIRECTOR OF YAHN PLANETARIUM AT PENN STATE BEHREND
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Emergency Need
Inspires Innovation When the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported a critical shortage of protective equipment for medical workers in COVID-19 environments, researchers at Penn State Behrend partnered with Case Western Reserve University and manufacturing companies in Erie and Ohio to design a plastic face shield that could be mass-produced. By late April, the team was building 10,000 shields every day. The team expects to produce nearly 240,000 face shields, which provide an additional protective barrier when working with patients who have the COVID-19 virus. Erie-built shields have been shipped to hospitals, health-care workers, and first responders in at least three states. “Our hospitals and health-care workers desperately needed this protective equipment,” said Jason Williams, assistant teaching professor of engineering at Behrend. “We had to get it to them quickly, so we tapped into a network of local companies that we knew could help.” The project began as Williams looked at open-source designs for protective face shields. A colleague at Penn State’s University Park campus had asked him if one of the designs, which was configured for use on a 3D printer, could be adapted for injection molding. That would allow companies to scale up their production of the shields, which have a polypropylene frame and a rubber strap. The original design, which was configured for a 3D printer, required a minimum build time of three hours for every frame. Injection molding cut that to less than 40 seconds. Switching to polypropylene made the shields easier to clean, and therefore safer to reuse. Headbands produced through traditional 3D printing can be sterilized only in a hydrogen peroxide vapor chamber. The new design can be sterilized in
Behrend researcher Jason Williams designed COVID-19 face shields, teamed up with partners to mass-produce and ship them to health-care workers a medical autoclave, which is standard equipment in most medical settings. Williams designed the shield with Ian Charnas, director of innovation and technology at the Sears think[box] at Case Western Reserve, and Bill Rabbitt, an engineer at Nottingham Spirk, a Cleveland-based product design company. They also developed a supply chain that includes three Erie manufacturing companies: Port Erie Plastics, which molds the frames; Munot Plastics, which is producing the shields; and Bliley Technologies, which manages logistics and distribution. Lake Erie Transport is shipping orders at a reduced rate. The companies are completing the work at cost, said Steve Rosenzweig, director of finance at Bliley Technologies. “Three weeks after our first meeting,
we had product on a pallet, shipping to customers,” he said. “That’s a quick turnaround, and it underscores the vendors’ commitment to this project.” The Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority provided an early boost to the project: a $6,700 grant to pay for the initial production mold. An additional $15,600 from ECGRA provided a second mold, as well as die-cutting of the assembly’s rubber strap. That doubled production, creating 10,000 shields every day. “We were able to move quickly because of our relationships with the manufacturing community,” said Williams, who made his design available to others at no cost, at whitelabelfaceshields.com, “and with ECGRA, which has shown a consistent commitment to seeking and supporting projects that move Erie forward.”
THE TEAM EXPECTS TO PRODUCE NEARLY 240,000 FACE SHIELDS, WHICH PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL PROTECTIVE BARRIER WHEN WORKING WITH PATIENTS WHO HAVE THE COVID-19 VIRUS. 10
BEHREND MAGAZINE
Student SUCCESS
Penn State Behrend Students Succeed In and Out of the Classroom
Here are just a few recent examples of their accomplishments STUDYING SHORT-INTERVAL TIMER INCONSISTENCIES Scientific discoveries often happen by accident: An experiment goes not quite as expected, and the scientist says something like, “Huh, that’s weird.” For many, that moment comes after years, or even a full lifetime, of work. For Ethan Fontana, a Mechanical Engineering senior, it came in his first year of college. Fontana, a native of Lower Burrell, had passed college-level physics in high school, thanks to a dual-enrollment AP course, but he needed a lab credit for the course to be accepted as a replacement for PHYS 211: Mechanics at Penn State. ETHAN FONTANA MECHANICAL Professor of physics Chuck Yeung helped him craft an individENGINEERING ual study course that would meet the college’s requirements. While working in the lab independently on an assignment involving a ticker tape timer, an instrument that measures short intervals of time, Fontana noticed something odd. “I was obtaining inaccurate and inconsistent values of gravity,” he said. “I approached Dr. Yeung about it. He was unable to find anything about the issue online, so he suggested we do a research study on it.” After hours in the lab, performing trial after trial, they concluded that external friction was causing the effect. They were able to calculate it with minimal uncertainty. Having determined the cause, Fontana worked with Yeung to produce a poster for the Sigma Xi Undergraduate Research and Creative Accomplishment Conference. His entry tied for first place in the physics/chemistry division.
MAKING CONNECTIONS As COVID-19 caused global food systems crises, numerous organizations released lists of resources to help ease the effects of the pandemic. Members of Erie’s Food Policy Advisory Council (FPAC) recognized that a similar list, made up specifically of locally available guidance and support, was lacking for the Erie region. To fill that gap, a Behrend Sustainable Food Systems intern, Pearl Patterson, a senior Psychology major, worked with a core Erie FPAC team to develop two cohesive documents outlining the resources available. The information was translated into multiple languages and shared widely through the area. “The skills I have developed at Behrend and as a Sustainable Food Systems intern—collaboration, outreach, and providing a student voice to community leaders—were exactly what I needed,” says Patterson.
