College of Science and Technology
New majors
prepare students for tomorrow‘s challenges
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be tomorrow’s scientific leaders. But without increased that offer more attractive financial aid packages. To avoid student loan debt, young people increasingly To attract the most promising students, CST must increase its scholarship resources. Your gift to the Dean’s Scholarship Fund helps CST attract talented students who will go on to successful careers in medicine, technology and pharmaceutical research. And to improving the world for all of us. Make a gift to the Dean’s Scholarship Fund at giving.temple. edu/givetocst. Or contact Lynne Corboy, Major Gift Officer, at lynne.corboy@temple.edu or 215.204.8192.
CONTENTS OU T L OOK Celebrating success 3-4 Graduation ceremonies for classes of 2020 and 2021
Fall 2021 College of Science and Technology 400 Carnell Hall 1803 N. Broad St. Philadelphia, PA 19122 215-204-2888
News from across CST Research, accolades and achievement New undergraduate majors Preparing students for tomorrow’s careers
Michael L. Klein, FRS Dean and Laura H. Carnell Professor of Science
Message from the Alumni Board President Strengthening the bonds
Robert J. Levis Senior Associate Dean Susan Jansen Varnum Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs and Science Education Kathy McGady Assistant Dean for Development and Alumni Affairs Greg Fornia Director of Marketing and Communications
cst.temple.edu Follow the College of Science and Technology:
Cover photo by Joseph V. Labolito
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CST’s 30 under 30 honorees Temple recognizes trailblazing young alumni
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Message from Development and Alumni Affairs Moving forward, thanks to your support
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Class Notes Keeping up with career changes
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Dean’s Message For campus excitement, for the joy of colleagues, classmates and friends together again, fall 2021 may well be unmatched. Importantly, the College of Science and Technology returned to its familiar traditions. Convocation, a new sophomore celebration, the Science Education and Research Center humming with activity and much more is happening. Covid protocols remain, but we are in-person, and we are thriving! In Outlook’s news section you can see our successes. In May, we held graduation ceremonies for both the Class of 2021 and Class of 2020. The latter featured an honorary degree presentation for Professor Madeleine Joullié, distinguished researcher at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of CST’s Board of Visitors.
On the research front, CST faculty identified the ‘mother’ of all SARS-COV-2 genomes, earned a National Science Foundation grant to build technology that helps people with disabilities find IT jobs, advanced our knowledge of the neutron and extended the life of the qubit. On page five, there is an inspiring story of a student’s first research experience leading to a prestigious publication. On page 12, meet a doctoral student bringing more young girls of color into computing. CST faculty and staff also earned many accolades this past year, including a Cottrell Scholars honor, four Temple service awards, and a near sweep for CST among the university’s undergraduate academic advising awards. Our feature story details new undergraduate majors that prepare students for tomorrow’s careers. The two newest are ecology, evolution and biodiversity, covering both research and advocacy, and materials science, one of the few undergraduate programs of its kind to look at the underlying science of designing new materials. Other majors introduced recently are data science and genomic medicine as well as four new concentrations for environmental science. In the alumni section, learn how one graduate’s career achievement led to Temple’s Gallery of Success. Meet CST’s two Temple 30 under 30 honorees. There are also Class Notes, alumni profiles and messages from Mark Dash, president of CST’s Alumni Board and Kathy McGady, assistant dean for development and alumni affairs. To all of you who support our students, faculty and research enterprise, I truly appreciate your confidence in our college. To everyone in the CST family, I wish you all the best in the year ahead. Sincerely,
Michael L. Klein, FRS Dean and Laura H. Carnell Professor of Science
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PHOTOS: KELLY & MASSA
Class of 2021 graduation celebrates student success BY GREG FORNIA
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n May 6, CST held an in-person graduation ceremony for the Class of 2021. While many students continued remote learning during the academic year, approximately 275 students returned for the ceremony in The Liacouras Center. Adhering to Covid–19 safety protocols, degrees were presented at the bachelor’s, master’s, professional science master’s and doctoral levels to more than 500 graduates. The ceremony began with remarks from Dean Michael L. Klein, FRS, who praised the graduates for their willingness to “take on tough challenges.” Rather than a single keynote speaker, the ceremony included congratulatory remarks via video from CST graduates, including Board of Visitor members Albert Brown,
CST ’64; Paul G. Curcillo II, CST ’84; Arthur Dawson, CST ’67, ’68, ’76; Robert Figlin, CST ’70, ’72; Sherry Gillespie, CST ’75; Stanley Lefkowitz, CST ’65; Jay Novik, CST ’67; Aileen Rothbard, CST ’64, EDU ’69; and Seda Tarzian, CST ’48. Other well-wishers included James Guare, CST ’77, ’83 and Justin Malone, CST ’05, both members of the CST Alumni Board. The student speaker was Casey Rubin, CST ’21, graduating with a bachelor’s in biology. At Temple, she conducted undergraduate research on the antibacterial properties of smart biomaterials and on cell-penetrating peptides for use in drug delivery. A passionate advocate for people and animals, Rubin plans to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.
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“ Challenge yourselves, and you will reach new heights!” -Dr. Madeleine M. Joullié
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n May 6, 2021, CST held a graduation ceremony for the Class of 2020. Postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, approximately 115 participants returned to Main Campus for the in-person event. More than 30 graduates participated virtually through submitting photos, special thanks and Temple remembrances. The ceremony featured the presentation of an honorary degree to Madeleine M. Joullié, Class of 1970 Term Chair Professor of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. The degree was presented by Temple Trustee Paul G. Curcillo II, CST ’84, a CST Board of Visitors member. The hooding was conducted by Hai-Lung Dai, Temple’s Vice President for International Affairs, Laura H. Carnell Professor of Chemistry and former CST dean. In her remarks to the Class of 2020, Joullié advised students to “challenge yourselves, and you will reach new heights!” After earning a chemistry PhD in 1953 from Penn, Joullié joined its faculty, where she was one of the first female professors to earn tenure in chemistry in the Ivy League. Joullié has earned a number of prestigious awards, including the 2015 John Scott Award and the 2016 George Washington Carver Award. She currently serves on CST’s Board of Visitors. The ceremony’s student speaker was Samantha Panich, CST ’20, who graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s in biology. Today, Samantha is a medical student at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, where she is a volunteer for a virtual tutoring program for children of essential workers affected by Covid.
