Digital Forensics Students attend Grr Con

Thirty-two digital forensics and computer science students, accompanied by MADS professor Phil Polstra, recently attended GrrCon in Grand Rapids, MI.

GrrCON is an information security and hacking conference that provides the Midwest InfoSec community with a fun atmosphere to come together and engage with like-minded people.

Events included programming contests, professional hands-on workshops, networking among professionals, and keynote presentations. Students gained professional experience in computer programming and digital forensics through hands-on programming contests and interactions with professionals in the cybersecurity field.

This Husky Career Road Trip was partially funded by Alumni and Professional Engagement.  All students attended a pre-conference workshop, conducted by Stephen J. Jones Professional U Fellow Abby Hare-Harris. At this workshop, students designed and practiced their “two-minute pitch” or “elevator pitch” in preparation for both formal and informal networking opportunities throughout the conference. At the conference, students were also able to explore jobs and internship opportunities through the GrrCON talent accelerator program.

Dr. Beyer elected secretary of MSAAG

Patricia Beyer, associate professor of environmental, geographical, and geological sciences, was recently elected secretary of the Middle States Division of the Association of American Geographers.

MSAAG is the regional subdivision of the national Association of American Geographers which represents geographers and their departments in PA, NY, NJ, DE, and Puerto Rico. Her election means that she will become president of that organization in two years and that Bloomsburg University will host the Annual Meeting of this organization during that time.

Dr. Venditt and Dr. Hess earn Press Enterprise ROSE

BU's Biology club recently hosted leopard frog dissection as part of their bi-annual Grossology Lab at the Bloomsburg Children's Museum.  Dr. Jennifer Venditti and Dr. Angela Hess of the BAHS department organize and participate in this popular event two times a year.  In the past, they have dissected fetal pigs, cow eyes, sheep brains and pig lungs.

This event is a great opportunity for young children, ages 6 and up, to learn about anatomy.  Typically, students do not get these laboratory based experiences until high school due to both time and cost. This is one of the reasons why Dr. Venditti and Dr. Hess received a ROSE award from the Press Enterprise.  A ROSE is given to acknowledge positive contributions to the community. The Grossology Lab experience "sparks scientific curiosity among youngsters".  Keep an eye out for the March 2020 Grossology Lab, which will be dissections of squid!

Nursing Students Volunteer

It was a long time coming for these Bloomsburg University nursing majors. “I found this event to be extremely helpful as a learning experience and for my future career,” said Lillian Betteridge, a nursing major. “It was the first off-campus interpersonal opportunity we as sophomores ever had.”

Betteridge was among a group of fellow nursing students representing BU’s Center for Healthy Aging at the recent Apple Harvest Festival in Espy, where they conducted over 200 blood pressure screenings. It was their first true nursing experience outside of the classroom. “Going off campus and actually helping and participating in a community event was very exciting,” Betteridge said. “I think events like this are important for BU students to get involved in, because they are beneficial for not only us as but for people in the community we can help.” In addition to the real-world experience, the nursing students said an added bonus was getting the chance to help the community. “The community is one of BU’s biggest supporters!” said Breanna Weaver, a nursing major. “Many people in the community have a lack of access to healthcare needs or many have healthcare disparities. Students can help these individuals, while they also help us by allowing us to have more interpersonal interactions.”

Nursing is all about the relationship you create with patients, students say. They agreed the nursing field is always changing and evolving. Giving back is something that drives them to stick with this career path. “The real deciding factor for me choosing nursing was when my grandfather was sick with cancer,” Betteridge said. “Seeing and hearing about the relationship he had with his nurses and how well they cared for him, really made me want to take this career path so that I could impact people’s lives the way they did his.”

 — Rachel Raccio, mass communications major
 ~ from https://bloomsburgu.tumblr.com/

Environmental Science Learning Community Students Visit Butterfly Farm

Shown from left: David Folk, Esteban Castillo, Hudson Smith, Courtney Hale,
Lacie Pichler, Dr. Lauri Green, Brielle Hunt, and Kiersten Dunk

On October 12, the Environmental Science Learning Community volunteered at Folks Butterfly Farm in Nescopeck.The site was selected by biology faculty member Lauri Green because butterflies provide important ecosystem services for people (namely pollination) and are indicators of environmental health.

