Scholarship and Research - Mr. Troy Prutzman

 

 
Troy Prutzman, radiation protection specialist, a staff member of COST Dean’s office and campus radiation safety officer has obtained his Radiological Officer certification from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency this summer. As a Radiological Officer, he joins five other individuals in Columbia County Emergency Management Agency designated to protect the lives and property of fellow citizens by responding to radiological and nuclear incidents as needed. Prutzman is an active member of the Columbia County Radiological Response Team.

Recently, Prutzman has been selected to serve as a panelist at the national meeting of the Health Physics Society, where he will join other panelists in the Academic, Industrial, and Research Radiation Safety section of the meeting on October 8. The Health Physics Society is a scientific organization of professionals who specialize in radiation safety. Its mission is to support its members in the practice of their profession and to promote excellence in the science and practice of radiation safety.

Retrieved from The Week Ahead 09/28/2020

Physics Professor and Student Produce Face Shields to Donate

Dr. John Huckans, professor of Physics, and James "Jimmy" Catarroja, physics and EET major, have been busy producing approximately 100 face shields to help in the fight against COVID-19.  They have been using three separate 3D printers to make the shields.  Two of the printers are owned by the BU Physics Department and the third is on loan from Ginny Weibel of The Bloomsburg Children's Museum.  The face shields  will  delivered to the BU police department, who will then transport them to Geisinger Hospital in Danville.  Dr. Huckans and Jimmy Cararroja plan to continue to make the face shields as long are they are needed and are also planning to make more for area emergency services. 

 

 

2019 COST Faculty Recognition Awards

Shown from left: Shelley Scarpino, John Riley, Eric Kahn, Barry Minemeyer, Biswajit Ray,
and Cynthia Venn.

The College of Science and Technology is proud to announce the 2019 Faculty Recognition Awards.  The award winners are Dr. Barry Minemyer and Dr. Cynthia Venn for teaching, Dr. Eric Kahn and Dr. Shelley Scarpino for scholarly activity, and Dr. Biswajit Ray and Dr. John Riley for service.

 Barry Minemyer (Mathematical and Digital Sciences)
Dr. Minemyer’s nominator highlighted the grace and skill with which Dr. Minemyer teaches his classes. Whether it be Gen Ed Courses like Math Thinking or College Algebra or STEM major courses like Calculus, Linear Algebra, or Real Analysis, Minemyer has impressed his colleagues and engaged his students. Dr. Minemyer has received praise-worthy student evaluations for preparation, enthusiasm, and instructor evaluation, even in Gen Ed courses like College Algebra. Minemyer continues to put student success at the forefront by developing online courses, teaching upper-level independent studies as needed, and working with underprepared students to improve their placement. His efforts are highly commendable for someone so early in his career at BU.

Cynthia Venn (Environment, Geographical, and Geological Sciences)
Dr. Venn’s nominator used one word to describe her: INDEFATIGABLE. Even after 23 years at BU, Dr. Venn remains an adamant advocate for student field experiences. From the Everglades to coastal California, Venn will take her students where the educational action is. Friday afternoons or spring break trips….Dr. Venn is ready with her legendary Wetlands Ecology course. And Dr. Venn has always returned with the class “field prepared”, mostly intact, and all accounted for. Venn's name is repeatedly mentioned during student exit interviews at the professor having an intensely positive effect on student’s time at BU. Her efforts to prepare our students for success are greatly appreciated.

Eric Kahn (Mathematical and Digital Sciences)
Dr. Kahn’s scholarship truly epitomizes the Teaching Scholar model and his efforts were recognized by his nominators for their scholarly depth and quality. His nominators highlighted his shifting research emphases toward accessibility of mathematics to undergraduate students and toward bolstering Inquiry-Based Learning. Kahn has published a paper on the teaching history of mathematics and a textbook that teaches mathematics and statistics through the lens of sports. He has additionally taught an invited mini-course at the 2019 Joint Mathematical Conference. He has also been an attendee and presenter at international and national conferences related to his ever-expanding research interests in the mathematics field.

Shelley Scarpino (Communication Sciences and Disorders)
Dr. Scarpino’s nominator highlighted her impactful research on communication and pre-literacy skills in children of diverse backgrounds and are at risk for poor academic outcomes. She published two papers in 2019, has one manuscript pending revisions, and another four manuscripts under review. Her research also includes six international and fifteen national presentations. She also engages students with research, with seven BU co-presenters on the aforementioned presentations. Scarpino also is a Co-PI on a 1.4 million dollar grant and her research future shines bright as her research scope broadens via local school collaborations.

Biswajit Ray (Physics and Engineering Technology)
Dr. Ray’s nominators highlight his dedicated and high-quality service to his department, COST, and BU. Ray has taken the lead role in maintaining the Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) program accreditation by ABET, which will continue for another 6 years. The process is rigorous and requires a dedicated and organized leader to collect and process the self-study and follow-up reports. ABET also recognized our EET program as one of the best they have ever evaluated. Ray also relentlessly pursues new industrial members to the EET Industrial Advisory Board and manages the Co-Op program. Through accreditation and his other service efforts, Ray keeps our student success in the forefront and opportunities beyond graduation.

John Riley (Mathematical and Digital Sciences)
Dr. Riley’s nominator noted his long-standing and impactful service to the COST and the university. His largest commitment is that of BUCC chair. He is the “go to” person for all curricular matter and readily lends his talents as a keen eye for curriculum matters. He has also shown great leadership as the coordinator for the Digital Forensics program that has blossomed and now garnered national recognition. Riley gladly takes on many “behind the scenes” roles in in DF so that his colleagues can do the “glamorous” things. Riley has also served on Middle States Working Groups, General Education Task Forces, Distance Education Committees. For all his efforts, Riley has been a positive role model and shining example of collegiality and fairness across our campus community.