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PHOTO: KELLY & MASSA
Class of 2020 in-person graduation features honorary degree ceremony
STUDENT’S FIRST RESEARCH EXPERIENCE LEADS TO PRESTIGIOUS PUBLICATION BY GREG FORNIA
First graduates of online master’s in IS&T BY JON CAROULIS
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n May 2021, five CST students were the first to graduate from the college’s online master’s in information science and technology program. The degree is designed for students without a technical background. E-learning videos are supplemented by synchronous meetings, discussion boards and small group assignments. Students have the option of taking two or three classes per semester and can complete the program in two years or less. “The biggest challenge (for students) is the change in mindset and adjusting to technology-focused courses,” said Nancy Polychrononopoulou, assistant professor of instruction in computer and information sciences. “Many students come from non-technical backgrounds such as business, social sciences and law school. However, this was a large aspect of course design—to ease students into a new discipline. There are no pre-registration courses, or additional credits students need before entering the program.” Graduate Daria Maliukina said, “I was looking for a program that would allow me to work full time. I was also attracted by the variety of courses.” Maliukina plans to pursue a career in software quality assurance, data science or cyber security. Another graduate, Trong Garson said, “I accepted a job with KeyBank as a rotational analyst in their key, technology, operations and services team. I’ll be rotating through cyber security teams.”
An undergraduate was part of a collaborative research effort leading to publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Weak selection on synonymous codons substantially inflates dN/dS estimates in bacteria” is authored by Shakibur Rahman, a biology major; Professor Sergei Pond, CST’s Institute for Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine; postdoc Andrew Webb and Professor Jody Hey, CST’s Center for Computational Genetics and Genomics. “This research is essentially the analysis of synonymous substitutions, which are codon changes that result in the translation of the same amino acid, and codon usage in 13 somewhat closely related species of bacteria,” explained Rahman, a senior with a minor in German language and cultural studies. “We found a way to identify a good control group for which codon changes are not affected by natural selection and by using this group, we could better estimate the strength of natural selection.” The paper is Rahman’s first publication and “first real experience with research. It feels very rewarding to be first author,” he said, “although the project was definitely a group effort.” Rahman chose CST because of its emphasis on research. “I am applying for medical school with the ultimate hope of becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon,” he said. “I hope to continue with research in some capacity throughout med school and while I am a surgeon, if that happens.”
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NEWS PHOTO: JOSEPH V. LABOLITO
USING MATERIALS SCIENCE TECHNIQUES TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF THE QUBIT BY GREG FORNIA
The Department of Physics is part of the U.S. National Quantum Initiative, a far-reaching national effort to build and deploy an advanced quantum computer based on superconducting technologies. The potential impact is vast, from more reliable weather forecasts to developing new chemicals and medicines to finding novel materials for solar cells to improving cyber security and data encryption. “A quantum computer can process an enormous amount of data in a much shorter time, which means that it is possible to solve much more complex problems and handle vastly larger data sets,” explains Maria Iavarone, professor of physics. One of the biggest barriers to the construction of a quantum computer is the short life span of the information that lives in a qubit, the quantum analog of the traditional computer bit. Today’s highest-performing qubits maintain information for, at most, 100 microseconds—not long enough for a viable quantum computer. “What contributes to a qubit’s extremely short life span, or decoherence, in a superconducting quantum system are material defects and imperfections at surfaces and interfaces,” says Iavarone. Iavarone’s group will use low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, which enables scientist to understand the electronic properties of materials down to the atomic scale—essentially allowing the human eye to see a single atom. “We are unraveling the role of atomic-scale to nano-scale defects in limiting the performance of superconducting quantum devices,” she says. The project is estimated to bring in approximately $1 million in funding. “The research will also be a great opportunity for students to be trained in stateof-the-art quantum technologies, giving Temple students opportunities for internships in the most advanced superconducting computing companies,” says Iavarone.
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Carl Williams earned Temple‘s Part-Time Faculty Excellence in Teaching and Instruction Award
Four CST faculty earn Temple awards BY GREG FORNIA
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ach year, Temple University honors its faculty’s achievements in teaching, service, creativity and research with the faculty awards: the highest honors given to teachers and scholars at the university. For 2021, four College of Science and Technology faculty members have been honored. Professor Shohreh Amini, Department of Biology, and Professor Daniel Szyld, Department of Mathematics, earned the Faculty Senate Outstanding Faculty Service Award. Adjunct instructor Carl Williams, Department of Computer & Information Sciences, earned the Part-Time Faculty Excellence in Teaching and Instruction Award. Professor and Chair Ann Valentine, Department of Chemistry, received the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award. Awardees are nominated by current and former students, as well as by colleagues at Temple. One former student said Williams “transformed established courses with his expansive industry knowledge, drawing on his professional network of researchers and executives to give students both theoretical and applied perspectives on computer networking, emerging technologies, and microservices. I benefited from such lectures, learning a great deal from Carl and his esteemed guests that equipped me with the knowledge and skills to begin my career.”
PHOTO: JOSEPH V. LABOLITO
Chemistry’s Ross Wang named a 2021 Cottrell Scholar BY GREG FORNIA
Assistant Professor of Chemistry Rongsheng (Ross) Wang is among 25 outstanding teacher-scholars in chemistry, physics and astronomy to receive a 2021 Cottrell Scholar Award. Presented by the foundation Research Corporation for Science Advancement, each award is $100,000. Recipients are chosen through a rigorous peer-review process of applications from top research universities, degree-granting research institutes and primarily undergraduate institutions in the United States. “The Cottrell Scholar Award allows me to join a national community of outstanding teacher-scholars,” said Wang, who joined Temple after four years as a postdoctoral researcher at the Scripps Research Institute. “The award recognizes excellent teaching and research as well as academic leadership, goals that shape me as a faculty member here at Temple.” Wang’s winning research proposal is titled A Fluorine Displacement Based Bioorthogonal Labeling Approach to Interrogate Non-Histone Substrates of “Histone” Deacetylases. “My lab is inventing bioorthogonal chemical reactions that can occur efficiently in aqueous solutions without interfering with normal biological processes,” explained Wang. As part of the project’s science education component, Wang wants to expand opportunities for CST undergraduates to experience more interdisciplinary research. “Temple has a fantastic and diverse undergraduate student body, ready to experience emergent interdisciplinary research,” said Wang, “which has been shown to advance students’ critical thinking and cognitive development, as well as improve their overall confidence and increase their interest in STEM disciplines.”
