UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Bikalpa Neupane, a Penn State graduate student, has been awarded the 2019 Graduate Student Service Award. Established in 1991, the Graduate Student Service Award recognizes a graduate student who has best combined high academic achievement with leadership in University or other public activities. The award is sponsored by the Office of Student Activities.
A master's student in management and organization leadership and a doctoral student in informatics, Neupane strives to find innovative ways of blending research, teaching and outreach in community contexts.
In response to the Nepal earthquake, he created an online platform, OneStopPortal.org, which served more than 40,000 people through information-sharing and matching supplies, including blood donations and funds, to those impacted by the earthquake.
Through this platform, Neupane raised $14,500 in a week using several community campaigns, and donated about 40 laptops and desktops to impacted schools in remote parts of the country.
Neupane demonstrates leadership on campus and in the classroom. He was elected vice president of the Graduate Student Council in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, and currently serves as president of the Nepalese Student Association at Penn State.
Neupane was honored for his accomplishments during the Graduate Student Awards Luncheon held on April 11 at the Nittany Lion Inn.