Professor of physics
earns Humboldt Award

John Collins, professor of physics, has received the Humboldt Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Bonn, Germany. The award includes a monetary grant and support for research at German universities of the recipient's choice for a one-year period.

A theoretical physicist, Collins focuses on the strong interactions of elementary particles. He is perhaps best known for his mathematical proofs of "factorization theorems," which provide the fundamental tool by which successful predictions are made for experimental observations at high-energy particle accelerators.

Without the theorems, it would not be possible to understand the data produced by the accelerators or to use the accelerators for searches for new phenomena.

Collins will spend the 2000-01 academic year based at Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, a laboratory in Hamburg, Germany, that performs basic research in high-energy and particle physics as well as in the production and application of synchrotron radiation.

The Humboldt Foundation presents up to 150 research awards annually to "foreign scholars whose academic qualifications enjoy international recognition. The object is to pay tribute to academic accomplishments of award winners and to foster long-term cooperation between foreign and German researchers."

Chandra X-ray Observatory
wins Discover Magazine award

The Chandra X-ray Observatory, NASA's newest and most powerful
X-ray space telescope, has been selected as the winner of the Editor's Choice category of the 2000 Discover Magazine Awards for Technological Innovation.

The telescope's Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer, one of its primary X-ray cameras, was conceived and developed for NASA by Penn State and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the leadership of Gordon Garmire, Evan Pugh professor of astronomy and astrophysics.

Chandra, along with the rest of the winners, is listed in the July 2000 issue of Discover Magazine. The winners also are on the magazine's Web site at http://www.discover.com/.

Chandra, named in honor of Nobel laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, was launched in July 1999 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia and deployed to a highly elliptical Earth orbit. Chandra's powerful X-ray telescope can resolve distant images eight times sharper and detect X-ray sources 20 times fainter than any previous X-ray space telescope.

The Discover Awards for Technological Innovation acknowledge the creativity of men, women, corporations and institutions who have reached superior levels of ingenuity. The Editor's Choice category is reserved for innovations that go beyond the magazine's established innovation categories by providing a marked advance in their field.

Outstanding College of
Engineering employees cited

Faculty and staff in the College of Engineering were recently honored by that college for their outstanding service and contributions. Those honored include:

Outstanding Advising Award

This award, given in recognition of outstanding dedication to advising engineering students, was presented to John F. Gardner, associate professor of mechanical engineering; Elena M. Joshi, instructor in industrial and manufacturing engineering; Laura L. Pauley, associate professor of mechanical engineering; and A. David Salvia, instructor of electrical engineering.

Outstanding Teaching Award

Given to honor individuals who show a special talent and commitment to teaching, this award was presented to Francesco Costanzo, assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics; Theresa S. Mayer, associate professor of electrical engineering; Deborah J. Medeiros, associate professor of industrial engineering; Peter J. Shull, assistant professor of engineering at Penn State Altoona; and Kon-Well Wang, professor of mechanical engineering.

Outstanding Staff Award

This award, given in recognition of superior service by staff employees in engineering, was presented to Pamela K. Adams, staff assistant in the Engineering Education Center; and Kimberly A. Ripka, administrative assistant in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering

Outstanding Research Award

This award recognizes notable contributions to research at Penn State and beyond. Receiving this honor were: George A. Lesieutre, professor of aerospace engineering and associate director of the Center for Acoustics and Vibration; Michael M. Micci, professor of aerospace engineering; Michael F. Modest, professor of mechanical engineering; Douglas Werner, associate professor of electrical engineering; and Gour-Tsyh Yeh, professor of civil engineering.

The Premier Research Award

This award is presented to faculty members who have previously been recognized for outstanding research, and who are recognized as preeminent in their field worldwide. The award was given to Robert J. Santoro, distinguished professor of mechanical engineering.

Distinguished Service Award

This honor recognizes dedicated individuals who willingly donate their time, expertise and energies to the college. The individual honored was Gert Aron, professor emeritus of civil engineering.

These awards were sponsored by the Penn State Engineering Society.

Worthington Scranton honors three
for service, scholarship, teaching

Penn State Worthington Scranton recently honored several staff and faculty members for their outstanding service, scholarship and teaching. Honored were James D. Gallagher, André Prévos and James A. Weiss.

n Gallagher, campus executive officer who retired June 30, received the 2000 Gertrude Hawk Chocolates Award. Instituted in 1979 by then-company president Elmer Hawk, the award recognizes a member of the campus faculty or staff who exhibits outstanding performance and service in academic endeavors, co-curricular activities and service to the community.

