Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Morganne Bennett, an education of the visually impaired major in her junior year at Kutztown University, is spending her spare time in the lab this semester.

Kutztown University has conferred degrees on more than 1,225 students during the winter and spring semesters. Kutztown University announces degree conferment twice a year, once in the winter and once in the summer. Commencement exercises are held in May and December; however, students finish the requirements for graduation throughout the entire year. The cumulative grade point average necessary for honor distinction is: with honor (cum laude) 3.40; with high honor (magna cum laude) 3.60 and with highest honor (summa cum laude) 3.80.

Nearly 1,700 students have been named to the Spring 2018 Dean's List at Kutztown University. To be eligible for the Dean's List, an undergraduate student must be registered for at least 12 credits and have a minimum grade point average of 3.60.

Tyler Stoney, of Blandon, Pa., has been named the 2017-2018 winner of the $1000 Liquid Interactive Award for Achievement in Data Analytics at Kutztown University. Tyler's project, "Data Mining Charities," set out to determine whether there is a correlation between the type of a charity in terms of class of recipients, and its effectiveness in distributing funds to recipients.

Sara Wingert, a senior anthropology major from Lehighton, Pa., has been awarded the Silver Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award for successfully completed research projects. Sara's research allowed her to replicate stone and wooden tipped spears to assist her in learning about past cultures way of life. The research was done to aid archaeologists with documentation of bow and arrow use in different parts of the world. Sara has also completed the Pennsylvania German Studies Minor and was one of the first recipients of the KU Bears research grant. She has served as a Presidential Ambassador and in the fall of 2016, gave a presentation about the summer archaeological field school to the Kutztown University Council of Trustees. She is Kutztown University's nominee for the Syed R. Ali-Zaidi Award for Academic Excellence in the PaSSHE system, an award granted to one graduating senior within the PaSSHE system. In the future, Sara plans to attend University College Dublin, where she was awarded a scholarship, for their program in experimental archaeology and material culture.

Tiffany Visgaitis, a senior physics and astronomy major from Whitehall, Pa., has been awarded the Gold Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award in the category of successfully completed research projects. Tiffany used the on-campus observatory telescope to co-discover two new exoplanets as well as co-authoring two peer reviewed professional publications detailing the discoveries. Tiffany also attended a conference where she presented her research and participated in workshops intended for graduate students. She also recently traveled to Italy where she worked on a computer code used in exoplanet discovery and presented the work she did there at the winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society. Her work on exoplanet detection has been ongoing for three years now since spring of 2015. She has been on the Dean's List every semester since fall 2015, received the KU College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean's Scholar Award in spring 2016, and is the recipient of the Deborah A. James Women in Physics Scholarship for the 2017-2018 school year. In the future, Tiffany plans to attend graduate school and earn a Ph.D. in astrophysics and has already been offered a position in the Case Western Reserve University program.

Matthew Harris, a senior history major from Pine Grove, Pa., has been awarded the Silver Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award for successfully completed research projects. Matt wrote a paper focused on the topic of what would happen to freed slaves after the Civil War. He is also completing research that examines U.S. military burial ceremonies and customs. Matthew has presented four papers, at local, regional, and national conferences and has also held an internship with the Kutztown Area Historical Society where he digitized and indexed its publications. He is also a part of the honors program and the National History Honorary Society, Phi Alpha Theta. In the future, Matthew plans to obtain an advanced degree in history and has already been accepted into Temple University's program.

Margot Shrift, a senior environmental science and biology major from New Philadelphia, Pa., has been awarded the Copper Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award for successfully completed research projects. Her research was focused on species richness and diversity of plant-dwelling spiders which won an award for the quality of the presentation at the Commonwealth of Undergraduate Biologists Conference in April 2017. In the summer of 2017 she earned a position at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem, Millbrook, New York. Margot has also volunteered at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and has assisted in the removal of invasive understory plants. She has been awarded the KU Star Student Award as well as the National Science Foundation KU STEM Tuition Scholarship Award.

