Academics

Three honored with 2013 Ardeth and Norman Frisbey International Student Awards

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State’s University Office of Global Programs (UOGP) is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s Ardeth and Norman Frisbey International Student Awards. Established in the early 1990s by Mrs. Frisbey, who was at the time associate director of the (then-named) International Students Office, this award recognizes exemplary contributions to international understanding by full-time graduate and undergraduate international students. The award honors an undergraduate international student, a graduate international student and an outstanding student leader. Each award recipient receives a scholarship.The 2013 award winners are:Undergraduate StudentAdvait Kumar, a junior from India, pursuing a bachelor of science in electrical engineering with a minor in economics at Penn State University Park. In addition to excelling academically, Kumar has been active in a variety of ventures and organizations which showcase his interest in applying his studies globally. In 2011, he co-founded a social venture called Swajal, funded by several grants from international organizations and subsidies from the Indian government. The venture resulted in a chain of ground water purifying centers powered by solar energy which provide clean water at a very economical cost to poor and high-density slums in South Asia. Kumar is also a member and officer of the student organization Engineers for a Sustainable World and he founded MindKART, a company that reviews universities in India.Graduate StudentAna Patricia Aguilera Hermida, a doctoral student from Mexico studying adult education. Enrolled at Penn State Harrisburg, Aguilera Hermida developed programs which benefit both international students at her campus and the Latino community in the greater Harrisburg area. Her first major effort, the Global Lion Mentors Program, matches international students with mentors who assist them prior to their arrival in the U.S. and during their first semester. To further ease international students into their new community, Aguilera Hermida also developed on and off-campus social activities and a three-week workshop on transitional issues. She is also being recognized for an independent study which resulted in a seven-week educational program for Latino mature adults. Session topics have spanned a broad range, including depression, effective communication, heart disease and developing good budgets.     Student LeaderShane Lloyd is a Canadian student in the M.D./Ph.D. program at the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey whose work focuses on understanding the mechanisms involved in bone loss associated with aging and spaceflight. In his own words, Lloyd has strived to “set an example for the contribution that (international students) can, and should, make to our adoptive homes.” Lloyd has served as both the vice president and president of the College of Medicine Graduate Student Association (GSA). Seeking to address the issue of international student isolation, he created an international student representative position on the GSA and formed an International Graduate Student Association, which offers advice to students and organizes social activities and cultural outreach programs. In 2011, he became the co-president of the College of Medicine Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgendered (LGBT) People in Science & Medicine organization, which provided a source of support for many international LGBT students in particular. Most recently, Lloyd was elected as president of the College of Medicine Student Assembly (SA). Through this position, he hopes to increase awareness and enthusiasm for THON within the College of Medicine community.

Last Updated April 30, 2013