SCIENCENEWS P E N N
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B E H R E N D
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S C I E N C E | 2 0 1 9
Students Discover Invasive Shrimp in Erie
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DEVELOPING STEM LEADERS
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GORGE TRAIL RENOVATION UNDERWAY
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A FRUITFUL COLLABORATION
BEHREND PARTNERS IN $26M RESEARCH INITIATIVE NURSING LABS EXPANDED
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DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
In Brief
New directions and new possibilities are everywhere in the School of Science. New partners such as Magee-Womens Research Institute MARTIN KOCIOLEK, PH.D. (MWRI) in Erie will open new avenues for research, kickstart new academic programs, and provide funding for new equipment, facilities, and faculty positions. Ongoing collaboration with the University’s College of Agriculture have led to a new shared faculty position with the Lake Erie Regional Grape Research and Extension Center, expanding research opportunities for students and faculty. New funding from the National Science Foundation to establish the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship and STEM Leaders programs will provide financial support for students and will also serve to educate and train future math teachers and science leaders. The recent expansion of our nursing facilities will further strengthen our already successful undergraduate program. Renovations to Wintergreen Gorge will provide renewed opportunities for the community to take advantage of the wonderful natural resources of our campus. Lastly, the addition of a college sustainability coordinator will take preservation and sustainability to a new level not only for Penn State Behrend but the Erie area as well. These new directions and other great happenings are sure to make for an exciting year in the School of Science. I hope you enjoy reading more about a few of these happenings in this issue of Science News.
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STORY TIME WITH A SIDE OF SCIENCE Every semester, the School of Science offers several interactive outreach programs for preschoolers called Science Story Time. Caregivers bring their 4- and 5-year-olds to Behrend for a one-hour session that includes a storybook reading by Tracy Halmi, associate teaching professor of chemistry, and science-related hands-on experimenting fun with the help of student volunteers. The series is a hit with the community; classes fill quickly after registration opens. For more information or to learn about upcoming story times, visit behrend.psu.edu/storytime.
STUDENTS SPEND SPRING BREAK IN THE BAHAMAS To truly understand an ecosystem, it helps to immerse yourself in it. That’s why students in Coastal Biology BIOL 482 spent their spring break in San Salvador Island in the Bahamas, where they learned about tropical wildlife first-hand. The course blends classroom learning with a week-long field research experience. Past classes have traveled to Costa Rica. This year, students and three faculty members traveled to San Salvador and stayed at the University of the Bahamas’ Gerace Research Centre, which offered access to state-of-the-art facilities. “The research island of San Salvador enabled Behrend students to focus on the marine environments of a desert isle,” said Dr. Mike Naber, associate teaching professor of geosciences. “From snails and surf to sharks and squid, it’s a marine biology paradise.”
FACULTY NEWS New Faculty The school welcomed new faculty members Dr. Flor Acevedo, assistant professor of entomology; Dr. Mohamed Abdelmoula, assistant teaching professor of physics; Dr. Pye Aung, assistant teaching professor of mathematics; Dr. Aaron Bardall, assistant teaching professor of mathematics; and Ashley Daughenbaugh, lecturer in nursing.
Awards Jodie Styers, assistant teaching professor of mathematics education, was awarded the college’s Guy W. Wilson Award for Excellence in Academic Advising.