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NEWS
Erik Cordes
Biology part of effort to enhance understanding of the deep seas BY GREG FORNIA
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he Department of Biology is part of an international team of scientists spanning 45 institutions in 17 countries embarking on a dedicated decade-long program of research to greatly advance discovery in the deep seas—the vast expanses of water and seabed hidden more than 200 meters below the ocean surface to depths up to 11,000 meters. “Although the deep ocean is usually out-of-sight, it can no longer be out-of-mind. We are impacting the deep sea before we even have a chance to explore it,” said Erik Cordes, vice chair of the Department of Biology. “The deep ocean absorbs most of the carbon and heat that goes into the atmosphere and is providing more and more of the food and energy we require as a society. It is not a limitless buffet, nor is it an endless trash can. We need this program to help us understand the deep ocean so we can
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improve our management and ensure the sustainability of our activities into the future.” The program—which scientists have named Challenger 150— will coincide with the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, which runs from 2021-2030. The program’s name honors the 150th anniversary of the voyage of the HMS Challenger. Among Challenger 150’s key areas of focus are to build greater capacity and diversity in the scientific community, acknowledging the fact that existing deep-sea research is conducted primarily by developed nations with access to resources and infrastructure. The program will use this new knowledge of the deep to support regional, national and international decision-making on issues such as offshore drilling, fishing, deep-sea mining, climate mitigation, laying of fiber optic cables and conservation.
C S T SHINE S IN UNDERGR A DUATE AC A DEMIC A DV ISOR AWA RDS B Y GREG FORNI A
Melissa Betters earned first place
First three-minute thesis competition BY GREG FORNIA
CST held its inaugural three-minute thesis competition on March 24, where graduate students explained their research in language geared toward a nonspecialist audience. Founded by the University of Queensland, the competition is held at universities around the world. The virtual CST event was hosted by Professor Michael Zdilla, Department of Chemistry, and winners were chosen by a panel of judges and the audience. First place was awarded to Melissa Betters, biology, for Investigating Deep-Sea Snail Species at Chemosynthetic Environments. Louise Borthwick, Geosciences, earned second place for What Lies Beneath: Using Geophysics on Thwaites Glacier. The People’s Choice Award went to Jay Paudel, physics, for Magnetism From Non-Magnetic Material’s Interface for Future Generation Electronic Devices. The first place and people’s choice winners went on to compete in Temple’s universitywide competition.
Advisors from the College of Science and Technology earned four Temple University Undergraduate Academic Advisor Awards, nearly sweeping the individual categories for 2021. “I am very proud of the work CST Advising does to support our students,” says Tom Price, director of academic advising. “Our entire team does a tremendous job of empowering students to take ownership of their decisions, choices and goals relating to academic and professional aspirations. This formal recognition from the university is an honor and wonderful accolade.” The Outstanding New Advisor Award went to Jessica McLaughlin, part of CST’s Computer & Information Sciences, Mathematics and Physics advising team. The Faculty Advisor Award went to Professor Joel Sheffield, Department of Biology, who recently retired. Keith Schweiger, on the first-year advising team, won the Outstanding Professional Advisor Award and Erin Spiotta, part of the Computer & Information Sciences, Mathematics and Physics team, earned the Academic Advising Administrator Award. Administered by the Office of Undergraduate Studies, the awards were established in 2005 to recognize Temple undergraduate academic advisors and advising administrators. Every year one professional advisor, advising administrator, faculty advisor and new advisor is honored for their demonstrated excellence advising undergraduate students.
WATCH A RECORDING OF THE EVENT AT CST.TEMPLE.EDU/3MT
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NEWS DATA ANALYSIS IDENTIFIES THE “MOTHER” OF ALL SARS-COV-2 GENOMES Molecular epidemiologists around the world are trying to answer a question: Where is the first case of SARS-CoV-2 infection or “patient zero?” Finding that case is necessary to better understand how the novel coronavirus may have jumped from its animal host to infect the first human as well as the history of how the SARS-CoV-2 viral genome has mutated over time and spread globally. But despite major efforts, no one to date has identified the first case of human transmission. In the absence of patient zero, a CST research team may have found the next best thing: The progenitor or “mother” of all SARS-CoV-2 genomes and its early offspring strains, which have subsequently mutated and spread to dominate the world pandemic. “We set out to reconstruct the genome of the progenitor by using a big dataset of coronavirus genomes obtained from infected individuals,” said Sayaka Miura, research assistant professor of biology and a senior researcher on the study. Using data analysis, the researchers sifted through almost 30,000 complete genomes of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. “The SARS-CoV-2 virus is carrying an RNA genome that has already infected more than 35 million people across the world,” said Sudhir Kumar, director of CST’s Institute for Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine. “We have now reconstructed the progenitor genome and mapped where and when the earliest mutations happened.” In doing so, their work has provided new insights into the early mutational history of SARS-CoV-2.
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Virtual SK Day a Success BY GREG FORNIA
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he annual Sonia Kovalevsky Mathematics Day for Girls (SK Day) was held March 20, its first virtual production. In its ninth year, the event attracted 52 mathematically interested girls in grades 5 to 8. Students in grades 5 and 6 attended online sessions on cryptography, graph theory and coding and students in grades 7 and 8 participated in sessions on geometry, infinity and permutations as well as hands-on activities on mathematics and art, Jeopardy and active mathematical games. “I loved that, even though we were virtual, we were still able to connect by learning and doing math together,” said one young participant. SK Day is organized by the Department of Mathematics and led my faculty members Maria Lorenz and Irina Mitrea, department chair. Additional SK Day faculty include Vasily Dolgushev and Kelli Jones, as well as a number of CST undergraduate and graduate students. “All the organizers of the event did an amazing job pulling it all together and ensuring a smooth and mathematically exciting virtual experience for all,” says Lorenz, Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Math Department.
PHOTO: JOSEPH V. LABOLITO
Slobodan Vucetic, professor of computer and information sciences
CST researchers help people with neurodevelopmental disabilities succeed in IT jobs BY BRUCE E. BEANS
A multidisciplinary team of Temple researchers earned a four-year, $2.3 million Future of Work Award from NSF to develop personalized virtual job assistance. These virtual aids would allow individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities to succeed in entry-level information technology jobs. The team aims to create an artificial intelligence-enabled software that will help employers implement effective strategies for job customization, training and support. Approximately 4 percent of children and young adults in the U.S. are diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disabilities, such as autism, that include disturbances of movement, cognition, hearing and vision, communication, and emotion and behavior. Such disabilities lead to difficulties with schooling, independent living and employment. The researchers are focusing on those who have mild or moderate neurodevelopmental disabilities. These individuals qualify for some
job training and support programs, but not for more intensive lifelong support afforded to those with more significant disabilities. “After high school, they may get a few months of career training and then are supposed to be able to find jobs and keep them,” said Slobodan Vucetic, principal investigator, professor of computer and information sciences (CIS) and director of CST’s Center for Cognitive Computing. “Also, typically the jobs they find are minimum wage positions.” However, many of these individuals have quantitative skills and other capabilities that lend themselves to higher paying IT positions. Such jobs also often allow flexible hours and the ability to work from home—another plus for this population. The project’s co-principal investigators are Eduard Dragut, CIS; Donald Hantula, College of Liberal Arts; and Matt Tincani, College of Education and Human Development.