Gallagher's Penn State career has spanned 40 years. After holding several University positions, he was appointed as CEO at Penn State Worthington Scranton in 1979. Under his leadership, the campus has experienced peak enrollment and began offering baccalaureate degrees; built the Classroom Conference Center building; and reached nearly $2 million in available student scholarship endowments and major academic program support.

Gallagher also has served as a board member for numerous community organizations during his tenure.

n Prévos, associate professor of French and Spanish, was awarded the Dr. Richard and Sally Matthews Award for Excellence in Scholarship. The award was established in 1988 by the Mathews' to recognize outstanding performance in scholarship and research.

An expert on American and French rap music and hip hop culture, Prévos' work in recent years has appeared in numerous professional journals. In the past five years alone, Prévos has published 13 articles, 11 book chapters and a book translation, presented 47 conference papers in 12 countries, and had 152 book reviews published.

n The 2000 Campus Advisory Board Award for Excellence in Teaching was awarded to Weiss, assistant professor of chemistry. Funded in 1988 by the Campus Advisory Board, the award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated innovative and dedicated teaching techniques in his or her academic endeavors.

Weiss joined the Penn State faculty in 1970. He has taught general chemistry and organic chemistry, as well as distance education courses for the University. Weiss is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Chemical Society and Sigma Xi.

He is credited with numerous abstracts and papers related to his research and is the author of two independent learning chemistry courses.

Lecturer wins
teaching award

Susan M. Strohm, senior lecturer in communications, has been awarded the 2000 Excellence in Teaching Award from the University's College of Communications Alumni Society.

With this annual award, the society recognizes faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and a dedication to helping students learn and excel both in and out of the classroom. The award also commends recipients for their ability to inspire students and improve the learning environment.

Strohm, who also coordinates the college's Schreyer Scholars Program, was nominated by her students and fellow faculty members. Strohm, who has been at Penn State since 1985, currently teaches courses on advertising media planning and mass media research methods. She also has been a consultant on national health education campaigns.

Business instructor is named
DuBois Educator of the Year

A business instructor who continually motivates her students to achieve higher levels of excellence has been named the Educator of the Year at Penn State DuBois.

Annette Muth, instructor in business administration, received the award from the DuBois Educational Foundation, an advisory board to the campus. Each year the board presents the award to a faculty member who demonstrates excellence in teaching and who serves as a role model for students. The honoree is selected from nominations submitted by the student body.

Muth was praised for her quality of teaching and her ability to make accounting classes interesting and enjoyable.

Muth joined the Penn State DuBois faculty in 1998. She is a licensed certified public accountant and a member of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants. She has 10 years of work experience in a CPA firm, and is currently pursuing a master's degree in business administration.

In 1995, she graduated with highest distinction with a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Penn State. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Muth is a member of the campus computer committee, and has served on the Penn Stater of the Quarter Committee.

She also tutors graduate-level students in accounting and has coordinated Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) training sessions on campus for the Internal Revenue Service and state Department of Revenue.

For the past three years, Muth also has been a workshop presenter in the campus Math Options mentor program for seventh-grade girls.

Penn State Altoona honors several
employees for their achievements

Several Penn State Altoona employees recently received recognition for their outstanding achievements. The award recipients include:

n James K. Hancuff, part-time lecturer in mathematics, and Mary K. Kananen, part-time lecturer in biology, received Outstanding Lecturer Awards;

n Lori J. Bechtel, division head of education, human development and social sciences and professor of biobehavioral health, was awarded the campus Commission for Women Leadership Recognition Award;

n Sandra H. Petrulionis, assistant professor of English, received the Grace D. Long Faculty Excellence Award; and

n Anthony J. Mikesic, systems coordinator, Carole A. Bookhamer, staff assistant, and Frank M. Ciccarella, maintenance worker, all received the Ted J. Long Staff Excellence Awards.

n Peter J. Shull, assistant professor of engineering, was awarded the Outstanding Teaching Award by the Penn State Engineering Society.

