UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Amanda Dumin Rodewald of Schenectady, N.Y., a graduate student in ecology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, received the first Penn State WISE Clare Booth Luce Scholars Award for the academic years 1997-99. The graduate fellowship includes a tuition waiver and a $15,000 stipend for the first year, followed by a $16,000 stipend for the second year.
The Women in the Sciences and Engineering (WISE) Institute selected two graduate students and two undergraduates for the honors. The Clare Booth Luce Program was created by the Henry Luce Foundation "to encourage women to enter, study, graduate and teach in fields where there have been obstacles for their advancement." Clare Booth Luce was a journalist, playwright and diplomat who worked for Life magazine and wrote the classic play "The Women."
Rodewald's research centers on how landscape patterns influence bird and salamander communities. In a related project, she is collaborating with her adviser Richard Yahner, professor of wildlife conservation, to see how a new forest management practice affects salamanders and birds.
"Amanda is an excellent role model for other students," Yahner says. "She is very professional and very involved with undergraduates. She is a person who helps bridge the gap between faculty and undergraduates in the School of Forest Resources."
Rodewald earned a B.S. in wildlife biology from the University of Montana and an M.S. in zoology from the University of Arkansas. Her extensive work experience includes six months as a biological technician for the National Parks Service in Montana's Glacier National Park in 1992. She also worked for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks for several summers.
Among the awards she has received are the National Park Service Productivity Award in 1992 and the University of Montana Outstanding Senior Award in 1992. She also is a member of Sigma Xi, the scientific research society; the Society for Conservation Biology; Cooper Ornithological Society; and the Wildlife Society.
Rodewald is president of the Natural Resources Graduate Student Organization, and is a founder of the Women in Natural Resources Mentoring Program.
###
John Wall John_Wall@agcs.cas.psu.edu 814-863-2719 814-865-1068 fax