Fikir D. Wordofa a senior biology and psychology major with minors in bio-chemistry and bioethics, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, has been awarded the Silver Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award for successfully completed research projects. She is currently working on a historical/ biological research project focused on the efficacy of Ethiopian traditional medicine. Fikir held an internship with Reading Hospital during which she played a key role in a research project. She started her long term research project while she was still in high school. The research could have a major impact on medical care in Ethiopia where traditional medicine is commonly used. She has been a member of the Kutztown University Honors Program, on the Dean's List, and a KU Health Ambassador since fall 2014. In the future, Fikir plans on attending medical school and has already been accepted into Temple University's program. Once becoming a doctor, she plans to set up programs that combine traditional and western medicine to best treat the ill in Ethiopia.

Shannon Golden, a senior mathematics and secondary education major from Allentown, Pa., has been awarded the Silver Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award for successfully completed research projects. Shannon has conducted research as a part of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program at Lafayette College. She has presented research related to her work at the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program and at the Algebraic and Extremal Graph Theory, an international conference held at the University of Delaware. Shannon has also presented her work in San Diego at the Joint Mathematics Meeting. She has also worked with others to prepare a paper which will be submitted to a peer reviewed journal, Discrete Mathematics. She is a member of the Kappa Mu Epsilon National mathematics Honor Society as well as the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society. In the future, Shannon plans to attend graduate school where she will pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics.

Jenna Ruoss, a senior biology and environmental science major from Wernersville, Pa., has been awarded the Copper Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award for successfully completed research projects. Jenna has worked with two professors on different projects. In her research, Jenna explored what terrestrial vertebrates were visiting local streams and contributing to the diversity of parasitic worms cycling through the animal community. In March 2018, she presented the results of her research at the 7th International Symposium on Cecidology in Taiwan and is also one of two students to present at Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol in Harrisburg. Jenna has been on Dean's List every semester she has been here at KU. In the future, she plans on continuing her education and has applied to the PhD program at Ball State University.

Joseph Ritzko, a senior mathematics and physics major from Auburn, Pa., has been awarded the Copper Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award in the category of successfully completed research projects. Joseph alongside his research partner have worked on a project that could save the Borough of Kutztown up to $18,000 over the span of five years. Working with the Kutztown Wastewater Treatment Plant, Joseph and his research partner determined a way to utilize the Methane produced at the plant and use the methane to fuel the operations of the plant. Joseph has presented this research at Math Fest, an annual summer meeting of the Mathematics Association of America, held in Chicago in July 2017. He plans to pursue a career in mathematical research in industry work.

Brandon Raguz, a senior marine biology major from Chalfont, Pa., has been awarded the Copper Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award in the category of noteworthy achievements in athletics. Brandon is an All American pole-vaulter that in May 2017, qualified for nationals and earned All American second team honors. He has five consecutive top five finishes at the PSAC Championships. Brandon is also a four time All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) honoree and has also been named to the All-Academic Team selected by the coaches association. This season on the indoor circuit, Brandon posted a career-best mark and NCAA provisional mark of 16-4.75. It was the best mark of his indoor career by more than four inches to rank fourth in school history.

Carly Plesic, a senior history and anthropology major from Harrisburg, Pa., has been awarded the Copper Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award in the category of successfully completed research projects. Carly will present her work on how universities and local historical societies can work with one another at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference this month in Hershey. In April of 2017 she presented research at the 82nd meeting of the Society of American Archaeology in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and has also presented at Undergraduate Research Day in Harrisburg, Pa. She has made the Dean's List every semester since her freshman year and was the recipient of the Ester Willits scholarship, a highly competitive scholarship bestowed upon students with superior GPA's, in Spring 2017. In the future, Carly plans to attend graduate school with a focus in history or anthropology.

