Academics

Penn State Lehigh Valley faculty engage in scholarly activities off-campus

Faculty share their research and talents around the world both in person and virtually

Christina Galbiati in front of mural at Hazleton Integration Project, Hazleton One Community Center, Nov 13, 2020.  Credit: Christina GalbiatiAll Rights Reserved.

Penn State’s mission includes helping to improve the well-being and health of individuals and communities through teaching, research and service. Penn State Lehigh Valley (PSU-LV) faculty regularly present, serve on panels and share their research with people and institutions outside of Penn State.  

Over the last few months, PSU-LV faculty’s off-campus engagement included: 

Julie B. Ealy, associate professor of chemistry: 

  • Ealy was an invited virtual speaker at the fifth International Universal Scientific, Education, & Research Network (USERN) Congress in Tehran, Iran on Nov. 12. The title of her presentation was “Three Molecules, A Protein, and Binding Affinity: What Do They Have in Common.” Ealy said it was an amazing experience where scientists, educators and researchers from all over the world were able to share their ideas. The closing ceremony brought speakers together in real time, as “one,” with no international barriers.   

  • Ealy was elected as a member of the Sigma Xi Committee on Nominations of the Northeast Region. Sigma Xi is the Scientific Research Honor Society which is an international honor society of science and engineering. It is one of the oldest and largest scientific organizations in the world and has a history of service to science and society for more than 125 years. Its elected leaders develop goals, maintain standards, test ideas and explore new roles for the Society.  

  • Ealy presented at a virtual luncheon meeting of Innovative Teaching at Penn State (ITAP) on Nov. 12. With the help Penn State Lehigh Valley’s Multimedia Innovation Center, a video of Ealy multi-modal teaching in mixed mode chemistry 110 and face-to-face chemistry 111 lab was presented and annotated by her. ITAP is supported by The Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence. 

 Christina Galbiati, lecturer, graphic design:

  • Galbiati installed an outdoor mural titled “!LOVE” at Hazleton Integration Project (HIP) Community One Center. The installation was focused on the word Love and the emotion of love. A student from HIP’s after-school program assisted Galbiati with the installation. More information can be read about this in the Hazleton Standard Speaker news article.

  • Galbiati (lead presenter) and Instructional Designer Eileen Grodziak (co-presenter) presented at workshop titled: “Creactive: Creative process before technology” at the virtual Critical and Creative Thinking Conference at the University of South Florida from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2. Their workshop covered a pedagogical approach investigating how design process introduced before technology implementation can enhance creative outcomes. PSU-LV students were involved via IRB research study with Galbiati’s GD100 Intro to Design classes, as well as a cross-site study with a class at Moravian College.  

  • Galbiati was selected to show in a four-person, all woman exhibit titled “Fortitude” for the month of October at AFA Gallery, Scranton. Twelve pieces of her collage artwork, focusing on the words and messages that are in our current social media landscape, as well as abstract work were shown. 

Nichola D. Gutgold, professor of communication arts and sciences was featured in multiple news articles about the election and future Biden administration. These outlets include LaPresse Canada ArticleThe Daily Collegian, and POLITICO.  

Eileen Grodziak, instructional designer: 

  • Grodziak and Laura Cruz wrote a manuscript accepted for publication titled: “SOTL under STRESS: Rethinking teaching and learning scholarship during a global pandemic” for “Teaching & Learning Inquiry” in press December 2020. 

  • Grodziak and Laura Cruz presented “What about Joe?: Case study in FYE” as a concurrent session at the virtual ITLC Lilly Online: Enhancing online, onsite, and hybrid teaching and learning conference held Nov. 30 to Dec. 4. 

Thomas Hess, CPA, part-time lecturer of health policy and administration and senior vice president and chief financial officer of Genomind: 

  • Hess presented virtually as chairman of the Annual Fund of the Nittany Lion Development Council to the Student Nittany Lion Club on Oct. 22. 