A FRUITFUL PARTNERSHIP The Lake Erie Concord Grape Belt, which stretches from Erie County, Pennsylvania, to Chautauqua County, New York, has an estimated economic impact of about $340 million a year, according to The Concord Grape Belt Heritage Association. So, if an invasive insect or leaf fungus appears in a vineyard, it could be economically catastrophic. That’s why Penn State researchers have been helping growers for more than sixtyDR. FLOR ACEVEDO five years through the University’s College of Agricultural Sciences’ Lake Erie Regional Grape Research and Extension Center (LERGREC), a 40-acre research facility located in North East, Pennsylvania. LERGREC brings together College of Agricultural Sciences and Behrend School of Science faculty members and students to collaborate. In 2017, Dr. Mike Campbell, professor of biology at Behrend, was appointed director of the LERGREC. He has since been dividing his time between the center and his teaching and research work at Behrend. This summer, LERGREC welcomed Dr. Flor Acevedo, assistant professor of entomology, from the College of Agricultural Sciences. Acevedo will lead entomology research at LERGREC and, like Campbell, she will also teach classes and maintain a research lab at Behrend. Campbell, Acevedo, and Bryan Hed, plant pathologist at LERGREC, work on ten to twenty research projects each year, most of which test vineyard disease and insect control. They are assisted by Behrend science students who gain valuable hands-on research experience.
Promotions Dr. Jay Amicangelo to professor of chemistry; Andy George to assistant teaching professor of mathematics; Lisa Mangel to assistant teaching professor of biology; Jodie Styers to associate teaching professor of secondary mathematics education, and Jen Ulrich to assistant teaching professor of mathematics.
FEATURED SCHOLARS Support from donors helps our students succeed. Scholarship recipients featured in this publication are: NOEL MOORE Merwin Family Scholarship PEARL PATTERSON PNC Leadership Scholarship
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In Brief continued THE ART OF SCIENCE Science and the arts might seem to be very different disciplines, but the scientific method and the creative process have a lot in common; inquiry is at the heart of each. “People sometimes think science is about memorizing facts, but it’s really about making discoveries and wringing answers out of nature,” said Dr. Pam Silver, associate dean for academic affairs and distinguished professor of biology. “When you have a scientific question, it takes a lot of creativity to find the answer to it.” Scientists are, by nature, creative individuals, and the School of Science recently added two works of art that illustrate that.
Ties that bind A colorful quilt, titled “A Way of Knowing,” was created by Silver and hangs in Hammermill Hall. Each color in the quilt represents a scientific discipline taught at Behrend—biology, chemistry, environmental science, nursing, physics, mathematics, and mathematics education. A spiral in the quilt represents the net movement of scientific discovery from observation to hypothesis to testing to understanding.
Fractal in flight High overhead at the entrance to Roche Hall is another work of art—a stage-5 Sierpinski tetrahedron that models a fractal with infinite triangles—created by student members of the School of Science Math Club under the direction of club president Thomas Galvin and Dr. Joe Previte, associate professor of mathematics. “A fractal is a self-similar structure with recurring patterns at progressively smaller scales,” Previte said. “Fractals are useful in modeling natural structures such as plants, coastlines, or snowflakes.” Some natural objects appear to be completely random in shape, but there is an underlying pattern that determines how these shapes are formed and what 4
they will look like, according to Previte. Mathematics can help us to better understand the shapes of natural objects, which has applications in medicine, biology, geology, and meteorology.
Students built the fractal using Zometool construction parts. It consists of 2,050 white balls and 6,144 red and blue struts. Learn more about fractals at mathigon.org/world/fractals.
STUDENT’S RESEARCH HELPS JUMP-START CAREER Kerry Stith, a senior Biology major, hopes one day to work in animal behavior research, and he is already making a name for himself in the field. His research work at Penn State Behrend recently helped him win a travel award to participate in the Charles Turner Program at the Annual Meeting of the Animal Behavior Society, which was held in Chicago this summer. Stith was one of just twelve undergraduates nationwide to be selected. At Behrend, Stith has been working with Dr. Sam Nutile KERRY STITH and Dr. Lynne Beaty, assistant professors of biology, on a study comparing different salamander populations on Behrend’s campus. “We know that there are physical and genetic differences between the salamander populations on campus because of earlier research work done at Behrend,” Stith said. “Since genetics can influence behavior, we felt it worth examining if there are behavioral differences as well. If there are behavioral differences that affect how these salamanders respond to predators, it can have implications for their survival.” Salamanders are a challenging subject to study as they are nocturnal and spend the majority of their time underground. That’s why Stith sampled them during their breeding season in the spring, when many of them emerge at once. While the group is still analyzing data collected, Stith said he has already learned plenty from the process.
