Awards
Penn State Intercom......July
12, 2001
Air Force ROTC wins
2000/01 High Flight Award
The Penn State Air Force ROTC won the 2000/2001 "High Flight" award for the Air Force ROTC Northeast Region. This award gives the unit the distinction of being the best detachment among the 37 Air Force ROTC units in the northeast area.
This highly coveted award is given to the unit that displays the overall best academic record, retention of cadets, cadet activities, university relations, community service and innovation.
The unit received the only "Outstanding" rating given this year by the Air Education and Training Command's inspector general to any of the 144 Air Force ROTC detachments nationwide. Following its inspection, the unit continued to excel with a strong academic record, more than 2,000 hours of service to the community, more than $1 million in scholarship funding and dozens of "firsts" within ROTC and the community.
In fall 2000, the unit sponsored Tops In Blue, the Air Force's premiere music ensemble, and in spring 2001, it played host to a child through the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
The Penn State Air Force ROTC will go on to compete for the "Right of Line" award given annually to the No. 1 unit in the nation.
For more information about the Air Force ROTC program at Penn State check the Web at http://www.airforce.psu.edu/
Biochemist is
a Pew Scholar
Song Tan, assistant
professor of biochemistry, has been selected as a 2001 Pew Scholar in
the biomedical sciences. He was one of just 20 scientists, selected from
nominations from more than 120 institutions in the United States, to earn
the award and is the first Penn State professor to be so honored.
The awards, provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts, a national philanthropy based in Philadelphia, are granted to "young investigators who show outstanding promise in the basic and clinical sciences." The awards are intended to encourage scholarly innovation and to help scientists advance the state of knowledge in biomedical fields.
A faculty member since 1998, Tan uses X-ray crystallography to visualize proteins involved in gene regulation.
Since 1985, The Pew Charitable Trusts have provided more than $69 million for the support of 340 scholars.
Each of this year's scholars, who are junior faculty members at medical schools and research institutions across the United States, will receive a total award of $240,000 over a four-year period.
National Science Foundation
award presented
Joan Redwing, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, has received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award.
The CAREER Program offers the foundations most prestigious awards, supporting the early development of exceptionally promising college and university faculty. The awards range from $200,000 to $500,000 for a period of four to five years.
Redwing received the award to pursue studies of stress and polarization effects in AlGaInN-based materials and device structures. Over the next five years, her group will investigate the synthesis and properties of strained AlGaInN heterostructures using real-time stress measurements combined with structural and electrical characterizations.
The research will further fundamental knowledge of polarization effects in the group III-nitrides and provide new insights into the mechanisms of stress relaxation in GaN-based thin films and heterostructures.
Computer support
assistant cited
Donna Ballock, computer support assistant at University Park, is the 2001 winner of the Outstanding Office Professional Award given by the Penn State Educational Office Professionals.
This award recognizes an office employee who has provided exceptional meritorious service on behalf of the University. Criteria for selecting the recipient include professionalism, leadership skills, resourcefulness, problem-solving skills, quality of work, continuous quality improvement and positive attitude.
Ballock joined the University in 1988 and has served in Human Development and Family Studies for 12 years. She is the computer support assistant for more than 100 computers in the department and consults on use of various computer programs. She maintains the department's Web site and assists faculty in developing and using Web sites for use in the classroom.
3 employees win
Library Awards
Nancy L. Eaton, dean of the libraries, recently honored three employees for their hard work and dedication.
Debora Cheney, head of the Social Sciences Library, received the 2001 University Libraries Award. The award recognizes professional contributions that have a significant influence on the libraries and that bring recognition to the libraries.
Sondra Armstrong, staff assistant, Dean's Office, and Mary Hosterman, part-time reference assistant, Business, Social Sciences and Maps Libraries, each received the 2001 Margaret Knoll Spangler Oliver Libraries Award. It recognizes employees who have worked part time or full time for at least one year, and who present strong interpersonal skills and competency in their position.
York honors top
teachers, advisers
Charles "Chuck" Kennedy, instructor in political science, and George E. Rutledge, part-time instructor in business administration, have been named the recipients of the 2001 James H. Burness Awards for Excellence in Teaching at Penn State York. The awards are given to an outstanding part-time and full-time faculty member based on nominations by students and other members of the campus community. The award is named in honor of the late James H. Burness, in recognition of his outstanding teaching and service to the campus since 1976. Burness died in December 1999.
In addition, William P. Cantor, instructor in information sciences and technology at Penn State York, was honored as the winner of the 2001 Penn State York Advising Award. The award, given by the campus Academic Affairs Committee, was established several years ago to recognize the importance of advising students.
Kennedy came to Penn State York in 1982 and has taught numerous political science and government courses.
Rutledge came to Penn State York in the spring of 1994 and has taught a variety of writing courses.
Cantor came to Penn State York in 1998.