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Alumni & Philanthropy News
Alumni and Friends, Greetings from the Eberly
College of Science Office
of Alumni Relations and Development. As the spring semester comes to an end, we are about to
welcome another 400 students to the ranks of science alumni. We have had
numerous inquiries from these soon-to-be alumni as to how they can continue
their relationship with the college once their diploma is in hand. Leaving
the nest doesn’t have to mean goodbye forever. As a matter of fact,
the college counts on alumni to keep in touch and become involved after
graduation. We rely on the feedback, experience, wisdom, and insight of
those who have been here to help ensure that we are adequately serving
the needs of future generations of students. An example of how alumni involvement is important to our
students is the recent Science Career Conference. Nearly thirty science
alumni volunteered a Saturday afternoon to counsel science students about
career opportunities—for which the students in attendance were very
appreciative. This program, co-sponsored by the Science
Alumni Society Board of Directors and the Science
Student Council, has been so well received by both the alumni and
students participants that it has become an annual event. The annual Career Conference is held in conjunction with
the Science Alumni Society Board of Directors spring meeting. This group,
the governing body of the Eberly College of Science Alumni Society, meets
twice a year on campus and serves primarily in an advisory capacity to
the dean on matters regarding alumni relations. They act as a focus group
to provide feedback to the dean on topics or issues of special interest
to the college as well as to oversee all alumni programs in the college.
Since 1975, the alumni society board has been an integral volunteer group
in the college. Another integral volunteer group, the Science
Campaign Committee, was formed in 1996 to assist the college with
its fund-raising efforts as part of A Grand Destiny: The Penn State Campaign.
Thanks in part to the hard work of the campaign committee, the college
has achieved 98.3 percent of its $60 million campaign goal (as of March
31, 2001). But its work is not done yet—of the $98.3 million construction
cost for the new science complex, $20 million is being raised in private
support. Since this project has recently emerged as a critical need for
the college, its private support component is not included in the $60
million college goal set when the campaign began in 1996. We are grateful
for this tireless group of volunteers who will help make the science complex
a reality. We realize that time is a limited and precious commodity
for many—because of work, family, or other priorities in your lives.
When that is the case, many of our alumni “give back” to Penn
State by donating financial resources. We are especially excited about
the new Millennium Society, a donor recognition society instituted just
this year for those who support the college at the $1,000-plus level.
The Millennium Society will provide an opportunity for the college to
recognize its alumni and friends who understand the role of private support
in our efforts to excel as an institution of teaching, research, and public
service. Your gifts to the college (in combination with corporate matching
or gifts from a family foundation or donor-advised fund) between July
1, 2000 and June 30, 2001 will qualify you for charter membership in this
special group of science alumni and friends. In whatever way works for you to stay involved with the
college—be it time, expertise, finances, etc.—please accept
our warmest thanks on behalf of the faculty and students who benefit from
your ongoing relationship with the college. Don’t hesitate to get
in touch with us to learn how you can become more involved! Best Wishes,
Joanne T. Cahill Suzanne Sinclair Grieb
In keeping with the primary purpose of the new life sciences building—to
provide critically needed research and teaching space that will foster
interdisciplinary research and maximize collaboration in life sciences
research and education—a portion of the building was designated in
the design process to house four thematic research laboratory complexes
(levels one through four of the building’s long wing). Numerous multi-disciplinary faculty groups responded to the Life Sciences
Building Committee’s call for proposals, making their case for assignment
to one of the laboratory complexes. These groups, organized around a multi-disciplinary
research theme, presented the scientific rationale for formation of their
thematic group and the need for their particular interdisciplinary focus
at Penn State. The following four groups have been chosen to occupy the lab complexes:
With a dedicated, modern space in which these research themes can be addressed, these teams of interdisciplinary researchers will likely produce pace-setting results. Consolidation of the groups will facilitate more effective communication, increased integration, shared resources, and the ability to bridge the artificial boundaries presented by departments, colleges, and centers across the University.