The BU group helped David Folk plant more than 200 nectar sources and host plants in the shape of a butterfly. Foll hopes to recruit many native butterflies to his site.  After working for 2.5 hours, Folk educated the group about breeding and maintaining butterflies. He taught about what each species eats, their larval development and growth, general ecology of the species, how he keeps the site free of pathogens and his plans for the future.

Hudson Smith digging a hole

Kiersten Dunk planting

Esteban Castillo planting

Lacie Pichler using a microscope to inspect for parasites

Brielle Hunt with a chrysalis

Courtney Hale washing butterfly eggs (to clean them of parasites)

A seat at the corporate table with help from BASTL

After graduating from Reading Senior High School in 2003, Ashley Faulkner held a series of temporary positions before landing a job on the assembly line at a battery manufacturing plant. Working as a machine operator, materials handler and in virtually every other position along the line, Faulkner said the pay wasn’t bad. But after almost six years on the job, she said she couldn’t see herself performing heavy manual labor the rest of her life.

She realized that education was her ticket out. “I knew I didn’t want to beat my body down, and I wanted a chance to exercise my mind and talents,’’ said Faulkner, 32, who lives in Reading and earned her associate degree in public administration and pre-law from Reading Area Community College in 2012. She was eager to earn her bachelor’s degree, but she became discouraged after trying one college program and finding that it lacked flexibility. She was unable to juggle work and school, despite sleeping in her car to cut down on travel time. “When I found out about Bloomsburg (University) and that many of the classes were virtual and the rest would be taught at RACC and that they would accept my associate’s credits, I felt I could do it,’’ she said.

Faulkner received her Bachelor of Applied Science in Technical Leadership degree (BASTL) from Bloomsburg in May 2018 and is considering pursuing a master’s degree in leadership. Faulkner, who works part-time in retail at Boscov’s corporate store in Reading, said the BASTL program gave her confidence in her abilities and taught her how to communicate ideas effectively. It also gave her an appreciation of the financial considerations behind business decisions, she said. Recently, Faulkner suggested a way to reward employees who get customers to take Boscov credit cards, which account for about 30 percent of the department store’s transactions. The BASTL program taught her to examine how a business operates and to look for paths to improvement. It also furnished her with the vocabulary to make her case to management. “I had never been part of the corporate atmosphere, and the BASTL program prepared me to communicate with executives in email or in person,’’ she said, adding that the classes on making presentations using online tools will be important as she advances. “I now realize that in making decisions you have to consider overhead, losses and liability. I didn’t come from that background and didn’t understand how big a role these factors play in operating a business,’’ she noted.

After consulting with employers who are looking for skilled managers, Bloomsburg University created its Bachelor of Applied Science in Technical Leadership program primarily for individuals with associate degrees who work and need flexibility. The program accepts up to 60 associate degree credits, and half the BASTL classes are online, with the rest taught at Bloomsburg’s partner institutions: Bucks County Community College, Community College of Philadelphia, Harrisburg Area Community College, Lehigh Carbon Community College, Northampton Community College and Reading Area Community College, as well as at the State System of Higher Education campus in Center City Philadelphia.

Learn more at http://bloomu.edu/bastl
~from https://bloomsburgu.tumblr.com

COST Pathways 2019

Pathways in Science and Technology (link to photos) is an annual event where students are exposed to many different career opportunities, as well as a great opportunity to interact with alumni working in science and technology. The program includes discipline-specific panels, business and graduate program tables, and a free networking lunch.  

This year 65 alumni attended and participated in 10 different panel discussions that were attended by over 600 students.  Running concurrently with the event was the "Recruitment Expo - Connections to your Future".

New this year was a keynote address, given by Gene Kinney.  Dr. Kinney, 1989 BU alumnus, is currently president and chief executive officer of Prothena.  Dr. Kinney is a recognized leader in the field of neuroscience drug discovery, including both Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease research and therapeutics.

After the keynote address, alumni and faculty enjoyed a reception (link to photos) at the Greenly Center downtown.

Pathways provides an opportunity for juniors and seniors to network with alumni working in prospective career fields. This is a great way to help prepare for the job market, internships and graduate schools.
 
Pathways is also an opportune time for freshmen and sophomores to gain insight into how to make the most of their college experience and prepare for post-grad life.

Below are pictures from the Networking Luncheon.