  • Hess served as a moderator at the first Virtual life sciences CEO roundtable for the life sciences industry hosted by Baker Tilley on Oct. 29. 

Tai-Yin Huang, professor of physics: 

  • Huang is a new member of Executive Committee of the International Engineering and Technology Institute.  

  • Huang is a co-convener of the session, AS18 - Thunderstorms, Lightning and Their Effects on Human Society, at the18th Annual Meeting of the Asia Oceanic Geosciences Society, Singapore, 2020-21.  

  • She is a co-author of a paper titled, “Unusual Intensity Patterns of OH(6,2) and O(1S) Airglow Driven by Long-Period Waves Observed Over the Andes Lidar Observatory”, that was accepted for publication in the Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics.    

Jennifer Jarson, head librarian and Rachel Hamelers, Muhlenberg College gave an invited presentation, "Is the ‘Framework’ a teaching tool? How its language can help (and hinder) undergraduates’ learning," on Oct. 15, for the Pennsylvania Library Association College and Research Division Connect and Communicate series. 

Jacqueline S. McLaughlin, associate professor of biology: 

  • McLaughlin and research colleague Josh, B. Slee, assistant professor of biology, DeSales University, hosted an online roundtable titled, “Using CUREs to Impart Career Ready Skills Needed in the American Workforce” at the Cell Bio Virtual 2020 Meeting hosted by the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) and the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), Rockville, Maryland, on Dec. 4.  

  • McLaughlin was invited to serve on a panel titled “Fellow to Fellow: A Conversation with Jefferson Science Fellows from USAID and the U.S. Department of State” hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), Washington, D.C., as part of their 2021 Interview Week Virtual Orientation for new JSFs on Dec. 9.  

  • McLaughlin was invited to serve on a working group titled “Research Gaps and Assessing Intercultural Skills in Mentored Undergraduate Research” hosted by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and Elon University.  

  • McLaughlin’s research paper, Teaching Environmental Sustainability While Transforming Study Abroad, has been accepted for publication in the international, cross-disciplinary, peer-reviewed and open access journal, Sustainability.  

  • Mclaughlin and co-authors, Mit Patel, Penn State Lehigh Valley alum and current medical college of Wisconsin, and Josh B. Slee, assistant professor of biology, DeSales University, have a research paper, A CURE Using Cell Culture-Based Research Enhances Career Ready Skills in Undergraduates in Preparation to Enter the American Workforce, in press in the Council for Undergraduate Research’s (CUR) scholarly, peer-reviewed journal, Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research (SPUR)

 Beth Michalec, assistant professor of corporate communication, presented "Experiencing Crisis Management amid Greece's Economic Collapse" as part of a panel titled, "Converging Cultures:  Experiencing Cross-cultural Communication through International Collaborations" on Nov. 19 during the National Communication Association's 106th Annual Convention held virtually. 

 Maung K. Min, assistant teaching professor of business and director of business programs: 

  • Maung made two presentations at the 43rd annual Meeting of the National Association of Business, Economics and Technology Conference held virtually from Oct. 22 to 23: 

  • “Organizational Awareness and Implementation of Sustainability Activities in Businesses: Moving Toward the Circular Economy” presented by Min, Denise Ogden, professor of marketing, and Jeffrey A. Stone, assistant professor of information sciences and technology. The paper has been accepted for publication in the Spring 2021 issue of “Journal of Business, Economic and Technology” (JBET). 

  • “Business Embracement (or Not) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: An Industry Study” presented by Min 

Jeffrey A. Stone, assistant professor of information sciences and technology; Maung K. Min, assistant teaching professor of business; and Karen Kackley-Dutt, associate teaching professor of biology, presented a discussion titled "Forging a Sustainability Culture: Integrating Sustainability Across the Curriculum" at the 2020 ITLC Online Lilly Conference in December.  

 

Last Updated December 22, 2020

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