Research Components Established for New Chemistry Building The Department of Chemistry is
among Penn State’s most lauded academic units. It offers educational
opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students emphasizing frontier
research and high-quality instruction in an enthusiastic and challenging
environment. As evidence of this commitment to excel, the National
Research Council in 1995 ranked the Penn State chemistry department
18th out of approximately 200 chemistry departments in the United States
that have Ph.D. programs. It is the goal of the department to move among the top ten chemistry
departments in the nation. An important first step toward this ambitious
goal is the construction of the new chemistry building that will provide
flexible and high-technology space for diverse and versatile modern chemistry
research. Levels one through five of the new chemistry building’s long wing
will house the department’s synthetic and biological chemists—those
who require typical laboratory services (gases, sinks, etc.) and ventilation
hoods for their research. The laboratories, offices, and graduate student
resource rooms for each research group will be clustered in a manner that
promotes efficiency and increased productivity. The shorter wing of the building will house the department’s physical and analytical chemists—those who use big instruments (lasers, vacuum chambers, etc.) in their research. Since many of these large instruments are sensitive to vibration, this wing of the building will be built on a floor base isolated from the rest of the building. By doing so, the instruments will not be affected by vibrations caused by the ventilation systems and the mechanical aspects of the building (elevators, etc.). Because physical and analytical chemistry research can be sensitive to light as well, this wing will have limited, small windows to accommodate the light-sensitive research occurring inside—in contrast to the many, large windows of the synthetic and biological chemistry research wing.The department’s theoretical chemists will be located throughout the building in space suitable to their research.
Donley and Falke Join Team for Science Alumni and Development Two staff members have joined the Eberly College of Science Alumni/Development team as Assistant Directors of Development. Susan W. Donley and Carol Falke will assist college alumni and friends interested in supporting the college with their financial resources. Donley, formerly a development assistant for Penn State’s Commonwealth College, comes to the Eberly College of Science with more than ten years of development experience. As Commonwealth College development assistant, she helped to support the fund-raising activities for the twelve campuses that make up the Commonwealth College. She is a graduate of Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts with a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communications and is currently enrolled in the workforce education and development graduate program in Penn State’s College of Education. Falke was most recently vice president of product development for Weekends.com, a start-up e-commerce company offering a marketplace and resource guide for travel and leisure. Prior to that, she was instrumental in the development of Rocky Mountain Wilderness Adventures, a national adventure travel company where she served as the marketing/sales director for four years. She received her bachelor’s degree in social work and psychology from Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana, and a travel certification from South Hills Business School in State College, Pennsylvania.
Science Newsletter Further Enhances
Communication Efforts with College Alumni For many years, Science Journal has provided Eberly College of
Science alumni with up-to-date news from the college. Cutting-edge research,
prestigious faculty appointments and awards, alumni and development events,
and highlights—alumni and friends of the college comment often to
alumni/development staff that they appreciate and enjoy being kept abreast
of the college’s efforts in teaching, research, and public service
through the Science Journal magazine. With so much happening in the college these days, the twice-a-year Science
Journal could be as thick as Tolstoy’s War and Peace.
Instead, a second alumni publication—the Eberly College of Science
Newsletter for Alumni Society Members and Friends—has been instituted
to share news from the college of special interest to its alumni and friends
in between issues of Science Journal. Also published twice a year, the Science Alumni Newsletter highlights
initiatives, programs, events, people, and activities across the college.
For example, the first two issues contained feature articles on important,
timely initiatives in the college (construction of the new science complex
and integration of technology into the learning environment), biographical
profiles on college administrators, students, and alumni, and articles
on alumni society board projects and events, benefactor events, and campaign
commitment highlights. While Science Journal is mailed to all alumni of the college (approximately
34,000), the Science Alumni newsletter is mailed only to college alumni
who are members of the Penn State Alumni Association (approximately 11,000)
as one of the benefits of Alumni Association membership. Information about membership in the Penn State Alumni Association can be found at http://www.alumni.psu.edu/membership/.
A Grand Destiny: Campaign Update Private support plays an important role in helping the Eberly College of Science fulfill its mission of teaching, research, and public service. Since A Grand Destiny: The Penn State Campaign began in July 1996, donations from alumni and friends have helped the college advance in all aspects of its three-fold mission. As of 31 March 2001, alumni and friends have contributed nearly $59 million in support of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and programs in the college. While the college is well within reach of its $60 million fund-raising goal set when the campaign began, several critical fund-raising challenges have recently emerged—including construction of the new science complex. A portion of the $93 million cost to build the complex is being financed by private support. Therefore, the complex will be a primary focus of the college’s fund-raising efforts throughout the rest of the campaign, which ends in June 2003. A breakdown of the campaign progress through 31 March 2001 follows:
Candidates Sought for Alumni Board The Eberly College of Science Alumni Society is seeking candidates for membership on its Board of Directors. Members serve three-year terms and may serve two consecutive terms. Board members meet on the Penn State University Park campus twice each year and also return to campus periodically to participate in a number of special events. If you are interested in finding out more about the board of directors, running for a position on the board, or if you know someone who might be interested, please contact Suzanne Sinclair Grieb, assistant director of alumni relations, Eberly College of Science Alumni Society, 430 Thomas Building, University Park, Pa. 16802-2112. Or, you may contact her by e-mail at sds6@psu.edu. LionLink Matches Alumni and Students LionLink is a professional networking program sponsored by the Penn State Alumni Association. LionLink matches Penn State students with alumni volunteers based on the students’ occupational and geographic preferences. Students talk with alumni volunteers about jobs, career planning, resume preparation, and interviewing tips. LionLink is not a job placement service and students are not allowed to ask volunteers for jobs. Volunteers set the parameters of their involvement: contact can range from a brief telephone conversation to an on-site visit. One of LionLink’s long-range goals is to link alumni volunteers with other alumni for networking purposes. You may enroll as a volunteer through LionLink’s Web site at http://www.lionlink.psu.edu. Volunteer enrollment forms also are available by mail. For more information, contact the LionLink Coordinator in 406A Boucke Building, University Park, PA 16802-5903, (814) 863-6014, E-mail: LMH11@psu.edu.
