Students win awards for sustainability research

Three students received awards for their research last week, as part of the second Annual Award for Undergraduate Research on Sustainability and the Environment.

First prize ($1,000): Kelsey Czyzyk
Czyzyk is a graduating senior majoring in biological engineering in the natural resource engineering option. She has been heavily involved in the Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship (HESE) program. Within HESE, Kelsey was part of the affordable greenhouse venture. She spent last spring working towards expanding the venture into Sierra Leone, where she traveled with a group of HESE students in June. Her research, for which she won this award, was part of this project. It focused on measuring the water savings of the greenhouses as opposed to open air farms. This research was also pivotal in the venture receiving a grant from USAID’s Securing Water for Food competition. After graduation, Kelsey will attend Colorado State University where she will pursue her masters in civil and environmental engineering, focusing on hydrology and water resource engineering.

Second prize ($500): Alexandra Sorce
Sorce is a sophomore at Penn State Behrend, and will be transferring to University Park in the fall to continue pursuing her studies. She is majoring in community and economic development, with minors in sustainability leadership and women’s studies. Her goal is to work with a non-profit organization or foundation. Sorce is vice president/secretary of Greener Behrend, a student organization centered around implementing environmental friendliness and service on campus and around the Erie area.

Second prize ($500):Andrew Madl
Madl is a student in the Stuckeman School working towards the bachelor’s of landscape architecture. His interest in this field is focused on the visualization and figuration of site systems that promote performance and drive design through the implementation of digital technologies. Madl’s work and interest in design is heavily influenced by the artwork of Salvador Dali, with the goal of transforming everyday spaces into unique spatial experiences. Over the past five years, Madl has held internships with Michael van Valkenburgh Associates and Landworks Studio. He has been awarded the 2014 Golumbic Scholarship from the Pennsylvania State University College of Arts and Architecture and a Pennsylvania/Delaware ASLA Honor Award. Madl will be attending the Harvard Graduate School of Design for graduate studies. Upon graduating, Andrew aspires to work at a firm that is multidisciplinary in its approach to design and to one day establish his own firm.

The award, offered each spring, is open to undergraduate students at all Penn State campuses, including Penn State World Campus. For more information.