ACHIEVING ATHLETES The Lions, Behrend’s studentathletes, are competitive on every level, including academics. Dr. Chuck Brown, associate professor of accounting and the college’s faculty athletic representative, shared the following statistics: Last year, in the spring 2019 semester, the average cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of Behrend’s 324 student athletes rose to 3.14, with 64.2 percent of all student-athletes maintaining a 3.0 GPA or above. Seventeen of 22 teams earned an average GPA of 3.0 or above. Forty-four student-athletes were inducted into the National Athlete Honor Society, earning a GPA of 3.40 or above. Nearly 140 student-athletes earned AMCC All-Academic Team honors with GPAs of 3.20 or above. While our student-athletes were having success in the classroom, they also carried that success into competition as they captured the
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Presidents Cup once again. PEARL PATTERSON PSYCHOLOGY
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Life after BEHREND
Meet 13 Penn State Behrend Alumni Penn State Behrend alumni are making their mark on the world in a variety of ways. We caught up with several of them to learn what they’ve been up to since graduation.
MEI GONZALEZ ADAMS ’14 ACCOUNTING AND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS Lives in: Philadelphia Job title: International Tax Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers What she does: Big picture, I work on a team that works with large sets of data to do international tax computation for multinational corporations. More specifically, I work on the team that develops and programs tax rules into technology that our team uses nationally. I’ve been extremely lucky to work on the development of what we hope will be the next generation of programs that we use. What she loves about her job: I love working with my team and the opportunity to travel a lot. Well-traveled: In the six years that I’ve been with my firm, I have lived in four states starting in Cleveland, then Atlanta, then New York City, and now COVID-19 has led me back to Pennsylvania this year when I moved to Philadelphia. Advice for current students: Be prepared to keep learning. My degrees helped me get my job but learning to figure things out and ask questions is how I’ve been able to move forward. 12
KARENA BIBBINS-MCKEEVER ’06 POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS Lives in: Los Angeles Job title: Director of Public Relations, Cashmere Agency What she does: I manage national and global integrated marketing campaigns for clients across a broad spectrum of practice areas, including lifestyle, entertainment, consumer, corporate reputation, technology, and crisis communication. I also have led diversity, inclusion, and equity programs and initiatives to foster education and workplace and community equity. On the rewards of crisis management: In the winter of 2019, in an extremely delicate and volatile crisis situation involving race relations at a major university, I was able to quickly step in and help produce content that spoke to the crisis and the students who were involved. While crisis management is par for the course in public relations, during this situation, I felt my spirit shift; it was that impactful for me. What readers might be surprised to know: I wanted to be a politician, eventually the president of the United States. Advice for current students: The path to success, however that is defined for you, will not always be a clear, bright light; be prepared for multiple detours and setbacks. There may be times you want to give up, but don’t, because those are the moments that will build your strength and make you resilient.
BEHREND MAGAZINE
LARA M. (HERMANN) KAUFFMAN ’98 BIOLOGY M.D. FROM PENN STATE COLLEGE OF MEDICINE ’05 Family: Tate Kaufmann ’05; twin daughters, Sally and Maggie
Lives in: Newville, Pennsylvania What she does: Urgent Care Physician, Keystone Health, a federally qualified health-care system in Franklin County What she loves about her job: Being able to care for a diverse population of patients. I enjoy the opportunity to improve the Spanish I learned in high school and being able to connect with Spanish-speaking patients. Proudest career accomplishment: Living my life in a way that allows me flexibility in choosing where I want to work. I currently work for an organization that puts patients first and gives me the opportunity to be both a physician and a mom. Advice for current students: Don’t be afraid to change your mind. Perspectives on the pandemic: I have been evaluating and treating patients for COVID-19 since March. Although it is a scary time with a lot of unknowns, it has been professionally rewarding. I am not “in the trenches,” but I am on the front line, and it has given me an interesting view of science and humanity. We all need to work together and really contemplate the ripple effects that our everyday decisions will have on our friends, family, and community.
BIBHA DHITAL ’15 MARKETING Lives in: New York City Job title: Manager of Marketing and Social Media, TEMPTU (Airbrush Beauty Authority) What she does: I oversee all aspects of social media and marketing strategies, including creating and editing social media posts, blog posts, and sales materials to increase brand awareness, site traffic, and consumer following. I also manage the budget for social media marketing, analyze the effectiveness of campaigns, and negotiate influencer contracts. I’m involved in new product launches and site promotions. I help identify and assess market opportunities, competitive trends, and consumer needs; execute all corporate events planning; and compile information on consumeruse testing. What she loves about her job: I am a social media marketing nerd. I love being able to create content and connect with people all over the globe. I love that it is an ever-changing and fast-paced industry. It keeps you on your toes and you have to learn on the fly. Proudest career accomplishment: Implementing and executing successful influencer marketing campaigns for the brand and helping influencers grow their channels. The friendships and relationships I have with them are for life, and I am so lucky have them. Advice for current students: Work hard and be kind. Always give 100 percent. There are no shortcuts and hard work always gets recognized. FALL 2020
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Life after BEHREND
LINDSAY BAUGHMAN ’10 BIOLOGY Lives in: Newtown, Pennsylvania Job title: Ranger, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Tyler State Park, Newtown. Baughman describes the position as “basically a police officer with jurisdiction in the state park.” What she does: I patrol and enforce state park rules and regulations, the Commonwealth Criminal Code and Vehicle Code. I investigate complaints made by park patrons, direct traffic, and provide security at events, and I also provide First Aid, if needed. In short, my job is to create an overall safe environment for patrons to enjoy the park. On fresh air and variety: The best part about my job is being outside for most of my day. I have always enjoyed the outdoors, and this job pays me to be outside in nature. I also love the fact that every day is different. It’s never boring. Credentials earned: I graduated from the Pennsylvania State Police Academy in 2015. It was tough, mentally and physically, and it is one of my proudest accomplishments. Hobbies: I spend most of my free time with my three dogs, Cooper, Dakota, and Batman. I also recently started golfing, and I really enjoy it. Advice for current students: Don’t be afraid to take chances. Don’t become complacent just because it is the easier route to take. Accept challenges and do things that scare you.