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NEWS
BY BRUCE E. BEANS
PHOTO: SABINA PEARCE
PHYSICISTS REPORT SIGNIFICANT ADVANCE IN MEASURING NEUTRONS
Associate Professor Nicholas Sparveris
In a paper published in Nature Communications, a team of CST physicists describe a new method for measuring the charge radius of neutrons that represents a substantial advance over previous methodologies dating back to the 1990s. Together with protons, neutrons constitute the nuclei of atoms and, as such, are cornerstones in the depiction of the visible universe. “Neutrons are of significant importance, not only for understanding the foundation of nuclear physics but for also understanding cosmology, the science of the creation and development of the universe,” said the principal investigator Nikolaos Sparveris, associate professor of physics. Despite this critical importance, for the past two decades the indirect method of measuring the neutron charge radius followed by the Particle Data Group—an international collaboration of particle physicists from 26 countries charged with summarizing particle physics—compiled measurements that disagree due to unresolved systematic discrepancies. Based, in part, on measurements conducted at both the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and the Mainz Microtron particle accelerator, the team has developed a more direct and accurate method that specifically targets nucleons. “It addresses the current discrepancies and opens up the path for higher precision measurements, which we intend to further pursue,” said Sparveris. The latest research was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics. The Temple co-authors of the research paper include Assistant Professor Martha Constantinou; Zein-Eddine Meziani, a Temple adjunct and a senior scientist at the Argonne National Laboratory; and Hamza Atac, a Temple PhD graduate who is now a post-doctoral fellow working in Sparveris’ laboratory.
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Khalia Braswell wants more girls of color to choose computing BY BRUCE E. BEANS
When Khalia Braswell was a fourth-grader, her mother asked, “Would you like a pair of Air Jordans or a computer?” Braswell, pursuing a PhD in computer science education, chose the latter. No longer restricted by limited in-school computer access, she began tinkering with her computer and got so good at coding that her parents were asking her computing questions. Indeed, she got so good at it that she went on to a position as an experience researcher and interaction designer for Apple. Braswell has dedicated herself to ensuring that many other underserved girls of color undergo the same transformative experience. While earning her master’s in information technology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, she founded INTech Camp for Girls. Since 2014, the nonprofit has exposed more than 1,500 Black and Latinx middle- and high-school girls to computer science through one-hour to one-week camps. Princeton University recently accepted one of her 2018 scholars. At UNC Charlotte, Braswell's master's advisor was Jamie Payton, current chair of CST's Department of Computer & Information Sciences. In 2019, Braswell left her job at Apple and joined Payton at CST to conduct doctoral research into pedagogical approaches that can increase the number of Black women in computing. Following completion of her PhD, Braswell anticipates joining an educational tech company to develop apps geared either towards teaching kids how to code or that better support computer science teachers—preferably the latter. “I can have as many camps for girls as I want,” she said, “but if I can help teachers with CS instruction, they will reach many more students than I ever can.”
Thank you notes sent to Bojeong Kim, Department of Earth & Environmental Science
NSF grant focuses on manganese oxides in environment BY BRUCE E. BEANS
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ssistant Professor Bojeong Kim, Earth & Environmental Science Department, is working on a three-year National Science Foundation grant examining how impurities in hausmannite and manganite—the most common lower valent manganese oxides in the environment—affect the minerals’ properties, reactivity and stability. “In the natural environment, most minerals contain some degree of impurities,” said Kim. “Understanding the role of these impurities is really important to understanding how these minerals behave in nature.” So far, Kim’s research indicates that impurities in the structure of these two manganese oxides makes them stronger oxidants capable, for example, of effectively oxidizing arsenic to reduce its toxicity. “Therefore,” she said, “laboratory experiments with pristine minerals may not closely reflect the heterogeneity and complexity in natural settings.”
Although hausmannite and manganite are widely used in important industrial applications, including in batteries, other energy storage devices and sensors, the minerals are often understudied in the field of environmental geochemistry. In addition to Kim, principal investigator, the $487,000 project includes Elizabeth Cerkez, assistant professor of instruction in the Chemistry Department, and a Rutgers University researcher. Graduate and undergraduate students are involved in the research, and the grant funds researchers to give science presentations at retirement communities and elementary schools, with children often sending Kim thank you notes. This project requires use of state-of-the art instrumentation, including transmission electron microscopy, attenuated total reflectance-fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy.
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Majoring in the future New academic offerings prepare students for tomorrow’s careers and challenges
BY ELISA LUDWIG
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he College of Science and Technology has introduced
new undergraduate majors that prepare students—through research opportunities and skill sets employers want—to thrive in an ever-changing job market or move successfully into top graduate or professional schools.
BEING PART OF THE SOLUTION: ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION AND BIODIVERSITY
FOLLOWING NATURE TOWARD NEW RESEARCH On September 1, the remnants of Hurricane Ida, an EF2level tornado, barreled through the Ambler Campus. Many campus buildings suffered roof and water damage. One area heavily damaged is the Old Growth Forest, with the majority of its trees tumbled over. But from a research standpoint, the storm might have been a positive. Going forward, Amy Freestone, director of the Temple Ambler Field Station, and her students plan to study the forest. ”The fact that both a hurricane and a tornado hit this region is uncommon. There is so much that we can now learn about climate change and other things,“ Freestone said. ”We are now a disturbance lab, and we have some really interesting research questions ahead of us. These are not the questions that we expected to study, but we’re biologists, and we follow nature.“ -STEPHEN ORBANEK
Amy Freestone, associate professor in the Department of Biology, noticed that many of her students came to Temple predisposed to study ecology and similar topics. “They’re aware of the environmental problems that impact our natural system,” explains Freestone. “They want to be part of the solution. Ecology, evolution and biodiversity (EEB) offers them a major more focused on specific skill sets and deeper knowledge, theory and methods to launch them into the environmental-based careers they’re interested in pursuing.” Those include careers in research and academia, regulation and government agencies, non-governmental organizations that advance conservation and restoration goals, and environmental consulting, among others. The major makes great use of the Temple Ambler Field Station, which launched in 2020. “With the Field Station we can offer educational opportunities and hands-on experiences for students that we weren’t able to do before,” says Freestone, such as studying impacts of the spotted lanternfly on forest trees. “Students also get a wide array of research experiences on Main Campus as well, with labs conducting research on wildlife diseases, invasive species, impacts of climate change, the evolution of biodiversity and so much more. Participating in active research in these areas will reinforce and bring to life the EEB curriculum.” Rising junior Chloe Gehret is eagerly looking forward to declaring the new major in the fall. “I like that I get the chance to narrow my classes instead of taking upper-level courses that I’m not as interested in. This is obviously a hot topic now, so it’s great that the department is giving people a chance to focus on it.” Freestone anticipates that undergraduate programs like Temple’s will begin to emerge around the country. “I think more schools will go in this direction,” she says. “Temple is meeting that need and also offering something that is relatively novel to the region that students are not going to easily find at the undergraduate level.”
