UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Faculty and staff members in the College of Information Sciences and Technology were recently recognized for their outstanding contributions to the college, the University community, and the world as part of the college’s annual faculty and staff awards.
“The college is grateful for the exceptional contributions of these individuals in a time of rapid growth for IST. This recognition is well-deserved,” said Andrew Sears, dean of IST. “Each excelled in their daily responsibilities while also thinking creatively and acting intentionally to advance our strategic priorities. We are stronger for their collective efforts and dedication to our students, programs, and research.”
Those recognized included:
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Laura Adams, assistant director in the Office of Academic Services Operations, received the Customer Service Award for her outstanding attitude and passion for helping others, as well as her instrumental work related to the college’s use of new technologies and implementation of strategic planning to achieve unit goals.
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Susan Agee, director of the Office of Undergraduate Academic Advising, received the Dean’s Honor Award for Staff for her continuous support of both her team and IST students, as well as her ability to navigate relationships with students and parents while managing the college’s evolving curriculum.
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Allie Ellison, assistant director in the Office of Undergraduate Recruiting and Student Engagement, received the Susan B. Lucas Diversity and Equity Award for her dedication to empowering diversity and equity in the IST student community through her commitment to the accessibility of college education, career success and professional development.
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Chris Gamrat, instructional designer in the Office of Learning Design, received the Dean’s Circle of Excellence Award for supporting a growing portfolio of online courses; building new collaborations across the college; and designing inclusive teaching practices, pedagogical tools and professional development experiences.
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Nick Giacobe, assistant teaching professor, received the Public Service and Outreach Award for his efforts as a community responder and work as a volunteer with the Pleasant Gap Fire Co.
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Lee Giles, David Reese Professor of IST, received the Dean’s Honor Award for Faculty for his collaborative efforts across and beyond Penn State, including his efforts to mentor faculty, offer cutting-edge courses and serve the college in several administrative capacities.
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Alison Laninger, education program assistant in the Office of Academic Services Operations, received the IST Community Award for foster a positive college climate through her leadership on the college’s Staff Advisory Committee and willingness to take on tasks outside of her normal duties.
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Dongwon Lee, associate professor, received the Senior Faculty Excellence in Research Award for his work at the intersection of data sciences and cybersecurity, which advances the understanding, modeling and detection of cyber and social frauds through data science and machine learning methods.
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Alison Murphy, assistant teaching professor, received the George J. McMurtry Faculty Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award for her efforts to teach and develop a wide range of courses, including an emerging topics coursed on health care informatics, as well as the level of care she has demonstrated toward IST students and their learning.
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Sarah Rajtmajer, assistant professor, received the George J. McMurtry Junior Faculty Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award for her efforts to make the difficult content of her courses—particularly mathematical concepts—approachable by reworking the course and including online tools that have enhanced student learning.
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Hayley Wildeson, web designer in the Office of Marketing and Communications, received the Rising Star Award for her creative problem-solving, solutions-oriented approach to her work, and ability to build professional relationships across the college and University.
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Xinyu Xing, assistant professor, received the Junior Faculty Excellence in Research Award for his significant contributions in the fields of software vulnerability exploitation and AI security, including being named the most productive junior researcher in security in 2019 based upon statistics on csrankings.org.
The following individuals were also recognized for their years of service:
Twenty-five years of University service
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Karen Brewster, director, Administrative Operations and Office of Faculty Affairs
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Carey Stover, director, Office of Research
Twenty years of service in the college
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Guoray Cai, associate professor
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Chao-Hsien Chu, professor
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Frank Ritter, professor
Fifteen years of service in the college
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Susan Agee, director, Office of Undergraduate Academic Advising
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Adam McMillen, systems administrator, Office of Information Technology
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Tracy Ray, proposal and awards generalist, Office of Research
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Carey Stover, director, Office of Research
Ten years of service in the college
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Ed Glantz, teaching professor
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Jeff Rimland, assistant teaching professor
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Amy Stever, director, Office of Academic Services Operations
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Dinghao Wu, associate professor
Five years of service in the college
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Laura Adams, assistant director, Office of Academic Services Operations
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Christian Alves, IT consultant, Office of Information Technology
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Dave Fusco, assistant teaching professor and interim associate dean for graduate and undergraduate studies
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Pam Long, director, Office of College Events
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Kevin Wall, IT consultant, Office of Information Technology
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Melissa Williams, administrative support assistant, Office of Undergraduate Academic Advising