Students Present at 6th Annual PASSHE STEM Conference

The 6th Annual PASSHE STEM Conference was held in early November at Kutztown University.  This conference is an opportunity to showcase the research done by students across the State System in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  This year, ten Bloomsburg University students and six faculty members attended.  The conference included both oral presentations and poster sessions.   Bloomsburg presenters were as follows:

Oral presentation - "Hybrid Stars" by Katelynne Pursel; mentor: Dr. Peter Stine

Oral presentation - "Using Photogrammetry to Produce Morphometric Datasets for
Comparative Paleobiology" by Keara Drummer; mentor: Dr. Alan Gishlick

Oral presentation - "Gold Nanofabrication via Template-Free Electrodeposition" by Stepan Budkin; mentor: Dr. Daniel McCurry

Poster presentation - "Comparison of Sublethal Effects of Neonicotinoid and Pyrethroid
Pesticides on Motor Responses in Honeybees" by Rachel Nenstiel and Taylor Bozza; mentors: Dr. Cynthia Surmacz and Dr. John Hranitz

Poster presentation -  "Fishing for alpha-L-fucosidase: Evaluating Enzyme Activity in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)" by MacKenzie McDowell; mentor: Dr. Jennifer Venditti

Poster presentation -  "Examining the Effects of BORIS on Telomere Regulation and Stability" by Ian Whiteside; mentor: Dr. Kate Beishline

Poster presentation - "Analysis of Within-Task Variability on Standardized Reading Assessments in Autism Spectrum Disorder" by Kyle Flannery and Geena Basile; mentor: Dr. Abby Hare-Harris

Poster presentation  - "Low Frequency Variability in a 𝛿 Scuti Star observed with the Kepler Space Telescope" by Juliette Gudknecht; mentor: Dr. Peter Stine

Keara Drummer and Dr. Gishlick

Kyle Flannery and Ian Whiteside

Kyle Flannery, Gina Basille, and Dr. Hare-Harris

Mackenzie McDowell and Dr. Venditti

Juliette Gudknecht and Katelynne Pursel

Taylor Bozza and Rachel Nenstiel

Physics Guest Lecture

On September 13, Pierre Bataille, a graduate student of physics at Paris 13 in Villetaneuse, France delivered a lecture to the College of Science and Technology entitled “High Spin Magnetic Quantum Gases.”

Pierre is currently doing research in the laboratory of Professor John Huckans at Bloomsburg. His graduate advisor in France, Dr. Laburthe-Tolra will be joining Professor Huckans later this year to continue this research. Professor Huckans and Dr. Laburthe-Tolra have been collaborating in ultra-cold atomic physics since 2012.

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.
 

Recent Publications, Presentations, and Awards

Publications
Marianna Wood, associate professor of BAHS, and Jessa Wood, BU Writing Center assessment coordinator prior to her 2017 graduation (BA Philosophy and BA Political Science), published a paper in the Journal on Excellence in College Teaching entitled, "Saving time, increasing learning: Using checklists to help students perform disciplinary writing conventions."

Sean Hartzell, adjunct faculty member in BAHS, published a paper entitled, "Sexual dichromatism of "rusty" spots in a population of Faxonius rusticus (Girard)", in Freshwater Crayfish.

Debra Minzola, assistant professor of Nursing, recently had a paper accepted entitled, "Damage Control Resuscitation of the Traumatic Aortic Rupture: A Case Report" accepted in the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Journal.  This work was a collaboration with her nurse anesthesia student, Chris Heiss

Lynn Hummel, assistant professor in Instructional Technology, recently published a paper entitled, "Gamification playtest of Zombie Ed Tech Apocalypse-For Educational Technology Leaders" in the Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference.

Luke Haile, assistant professor of Exercise Sciences, and Joe Andreacci, professor of Exercise Science recently published a paper entitled, "Affective and metabolic responses to self-selected intensity cycle exercise inyoung men" in Physiology & Behavior.  This work was a collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh.

Nathaniel Greene, professor of Physics and Engineering, recently published a paper entitled, "A simple measurement of the relative efficiency of human locomotion" in Physics Education. This work was a collaboration with the physics department at the US Naval Academy.

Michael Borland, associate professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, recently published a review article entitled, "Regulatory mechanisms mediated by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor - beta/gamma in skin cancer" in Molecular Carcinogenesis. This work was a collaboration with The Pennsylvania State University, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, University of Pittsburgh, and the National Institutes of Health.

Presentations

Melinda Barrett, assistant professor of nursing, recently presented a poster at the Pennsylvania Associate of School Nurses and Practitioners (PASNAP) annual conference entitled, "Caring for School-Age Populations: School Nurse Preparation to Practice."

Cynthia Venn, professor of EGGS, recently presented a paper at the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico entitled, "Evolution of an Undergraduate Course in Aqueious Geochemistry: Successes and Challenges."  This paper was  coauthored with Chris Hallen, professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Steven Rier, professor of Biological and Allied Health Sciences, recently presented a seminar at Central Michigan University at the invitation of the Institute for Great Lakes Research.  His seminar was entitled, "Understanding the functional roles of algal-dominated biofilms in natural and disturbed streams."

Peggy Shipley, assistant professor of nursing, and her honors student, Kelly Garman, recently presented a poster entitled, "Compassionate Love: A Concept Analysis" at the Beta Sigma Research Day at the Pennsylvania State University campus.

Awards

Pam Smith, professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders, will be awarded the “Honors of the Association” from the Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association (PSHA) this week.  She is honored for her extensive and varied experience and contribution in the field of speech-language pathology.