Departmental Awards Spring 2020
Departmental Faculty Marshal
Professor Dr. Michael M. Naydan
Departmental Student Marshal
Maria Badanova
Outstanding Faculty Adviser
Professor Dr. Carrie Jackson
GERMAN AWARDS 
Lucretia Van Tuyl Simmons Award
The purpose of this cash award is to provide an incentive for superior academic study of the German language at The Pennsylvania State University.
Daniel Ferriss
Stanley R. Townsend Memorial Award
The purpose of this cash award is to honor and recognize outstanding achievements by an undergraduate student who is enrolled in the German Department in the College of the Liberal Arts at The Pennsylvania State University.
Lauren Thomas
Gerhard F. Strasser Award for Best Academic Performance by a German B.A.
The purpose of this award is to honor and recognize outstanding achievements by an undergraduate student who is graduating with a B.A. in German.
Professor Gerhard Strasser was employed by the department from 1974-2004, serving as Department Head from 1997-2000. Upon his retirement, he was awarded the title, Professor Emeritus of German and Comparative Literature.
Allison Ruman
Helen Adolf Award for Best Academic Performance by a German Minor
The purpose of this award is to honor and recognize outstanding achievements by an undergraduate student who is graduating with a Minor in German.
Professor Helen Adolf (1895-1998) was employed by the department from 1943 to 1979; she was Penn State’s first Liberal Arts Research Scholar, which she was named in 1958.
Elisabeth Sachse
The Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award
The award recognizes graduate assistants for outstanding teaching performance. This award is sponsored jointly by the Graduate School, through the Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award endowment, and the Office of the Vice President and Dean for Undergraduate Education.
Katherine Kerschen
Dr. Sabine Doran (Director of Graduate Studies):
Katherine Kerschen is this year’s recipient of the Harold Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award! This award is sponsored jointly by the Graduate School, through the Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award endowment, and the Office of the Vice President and Dean for Undergraduate Education.
CONGRATULATIONS, Katherine! So well deserved!
Katherine has inspired many students and has been praised by so many of them as an outstanding instructor in both language and content courses. Her teaching duties at Penn State have included German language courses on all levels, from German 001 (Elementary German), to German 401 (Advanced Composition). Thanks to her native-like fluency in German, extensive prior teaching experience, and her research in the field of Second Language Acquisition, Katherine is perfectly situated to develop and implement new methodologies in the classroom. In her research, Katherine focuses on second language vocabulary learning and teaching. She looks at the processes underlying vocabulary acquisition in a second language and how a better understanding of these processes can inform classroom teaching techniques that help students tackle some of the more difficult aspects of learning vocabulary. Past projects have looked at ambiguous and abstract words, while her dissertation research focuses on specific types of in-class activities that can help students become better at using vocabulary words in speaking.
POLISH AWARD
Sigmund S. Birkenmayer Memorial Award
This cash award is made possible by the collective contributions of the Association for the Advancement of Polish Studies, various alumni, and friends of the College of Liberal Arts as a tribute to Mr. Birkenmayer. The purpose of this award shall be to provide recognition and financial assistance to outstanding students enrolled in Polish classes.
Olivia McCormick
I have been taking Polish with Dr. Starosta since Freshman year. I had studied in Poland for a year before becoming a student at Penn State, and I was incredibly lucky to not only have the access to Polish language classes at my university, but to have them with a professor who is passionate about the language and willing to do anything for her students to push them in their proficiency. The Polish language has led me to my wonderful husband and fulfilling major in Russian. I would like to thank my professors and the tremendous support of my university in awarding me the Sigmund S. Birkenmayer Memorial Award in Polish Studies.
RUSSIAN AWARDS
Outstanding Minor Award
The purpose of this award is to honor and recognize outstanding achievements by an undergraduate student who is graduating with a Minor in Russian.
Jessica Tatone
I am incredibly honored and grateful to receive this award. As a native English speaker with limited foreign language experience, learning Russian has certainly been a challenge at times. However, the Russian program has been phenomenal in giving me an opportunity to learn foundational knowledge of Russian language and culture, as well as how to build on these concepts and broaden my abilities. The faculty’s unparalleled commitment, reliable availability, and enduring patience has helped so many students like me achieve success in these courses.
I will always be grateful that I decided to continue studying Russian beyond simply fulfilling my major requirements. My time in this program has honestly been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had at Penn State, and I will sincerely miss working with these professors and my fellow classmates.
Joseph Paternost/James Gebhard Award in the College of Liberal Arts
This cash award has been made possible by friends and family of Joseph Paternost and James Gebhard. The purpose of this award is to honor and recognize outstanding achievement by an undergraduate student who is enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts at the Pennsylvania State University.
Jose Cartagena
Stephanie Heighton
Lauren Schlege
Julianne and David Vaughan Scholarship for Russian Study
The purpose of this scholarship is to provide recognition and financial assistance to outstanding undergraduate students majoring in Russian in the College of Liberal Arts at the Pennsylvania State University.
William Baumgardner
Words really cannot describe what Penn State’s Russian program means to me. Suffice it to say that I cannot imagine myself as I am today without the influence of its faculty and students. From getting stranded in New York to exploring the Moscow Kremlin, Irina and Yelena have been with me every step of the way, treating me like family. Even as we sit at home during quarantine, I cannot wait to get back to campus next year and again be immersed in the program that I hold so dear.
I want to say a special thanks to the Vaughan family for this scholarship. Thank you so much for helping me to pursue what I am passionate about!
Katherine Fowler
Ross Harps
Byron Pollo
UKRAINIAN AWARD
William and Anna Naydan Award for Excellence in Ukrainian Studies
This cash award is made possible by Michael Naydan in honor of his parents, William and Anna. The purpose of this award is to honor and recognize outstanding achievement by undergraduate and graduate students in the area of Ukrainian studies.
Maria Pavlenko