$2M=MORE STEM LEADERS AND MATH TEACHERS Faculty members in the School of Science have secured $2 million in National Science Foundation funding to develop a STEM leadership and development program and promote mathematics education as a career option. The funding, spread across two projects, includes scholarship opportunities for seventy-five Penn State Behrend students. Dr. Martin Kociolek, director of the School of Science and associate professor of chemistry, will oversee a five-year, $1 million initiative, funded by the NSF S-STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) grant program, to help students develop the skills and mindset that are necessary to succeed in STEM majors and careers. He and four colleagues—Dr. Courtney Nagle, associate professor of mathematics education; Dr. Charisse Nixon, professor of psychology; Dr. Dipo Onipede, associate director of academics and chair of the Industrial Engineering program in the School of Engineering; and Dr. Michael Rutter, associate director of the School of Science and associate professor of statistics—will create a STEM Leaders program that will provide financial, academic, social, personal, and career support to help students persist and succeed in STEM majors. “We’re taking a cue from social cognitive career theory, which looks at why students choose a particular career path and how they stay on it and succeed,” Kociolek said. “One goal is to encourage persistence. Many students in STEM majors come in with preconceived notions of their ability to succeed and are discouraged by early challenges or setbacks. By developing programming that builds core competencies in mathematics and promotes self-efficacy, we can reinforce and support their career goals.”
The STEM Leaders program will form three 20-student cohorts over three years, with a living-learning community in Trippe Hall. Participants will have access to targeted programming, academic and career-planning support, mentoring, leadership training, and capstone research opportunities. Students will be eligible for $13,500 in scholarship funding over four years in the program. STEM Leaders will follow one of two mathematics tracks, both of which will focus on self-efficacy as well as mathematical competencies. “Math is a definite pinch point for success in STEM,” Kociolek said. “A strong foundation there is the key to success in many future STEM classes.” Students who thrive in mathematics classes could benefit from the second NSF-funded program, which will develop a pipeline of mathematics teachers who are committed to teaching in “high-needs” school districts.
The program, which is supported by $1 million in NSF funding from the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, will promote teaching as a career path: Behrend sophomores will be eligible for paid internships, which will require sixty hours of engagement with students in the partner districts. In their junior and senior years, they will be eligible for Noyce scholarships, which provide $22,500 in each year. Specific districts with teacher shortages will be targeted, including the Erie, Corry Area, Iroquois, and Northwestern school districts. “It’s often difficult for students to see the potential for math,” said Nagle, who will oversee the study. She will work with Rutter; Dr. Paul Becker, associate professor of mathematics; Pat Kelly, lecturer in mathematics education; and Jodie Styers, assistant teaching professor of mathematics education, to develop an Aspiring Mathematicians Program for local high school students.
