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
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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. 

Bloomsburg Students Participate in Soil Judging Competition

Nick Sherwood, Auston Hummel, Ian Martinez, Dr. Bourgault, Erin Boulger, and Al Sriharsha

The Bloomsburg University Soil Judging Team competed in the 2019 Northeast Regional Soil Judging Competition, October 9-11. Team members Erin Boulger, Auston Hummel, Ian Martinez, Nick Sherwood, and Al Sriharsha, led by coach Dr. Rebecca Bourgault (EGGS), traveled to Easton, MD for the contest, which was hosted by the University of Maryland.

Soil Judging involves entering a soil pit, identifying soil horizons (layers), describing the morphological properties of each horizon, and then interpreting the soil for taxonomic classification and land uses such as septic systems. Days 1 and 2 of the trip consisted of judging 12 practice pits around the Easton area, and students learned about the properties and development of soils on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. On day 3, the competition was held at Remington Farms near Chestertown, MD, where the students judged 3 soil pits individually, and then 2 soil pits as a team. Individuals and teams were ranked based on the accuracy of their scorecards.

The participating schools and their overall rankings are as follows:

• University of Maryland (1^st place)
• University of Rhode Island (2^nd place)
• Delaware Valley University (3^rd place)
• Penn State (4^th place)
• University of Delaware (5^th place)
• Bloomsburg University (6^th place)
• Brooklyn College (7^th place)
• University of Vermont (8^th place)
• University of Pittsburgh – Johnstown (9^th place)
• Stockton College (10^th place)

Soil Judging is a 1 credit course called Soil Morphology Practicum (EGGS 313) offered every fall semester (and spring semesters when the team qualifies for the national competition).

~ written by Dr. Rebecca Bourgault 

Medical Imaging Students Visit Johns Hopkins Schools of Medical Imaging

BAHS Medical Imaging Majors along with Drs. Judy Kipe-Nolt, Barry Nolt, and  Jennifer Venditti traveled to the Johns Hopkins Schools of Medical Imaging in Baltimore, MD on 9/27/19 to attend an Open House.

During this visit, students had the opportunity to tour the school, learn about the various programs offered,  and meet with program directors and instructors.  The following Medical Imaging Majors attended: Riley Snyder, Camryn Della Donna,  Sydnee Ferguson,  Ashley Brent,  Audreanna Mastishin , Audrey Kepple, Audrey Edgell, Gary Buck, and Tori Tingley       

EGGS Majors Intern Over Summer

Students of BU’s College of Science and Technology spent their summer interning at various companies.

• Stone Alexander, Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences – Intelligent Direct, Inc. 
• Tyler Andreacchio, Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences – Nockamixon State Park 
•  Levi Bartholomew, Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences – Sekisui-SPI 
• Mercedes Carfago – Chester Co Planning Commission Chris Davis – PA Land Trust Association 
• Jessie DeGori, Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences – Woodland Design 
• Zach Diehl, Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences – Schuylkill Co Conservation District 
• Luke Eggert, Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences – 
• Barry Islett Associates (Allentown) Essi Glah-Fisher, Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences – Lancaster Co GIS 
•  Cheyenne Kokinda, Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences – Hickory Run State Park 
•  Komeh Lansana, Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences – DE County Planning 
• James Loefflad, Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences – Columbia County Emergency Management 
• Dakoatah Manning, Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences – Northern Tier Planning: Towanda 
• Abigale Pribish, Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences – Montour Co Conservation District 
• Desha Reinfeld, Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences - Northumberland County Conservation District 
•  Joan Reyes-Perez, Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences )– Neshaminy State Park 
•  Lilliana Rosado, Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences – Silver Lake Nature Center 
• Amanda Settembrino, Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences – Lacawac Sanctuary 
• Nate Stephens, Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences – North Central PA Conservancy 
• Tyler Ulmer, Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences – Lycoming County  

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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.

X-Ray Diffraction Equipment Extends Capabilities

BU has a new X-ray diffractometer in the Department of Environmental, Geological and Geographical Sciences (EGGS).

The powder X-ray diffractometer (PXRD) is a D2 Phaser made by Bruker. PXRDs are essential instruments in investigating the crystalline structures of solids. Applications for the type of research this acquisition allows include mineralogy, pharmacology, and solid-state chemistry.

X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a nondestructive technique for characterizing crystalline materials. Typically, XRD is used for the identification of a crystalline phase or mineral. However, it can also provide information on structures, preferred crystal orientation, and other structural parameters, such as average grain size and strain distribution.

In the near term, this instrument will be used by Dr. Adrian Van Rythoven (EGGS, shown at right) to understand the mineralogy of ore deposits, by Dr. Brett McLaurin (EGGS) to investigate airborne minerals that could constitute human health hazards, and by Dr. Daniel McCurry (Chemistry and Biochemistry) to examine electrode coatings.

Roughly the size of a large microwave, the PXRD will also be used in a variety of geology and chemistry undergraduate courses for practical exercises. This will provide applicable hands-on training using instrumentation that many of our graduates could encounter in their careers.

This purchase was made possible by a generous $129,192 National Science Foundation grant under the Major Research Instrumentation Program.

In addition, this purchase made possible the acquisition of a related instrument, a single-crystal X-ray diffractometer: a D8 Quest, also made by Bruker, to be installed later this fall by the Chemistry department.

These two acquisitions, along with the existing and planned instrumentation already at Bloomsburg, are a significant step in developing the campus as a major center for materials characterization in central Pennsylvania.