Obituaries
Margaret M. Downsbrough, 84, of State College, Pennsylvania, died Sunday, Oct. 22, 2000. Margaret and her husband, George Downsbrough, established the Downsbrough Faculty Development Professorship in Physics in 1996, the Downsbrough Graduate Fellowship in Astrophysics in 1997, and the Downsbrough Graduate Fellowship in Physics in 1999. Dr. George Hoenshel Fleming Jr., 93, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at Penn State, died Friday, Oct. 20, 2000, in State College, Pennsylvania. Dr. Fleming received a Ph. D. and bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Penn State and a master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He taught and conducted research in chemistry at Penn State for 30 years until his retirement in 1964, and was instrumental in establishing one of the nation's first and finest departments of microanalytical chemistry. In 1984, an endowed scholarship was established in Dr. Fleming’s honor by a former student. Memorial contributions may be made to The Fleming-Meyer Analytical Chemistry Award, Penn State University, One Old Main, University Park, PA 16802. Margaret Eberly George of Chalk Hill, Pennsylvania, died Dec. 10, 2000. Margaret and her family created the Eberly Faculty Charitable Trust of Uniontown. In 1986, the Trust gave $10 million to establish a chair in each of the departments in the Eberly College of Science, to create endowments for biotechnology, and to provide funding for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. On March 17, 1990, Penn State’s Board of Trustees renamed the College of Science to honor the Eberly Family. Frederick W. Lampe, professor emeritus and former head of Penn State Department of Chemistry, died Nov. 8, 2000. Dr. Lampe joined the Penn State faculty in 1960. He served as the head of the department from 1983 to 1988, and retired as professor emeritus in 1992. Former students and colleagues of Dr. Lampe are organizing a memorial fund in his honor. Contributions may be made to The Frederick W. Lampe Memorial Fund, Penn State University, One Old Main, University Park, PA 16802. James W. Shigley, 81, of State College, Pennsylvania, died Feb. 1, 2001. He was a 1940 graduate of Penn State with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, a 1942 graduate of the University of Maine with a master’s degree in biochemistry, and a 1949 graduate of Penn State with a doctoral degree in biochemistry. A professor emeritus of biochemistry at Penn State, he retired in 1987 after 38 years of service. Contributions may be made to The James W. Shigley Memorial Scholarship in Biochemistry, Penn State University, One Old Main, University Park, PA 16802.
Alumni Notes
1953 Gino Mori, B.S. Sc, a surgeon, founder, and president of Delta
Medix PC in Scranton, Pennsylvania, was honored as a Penn State Alumni
Fellow in October 1999. The Alumni Fellow award is the highest honor awarded
by the Penn State Alumni Association.
1960 Frederick B. Shaffer, B.S. Phys, retired as associate chief of
the Earth/Space Data Computer Facility after 40 years of service at NASA/Goddard’s
Space Flight Center.
1966 John N. Armor, B.S. Chem, was awarded the 2001 E. V. Murphree Award in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. This award was presented to John by the American Chemical Society for his contributions in the field of catalysis. John is an internationally renowned expert in catalysis science and is a senior scientist within the Corporate Science Center at Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Thomas Lavey, B.S. Math, has been named senior vice president
of worldwide operations at Extricity, Inc., a leading business-to-business
software platform provider. In this position, Tom will be responsible
for Extricity’s worldwide field operations including sales, services
and support.
1967 Larry L. Lynn, B.S. Phys, retired from the Central Intelligence
Agency on December 30, 2000. He joined the Los Alamos National Laboratory
on February 5, 2001. Larry and his wife, Frances, reside in Santa Fe,
New Mexico.