Three individuals also were recognized by Penn State Altoona's Student Government Association for their contributions and dedication. They are:

n Amy L. Wolfe, advising/counseling assistant, for Excellence in Academic Advising;

n Irene T. Hurd, part-time lecturer in Russian, for Excellence in Classroom Teaching; and

n Gina G. Baird, coordinator of student activities, for Student Organization Adviser.

Two awarded inaugural
"Making Life Better" Award

Susan Irwin and Michael Leonard of the Office of Undergraduate Education are the recipients of the inaugural "Making Life Better" Award presented by that unit. The award provides recognition to individuals in the Office of Undergraduate Education who have gone beyond expectations to make life better for those in the Penn State community.

Irwin, a staff assistant in the Department of Aerospace Studies, Air Force ROTC, has been with Air Force ROTC for 24 years and has served as co-chair of the United Way campaign within undergraduate education for the past three years. During that time, her team was recognized for the highest increase in dollars raised within units of 100-200 employees.

Irwin also sits on the board of directors of the Penn State Educational Office Professionals and serves on the Staff Appreciation Committee and the Diversity Enhancement Committee for the Office of Undergraduate Education. For the past two years, Irwin has spent time as a conversation partner and English tutor of a young woman from Russia.

Irwin was honored for her unselfish work at both Penn State and in the community at-large.

Leonard, an academic adviser for the past 20 years, was honored for willingness to teach others, his work in helping undergraduate students, improving the advising process at Penn State and his involvement in a variety of important initiatives.

Leonard was involved in the creation of the Comprehensive Academic Advising and Information System (CAAIS), a six-year collaborative effort of the offices of Undergraduate Education and Enrollment Management and Administration that gives tens of thousands of students direct access to academic information and advice.

Taking an active role in the development and implementation of The Mentor, an electronic academic advising journal, Leonard serves as managing editor. He helped create the DUS general education Web site for students and was involved in a number of other initiatives to help students. Leonard is chair of the Commission on Technology of the National Academic Advising Association.

Financial aid coordinator
earns excellence award

Violet Byron, financial aid coordinator at Penn State Worthington Scranton, is the recipient of the campus' 2000 Ad-ministrative Excellence Award for service and achievement.

Byron, who was promoted to coordinator of financial aid in 1998, has been at Penn State Worthington Scranton since 1976. She holds an associate degree in business administration from the campus.

Byron has served as a volunteer for key campus programs relating to alumni, recruitment and fund raising. She was the recipient of the Gertrude Hawk Chocolates Inc. Award for outstanding performance and service to the campus community and also received the Penn State Worthington Scranton Campus Alumni Society 1993 Alumna of the Year Award.

She is an active member of both the campus Alumni Society and the Greater Scranton Penn State Chapter. She is active in many organizations both at the University and in her community.

Byron will retire from Penn State Worthington Scranton on July 31.

History instructor wins
teaching excellence award

Kevin W. Arawjo was awarded the 1999-2000 Excellence in Teaching Award at Penn State Lehigh Valley at the 14th annual Honors Convocation held recently at the campus.

The award is presented annually to recognize a faculty member who exemplifies teaching excellence and is nominated by faculty and students at the local campus.

The award includes a $500 gift, which Arawjo has donated to the Penn State Lehigh Valley scholarship fund.

Arawjo has been a part-time member of the faculty at Penn State Lehigh Valley since 1995.

Additionally, he is an instructor of history and politics at DeSales University (Allentown College) in Center Valley since 1992; an instructor of history and political science at Muhlenberg College in Allentown; and an instructor of political science at Lehigh University in Bethlehem.

He earned his master's degree in government with emphasis in Russian studies from Lehigh University in 1992, and his bachelor's degree in history with highest distinction from Penn State in 1989.

Associate professor garners
Cooper Memorial Faculty Fellowship

Nancy Wyatt, associate professor of speech communication at Penn State Delaware County, has received the University's first Cooper Memorial Faculty Fellowship. The three-year fellowship begins next month.

The prize is named for Jane Cooper, associate professor of biology at Penn State Delaware County from 1967 until her death in 1999, who endowed the fellowship through a bequest. The fellowship provides supplemental funds to an outstanding faculty member to assist in continuing and furthering his or her contributions in teaching, research and public service.

Wyatt's research project will explore the efforts of thousands of grassroots volunteers who envisioned and worked for social justice. She hopes to document the existence and importance of these groups and their movements, extend group communication research into new areas and revise theory to account for processes previously unstudied.

Wyatt joined Penn State Delaware County in 1985.