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ANGELA (DEANGELO) KUPCHELLA ’18 PLASTICS ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY Family: Husband, Nathen Kupchella ’18 Lives in: Northville, Michigan Job title: Customer Success Manager, Clarience Technologies Building on success: After two years as a product engineer, I was asked to help build our Customer Success department. I serve as the primary technical resource for Road Ready business initiatives and lead customer business reviews and communications with sales and marketing, product engineering, user-interface development, and research and development teams to ensure customer success. What she does: I partner with customers to develop strategies that ensure best use of technology and achievement of maximum value from services. In addition, I am a member of the pilot initiative team that works to launch new customer programs. I also work with our team to see that sensors are properly installed on trailers and are communicating with all of the necessary interfaces. What she loves about her job: It’s challenging! Working with different fleets across different industries keeps you on your toes. Road Ready is also a “startup” company within an established organization (Truck-Lite), which gives me the opportunity to wear multiple hats and get involved in many aspects of the organization. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with engineering, quality, sales, and marketing departments during my time at Clarience Technologies. Hobbies: I enjoy working out and creating custom wooden American flags. Advice for current students: Get out of your comfort zone and never stop learning. If an opportunity presents itself, always say “yes,” even if you are nervous or don’t feel ready for it. Those experiences are invaluable to your personal and professional growth. Broader horizons: Since graduation, I have learned that an engineering degree does not confine you to working behind a computer. It gives you a broad brush to use your technical, problem-solving skills to fill needs across an organization.
BEHREND MAGAZINE
JEFF STEMPKA ’07, ’09 M.B.A. MARKETING AND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Lives in: Philadelphia Family: Partner Dr. Dara Cohn Job title: Senior Associate Marketing Manager of Cooking Innovation, Campbell Soup Company What he does: I lead teams of cross-functional experts in identifying opportunities for new product development across the Campbell Condensed Soup and Swanson Broth and Stock portfolios and then drive commercialization of those products. What he loves about his job: Every day is a challenge, and I get to tackle it with a team of super competent, super smart, and caring people. Campbell Soup’s brand partly stands for warmth and caring, and the people I work with are both. Hobbies galore: I love reading, playing instruments and singing, hiking, running, cycling, writing poetry, traveling, cooking and eating, golfing, and practicing Spanish—and the list goes on. I am passionate about each of my hobbies, though, which makes time management fun. Advice for current students: Your career is an adventure. Don’t compare yourself to your peers who might make more money or have a better office. Compare yourself to your own personal ideal. I spent a large portion of my career trying to work at Campbell’s and I am finally there. It took a lot of deliberate moves that sometimes meant making less money, but I am happy that I took a strategic approach and that it worked. Reach out: My “door” is always open to current students or alums for advice or to network. Connect at Jeff.Stempka@alumni.ie.edu.
DANTE SPAIN ’05 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY, MINOR IN MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS Lives in: Acworth, Georgia Family: Ashleigh (Jackowski) Spain ’05; three children ages 8, 6, and 4. Job title: Supply Chain Manager, Norfolk Southern What he does: I am responsible for supplying raw materials like coal and coke to some of the largest steel-producing companies in the United States and globally, too. This includes managing the end-to-end logistics from when the raw materials are mined to when they are loaded into export vessels. On job satisfaction: There is a sense of purpose in knowing that the service I’m providing is directly tied to countless end products in the construction and automotive markets. Also, the nature of my position allows me to interact with a lot of people on various levels of the supply chain. The relationships and perspective I gain from those with different backgrounds, corporate status, and experiences is what makes my job truly enjoyable. What you’d be surprised to know: I have lived in four states since graduating from Behrend and have learned to love the outdoors. I’ve done more camping in the last couple of years than ever. Smooth talker: To keep my public speaking skills sharp, I attend regular meetings with my local Toastmasters chapter. I actually won first place at the district level last year in two different categories: “Best Table Topics Speech” and “Best Humorous Speech.” Advice for current students: It’s important to identify with your purpose for being in college. Some people look to establish a legacy; others look to extend a tradition. Whatever it is, keep close to your heart and allow it to be the driving compass of each decision you make. On the life-changing magic of Behrend: My time at Behrend allowed me to make a generational change for my family. I am from the lower east side of Erie, where I grew up in a single-parent home and attended city schools. I was the first person in my family to go to college. I was never the smartest kid in the classroom, but I always gave maximum effort. At Behrend, I was blessed with several mentors among the faculty and staff who inspired me and helped me be my best. Their impact was enormous as I was dealing with a lot of health issues many people weren’t aware of. It’s all under control now, but it wasn’t easy to attend college in the midst of it all. The truth is, though, it gave me grit and I learned to not accept failure. Today, I’m married with three kids and living in Atlanta. Sometimes I have to pinch myself because I can’t believe this is my life. FALL 2020
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Life after BEHREND