1969 Gary C. Vezzoli, Ph.D. SSS, is currently conducting theoretical
and experimental research in the fundamental cause of gravity, employing
an induced gravity model based on the neutrino as the gravity-bearing
momentum-transferring external particle. He is also working in the area
of magnetochemistry of the iron system and magnetophysics of the reversals
of the earth’s magnetic poles during the past 75 million years. He
can be contacted at the Institute for the Basic Sciences, 51 Park Drive,
Suite 22, Boston, MA 02215, by e-mail at gcvezzoli@hotmail.com.
1972 Larry O. Mohn, B.S. Biol, was named Southeastern Fisheries Biologist
of the Year. Larry is a biologist with the Virginia Department of Game
and Inland Fisheries and is the first biologist in Virginia to receive
the honor, which is presented by the Southeastern Association of Fish
and Wildlife Agencies. He has been instrumental in the development and
evolution of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s trout program.
1976 James J. Lyons, B.S. Sc, has been appointed head of the Aircraft Carriers and Surface Combatants Steam Machinery Control Systems Section at the Naval Surface Warfare Center-Ship Systems Engineering Station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In this position, he is responsible for engineering innovation, logistics, and management support for all facets of USN steam machinery controls systems. He lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania, with his wife Dena and their three children. Jon F. Watchko, B.S. PM, was recently promoted to professor of
pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences in the Department
of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He continues
as chief of the Division of Neonatology and Developmental Biology in the
Department of Pediatrics at the School of Medicine and as the medical
director of neonatal intensive care at Magee Women’s Hospital of
the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the Children’s Hospital
of Pittsburgh.
1978 David Rugaber, B.S. Phys, is now vice president of marketing and
planning for Oberg Industries. He resides in Prospect, Pennsylvania.
1980 William Sova, B.S. Biol, graduated from chiropractic school in
1984 and has been practicing for 17 years in Pueblo, Colorado, with 14
of those years in private practice. He was a member of the City of Pueblo
Council from 1997-2001.
1981 Michael D. Brehm, B.S. Biol, B.S. ERM, was appointed by Utah Governor
Michael Leavitt to the State Science and Technology Council for the term
2000-2002. Also in 2002, he began his own consulting engineering company—Brehm
Environmental LLC—in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he resides which
his wife and two children.
1983 Grover C. McCoury III, A.S. CmpSc, has been promoted to manager
of software development at BrightLink Networks, Inc., in Sunnyvale, California.
1986 Steven Berger, B.S. CmpSc, was recently promoted to principal
consultant with AT Kearney, a management consulting firm in Chicago, Illinois.
His group assists Fortune 100 companies leverage information technology
more effectively.
1989 Janelle Eurich Elliott, B.S. Chem, B.S. ChE, and husband, William, announce the birth of a daughter, Katherine Grace Elliott, on December 9, 2000. Along with son Benjamin, the family lives in Fishersville, Virginia. Heather Rayle, B.S. Chem, recently completed an M.B.A. degree
at Lehigh University. She has been promoted to market manager at Rodel,
Inc., a Rohm and Haas subsidiary, and has relocated to Phoenix, Arizona.
1993 Indu Kheterpal, B.S. Chem, and Douglas Gilman, ’94
Ph.D. Chem, were married in August 1998 and are the proud parents of two
children—a son, Rohin William Gilman, born in November 1999, and
a daughter, Priya Elizabeth Gilman, born in April 2001. Doug, an assistant
professor of chemistry at the University of Tennessee, recently received
a National Science Foundation Career Award. Indu is a National Institutes
of Health Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Tennessee Medical Center
in Knoxville.
1996 Ralph Muehleisen, Ph.D. Acs, and his wife Sally Laurent-Muehleisen,
’96 Ph.D. Astrophys, announce the birth of a daughter, Alexandra
Kathryn Muehleisen, on May 6, 2000. The family lives in Boulder, Colorado,
where Ralph is a professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental,
and Architectural Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
1998 Reema Chatterjee, Ph.D. Chem. and Kanan Seshadri, ’98 Ph.D.
Chem, announce the birth of a son, Akul Nimish Seshadri, on July 4, 2000.
Reema and Kannan both work at 3M Corporation in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Back to Science Journal Summer 2001 Index
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| This page is maintained by Barbara K. Kennedy: science@psu.edu, (814) 863-4682 and Leta A. Krumrine: LAK15@psu.edu, (814) 863-8453 -- FAX (814) 863-2246 Eberly College of Science, Office of Public Information, 427 Thomas Building, University Park, PA 16802-2112 This page was last updated on 26 July 2001 If you would like
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