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” We are truly preparing the next generation of researchers and workforce professionals.“ SUDHIR KUMAR, LAURA H. CARNELL PROFESSOR OF BIOLOGY
BY THE NUMBERS: DATA SCIENCE The data science bachelor’s degree focuses on an increasingly relevant proficiency—analyzing, managing and tracking big data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that data science roles will grow 15 percent, or much faster than average, by 2029. Professionals with analytics and statistics skills are more in demand than ever before across industries. The Department of Computer & Information Sciences already had the makings for a data science major in place—faculty, coursework and enthusiastic students. “We have exceptionally strong research faculty in the area of machine learning, computer vision and data science,” says Rose McGinnis, director of student professional development and data science programs. “We’ve been offering teaching programs in those areas.” Data science majors can choose one of three concentrations: computation and modeling, computational analytics and genomics and bioinformatics. The program graduated its first majors in 2019, and whether they’ve gone onto graduate school or into jobs, McGinnis finds that there is a common thread among students who seem to enjoy data science the most. “They have to have strong mathematical skills and have to have really good problem-solving abilities. They should be inquisitive, be curious. All of those qualities are really important.” “Right now, I am unsure of my career goals but the great thing about data science is that there are so many options and industries to choose from,” says Clare Schwarzenberg, who switched her major from engineering to data science because she discovered more of an interest in the software instead of the hardware side. “It’s important for me to be a data science major because I believe that we have the potential to improve the world based on how we analyze data.” According to McGinnis, data science graduates are well prepared for careers in math, medical and science careers,” explains McGinnis. “What’s neat is that data science can really be applied in any field:
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internet security, software engineering, geography, criminal justice, psychology, genomics, algorithms. It’s used in every kind of industry you could possibly imagine.”
BLUEPRINTS FOR THE FUTURE: GENOMIC MEDICINE In fall 2020, CST introduced an undergraduate genomic medicine major, likely the first degree of its kind in the United States. “The study of biology has really grown bigger than the traditional umbrella of most academic departments,” says Sudhir Kumar, Laura H. Carnell Professor of Biology. “Our hope is to bring a content-rich major to students that will provide additional emphasis on areas of real importance, now and in the near future.” Kumar and his faculty colleagues began testing the idea about five years ago by offering genomic medicine courses to undergraduates. They steadily grew in popularity each semester until there was a long waitlist. Kumar then set about designing the curriculum for a major. Students in the major gain a foundation in the life sciences that emphasizes the medical relevance of genomics, evolutionary biology and informatics leading to a thorough understanding of human DNA and its role in development of disease. Senior Vivian Aly has worked in Kumar’s lab since fall 2019, using programs such as Python, PathFinder and CloneFinder to learn about the migration path of tumor clones within the body. Originally a biology major, she, “switched because my research experience opened my eyes to a field that is rapidly evolving in the world of science, biology and medicine. "I never thought that the world of coding and genomics-biology can be combined to explore how cancer is spreading in the human body,” says Aly, who plans to earn a master’s in either biomedical sciences or genetics, go to medical school and become a physician specializing in cardiology, oncology or surgery. “I appreciate how these fields are interconnected because
they allow me to explore different ways of analyzing biological data in relation to the medical field. Being involved in a field that will be widely used and studied five or ten years from now is very exciting.” For Kumar, it’s inspiring to lead a program educating more people about genomic medicine, informatics and evolutionary biology. “A pipeline of innovation is needed by all universities, all departments, all the time,” he says. “We are truly preparing the next generation of researchers and workforce professionals.”
LEARNING MATTER: MATERIALS SCIENCE Launching an undergraduate materials science major, let alone one outside of an engineering school, might have seemed unthinkable just a few years ago, yet the Physics and Chemistry departments, with the cooperation of the Temple Materials Institute and the College of Engineering, did just that in fall 2021. “Materials science covers physics, chemistry, computer science, mathematics and materials engineering,” says John Perdew, Laura H. Carnell Professor of Physics and Chemistry. “What’s unique about our program is that it emphasizes the underlying science behind materials, which is becoming increasingly important.” According to Perdew, it’s only in the past decade that technology has enabled researchers, using quantum mechanics principles, to design new materials on a computer. The Obama administration’s national Materials Genome Initiative and other national “materials by design” initiatives helped to accelerate progress in the discipline. The new major, directed by Perdew and supported by CST Dean Michael L. Klein, both materials theorists, will feature courses taught initially by Perdew, Darius Torchinsky, Maria Iavarone and Qimin Yan. Perdew expects to draw students who may have initially considered majoring in physics, chemistry, computer science or engineering. Materials science majors have many different potential career paths, whether in industry, working in an in-house research lab developing products or in academia.
“One of the really interesting features of the program is that there’s a capstone experience, which is two semesters of research work,” says Perdew. “Students can work directly with a faculty member in physics or chemistry or other departments across Temple as well.”
FOCUSING ON SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE CONCENTRATIONS The Department of Earth & Environmental Science has always covered a wide range of environmental issues, but students in the environmental science major can now choose to specialize in one of four new concentration areas: applied ecology, climate, environmental geochemistry or hydrology. “Students appreciate the environmental science program’s broad interdisciplinary structure,” says Sujith Ravi, associate professor and director of the environmental science program. “But we want to offer the option to get more focused in a subject area.” Over the course of a year, Ravi and his colleagues conducted exit interviews with graduating students, surveyed undergraduate environmental science programs around the country and assessed existing course content. “We continue with a strong core of foundational courses that prepare student for a wide range of careers,” says Ravi, “while giving students the opportunity to explore specific topics critical to emergent programs in environmental science and sustainability.” Typical environmental science graduates who don’t pursue graduate school find jobs in government environmental agencies, nonprofit or nongovernmental organizations, consulting firms and corporate environmental affairs departments. “While students will have the same wide array of career opportunities upon graduating, they may find that the choice of concentration impresses employers with added depth of knowledge,” says Ravi. “Adding concentrations ensures that courses stay relevant and students are prepared for graduate school and future careers.”
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Message from the CST Alumni Board In my message to CST graduates in May 2021, I recognized the challenges that we are all facing today, and how our collective skills, knowledge and talents can make the world a better place.