Allison Landino, a senior communication design major from Gilbertsville, Pa., has been awarded the Copper Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award for original artwork of high quality. Allison designed a 28 page branding manual for Blum Garden & Teahouse which has received recognition from the Flux AIGA Blue Ridge student competition by being selected as a winner by a panel of external professional designers. Aside from the creation of the branding manual, Allison has been the photography editor for the Keystone Newspaper and held internships with the Vanguard Group as well as the Kyle David Group. She has been on the Dean's List every semester since she arrived at KU, and has also received the Board of Governor's Scholarship as well as the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence. Allison hopes to work for firms specializing in branding new companies and is also considering furthering her education at the graduate level.

Jacob Christ, a senior physics and mathematics major from New Tripoli, Pa., has been awarded the Copper Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award in the category of successfully completed research projects. For his research project, Jacob spent three years studying aspects of the Quantum Hall effect and was able to create optimal conditions to create the best reproduction of the Hofstadter butterfly, a famous fractal pattern which has never been created in experiments until now. Jacob has worked on this project for three years with Professor Kunal K. Das and has presented his research at the Division of Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics annual meeting, an international conference focused on atomic physics. In 2017, he was the only student to present his research at the KU Faculty Recognition Ceremony for grants and sponsored projects. Jacob has a 4.0 GPA and in the future plans to pursue his Ph.D. in physics.

Adam Cole, a senior geology major from Washington, NJ, has been awarded the Council on Undergraduate Research - Geosciences Division (GeoCUR) Award for Excellence in Student Research. Cole was a part of a research team that was focused on quantifying sediment transportation in a small stream setting. Cole was nominated by Dr. Erin Kraal for his exemplary efforts in finding and defining an independent research project, demonstrating leadership and his persistence in the face of challenges. She also noted that he presented his research at a national conference. The Council on Undergraduate Research was founded in 1978 and its mission is to support and promote high-quality undergraduate research in all academic disciplines. The Geosciences Division was founded in 1986 and is in its fifth year of handing out this award. For more information, visit www.cur.org and https://geocur.org.

The following people recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.

Kutztown University has inducted 23 students into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Phi Kappa Phi is an honor society established in 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study.

Beth A. Alboucq of New Tripoli is working in the office of Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Mike Stack as part of a 15-week internship sponsored by Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education. Alboucq is a senior public administration major and paralegal studies minor at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. She is one of eight students participating in The Harrisburg Internship Semester (THIS) program, which provides students the opportunity to work in all areas of state government while earning a full semester's worth of credits.

Kutztown University has conferred degrees on more than 475 students during the summer, fall and winter semesters. Kutztown University announces degree conferment twice a year, once in the winter and once in the summer. Commencement exercises are held in May and December; however, students finish the requirements for graduation throughout the entire year. The following students have been awarded degrees since the spring 2017 announcement. The cumulative grade point average necessary for honors distinction is: with honor (cum laude) 3.40; with high honor (magna cum laude) 3.60 and with highest honor (summa cum laude) 3.80. Students listed multiple times have been awarded more than one degree. Students who have requested privacy (FERPA) are not listed publicly.

Kutztown University Cheerleading made program history by competing co-ed and receiving a bronze medal at the Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA) College nationals in Walt Disney World, Orlando, Fla. KU placed third in the NCAA Division II Small Co-ed Division on Saturday, Jan. 13. It was the highest finish in program history. Kutztown competed against 11 teams in the semi-final round. Of those 11, six advanced to the final round. KU hit an amazing routine making it through with zero deductions.

More than 200 Kutztown University students have been inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success. To be inducted, students must attend an orientation, a three-hour Leadership Training Day, three Success Networking Team Meetings and three Speaker Broadcasts featuring leading figures delivering success-related messages to our members.

More than 1,725 students have been named to the Fall 2017 Dean's List at Kutztown University. To be eligible for the Dean's List, an undergraduate student must be registered for at least 12 credits and have a minimum grade point average of 3.60.