Funding provided though NSF S-STEM program project #1930196 and Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program project #1852624
“One reason we now have a shortage of math teachers is that when a student shows an interest and an aptitude for math, we say, ‘That’s great. Have you thought about engineering? Or being an actuary?’ We funnel them into fields that use math, but not into teaching math. We need to change that.” DR. COURTNEY NAGLE, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
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Meet Dr. Mason A Q&A WITH BEHREND’S NEW SUSTAINABILITY COORDINATOR Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason was just 10 years old when an episode of Diff’rent Strokes, an ‘80s-era sitcom, inspired her life’s work. “One of the characters, Kimberly, washed her hair with rain water and it turned her hair green, ostensibly because of acid rain,” Mason said. “That show made me realize that how we live our lives can impact the greater world in very negative ways, and I wanted to fix that. From that moment, I wanted to be an environmental chemist.” Mason, Penn State Behrend’s new sustainability coordinator, made good on that career wish. Before joining Behrend this spring, she was a chemistry professor at the State University of New York in Fredonia. Her groundbreaking research on plastic pollution in the Great Lakes found high concentrations of microplastics, especially within Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. That research led to the Microbeads-Free Water Act of 2015. Mason is now a globally recognized expert on freshwater plastic pollution and a member of a United Nations working group focused on plastic and microplastics in the world’s marine environments. Science News recently caught up with Mason to learn more about her plans for Behrend: What is your role as the sustainability coordinator? To help the campus become more sustainable in a variety of ways,
from decreasing energy usage or working to get energy from renewable resources, to thinking about how to incorporate sustainability in our curriculum, to leading activities like beach clean-ups and other community engagement projects. I’m also overseeing the Wintergreen Gorge trail improvements project (see page 7). It’s a big job, but I love it. Why is sustainability important at colleges? We must practice what we preach. We have to demonstrate sustainability in how we do business if we expect our students to embody it in their own lives and careers. You see sustainability as a college-wide effort, then? Absolutely. Sustainability is an umbrella that covers all of the schools, programs, and departments across campus. I hope to encourage faculty members to incorporate sustainability into their courses, either as a component, a topic of discussion, or an overarching theme. I also want to encourage all the faculty and staff members on campus to adopt sustainable practices, such as printing less, walking across campus more often, carpooling, and using reusable water containers. What are three things readers can do to be more sustainable? 1. Consume less. Buy experiences as gifts rather than things. 2. Eat lower on the food chain. Try to eat a few meatless meals a week. 3. Use less plastic.
WINTERGREEN GORGE RESTORATION PHASE 1: Cooper Road parking lot, trail improvements up to the Bayfront Connector. PHASE 2: Trail improvements from Bayfront Connector to Trout Run. PHASE 3: Bridge over Trout Run. PHASE 4: Trail improvements from Trout Run to the two trailheads on campus, Prischak Building parking lot and Ohio Hall parking lot.
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GORGE TRAIL RESTORATION PROJECT UNDERWAY Wintergreen Gorge, located on and adjacent to the Behrend campus, has been a popular recreation destination for students and community for seventy years. It’s easy to see why: The 3,980-foot-long canyon is surrounded by mature forest and offers shaded trails for hikers, runners, and bikers. Fourmile Creek, which cuts through the gorge, features a half-dozen waterfalls and places to wade and cool your heels. “The problem is that the gorge has been loved a little too much,” said Dr. Mike Naber, associate teaching professor of geosciences, as he points out severe erosion on the ridge of the main trail during a tour. “There are heavily trafficked parts of the trail that have no topsoil. Without soil, vegetation can’t grow, which makes the trail susceptible to flooding and erosion.”
The hillsides in the gorge are unstable in places due to heavy use. At the site most popular with visitors—a 250-foot overlook known as “Devil’s Backbone”— nearly all of the natural undergrowth has been worn away. To begin addressing the problem, Behrend started the first phase of the Wintergreen Gorge Sustainability Master Plan this summer. This initial $690,000 project will make existing trails more sustainable, protect wildlife, and improve visitor access to the gorge. Funding for the project 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. Planning for the work began in 2013.
Phase I— expanding and improving parking at Cooper Road and installing boardwalks over protected wetland areas nearby—is nearly finished. Other improvements planned include topping the trail with compacted aggregate to make portions of the trail ADA-accessible, raingardens to filter runoff from the Bayfront Connector, a bridge over Trout Run, and stabilization of the entire 2,300-foot creek trail. “Everyone involved in this project appreciates the unique environmental value of the gorge,” said Dr. Ivor Knight, associate dean for research and graduate studies, who oversees sustainability efforts at the college. “The planned improvements carefully balance the need to preserve public access to the gorge while protecting and enhancing the natural environment for generations to come.”