LYNZIE (COLLARD) NEBEL ’08 PLASTICS ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY Lives in: Erie Family: Daniel Nebel ’09; children, Henry, 2, and Samuel, 1 Job title: Engineer, Tech Tank, a custom injection-molding company What she does: Tech Tank is small, so my responsibilities can be
GREG STRAUB ’09 MARKETING Lives in: Erie Job title: Owner, Erie Apparel Creative outlet: I founded Erie Apparel in 2014 as a side project to highlight great things about the tri-state area and to work the creative muscles that I wasn’t getting to use at my job in advertising. We opened our first brick-and-mortar location in 2017, and a second inside Erie’s Millcreek Mall in 2019. That said, 50-60 percent of our sales and orders are online from customers all over the country. It’s OK to Love Erie (and Erie Apparel): I like hearing about how a simple T-shirt or sticker brought joy to a customer or family member or friend they gave it to. I also enjoy the sense of community that our brand is helping to bring back to Erie. Proudest career accomplishment: It’s cool to think how something that I thought up in my basement has created careers for others—our team is currently eighteen staff members. And seeing our products being worn around the city and in other states is an awesome feeling. What you’d be surprised to know: I’m naturally introverted, which is not the typical entrepreneurial mold. Selling myself is difficult for me. When he’s not working: I’m a sports addict. I love golfing, soccer, basketball, running, and anything that gets me moving and my mind off work. I got a puppy last month, so she keeps me on my toes, too! Advice for current students: Practice your social skills—creating relationships, talking to mentors, interviewing, etc. Grades only matter until you graduate. It’s more important to create positive interactions with people than it is to ace every class. Formula for success: Be a good person and treat others how you would like to be treated. 16
anything from quoting to ordering material, reporting to the customer, processing the new molds, and setting the production schedule. The perks of working for a small company: I love being involved and seeing Tech Tank grow. There are often times when we panic and think, “How do we make this work?” But we get together, set processes, figure it out, and take on the next big milestone. It’s a lot of on-the-fly learning, and it’s exhilarating. Engaging engineers: I am on the board of directors of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), where I serve as Vice President of Membership Engagement. In addition to handling operational board duties, my efforts are spent working on the society members’ experiences at events and in their day-to-day experience being an SPE member. Side gig: I am a cofounder of the PlastChicks podcast, where I get to interview cool people in the plastics industry with my co-host, Mercedes Landazuri. It draws the attention of a lot of non-traditional “plastics people,” and we get to joke around with many people in our industry who are way more important than we are. I love it. In her free time: Like a good introverted engineer, I like to spend my downtime with my husband and children. We go for long walks together, and I love just sitting around with a good beer.
Advice for current students: Get involved with professional societies in your industry as soon as you can. Meeting and connecting with people is everything!
BEHREND MAGAZINE
KARINA CUADRADO ’19 COMPUTER ENGINEERING Lives in: Seattle Job title: Safety Data Analyst, Boeing Rotation Program What she does: I create tools that facilitate data-driven decisions on our commercial business in-service safety issues. The particular skillset required for this role is to be proficient in data visualization, big data management, Python programming, etc. What she loves about her job: The work I do serves a purpose beyond myself and contributes to the safety standards in aviation. Proudest career accomplishment: Getting into graduate school! I’m pursuing a Master of Science in Applied Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University as a part-time student. What you’d be surprised to know: I made my own snowboard while taking a composite materials class, something way out of my field of study. Advice for current students: Don’t be afraid to explore different fields. College is actually the best time to do that!
ROBERT FRANK ’06 COMMUNICATION Lives in: Erie Family: Wife, Rebecca “Becca” Frank; two children, Emma, 4, and Tyler, 2
Job title: Owner, RFrank Media What his company offers: It is a full-service media, photography, and livestreaming company. Best part of his job: Everyday interaction with different clients. Juggling a hectic but exciting schedule. Proudest career accomplishment: Working on national ad campaigns. What you’d be surprised to know: I’ve never ice skated or roller skated. Hobbies: I really enjoy woodworking and building. My COVID-19 project was a playhouse for the kids. Advice for current students: Get involved in everything! Find out what you love, what you like and what you tolerate. Prioritize things you love. Don’t be scared to change directions; that’s what college is for.
ADAM FRACASSI ’12 POLITICAL SCIENCE, MINORS IN ENGLISH AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES Lives in: Lansing, Michigan
Job title: Election law specialist What he does: I oversee the Bureau of Elections legal affairs and legal policy. I review and edit legislation, conduct compliance and enforcement actions against candidates, and generally provide legal support to the bureau in the administration of Michigan’s elections. I essentially act as in-house counsel for the bureau. What he likes about his job: I work with a fantastic staff and am responsible for legal policy. Something new comes up every day and what I do has a real-world impact in ensuring Michigan residents have the ability to vote. Proudest career accomplishment: I defended the State of Michigan at the Attorney General’s Office prior to my current role. I represented the state in a Voting Rights Act case that went to the United States Supreme Court. I filed briefs in the Supreme Court at age 27. Back to school: I am an adjunct professor at Michigan State University College of Law, where I teach election law and campaign finance. Advice for current students: Get involved. Your undergraduate years are the best years of your life. Get involved in clubs and organizations so you can meet other students, faculty, and staff. The experience you get from that will translate after graduation into a skill set you can apply at work.
