Pitt Johnstown Mag Summer 2010 ver4 - Pitt-Johnstown Home Page ...

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Research Opportunities Enhance Real-World Readiness
Student participation in
undergraduate research, and
scholarly and creative activities has
long-been known to increase written
and oral communication skills,
critical thinking skills, while
providing students with real-world
perspectives on a variety of issues
and challenges.
As a way of strengthening our
efforts to prepare student for the real
world, Pitt-Johnstown has been
working to increase opportunities for
students to participate in facultystudent
collaborative projects.
Through the creation of the
President’s Mentorship Fund for
Faculty-Student Scholarship, 41
research and creative inquiry
activities have been supported. Last
year, alone, 12 faculty-student
research projects were funded on
topics including “Students’
Perceptions of Media Influence on
Their Decision to Receive or Decline
the H1N1 Vaccination,”
“Interrelationships Among IQ,
Empathy, and Performance Art,” and
“Synthesis, Characterization, and
Photochemical Study of the Influences
of Solvents on Excited State of Diazo
Compounds and Carbenes.”
In addition to working
collaboratively with students, faculty
are active involved in contributions
PITT-Johnstown
to their fields through research,
publications, and participation at
professional conferences. Over the
past year, Dr. Stephen Kilpatrick,
associate professor of biology, worked
with two professional colleagues on
the publication of the second edition
of Lewin’s Essential Genes, and the work
of Dr. Carrie Todd Davis, assistant
professor of geology, and Dr. Uldis
Kaktins, emeritus associate professor
of geology, on the Johnstown flood of
1889 was featured in The New York
Times and Science News. Dr. Ako
Inuzuka participated at the National
Communication Association’s annual
convention, where she presented on
the topic “Media Representation of
Asians.” The work of our faculty is
also making a very positive impact on
our community. Annually, Dr. John
McGrath, associate professor of
management, and Ron Vickroy,
associate professor of management,
conduct extensive research to compile
a regional economic forecast, which is
presented at the Greater Johnstown/
Cambria County Chamber of
Commerce’s Economic Summit.
Undergraduate research is also
the focus of two annual events held on
campus. Last year, the 13 th annual
Laurel Highlands Undergraduate
Psychology Conference featured a
keynote address entitled “Fast Food
Science” by Pitt-Johnstown alumnus
Dr. Charles Heyser ’85. Participation
by students in the annual Symposium
for the Promotion of Academic and
Creative Enquiry (SPACE) continues
to increase. The 2010 event featured
108 posters and 20 oral presentations,
which represents a 33% increase in
participation since 2007.
Participation in culminating
experiences continues to increase, as
well. Last year, 1,179 students
participated in activities including
capstone courses, theses, and
internships.
WANTED:
Survey Participants
If you participated in a facultymentored
projected as a student,
please contact Dr. Karen Lee,
undergraduate research
coordinator, so that you can be
included an upcoming survey.
We are also interested in having
alumni give testimonials about
their experience for inclusion on
our web site and in printed
materials. Dr. Lee can be reached
via e-mail at ktlee@pitt.edu.
Concrete Canoe Team Competes Nationally - AGAIN!
Congratulations to the members of the Pitt-Johnstown Concrete Canoe Team on their 10th place finish at the
National Concrete Canoe Competition! The
members, representing Pitt-Johnstown’s chapter of
the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE),
competed June 17-19 at California Polytechnic
University in San Luis Obispo, Calif. This is the
third time in four years that the team has competed
at the national level.
Members of the Pitt-Johnstown team are: Emily
Babik, Alex Bachman, Stephanie Buncich, Derek
Callihan, Adam Charles, Sarah Cordek, Frank
DiLoreto, Alex Dysinger, Lauren Dziagwa, Jesse
Fresch, Chris Garaventa, Jill Hamill, David Hill, Joshua Hoffman, Ben Johns, Alex Kassick, Jim Kephart, Matt Kirsch,
Brian Krumenacker, Rachel Lasko, Gary Leister, Evan Ligda, Mike McCutcheon, Andy McDonald, Frank Mele, Jay
Michalka, Nina Rudolph, Erik Smith, Emily Yeager, Mike Zerby, and Rebekah Zwick. Brian Houston, associate
professor of civil engineering technology, is the club’s advisor. Kudos to Brian for his strong leadership!