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With their first throw of the net near midnight at Lampe Marina on Presque Isle Bay, three Penn State Behrend students caught something that had never been seen in Pennsylvania waters: a tiny, black-eyed shrimp known as Hemimysis anomala. The species, also known as the bloody red shrimp, is native to the Black Sea. It appeared in Lake Ontario in 2006, likely carried in the ballast water from a freighter. Within the year, it had spread to New York’s Oneida and Seneca lakes. In the years since, Hemimysis had been found in Lake Erie waters near Dunkirk, New York, and Ashtabula, Ohio. To catch the shrimp, the Behrend students first traveled to Geneva, New York, where they met with a Hemimysis expert at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. The team— Kyle Deloe, a senior from Knox; Noel Moore, a sophomore from Lock Haven; and Emily Dobry, a graduate student from Erie—was studying the potential use of environmental DNA, or eDNA, for detecting invasive species. The approach has been useful in the detection of other species, including Asian carp. “It’s traces of DNA, basically, like what you might find at a crime scene,” said Dr. Ivor Knight, associate dean for research and graduate studies at Penn State Behrend. “Hemimysis are small—maybe 2 or 3 mm long—and their bodies are mostly clear, so it isn’t easy to see them in the water. Testing for eDNA could provide evidence that the shrimp are or recently had been in a sample of water.” Knight and Dr. Matthew Gruwell, associate professor of biology, secured a $177,000 grant from the Great Lakes Protection Fund to study the effectiveness of eDNA in detecting invasive species. They hope to develop a method of testing ballast water in ships that enter lakes that are not yet contaminated. With help from the student researchers, they set up 24 10-gallon fish tanks and added Hemimysis DNA. In half of the tanks, they added actual shrimp; in the others, they added a slurry—water that had included shrimp, which had since been removed. That allowed them to test how long Hemimysis DNA remains in the water after the shrimp are gone. To populate the tanks, the team needed Hemimysis, which were shipped, frozen, from a lab in Michigan. “We needed a lot of them,” Deloe said, “and we were having trouble getting enough. We figured if we could collect them ourselves, it would be easier to run the tests.”
PHOTO CREDIT: NOAA, GREAT LAKES ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LABORATORY
BEHREND STUDENTS DISCOVER NEW SPECIES IN LAKE ERIE
So they traveled to Geneva where they met with aquatic biologist Dr. Meghan Brown at Hobart and William Smith. She helped them identify the environment the shrimp prefer: rocky shoreline crevices with minimal vegetation and a depth between 6 and 10 meters. She offered one other tip: The shrimp are most active at night. A few nights later, the students drove to Lampe Marina. Wearing red headlamps, they dropped a net into the water. When they pulled it up, they saw a swarm of Hemimysis. “In the light from the red headlamp, their eyes glow, like little taillights in the water,” Dobry said. “We knew immediately that we’d found them.” Gruwell identified the microscopic features that define the species. Knight took a sample of the shrimp to Dr. James Grazio, a Great Lakes biologist with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, who confirmed the identification. DEP biologists had searched for Hemimysis. They had even looked in Lampe Marina. The Behrend students tried a different approach, however, waiting until later at night. It isn’t yet clear how Hemimysis will affect the ecosystem in Lake Erie. In Europe, the shrimp have reduced the algal and zooplankton biomass in lakes and reservoirs, altering the feeding patterns of larger species, including fish. The first step in understanding the potential impact of any species is determining that it is, in fact, present. That makes the Behrend team’s discovery significant, Dobry said. “People see these and think, they’re so tiny, they can’t be a threat,” she said. “The truth is, we just don’t know yet. But if you love where you live and you want to protect it, you need to know what’s out there.”