Learn more about how you can get involved at cst.temple.edu/alumni or email Jena Hudson, CST Alumni Affairs, at jena.hudson@temple.edu
An important part of our recovery is to strengthen the bonds that we have with each other as graduates of Temple University. The CST Alumni Board is here to help forge and further develop these bonds. We work to enhance both the student and alumni experience with fulfilling activities, events and opportunities to get involved like our Owl to Owl Mentor Program. No matter what stage of career or life you are in, there are opportunities to participate and support Temple by contributing time, expertise or financial support. Please reach out to us if you have a question about
2021-2022 ALUMNI BOARD MEMBERS Margherita Abe (BA ’66, Chem) Sina Adibi (BA ’84, CIS; FOX 86) Mark Dash (BA ’84, CIS), President Terry Dougherty (BA ’74, Chem; FOX ’86) James Guare (BA ’77, MA ’83, Chem) Eileen Helzner (BS, Bio; MED) Sandra Ilunga (BA ’08, Bio) Justin Malone (BS ’05, Bio), Vice President Christian Obasi (MS ’08, EES) Jaldhi Patel (BS ’20, Bio) Michael Remaker II (BS ’06, CIS), Treasurer Randy Shochet (BA ’81, Chem), Secretary John Tierney (PhD ’81, Chem) John Wilson (BS ’18, CIS)
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how you can get involved or if you have ideas for how we can further connect students and alumni. Follow the college on social media, and look for our monthly alumni email and publications such as Outlook and department newsletters. For many of us, Temple is where we started our professional journey and found our passion. Whatever lies ahead, we can do great things together. Sincerely,
Mark Dash, CST ’84 CST Alumni Board President, 2020-2021
Honoring Rodrigo Andrade A consummate scholar and teacher, Chemistry Professor Rodrigo Andrade passed away in May 2021. He joined CST in 2006 as an assistant professor, earned tenure and promotion in 2012 and earned the rank of full professor in 2019. Andrade’s dedication to scholarship and teaching in organic chemistry was always on display, and his insights and work stand as guides to serve future generations of chemists. A fund to support an endowed annual lecture in his name has been established to honor his memory. The central theme of Andrade’s research at Temple was the asymmetric synthesis of architecturally complex natural products. He developed innovative new chemistry for their efficient synthesis, and then, with his coworkers, implemented that chemistry to prepare parent compounds and more efficacious analogs for biological evaluation. A well-loved teacher at both the undergraduate and graduate level, Andrade held a lifelong commitment to diversity in science and was co-director of the college’s NIH-funded Maximizing Access to Research Careers research training program. To support the Professor Rodrigo Andrade Memorial Endowed Lecture, go to giving.temple.edu/givetocst.
Steven Petchon named to Gallery of Success A leader in computing, Steven Petchon, Fox ’80 has been named to Temple University’s Gallery of Success. A collaboration of Temple’s Office of Alumni Relations and Career Center, the honor recognizes outstanding alumni for their inspiring success. Petchon credits his experiences in CST’s Department of Computer & Information Sciences for shaping his career and inspiring his philanthropy. Shortly after graduating from the Fox School of Business with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, Petchon launched his 28-year career with Accenture, ultimately becoming a partner and senior executive responsible for technology competency. While a business student, Petchon was required to take a computer and information services class which prompted his interest in technology.
During his years at Accenture, Petchon was a senior executive in Accenture’s government operating group. He led their infrastructure consulting organization, systems integration center and federal solution engineering practice. He was also the managing director for C4I for Accenture National Security Services, LLC, before his retirement. Since he retired from Accenture, Petchon has worked as an independent consultant. In 2015, he created two endowments supporting the Computer & Information Sciences Department in the College of Science and Technology. The Petchon Family Computer and Information Science Endowed Scholarship is awarded to an undergraduate who has demonstrated academic excellence in Computer & Information Science. The Steven Petchon ACM Endowment provides funding for activities of the Association for Computing Machinery chapter at Temple.
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PHOTO: RYAN S. BRANDENBERG
Keval Ray (BS ’16, Bio; FOX ’18, MED ’19) Front-line fighter
BY HILLEL HOFFMANN AND SAMARA GROSSEL
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The 30 Under 30 program recognizes trailblazing young alumni—like CST’s Marcus Forst and Keval Ray—who have demonstrated professional success in any industry, significant community involvement or a commitment to maintaining a lifelong relationship with Temple University. 30 Under 30 highlights outstanding Owls from the more than 55,000 young Temple alumni who exemplify what it means to be Temple Made.
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resident physician in general surgery at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, Keval Ray served on the front lines of the pandemic during the peak of the first wave. He witnessed more than 3,000 COVID-19 patients being treated at the same time in the Mount Sinai system. Intensive care unit rooms were being built overnight. Patients were dying every half hour. He and his colleagues were faced with constant fear that they might catch the virus. Ray, it turned out, was more than ready for this challenge: He brought the compassion and grit he learned from his family and his seven years at Temple, where he earned his bachelor’s, master’s and medical degrees. Ray’s journey to becoming a physician begins with his grandparents, who were diagnosed with cancer when he was a boy. His grandmother survived and became an activist in the Indian community, encouraging women to screen for breast cancer. She urged her grandson to help others by going into medicine. At age 16, he got his first taste when he became a fully licensed emergency medical technician (EMT) in New Jersey. “That experience of working with patients—and my grandma constantly whispering in my ear—made me realize I wanted to be a doctor,” said Ray, who joined the bikebased student EMT organization known as Temple EMS. In medical school, Ray relished working in an urban hospital that served a community he had grown to love. His surgical ICU rotation with renowned trauma surgeon Amy S. Goldberg as his attending physician made a strong impression. During his 24-hour on-call periods in Temple University Hospital’s Emergency Department, he observed several emergency department thoracotomies, a life-saving procedure which involves opening the chest of a patient outside of the operating room setting. “Temple was different from other med schools,” he said. “They don’t baby you. They give graduated responsibility, but at the same time expect you to work. Just like the city of Philadelphia, it’s all about grit. That’s something that Temple and Philly taught me.”
PHOTO: RYAN S. BRANDENBERG
Marcus Forst (BS ’19, Phys) Rigorous researcher
BY KYLE BAGENSTOSE AND L AURI KOCHIS
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n 2015, as a first-year student, Marcus Forst found himself struggling to breathe. He checked himself into the hospital, expecting pneumonia. The reality was much worse. A huge, cancerous tumor had grown between his heart and lungs, causing his chest cavity to fill with mucus. Forst was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. Doctors immediately started him on an intensive, six-month chemotherapy regimen. It would ultimately take three years of medical care to force the cancer into remission. But while living at home and undergoing treatment, Forst found the silver lining. As part of an academic scholarship from Temple, the physics major had earned a $4,000 research grant. He decided to use it by studying special magnets that can grow or contract when placed near other magnets, and may prove useful when designing new electronic circuits. It introduced Forst to a new love: research. “I had to do research from my house,” Forst said. “But it turned out to be super fun and actually a pretty great escape from the less positive day-to-day.”