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New Scholarships Will Advance Educational Equity With limited availability of a matching gift commitment by Penn State, three families with ties to Behrend have stepped up to create scholarships to support educational equity at the college. The endowed funds they have established will benefit students whose gender, race, and ethnic, cultural and/or national background will contribute to the diversity of the Behrend student body.
SAM AND ZABRINA EPPS Zabrina and Sam Epps ’95 Educational Equity Scholarship Early on in their marriage, Sam and Zabrina Epps laid out their future philanthropic goals, which included supporting higher education, specifically, their college alma maters. A 1995 Behrend graduate in Political Science, Sam is political director of UNITE HERE Local 25, the union of hotel, restaurant, and casino workers in the Washington, D.C., metro area. Since his graduation, he has been serving Penn State; he’s currently a member of the Alumni Council, the governing board of the Penn State Alumni Association, serving on the Council’s Development Committee. He hosts and mentors Behrend political science students who travel to the nation’s capital each spring, and he frequently visits the college to speak to students. “I’m a product of Behrend’s offices of Student Affairs and Educational Equity as well as the Student Government Association,” Sam said. “My leadership skills took shape and blossomed at Behrend.” As college students, Sam and Zabrina were both beneficiaries of scholarships and other financial aid, and they decided they wanted to help current and future students the way they had been helped. To that end, they recently created the 18
Zabrina and Sam Epps`95 Educational Equity Scholarship for Behrend students. “Education is an economic equalizer, and as I reflect on this moment in time, now is the time to invest in students, especially those in traditionally
underrepresented communities,” Sam said. “No matter where they come from, their gender, their race, or any other differences, we want students to know and feel that they belong in college, on campus, and at Penn State.
BEHREND MAGAZINE
BOB SIMONEAU Simoneau Family Educational Equity Scholarship
NISHI GUPTA Gupta Family Educational Equity Scholarship No stranger to providing support for students, Penn State Behrend alumna Nishi Gupta recently created her second scholarship to benefit Behrend students. Gupta’s most recent gift to establish the Gupta Family Educational Equity Scholarship takes advantage of a one-to-one matching gift opportunity to provide scholarships that advance student diversity at Penn State. “I hope to help increase student enrollment while increasing diversity, and I feel very strongly about providing educational opportunities to every person who wants them,” Gupta said. “Education is critical for a person to pursue a better life and broaden their understanding of the world.” A second-generation graduate of Penn State, Gupta received her degree in me-
chanical engineering in 1982. She retired from IBM as a vice president in 2016. She continues to keep Penn State at the forefront of her philanthropy because of the influence the University has had on her life, from an excellent education and professional connections throughout her career to lifelong personal friendships. “There was always an immediate connection and an implied trustworthiness when I came across another Penn Stater,” she said. “With this scholarship, I want to recognize traditionally underrepresented students, and I hope that the scholars who benefit from it and other students make an effort to proactively befriend those who may not be part of an existing community and discover that every person is an individual with unique attributes.”
When Dr. Robert “Bob” Simoneau was asked why he decided to create the Simoneau Family Educational Equity Scholarship at Penn State Behrend, his reply was personal. “We’re a large, complex multiracial family,” he said. “We are very pleased that Penn State has put some of its resources toward supporting student equity and need, and we’re proud to support the effort.” The scholarship is in honor of Bob’s family. Together with his late wife, Donna, they raised nine children. Donna was also a schoolteacher and social worker with a focus on children having special needs. Bob Simoneau’s connection to Behrend is also a personal one. He previously served as director of Engineering and Engineering Technology programs at the college following a long research career with NASA in Cleveland. During his time at Behrend, he said he recognized the college as student-oriented and dedicated to bringing personal and professional growth to students’ lives. “My hope is that this scholarship will put its recipients on an equal footing with the many fine students already attending Behrend,” he said.
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MEET SOME
Behrend Scholars
ELLIOTT SHERMAN First-Year Student Penn State Behrend Chancellor’s Scholarship
Support from donors helps our students succeed. Penn State Behrend awards nearly $3 million in scholarships each year. Here are just a few of our most recent scholarship recipients.