“People see these and think, they’re so tiny, they can’t be a threat. The truth is, we just don’t know yet. But if you love where you live and you want to protect it, you need to know what’s out there.” EMILY DOBRY, GRADUATE STUDENT
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School of Science Will Support Behrend’s New Medical Research Partnership
$26 MILLION INITIATIVE WILL BRING BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH TO THE COLLEGE The School of Science will play a pivotal role in Behrend’s partnership with the new Magee-Womens Research Institute in Erie, a $26 million initiative that will bring locally focused clinical medical research trials to the region, improving the health of generations of women. The college will co-locate faculty members and students at the institute’s downtown facility, which will be affiliated with UPMC Hamot, and at a new biomedical commercialization and translational research lab in Knowledge Park. The School of Science plans to hire two faculty members who will collaborate with MWRI Erie beginning next year. MWRI is the largest research institute in the United States devoted exclusively to the health of women and infants. Since 2007, the Pittsburgh-based institute has led the nation in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for reproductive health research. MWRI Erie is expected to draw significant research funding from federal agencies, including NIH, and from national foundations, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, and others who are involved in clinical research. The institute expects to attract up to $50 million in new funding over the next ten years. The initial funding for MWRI Erie includes a $6 million grant from the Erie Community Foundation. Of that, $1.1 million will be utilized by Penn State Behrend to build a translational research lab in Knowledge Park and create a new instructional lab in the School of Science, which will support a new minor in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology. The School of Engineering will also develop a new minor in Biomedical Engineering. Faculty members, MWRI Erie researchers, and start-up ventures will use the labs to develop medical discoveries into
products such as diagnostic tests and surgical devices. The Knowledge Park lab also will provide space and instrumentation for bench experiments, including human genetic studies, data analytics, and medical-device prototyping. “We can provide the academic programs and the pipeline of student talent that will sustain this initiative,” Chancellor Ralph Ford said. “By adding biomedical commercialization and support for the start-up companies that will develop from MWRI Erie, we will fuel economic growth well beyond the original vision for the institute.” Penn State Behrend, the Hamot Health Foundation, UPMC, and the MWRI Foundation each have committed to investing a minimum of $5 million in MWRI Erie. The college is working to raise additional private funds, which will be matched by Penn State through the economic development matching gift program of the University’s “Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence” campaign. The partnership with MWRI Erie is reflective of the college’s Open-Lab model of learning and discovery, in which business leaders, faculty members, and students engage in research and product development as teams. “To attract the highest-caliber researchers, MWRI Erie requires an experienced and respected academic partner,” said Dr. Ivor Knight, associate dean for research and graduate studies and professor of biology. “They chose Penn State Behrend because of our core capabilities in engineering and the sciences, our experience working with industry partners in applied research and technology translation, and the additional resources available to us through the larger Penn State research enterprise. We have the depth that no other local institution can match.” 9
Room to Grow EXPANDED LABS TO ADDRESS GROWING NEED FOR NURSES
A $950,000 expansion of the nursing labs at Penn State Behrend gives students greater access to high-fidelity simulation mannequins, which can mimic almost any health emergency, from cardiac arrest and epileptic seizures to a neonatal complication that endangers both the mother and her mannequin baby. The real value of those mannequins is in the number of students who now will have access to them: By expanding its simulation labs and upgrading its nursing skills lab—where classes can now watch video feeds from each of three new simulation bays—Behrend can open its nursing program to more students. The added capacity can support a 40 percent increase in enrollment. “We have a vested interest in expanding and enhancing our nursing education,” Chancellor Ralph Ford said. “Many of our nursing graduates stay in this area. They become the front-line health care providers for us, and for our families.” The need for nurses is expected to increase 15 percent nationwide between 2016 and 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “There is an overwhelming need for nurses right now,” said Kim Streiff, Behrend nursing program coordinator.
“You can’t always predict the type of patient you’re going to see. These labs allow us to simulate different scenarios, which give students an opportunity to practice in a realistic learning environment.” KIM STREIFF, BEHREND NURSING PROGRAM COORDINATOR
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The new simulation bays better prepare students for the countless scenarios nurses face. One lab is designed for intensive care and medical-surgical simulations; a second is equipped for obstetrical/neonatal simulations. The third lab can be adapted for use in medical-surgical, pediatric, or psychiatric simulations. “You can’t always predict the type of patient you’re going to see,” Streiff said. “These labs allow us to create and simulate different scenarios, which give students an opportunity to practice in a realistic learning environment.” The expansion was funded by a grant from the Orris C. and Beatrice Dewey Hirtzel Memorial Foundation, which is based in North East. Previous gifts from the foundation provided more than $1 million for science education at Behrend. Additional equipment in the simulation bays was purchased through a grant from the Dr. and Mrs. Arthur W. Phillips Charitable Trust, of Oil City.