During his junior year, Forst earned a 3.99 GPA in Temple’s Honors Program, and became the first Temple student to win a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. The national honor enabled him to study abroad in Erlangen, Germany, where he researched computational physics and picked up programming skills. As a senior, Forst was named a Knight-Hennessey Scholar, an international scientific fellowship similar to a Rhodes or Fulbright scholarship. The award came with three years of no-strings-attached funding, enabling him to engage in scientific research of his choosing at Stanford University while also obtaining a PhD in applied physics. At Stanford, Forst now regularly encounters some of the greatest scientific minds from around the world, and, he said, he’s proud to represent Temple. “My whole life I felt I had been missing something because I was excluded from this club of elite universities,” Forst said. “But now I realize that Temple has given me experiences and perspectives that I would not have gotten anywhere else.”
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Message from Development and Alumni Affairs
Learn how you can be part of CST’s success by contacting me at 215.204.4704 or kathleen.mcgady@ temple.edu
It is an exciting time at the College of Science and Technology. In late August, we welcomed thousands of students and faculty back to Main Campus, becoming the lively in-person learning environment we all cherish.
college. And all of you, the dedicated graduates and supporters of CST and Temple University, responded by helping the university exceed our fundraising goal for FY21. Thank you!
With the pivot to online learning and measures the Temple community used to limit the spread of the coronavirus, CST’s past year was challenging. But we have much to celebrate. Our students continued to learn from and work with CST’s world-class faculty. Our researchers continued to investigate and discover. Our advising and professional development groups continued their exceptional programming, helping ensure our students’ success.
Your generous giving is supporting scholarships across all six departments, the Undergraduate Research Program that offers students the invaluable ’lab hands’ they need to succeed, and fellowships for our graduate students so that CST can compete with the world’s top universities. You also support our faculty—one of our priorities for the upcoming year—with gifts toward enhancing teaching and research.
The college also introduced new undergraduate majors. Ecology, evolution and biodiversity will train students to be leaders in climate change and sustainability research and advocacy. Materials science, one of the few undergraduate programs of its kind in the nation, offers top training in this fast-growing, multidisciplinary field. We also introduced new concentrations for the environmental science major. In our office, we increased outreach—virtually—to alumni and friends. We hosted a successful series of Zoom into Science events, and our Alumni Board and CST Board of Visitors continued to meet and set the course for our
CST is moving forward, thanks to your support. I encourage you to learn more about our success and future plans at cst.temple.edu and by following us on social media. You can also contact me directly at 215.204.4704 or kathleen.mcgady@temple.edu to learn more about how you can be a part of our remarkable success. Sincerely,
Kathy McGady Assistant Dean for Development and Alumni Affairs
How can alumni and friends of CST support students?
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Be a mentor.
Support scholarships.
Fund young researchers.
Help today’s students.
Learn about CST's Owl to Owl program at cst.temple.edu/o2o
Make a gift to the Dean's Scholarship Fund at giving.temple.edu/givetocst
Learn about CST's Undergraduate Research Program at cst.temple.edu/ giving/urp
Make a gift to the Steven W. Szczepanski Memorial Student Support Fund at giving.temple.edu/givetocst
College of Science and Technology
Leadership giving impacts CST Stanley Lefkowitz, CST ’65, a member of the CST Board of Visitors and the Temple University Leadership Council is a Temple fan through and through, proudly supporting many academic and athletic areas across the university. Lefkowitz is executive vice president and chief financial officer of The Falconwood Group. For more than a decade, he and his wife, Debbie Lefkowitz, established and enhanced two CST endowed funds that have helped students reach their potential. The Debra and Stanley Lefkowitz Undergraduate Student Research Award honors students who are working directly with faculty on advanced research. The couple also established a fellowship for CST graduate students, helping the college compete with other top universities to attract talented young researchers. Barry Arkles, CST ’70, ’76, a member of CST Board of Visitors and Temple University Board of Trustees, has consistently supported the Department of Chemistry, CST’s Distinguished Faculty Awards and the Dean’s Endowed Professorship Fund, which assists in bringing top researchers to the college. In 2021, Arkles, founder and CEO of Gelest and a member of the National Academy of Engineering, established an endowed scholarship for junior and senior students in good academic standing who are majoring in either chemistry or biochemistry.
Albert Brown, CST ’64, a member of the CST Board of Visitors and the Temple University Leadership Council, established the Albert B. Brown Chemistry Scholarship Fund in 2010. Supporting students who plan to pursue industrial chemistry as a profession, the scholarship is now one of the most significant donor-led sources of funding for CST students. Brown, a specialist in polymer chemistry who rose to corporate fellow at Rohm and Haas, has financially supported the fund many times since its inception and, in 2020, made an additional commitment to students by including the fund in his estate planning. Brown’s partner in Temple philanthropy is his wife, Marie Koals, EDU ’63, ’68. Jay Novik, CST ’67, chair of the CST Board of Visitors and a member of the Temple University Leadership Council, has been a long-time supporter of graduate students in the Department of Mathematics. During his career, Novik held many leadership positions in the insurance industry and is currently a principal of Black Diamond Capital Partners, a specialty private equity firm focused on insurance sector investments. In 2021Novik made a significant gift toward undergraduate scholarships, supporting the most talented incoming first-year students across all CST majors and broadening his commitment to academic excellence.
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Eric Albers (BS ’19, Math)
From fantasy baseball to Brewers intern BY JON CAROULIS
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ric Albers was conducting a lot of “math” work on a fantasy baseball league when he realized what he was doing “was probably not too dissimilar from the sort of research being done in front offices” of major league teams. That realization ultimately led Albers to a summer internship with the Milwaukee Brewers. “The Baseball Research and Development Department is a team of analysts and data engineers who take on projects that influence on-field strategy, player-acquisition and player development,” said Albers, who is pursuing a PhD in mathematics at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “I have one main project for the summer. It’s big enough and open-ended enough to be worth spending multiple months working on it. I can’t discuss what in particular this project is, but my day-to-day involves writing code and making improvements to my model in an effort to improve the Brewers internal systems.” According to Albers, probability is the area of mathematics most often used in his role with the
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Brewers. “Expected values, conditional probabilities, etc., get discussed on a daily basis for my job,” he said. “While it may be more statistics than pure math there is also plenty of data science going on day-to-day in my job as I think about what types of models will work best and evaluate existing models.” In a data science course during his senior year, a final project was trying to project voting results for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. “That was something I’d always kept a keen eye on,” Albers explained. “That was the only class project I did at Temple that involved baseball, but a lot of the coding and math skills I learned in mathematics and data science courses were directly applicable to the projects I worked on for my fantasy baseball teams.” While he hasn’t met with any Brewers players because of Covid-19 protocols, Albers has “met and interacted with David Stearns, president of baseball operations and Matt Arnold, general manager, on multiple occasions. Which is just as cool if you ask me.”