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BEHREND MAGAZINE
LION
ROBERT BALDWIN First-Year Student Marquette Savings Bank Scholarship
HANNAH BREWER First-Year Student Commonwealth Campus Award Scholarship
CHRISTOPHER BRENNEN First-Year Student Frank S. Palkovic Trustee Scholarship
KATLYN JOHNSON First-Year Student Woods Trustee Scholarship
MADISON KWIECIENSKI First-Year Student Irvin Kochel Leadership Scholarship
SETH BECK First-Year Student Penn State Behrend Chancellor’s Scholarship
BAILEY BROOKS First-Year Student John K. Henne Memorial Trustee Scholarship
BRYCE BYERS First-Year Student Penn State Behrend Chancellor’s Scholarship
SKYLAR SWARTZ First-Year Stude nt Commonwealth Campus Award Scholarship
STEPHEN HUMP HRIES Sophomore Mark and Lisa Mc Cain Open Doors Scholarshi p
DREW BROWN Sophomore Ray and Virginia McGarvey Scholarship
CASSANDRA PO RTER Sophomore Granmaz Dream Nursing Scholarship
PRIDE
SINGIRANKABO MARAGARITHE Sophomore Erie Insurance Open Doors Scholarship
TESS McANDREW Junior Audrey Herbert Sweny Scholarship for Nursing
PATRICIA BROTHERSON Senior Robert M. and Elizabeth Q. Mehalso Scholarship
JULIA CECCHETTI Senior James H. Meehl Engineering Scholarship
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Counting Sheep 2.0 Students help build, market app that will put you to sleep
If you’re like 50 to 70 million other Americans, you can relate to this scenario: lying in bed, completely exhausted, but unable to sleep. It’s not only ironic, but stressful. There’s a reason sleep deprivation is a torture tactic. One Erie company, AcousticSheep LLC, is searching for the best way to lull people to sleep using an age-old technique— music. One thing the team at AcousticSheep has learned: the right tunes to make you sleepy are a decidedly individual matter. Enter artificial intelligence (AI) and nearly a dozen Penn State Behrend students from the schools of Engineering, Business, and Humanities and Social Sciences who have helped the company build and market an app to deliver a sleep inducing blend of music to users.
KITCHEN-TABLE UPSTART AcousticSheep started from humble beginnings. A physician trying to fall back asleep after taking patient calls in the middle of the night developed a wide fabric headband containing a pair of headphones. Later dubbed SleepPhones, the first pair were hand sewn, soldered, and assembled at the founders’ kitchen table. The product gained popularity and has now been purchased by customers on every continent. Having achieved global success with a physical product, AcousticSheep, headquartered in Erie, began exploring software. That’s when they turned to some of the brightest minds in the area, tapping into the talent pipeline in Behrend’s School of Engineering. Harmony, an artificially intelligent software initiative, is AcousticSheep’s most advanced project to date and, the company says, it could not have happened without the time and effort of student interns from Penn State Behrend. “These students have been involved with everything from the initial creation of the software to developing the value proposition and message around the finished product,” said Jason Wolfe, AcousticSheep co-founder and chief technology officer.
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Darlene Galiszewski ’18, Marketing AcousticSheep Staff
Nearly a dozen students, three of whom are now full-time employees of the company, have helped develop and market the Harmony app, which uses artificial intelligence to generate, recommend, and deliver deep sleep inducing music, rhythms, and sound patterns. The company calls these sounds “sheep,” and each possesses unique traits—just like people.
WIN-WIN FOR STUDENTS, COMPANY The technology of Harmony works by organizing and analyzing aggregated track rating data collected from the company’s global network of users. “This whole process has been about guiding a new generation of software engineers on how to build and implement real-world software applications,” Wolfe said. “The Behrend interns who helped with this project have received hands-on experience and real feedback in the construction and implementation of innovative software tools.” Eleven Penn State Behrend students have worked with AcousticSheep over the past two years. It’s not just Engineering students whose talents the company has tapped, but also Digital Media, Arts, and Technology and Marketing majors, too. “Behrend students have a fantastic track record of being wellprepared, creative, and willing to learn,” Wolfe said. “They come to the office with a real drive to put their creative energy to good use, consistently providing the organization with fresh perspectives, and continually improving the problem-solving process.” The internship experiences led to jobs for three Behrend students who now work full time for the company: Software Engineering graduates Kegan McCrea ’19 and Jeff Little ’20 and Marketing graduate Darlene Galiszewski ’18. “The value that Penn State Behrend students bring to the table is incredible,” said Dr. Wei-Shin Lai, chief executive officer of AcousticSheep. “We are thankful to be able to work with the college in this capacity and provide real-world experience and employment opportunities for these incredible students.”
BEHREND MAGAZINE
Jeff Little ’20, Software Engineering AcousticSheep Staff
Kegan McCrea ’19, Software Engineering AcousticSheep Staff
Alison Huffman, junior, Computer Engineering AcousticSheep Intern
“The value that Penn State Behrend students bring to the table is incredible. We are thankful to be able to provide realworld experience and employment opportunities for these students.” —DR. WEI-SHIN LAI
Owners of AcousticSheep, Jason Wolfe and Wei-Shin Lai.
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PROFESSOR’S BOOK EXPLORES
Guerrilla Experience During the Civil War
T
hey attacked at dawn, riding in on horses, with torches—nearly 400 men, led by William Clarke Quantrill, the straight-backed bushwhacker whose guerrilla tactics bedeviled Union forces as the Civil War tore through Missouri. As they prepared for that morning—August 21, 1863—Quantrill and his men had crossed the border, riding toward Lawrence, Kansas, a stronghold of anti-slavery sentiment. They were angry. Their homes had been plundered; their families harassed. Their wives and sisters had been targeted by General Order No. 10, which called for the arrest of anyone giving aid or comfort to Confederate guerrillas. The collapse of a makeshift prison in Kansas City had killed four women and broken the legs of a girl—a 13-year-old who had been shackled to her bed. Her cousin was among Quantrill’s men. As they approached the town, a lieutenant, William H. Gregg, spotted a Union camp. He and his men raised their weapons. “The command on reaching the open space in which the tents were standing deployed right and left and charged the camp,” Gregg wrote, “and in three minutes there was not a tent standing nor a man alive.”
