Liberal Arts

Winning speech centered on curbing hospital acquired infections

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Shayna Levenson, a mechanical engineering student, won first prize Dec. 10 in the Civic Engagement Public Speaking Contest among the six top students from the course Communication Arts and Sciences 100A: Effective Speech.

Her speech, "Engineering a Solution to Hospital Acquired Infections," included a dynamic delivery coupled with sound scientific support.

The contest was held in Business 110 and judged by Emily Rimland, information literacy librarian at Penn State’s University Libraries; Elaine Meder-Wilgus, community coordinator and owner of Webster’s Bookstore Cafe; Christine Patterson from The New York Times; and Jeff Goldman of Pearson. It was organized by the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences and the Center for Democratic Deliberation.

"It was wonderful to see this display of exceptional student work," Rimland said. "Because librarians interact with many CAS 100A students in the classroom or individually on researching their speeches, it was very satisfying to see the end product."

All finalists, who were among more than 1,800 students taking the class this semester, received prizes ranging from $75 to $300. The final student speakers were selected by panels of CAS 100A instructors during the preliminary and second rounds of the contest Dec. 3. 

Speeches will soon be available at http://www.nytmarketing.whsites.net/incollege/?page=about&sub=studentcontests.  

Last Updated December 18, 2012