Paul T. Baker, Evan Pugh professor emeritus of anthropology, was awarded the Franz Boas Distinguished Achievement Award by the Human Biology Association, an international non-profit organization incorporated in 1974. Currently, there are about 600 members of the Human Biology Association from human biological disciplines such as physical anthropology, medicine, dentistry, public health, genetics, nutrition and related professions.
Denny Bolton, adjunct faculty member in education administration at Penn State Great Valley, received the international Eagle Award from the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO). The award recognizes significant contributions to the community, school and profession. The ASBO was founded in 1910 to promote the highest standards of business school management.
James Brasseur, professor of mechanical engineering and bioengineering, has been elected a member of the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars. The Society of Scholars was created in 1967 and was the first of its kind in the nation. The society inducts former postdoctoral fellows, postdoctoral degree recipients, house staff, as well as junior or visiting faculty who have served at Johns Hopkins and have gained marked distinction in their fields of physical, biological, medical, social or engineering sciences, or the humanities, and for whom at least five years have elapsed since their postdoctoral work.
Randy Jepson, Penn State men's gymnastics coach, was named Coach of the Year by the College Gymnastics Association. Jepson, in his ninth year as coach of the Lions, this year guided the team to its first NCAA championship title in 24 years. Jepson recently has been heavily involved in national team training to prepare individuals for the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney, Australia.
Larry Jordan, manager of farm and greenhouse operations in plant pathology, was named Member of the Year by the Pennsylvania Agronomic Educational Society. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to Pennsylvania agriculture and devoted service to the Pennsylvania Agronomic Educational Society.
W. Larry Kenney, professor of physiology and kinesiology, has been elected vice president of the American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM is an exercise and sports science organization with a membership of more than 18,000 scientists, clinicians and educators. Kenney is a thermoregulatory and cardiovascular physiologist working at the Noll Physiological Research Center.
Akhlesh Lakhtakia, professor of engineering science and mechanics, delivered an invited talk, "Sculptured Thin Films -- Accomplishments and Promises," during the annual meeting of the American Physical Society.
Michael J. Leonard, assistant director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies, has been named chair-elect of the Technology in Advising Commission of the National Academic Advising Association. The association has 5,300 members, most of whom are faculty, professional advisers, administrators and counselors. It is the representative group and advocate of academic advising and academic advisers to higher education.
Andrew S. McNitt, assistant professor of turf grass science in the Department of Agronomy, gave two invited talks at the National Sports Turf Managers Association Conference in St. Louis. The title of the talks were "Stabilization Material" and "Factors Influencing Traction and Player Injuries."
Robert F. Nicely Jr., professor of curriculum, supervision and educational administration, has receive the 2000 Outstanding Affiliate Journal Award from the 180,000-member international Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Nicely is the editor of Pennsylvania Educational Leadership. This is the sixth time since 1993 that Nicely's editorial work has been recognized by ASCD.
Charles S. Prebish, professor of religious studies, delivered an invited lecture, "Buddhisms in America: An Expanding Frontier," at the University of California-Davis. Prebish's lecture addressed the growing conflict between Asian immigrant Buddhists and American convert Buddhists.
Stephen J. Reighard, multimedia and computer support specialist for the Penn State College of Communications' James Audio Laboratory, has been awarded the 2000 Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters Faculty Fellowship. The four-week fellowship provides the opportunity to visit a radio or television station in Pennsylvania to become familiar with current equipment, techniques and developments in the field. The fellowship will culminate with a report that Reighard will present to the College of Communications dean, faculty and staff, who will share the information with broadcasting classes.
Calyampudi R. Rao, holder of the Eberly Family Chair in Statistics and director of the Center for Multivariate Analysis, has been named winner of the 2000 Emanuel and Carol Parzen Prize for Statistical Innovation by the Department of Statistics at Texas A&M University. The award recognizes Rao "for outstanding distinction and eminence in research on the theory of statistics, in applications of statistical methods in diverse fields, in providing international leadership for 55 years in directing statistical research centers, in continuing impact through his vision and effectiveness as a scholar and teacher, and in extensive service to American and international society."