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The town’s residents would fare no better. Quantrill’s raiders dragged 182 men from their homes and shot them in the streets, then set fire to the buildings. “Quantrill’s order was to kill, kill, kill,” Gregg wrote. “Make no mistake, Lawrence is the hotbed and should be thoroughly cleansed, and the only way to cleanse it is to kill.”
‘A WAR FOR THE PRESENT’ Gregg’s account of the massacre at Lawrence is graphic but abbreviated, considering the significance of the event. Just two pages of his war memoir, which he completed in 1906, describe the attack. In his telling, the guerrillas’ long and trying return to Missouri is a far better story. Federal troops were hot on the group’s trail, and skirmishes erupted at every turn. At Black Jack Point, Gregg was given the command of sixty men and told to protect the rear of the column. “Whatever you do,” Quantrill said, “don’t let them break your line.” Within minutes, 1,200 Union men were upon them. That choice of narrative makes sense to Dr. Joseph Beilein, an associate professor of history at Penn State Behrend. His new book, “William Gregg’s Civil War,” publishes Gregg’s manuscript in full for the first time, providing insight
into the lives of Gregg, Quantrill, and the guerrilla fighters who shaped the Civil War in Missouri. “Gregg was trying to get a lot off his chest,” Beilein said. “He was seeing other men do that, and he wanted his story to be told, too. He frames himself as a sort of common-ground storyteller. He doesn’t romanticize anything. He doesn’t make it look chivalrous. But there are important things that he omits. “He doesn’t really want to process the terrible stuff,” Beilein said. “He gets right up to it, but then he sort of pulls away. He can’t really go there, because he knows this is going to be read by people, and they’re going to judge him. He doesn’t want to cross that final bridge.” At the time Gregg was writing, newspapermen and early Civil War historians were increasingly framing the Confederate defeat as “The Lost Cause”—a campaign triggered by secession, rather than slavery. The bushwhackers continued to be cast as the villains, however, even by other Southerners. “Quantrill and his men have been unjustly slandered by the people of the North, a people who even to this day know nothing of them except what they have read in irresponsible books and newspapers,” Gregg wrote. “The time has come
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when their minds should be disabused.” For Beilein, who first wrote about Gregg in his 2016 book, “Bushwhackers: Guerrilla Warfare, Manhood, and the Household in Civil War Missouri,” that effort to reset the narrative does not disqualify Gregg’s account, which the old soldier had titled “A Little Dab of History without Embellishment.” “More than any other event in American history, the Civil War has been fought and refought through the written word and in American minds,” Beilein said. “The story of the Gregg memoir, then, is the story of men and women fighting over the past to win a war for the present.”
‘THE MOMENT THAT MEANT SOMETHING’ By studying Gregg’s hand-written manuscript, which is archived in the library at the University of Missouri, Beilein gained a more nuanced perspective of the guerrilla experience. “Gregg’s voice is important, because it influenced the way successive generations understood the Civil War,” he said. “It stood out from the growing chorus singing the same old tune about Grant and Lee, the Blue and the Gray, Vicksburg and Gettysburg.” Gregg is particularly valuable as a proxy for Quantrill, who died in 1865.
“ The story of the Gregg memoir is the story of men and women fighting over the past to win a war for the present.” —DR. JOSEPH BEILEIN
That was clear even as he drafted his manuscript, which was purchased by William E. Connelley, an amateur historian, for the sum of $150. The men corresponded over a period of six years, through letters Gregg signed, “As ever, your friend.” Beilein includes the letters in his book. He frames them within a context that shifts the entire correspondence: Connelley at no point intended to publish Gregg’s manuscript. He double-crossed him, lifting from his narrative and using Gregg’s connections to other guerrillas to authenticate his own book, “Quantrill and the Border Wars.”
Gregg’s tale deserves to be more than a footnote, however. He was instrumental in the guerrillas’ campaign, which influenced the larger war. His manuscript, and his correspondence with Connelley, tells an equally important story—how the men who fought the Civil War continued to battle over how it would be remembered. “That fits a larger theme we see among veterans of every major conflict,” Beilein said. “Ten or fifteen years after the war, they often want to sit down and record their story. They realize that they lived through something big, and they circle back to that as the moment in their life that meant something.” FALL 2020
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DR. SHERRI “SAM” MASON
SHORING UP
The Gorge Trail F I RST PHA SE OF IM PRO V EM ENT S CO M PLET E 26
BEHREND MAGAZINE
“HAVING ACCESS TO NATURAL SPACES AFFECTS US IN SO MANY WAYS. THERE’S A PHYSICAL BENEFIT, BUT THERE ALSO ARE MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL COMPONENTS, AND THOSE FACTOR IN TO HOW WE CONNECT WITH A PLACE. WHEN WE FEEL THAT CONNECTION, WE WANT TO PROTECT THE PLACE.” — DR. SHERRI “SAM” MASON
NEW SIGNAGE
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n the new boardwalk in Wintergreen Gorge—165 feet of compressed bamboo decking, set just south of the Cooper Road trailhead—Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason, sustainability coordinator for Penn State Behrend, explained how it’s possible to protect a natural area by inviting more people to explore it. “Having access to natural spaces affects us in so many ways,” Mason said. “There’s a physical benefit, but there also are mental and emotional components, and those factor in to how we connect with a place. When we feel that connection, we want to protect the place.” The boardwalk is part of a $690,000 effort to stabilize the trail system in the gorge, a designated Natural Heritage Area on and adjacent to campus. Funding for the project, which began in 2013, was provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the Erie County Department of Planning and Community Development and Penn State.
