Biology major interns at Black Moshannon State Park

Sarah Buckley, Biology major in the Natural History option and Geosciences minor, is conducting an internship this summer with the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). This agency directs the PA state park system, manages state forests, and provides opportunities for outdoor education and recreation.

Sarah’s internship is at Black Moshannon State Park in Centre County, home to diverse wildlife and one of the largest bog/wetland areas in the state. Sarah is learning firsthand about park management. She is working with park rangers and managers on various projects such as performing inspections and patrolling the lake.

Sarah has also worked with the park’s Environmental Education Specialist to provide programs for the public on topics ranging from snakes and beavers, to the lake and wildflowers. As part of “Get Outdoors Day” at Moshannon State Park, Sarah led programs in archery, hiking, and kayaking. Dr. Thomas Klinger, professor, is Sarah's academic internship adviser.
~ from http://bloomsburgbiosynthesis.blogspot.com/

Sarah at "Get Outdoors Day"

Physics Student Presents Research

 

Dario D'Amato (poster presenter), Andrew Clickard, and Dr. John Huckans

Dario D'Amato, sophomore physics major in the honors program, recently presented his research at the Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical American Physical Society (DAMOP) 2019 conference in Milwaukee, WI.  At the conference, Dario presented his research "A Tunable ECDL at 480 nm for Rb-87 Rydbery Physics" to many interested conference attenders.  Dario also was awarded a DAMOP student travel grant from the American Physical Society to offset costs to attend the conference.

The annual conference is the largest gathering of atomic, molecular, and optical physicists in the world, and this meeting was the 50th anniversary of the yearly event.  At least three Nobel prize winners in physics attended and spoke at the conference, including William D. Phillips, Dave Wineland, and Eric Cornell.  In addition to Dario, Andrew Clickard, freshman physics major and honors program participant, and Dario's research advisor Dr. John Huckans, professor of physics, attended the event.
 

Programming Team Takes 2nd Place in Connecticut

Jacob Nocentino, Harman Dhillon, Daniel Kilgallon, Laura Josuweit, Devon Schweizer, and Grypon Ayers enjoy lunch following the contest.

Six Computer Science majors from the Department of Mathematical and Digital Sciences competed in the programming contest at the Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges — Northeastern Region (CCSCNE) 2019 conference. The annual conference, held this year at the University of New Haven in Connecticut, brings together computer science educators and students. The students, members of the University’s student chapter of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), were entered as two teams among 28 from schools across New England and the northeast.

“Team B”, consisting of Daniel Kilgallon, Harman Dhillon, and Devon Schweizer, completed five out of eight problems in three hours. The winning team completed six. “Team A”, including Laura Josuweit, Gryphon Ayers, and Jacob Nocentino, finished three of the problems, along with ten other teams. Five of the six team members are seniors, taking time out from their final year to represent the Huskies one last time.

ACM team advisor Robert Montante also presented a “Lightning Talk” on computer networking and parallel and distributed computing. The talk described the use of Raspberry Pi single-board computers to assemble a “Beowulf cluster” for use classroom use.

 

IONM certificate program receives accreditation

Bloomsburg University’s post-BA intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) certificate program has received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), making it one of just three such accredited programs in the country.

IONM is directly aimed at reducing the risk of neurological deficits after operations that involve the nervous system. IONM makes use of recordings of electrical potentials from the nervous system during surgical operations. Monitoring the state of the nervous system in “real-time” during surgery allows for corrective actions to be implemented to prevent permanent deficits, thus improving patient safety and surgical outcomes.

BU’s IONM program is aimed to bridge the gaps between the increasing demand of qualified technologists and lack of formal educational programs by providing a one-year training program for students interested in pursuing a career as IONM technologists. “This accreditation recognizes the excellent academic and clinical preparation of our graduates as provided by the program and faculty,” said Shaheen Awan, Ph.D., chairperson of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. “We are very proud to be one of just three institutions in the country to receive accreditation.”

The CAAHEP is a programmatic postsecondary accrediting agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and carries out its accrediting activities in cooperation with 26 review Committees on Accreditation. CAAHEP currently accredits more than 2,200 entry level education programs in 33 health science professions.
~from https://bloomsburgu.tumblr.com

Students participate in Penn State College of Medicine's Primary Care Scholars Program

Kayla Sompel, Kyle Mausteller, and Kaitlyn Gwozdecki

Pre-medical science majors Kayla Sompel, Kyle Mausteller, and Kaitlyn Gwozdecki were selected to participate in the Primary Care Scholars Program at the Penn State College of Medicine. They had the opportunity to explore current trends and issues in family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics during this two week program.

The first week is spent at the Hershey campus interacting with faculty, medical students, and admissions staff. The focus was on learning about the philosophy and practice of primary care medicine and the admissions process and curriculum of the medical school.

During the second week, participants gained clinical experience by shadowing a family physician, pediatrician, or internist. Kayla reports that the lectures and problem-based learning sessions expanded her perspective of family medicine, She enjoyed learning about the different areas of primary care and highly recommends the program. She appreciated the advice offered on preparing applications for medical school and the interview process. Kyle enjoyed the experience, citing his interactions with medical students as one of the higlights. During the second seek, Kyle shadowed Dr. Lori Masteller, a primary care physician at Susquehanna Valley Health Specialties.
~from http://bloomsburgbiosynthesis.blogspot.com/

EGGS 330 trip to Southern California

Ten students just returned from an exciting two-week trip to Southern California as part of their Special Topics in Field Geology (EGGS 330) course.  They were accompanied by Dr. Cindy Venn, Dr. Jen Whisner, and Dr. John Hintz. This trip came after a one-week classroom experience where the students created topic posters that they would present "live" during the trip. The posters included "Rainbow Basin", "Solar Power" (presented outside the Ivapah solar power plant, the largest in the US), "Joshua Tree Landscapes", and others.  Included in the trip were visits to Anza-Borrego Desert, Crystal Cove State Park, Joshua Tree National Park, and the Mojave Desert.

Rock lessons in the spectacular Rainbow Basin Natural Area (Bureau of Land Management).

EGGS students taking notes aside the Ivanpah CSP solar facility, the largest in the United States!

Their journey was documented on the BU Geography, Geosciences, & EGGS Alumni and Friends Facebook page.  One post stated....
"Slot canyon hikes are so fun! They start out pretty nondescript, almost like hiking in a deep gully, then they get deeper and narrower until you are enveloped by the narrow slow canyon walls. Great fun and cool geology at "The Slot," in Anza Borrego State Park, CA, with EGG 330."

Another post detailed an interaction with a BU alum...
"How's this for cool? We got to meet up with BU EGGS geography and planning alum (2011) Dan Goldbacher , who is now Director of Maritime Programs at the Ocean Institute in beautiful Dana Point, CA. Dan met with the class and told us about all the good work that the Ocean Institute is doing to educate the public about the history and ecology of our oceans. Not a bad place to work! So great to see our alums out in cg the world, healthy, happy, and doing great work. Great seeing you, Dan, and thanks for taking the time to meet up with us!"

BU Alum Dan Goldbacher '11, Director of Maritime Programs at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, CA