The 1999 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts poster, designed by Lanny Sommese, professor of graphic design, was recently selected as the winner in the Sunshine Artist Magazine poster contest. The poster graces the cover of the magazine's May 2000 issue. Based in Orlando, Fla., Sunshine Artist covers America's outdoor art and craft festival industry. Sommese has designed the poster for the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts for more than 20 years. He is currently head of the Department of Graphic Design in the School of Visual Arts. Pattee Library on the University Park campus will host a retrospective display of Arts Festival posters through July 29.
Several extension staff received awards from the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS). Nancy Stevens, county extension director in Montgomery County, and Phyllis Wright, extension agent in Warren County, received the Continued Excellence Award. Rebecca Escott, extension agent in Lehigh County, and Jane Mecum, extension agent in Dauphin County, received the Distinguished Service Award.
Vladimir S. Stubican, professor emeritus of materials science and engineering, was recently named by the Cambridge University, England, as one of the 2,000 outstanding scientists and educators of the 20th century. Stubican received a medal of honor for his achievements and was cited for his work on the structure of silicates, the nature of atomic defects in ionic solids, and solidification and diffusion studies in oxides. Stubican also will be listed in a forthcoming American Biographical Institute publication, 1,000 World Leaders of Influence, as a scientist who made significant contributions to society and his profession.
Elizabeth J. Susman, Jean Phillips Shibley professor of biobehavioral health in the College of Health and Human Development, presented several papers and received a research grant while conducting research as a visiting professor in Sweden. She presented "Hormone Changes At Puberty: Do They Make A Difference In Antisocial Behavior" at Stockholm University in Stockholm, Sweden; "Neurobiology of Prenatal Development and Later Temperament" to the Sachler Foundation in Stockholm; and "Serotonin, Alcohol and Estrogen in Women" at Uppsala University in Sweden. She also received a research grant to study the neurobiology of antisocial behavior from the Swedish Research Council at Stockholm University.
Donald V. Waddington, professor emeritus of soil science, has received the Dr. William H. Daniel Award from the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA). The award is one of the STMA's four Founders Awards -- the highest honors issued by the group. Waddington earned the award for the tremendous impact he has had on the sports turf industry. His research has led to new methods for evaluating athletic fields and he has contributed significantly to the foundation of information used today in athletic field construction, maintenance and playability assessment. The award was named for the late William H. Daniel, professor emeritus at Purdue University, a pioneer in the partnership between the turf grass industry and educators.
Penn State Public Broadcasting's What's In The News program has been honored with a first place prize in the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters 2000 Awards for Excellence in Broadcasting competition. The award category was "Best Produced Programming for Children." The competition included entries from stations throughout the state.
Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky, professor of kinesiology and director of the Biomechanics Laboratory, gave two seminars for the National Olympic Coaches of Israel on the scientific aspects of training. He also gave personal consultations to several Olympic coaches and delivered lectures at the Wingate Institute of Physical Culture and Sport (Netania) and Technion (Haifa). In addition, a book titled Kinematics of Human Motion, written by Zatsiorsky, has been translated into Japanese and published by NAP Limited.
The Dickinson School of Law of Penn State is co-recipient of the 2000 Louis J. Goffman Award given by The Pennsylvania Bar Foundation for organizational pro bono service. The law school shares the award with the Cumberland County (Pa.) Bar Association and Legal Services Inc. of Carlisle, Pa. The three organizations have a joint undertaking that places Dickinson law students with private attorneys to assist with pro bono legal work for low-income clients whose cases cannot be handled by Legal Services Inc. The Goffman Award honors an individual or organization whose work has enhanced the delivery of legal services to Pennsylvania's poor or disadvantaged.