MEGAN THORPE ‘18 When she was a child, Megan Thorpe ’18, dreaded the question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” “I didn’t have any idea,” Thorpe said. “What I did know was that I loved babies, and I wanted to help people.” That’s why she was happy to step into the labor and delivery room to witness the birth of her younger brother when she was just 11 years old. “Standing in that delivery room at Saint Vincent Hospital in Erie, I knew what my future career would be; nursing called me that day,” Thorpe said. She graduated from Penn State Behrend in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing and is working as a nurse in maternal child health at the same hospital in Erie where her brother was born.
Called to Care
NURSING IS SAID TO BE A CALLING BY MANY OF THOSE IN THE PROFESSION. WE TALKED WITH TWO RECENT GRADUATES TO FIND OUT WHY THEY CHOSE NURSING.
LAUREN MYERS ‘18 Lauren Myers planned to be a pediatrician, but in her senior year of high school, she had an experience that led her down a different path. Her best friend’s mother, who had battled multiple forms of cancer for several years, was admitted to a Pittsburgh hospital. Myers frequently accompanied her friend on visits to the hospital and was impressed by the nurses on the floor. “They were with us every second of the day, and they would stop whatever they were doing to give any of us a hug,” Myers said. “They were so compassionate and caring, and I wanted to be like them. I wanted to be the person in a position to help and do whatever I could to brighten someone’s worst day.” Unfortunately, Myers’ friend’s mother passed away, but her life inspired what is sure to be decades of service to others. Myers graduated from Penn State Behrend in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing. She works in labor and delivery at Saint Vincent Hospital in Erie. 11
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STUDENT GARDEN INTERNS SPEND SUMMER SOWING SEEDS OF SUSTAINABILITY Cuddling chickens is not an activity you would expect at Erie’s Blues & Jazz Festival, an annual weekend-long summer music concert. But two Penn State Behrend students, Jessie Johnson and Pearl Patterson, knew that a handful of hens at this popular event would be a great way to draw attention to their efforts to overturn a law against keeping chickens in the City of Erie. Johnson and Patterson are spearheading the operation through Chicks4Erie, an online community they formed through Instagram and Facebook to spread the word about urban poultry-keeping. “Allowing Erie residents to legally keep chickens will bring numerous positive benefits, including improving the environment through the reduction of pests like ticks and providing organic soil amendments for gardeners,” according to the Chicks4Erie mission statement written by Johnson and Patterson. “It will also increase self-sufficiency and food security through the production of eggs.” The Chicks4Erie initiative is just one of several projects that three Behrend students—Johnson, Patterson and Aydin Mitchell—worked on this summer as interns for the University’s Sustainable Food Systems Program. A student garden, started by the Greener Behrend student organization in 2016, is another sustainability initiative being undertaken by Behrend students. Student Garden interns are responsible for the gardens on Behrend’s campus, but their work this summer reached far beyond weeding and watering. They ran a popular campus CSA (community-supported agriculture) program, oversaw a nearby elementary school garden, taught outreach programs,
“I asked Jessie what it felt like to gain so much support and enthusiasm for the Chicks4Erie initiative. She was amazed that she could have such an impact on the community around her. I’m not sure there’s a more powerful message we could hope to send to our students than the fact that their work matters and that they can make the world a better, and more sustainable, place.” KATIE CHRIEST, SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS PROGRAM COORDINATOR FOR PENN STATE’S COMMONWEALTH CAMPUSES
staffed an information table at a weekly Erie farmer’s market, and researched expansion efforts for the campus garden space and other sustainable food systems initiatives.
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 20-175
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