The college has maintained Wintergreen Gorge as a public resource, but foot and bicycle traffic have eroded the natural environment. A half-mile stretch of the Cooper Road trail has been topped with a compacted aggregate surface, making it ADA-accessible. Aggregate is more permeable than asphalt but provides a surface firm enough for strollers, and even wheelchairs. The trail project created several new rain gardens, which will filter runoff from the Bayfront Connector. It also expanded the parking area at the Cooper Road trailhead and provided for educational signage. The college has secured $380,000 in funding for the next phase of the trail project, which will extend the aggregate-topped path to Trout Run. That work is expected to begin in the fall of 2021. “We need some time to see how this first phase improves things, particularly in regard to the water coming off the Bayfront Connector,” Mason said. “We’ll make adjustments, and we’ll develop a plan that further improves public access to the gorge while protecting the natural environment for the generations that follow us.” FALL 2020
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Alumni NEWS
Kudos! NEUMAIER APPOINTED CHIEF INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICER FOR ERIE INSURANCE
COSTANZO NOMINATED FOR LGBTQ AWARD Kate Costanzo, who graduated from Behrend in 2002 with a Mathematics degree and is now the head women’s basketball coach and senior woman administrator at Allegheny College, has been nominated for the inaugural NCAA Division III LGBTQ Administrator/ Coach/Staff of the Year Award. The award is intended to honor the service, leadership and promotion of LGBTQ inclusion by an LGBTQ athletics administrator, coach, or staff member in Division III. It is one of a trio of new awards created as part of the NCAA’s OneTeam initiative, alongside awards for the LGBTQ Student-Athlete of the Year and Athletics Department of the Year. Now entering her fourteenth season at Allegheny, Costanzo has served as the co-chair of the Pride Alliance, the college’s faculty and staff LGBTQ+ group. She will be recognized as the 2020 award winner at the virtual 2021 NCAA Convention in January.
THREE ALUMNI AMONG ERIE’S “40 UNDER 40” FOR 2020 Three Penn State Behrend alumni were featured in the Erie Reader’s “40 Under 40” list for 2020. The list honors accomplished young professionals making a difference in the Erie community. Featured were: Eric J. Brotherson, 2008 Management Information Systems graduate and director of business intelligence for Erie Federal Credit Union. Patrick Fisher, 2008 Business graduate and executive director of Erie Arts & Culture. Dr. James Hodge, 2009 Psychology graduate and director of the Susan Hirt Hagen Center for Community Outreach, Research, and Evaluation at Penn State Behrend. Three Behrend faculty and staff members were also honored: Derick Fiedler, outreach program coordinator in Personal Counseling; Jacob Marsh, industry relations coordinator; and Dr. Charlotte de Vries, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. You can read the full story at eriereader.com. 28
Jamie Neumaier ’96, ‘07 M.B.A., was recently promoted to chief information security officer (CISO) for Erie Insurance. He will lead ERIE’s cybersecurity operations and manage the company’s information security policies, governance, and architecture. Neumaier, who earned his undergraduate degree in mathematics and his master’s degree from Penn State Behrend, joined Erie Insurance in 2004 as a lead information security analyst. He was promoted to security architect in 2009 and has held various leadership roles in information security since 2010. Before assuming the CISO role, he was vice president of information technology. He is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional through the International Information System Security Certification Consortium.
Be in Demand
Looking to get ahead in your job, change careers, or increase your earning potential? A Penn State Behrend graduate degree can help you reach your goals. Our master’s degree programs are flexible, achievable, and valuable, designed to help you become a leader in your field. Ready to learn more? Visit behrend.psu.edu/grad.
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GET FOOD FAST: This fall, Penn State launched Penn State Eats, a smartphone app that allows users to order food and drinks from their mobile devices, offering a convenient, cashless, and contactless food service experience. Orders are picked up at designated locations, so there is no waiting in line. Even better? There are no transaction fees. Download the Penn State Go app at mobile.psu.edu.
Engineering programs ranked among nation’s best
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ew rankings by U.S. News & World Report place the engineering programs at Penn State Behrend among the top 50 undergraduate engineering programs in the nation. Behrend is at No. 46 on the list, which was released in in September. “This ranking demonstrates the continued commitment of our faculty and staff to prepare our students to be leaders in engineering,” said Dr. Tim Kurzweg, director of the School of Engineering. “Our unique programs blend traditional academics with research and outreach opportunities that give our students the tools to succeed.” U.S. News has published annual “Best Colleges” rankings since 1983. Schools are evaluated on sixteen measures of academic quality, including graduation rates, class size, financial aid availability, and alumni giving. The engineering program rankings also use data from peer assessment surveys, which this year were sent to 220 ABET-accredited institutions, including Penn State Behrend.
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The School of Engineering offers eleven four-year degrees, a master’s in manufacturing management and two-year associate degrees in electrical and mechanical engineering technology. An innovative partnership
with the Black School of Business and state-of-the-art facilities, including the nation’s largest undergraduate plastics processing lab, provide unique learning experiences that are highly valued by employers.