Hao Yun Chen (MS ’21, CIS) From Taiwan to Los Angeles BY DUTCH GODSHALK
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ao Yun Chen began his academic journey in Taiwan. After earning a master’s in computer science in May 2021, that journey continues in Los Angeles where Chen works as a software development engineer for Amazon. Chen completed a globe-spanning Dual Bachelor’s Master’s Degree program through Temple’s Global Programs, which provides students with the opportunity to receive their bachelor’s from their home institution and their master’s from Temple. Chen, who majored in teaching Chinese as a second language at Chung Yuan Christian University in Taiwan, moved to Philadelphia in 2019 to pursue graduate studies. But finding his way to California was always the goal, he said. During his junior year in college, Chen took classes at San Francisco State University, where he fell in love with the West Coast lifestyle. “I loved the environment,” he said. “I met so many IT people there who talked about how fun computer programming is. After getting back from San Francisco, I took a minor in computer science and then decided that I want to pursue my master’s in the States.” Chen completed his master’s after an unexpected year of isolation in Philadelphia. “During the second semester, the pandemic hit and we were forced to stay at home. I didn’t end up getting any internships at the time, and I thought I would never get a full-time job here.” During that challenging period, Chen said Temple staff and professors remained available and supportive—helping him to achieve his career goals. “At Temple, they have career fairs and interview preparation events and resume reviews,” he said. “I think those are super helpful.” Chen is excited to continue his journey and to keep growing as a person. “My English has definitely improved,” he said. “The way I view things has also changed, because the U.S. is a very open country. People are very accommodating and I feel like I’m welcome here. I think I was changed as a person because of all that.”
PHOTO: RYAN S. BRANDENBERG
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Congratulations CST graduates! ON MAY 6, 2021, the College of Science and Technology held in-person graduation ceremonies for both the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021.
Class of 2020
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Class of 2021
PHOTOS: KELLY & MASSA
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CL A SS NOTES
Sandra Glassman Flank (BA ’56, Chem; EDU ’65), now retired after a career as a professor of STEM education at Pace University, has been appointed to the Education Committee at the Riderwood Community in Maryland. Emily Morton (BS ’10, EES), who received her PhD in geophysics from New Mexico Tech in 2020, is a seismic analysis manager for the Nevada Seismology Lab at the University of Nevada, Reno. Brandon Presley (BS ’10, PhD ’20, Chem), is a scientist in the Biotherapeutics Development, Separation Sciences Division within Janssen Pharmaceutical Inc., part of Johnson & Johnson, in Malvern, Pa. He recently launched an online, science-themed T-shirt business, Simple Science Tees. Andrew P.K. Bentley (MS ’13, EES), who earned a PhD in science education and geoscience from Western Michigan University, is an award-winning instructional designer at the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Teaching and Learning. Liz Cushman (MS ’19, EES) is helping plug abandoned oil wells as a licensed professional geologist with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Oil & Gas Management. Thatyana Morales (BS’ 19, MS ’20, CIS), a security and privacy consultant at Protiviti, recently created a summer workshop to teach college students about basic concepts in cybersecurity as well as provide hands-on activities that demonstrated tools used in the field. Adi Caspi (BS ’20, Chem), a doctoral student in biomedical sciences at Jefferson University, credits CST’s Science Scholars Program with inspiring her to pursue a PhD. Brian Davis (BS ’20, CIS/Math) is at SAP, part of a team of manufacturing and supply chain support engineers working to design, build and improve customers’ digital solutions. Kevin Esslinger (BS ’20, Math/CIS) is a PhD student in computer science at Northeastern University. A Science Scholar Program participant at CST, he is working on different ways to help robots efficiently complete a wide array of unique and challenging tasks. Brooke Quinn (BS ’20, Bio), a PhD student at Brown University in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, is researching the biomechanics of bat flight both in a state-of-the-art wind tunnel and in the field, including in Arizona and Belize. Victorya Richardson (BS ’20, Math) is pursuing a PhD in mathematical biology at the University of Utah.
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Boyoung Song (PhD ’20, EES), one of the first three students to earn a geosciences doctorate at Temple, is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Vienna. Brandon Tran (BS ’20, CIS) is a software engineer for JPMorgan Chase working to integrate PayPal and Apple Pay to enhance the customer experience. As a CST student, he interned at the company in 2019, working in the same area of using existing customer data to create a predictive analytics engine. Jordan Aguirre (PhD ’21, Chem) is a postdoctoral associate lecturer at Boston University. Kiana Burton (BS ’21, Phys) is pursuing a PhD in astrophysics and space science at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Hannah Feldman (BS ’21, EES), a recipient of CST’s Molnar Award given to an outstanding graduating female in geology or chemistry, is doing a one-year stint with FEMA Corps, a joint program of FEMA and AmeriCorps. Cameron Jacobs (BS ’21, Math) is a software engineer for Lockheed Martin in King of Prussia, Pa. Samuel Kim (PhD ’21, Phys), earned his doctorate while working full time for Temple as an associate health & safety specialist, focusing on environmental health and radiation safety at Temple Hospital and university laboratories. He also has served as an adjunct mathematics professor at Camden County Community College since 2004. Colin Lauer (PhD, ’21, Phys) is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of CST Assistant Professor Martha Constantinou, his doctoral advisor. The fellowship continues his collaborative research with the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois. Diana Paola Lopez (PhD ’21, Bio) published, along with CST Associate Professor Amy Freestone, “History of co-occurrence shapes predation effects on functional diversity and structure at low latitudes” in the journal Functional Ecology. Gregory Penn (BS ’21, Phys) has entered the PhD program for theoretical nuclear physics at Yale University.
Keep CST up to date! Email Jena Hudson, CST Alumni Affairs, at jena.hudson@temple.edu to share your recent news and accomplishments.
Support world-class faculty with a gift to the Dean’s Endowed Term Professorship Fund. An endowed professorship profoundly benefits the College of Science and Technology. It brings top researchers to CST who, once here, attract research funding, talented junior faculty, postdoctoral scholars and graduate students. With each new experienced faculty member CST hires, the college accelerates advanced research and strengthens graduate and undergraduate education.
Your gift to the Dean’s Endowed Term Professorship Fund will help CST compete against the world’s premier universities as we seek to hire—and then support— extraordinary researchers. Make a gift to the Dean’s Endowed Term Professorship Fund at giving.temple.edu/givetocst. Or contact Lynne Corboy, Major Gift Officer, at lynne.corboy@temple.edu or 215.204.8192.
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