Emily Sakal, a senior history major from Phoenixville, Pa., conducted research to find the validity of whether or not Thanksgiving truly began with the Pilgrims. Sakal's area of focus was history, more specifically "How Thanksgiving has been celebrated in our history in different regions and at different times". The research focused on the historical purpose of Thanksgiving as a national celebration was a means to celebrate our national creed of equality, to ask forgiveness for our national sin of slavery. However, this is drastically different from what American society is accustom, where it symbolizes the meal between Pilgrims and Indians.

Destiny Fisher has been named the Kutztown University campus organizer for the national It's On Us campaign. Fisher, of Philadelphia, Pa., is a senior communication studies major with a minor in public relations. She has served as president of the Black Flame Dance Team and is a volunteer at the Kutztown University Women's Center and GLBTQ Resource Center. As a campus organizers, Fisher serves as a mentor and point of contact for It's On Us initiatives on the KU campus. She will establish individual goals and motivate campus constituencies to rally around addressing the issue of sexual violence.

Nykolai Blichar has been selected as the northeast regional advisor for the national It's On Us campaign. Blichar, of Palmerton, Pa., is a graduate student at Kutztown University pursuing a degree in student affairs in higher education. He served on the It's On Us National Student Advisory Committee last year and was a former student trustee on the Kutztown University Council of Trustees. Currently, Blichar is a graduate assistant for the GLBTQ Resource Center & Women's Center at Kutztown University. He also serves on the President's Bias Response Task Force. As regional advisor, Blichar serves as the primary point of contact between the national It's On Us organization and all campus organizers and student advisory committee members in the northeast. He will relay regional goals to student advisory committee members and serves as a mentor for activists with the region. The northeast region represents colleges from Maine to Maryland.

Kylin Camburn, Coopersburg, Pa., has been selected as a GLAAD campus ambassador at Kutztown University. Camburn is a senior communication studies major and is minoring in bioethics. GLAAD's Campus Ambassador Program engages young LGBTQ advocates that contribute to GLAAD's mission of amplifying and celebrating a wide range of voices from the LGBTQ community by producing dynamic, educational media content relevant to the lived experiences of queer youth. Campus Ambassadors are also trained to work with the media as spokespeople and have had told their stories in national media from Entertainment Tonight, to Seventeen, Teen Vogue and more. Camburn is an undergraduate assistant in the GLBTQ Resource Center at KU and is the vice president of Lambda Delta Xi Diaternity. They are heavily involved in local and national activism both for the environment and for equal rights for all people, especially through the use of art and poetry. Founded in 1985 to counter inaccurate reporting on HIV and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love.

The Pennsylvania state Senate has confirmed the nomination of Kutztown University senior Molly Gallagher to the Board of Governors of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education. Gallagher joins three other new members to the board that oversees the State System and its 14 member universities. Gallagher is a senior communications studies major, with minors in leadership, public administration, women and gender studies and public relations, at Kutztown University, where she is serving her second term as president of the Student Government Association. As SGA president, she oversees the organization's $2.2 million operating budget as well as the 33-member, elected Student Government Board. She sits on the President's Administrative Council Board, is interning with Kutztown University's University Relations office, and was selected to attend the Campus Women Lead summit in Washington, D.C., hosted by the National Campus Leadership Council and Running Start.

Tyler Readinger, a senior music major from Birdsboro, Pa., has been awarded a conducting fellowship with the Allentown Symphony Orchestra. The Conducting Fellows Program supports the opportunity for promising conductors to hone their craft and enrich their musical experience through mentorship and participation in the Allentown Symphony Association's orchestral and community programs. The Conducting Fellows travel to the Lehigh Valley to work side by side with Allentown Symphony Music Director and Conductor Diane Wittry, in advance of and during the production of a Classical Series Concert. Along the way, they learn intricacies involved in assembling and leading a regional symphony. Fellows also meet with association staff in order to learn the range of activities necessary to operate a symphony orchestra. Their visit includes a stop at the exemplary community-based program, El Sistema Lehigh Valley.