Practice Makes Perfect: EMS Poster Exhbition

EMSPoster

Practice makes perfect, and on December 4, 2013 thirty students from Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) practiced their poster presentation skills in the college’s second annual Undergraduate Poster Exhibition.

Original posters on topics ranging from tracking wildfires in the western US to exploring the material science behind bridge failures were displayed throughout the ground floor of the Deike Building. Students gave short presentations about their original posters to faculty and staff judges, who scored the posters in three categories: display, content, and oral presentation.

“You can’t beat this opportunity for undergraduates,” said Dr. Joe Bishop, a researcher in the Department of Geography and a poster judge. Many students seized the opportunity to use the Exhibition to practice for upcoming conferences in their fields.

Senior Rachel Passmore (geography) will be presenting this spring at the Association of American Geographers annual meeting. Her poster idea began during a year-long research project on food accessibility in Japan. Passmore worked closely with a faculty mentor to develop her ideas and convey them in a visually appealing way.

“I wanted a chance to talk about my experience,” said Passmore, “and I also thought this was a really good way to practice my presentation skills.”

Passmore learned that unique, eye-catching design is the key to capturing an audience’s attention. She also said this experience helped her learn to be more concise in her communications.

Cash prizes were an additional incentive to participate: $500 for first place, $300 for second place, and $200 for second place. Seniors Kyle Haab (energy engineering) and Jonathan Graterol (energy engineering) won first place with a poster about reducing energy use while improving safety in the Fraser Street garage. Second place went to senior Kehao Zhang (materials science and engineering) who presented a poster explaining an innovative way to use tungsten in specialized films. Sophomore Emily Fucinato (materials science and engineering) placed third, with a materials science poster about reducing the cost of solar cells.

For most students, it isn’t all about the prize money. Instead it’s about the experience of interacting with peers and faculty, and having a chance to share exciting research that is the product of hard work. It’s also about graduate school. Second place winner Zhang entered to gain confidence for research presentations during graduate school interviews.

“When I was talking with the judges, they gave me the confidence to keep talking, and they gave me very good feedback,” said Zhang. “It was a great opportunity for the students to talk with faculty.”

While the upper-classmen presented work from senior theses and internships, freshman presenters got creative with topics. John Swab, a freshman in Geography, won the Freshman Award for a poster about streetcar and suburb development in Baltimore.

To round out the event, EMS students had an opportunity to vote and select the Student Choice award, which went to junior Bonhui Lu (energy business and finance) for her poster titled “China Shale Gas Industry and Economic Development.” Attendees cast their votes with donations for their favorite poster, and all funds were donated to student-related charities such as Relay For Life.

“I have good friends,” said Lu with a smile. “I knew it was for a good cause, and I told them to come down and vote for me—and they did!”

~Kimberly Del Bright & Ellen Chamberlin

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Just the Deets: Your Résumé’s Reference Page

yelp

We “Yelp” a restaurant to find out what others thought of the food before we go there, and similarly employers will want to find out what others thought of you before they hire you. Most of the time, prospective employers will ask for your references; some ask for them when you submit your résumé and cover letter, and others ask for them after they’ve interviewed you and are considering offering you the position. (By the way, it’s assumed you’ll be able to furnish them upon request, so don’t use up valuable space on your résumé stating the obvious.)

No matter what the timing, you should be prepared for this important part of the employment process by creating a reference page. Do not think of this as a second page to your résumé. Create a separate sheet and use the same format as the contact information on your résumé, so the design elements are similar and the appearance is cohesive. It’s best to concentrate on professional, academic, and personal references as opposed to purely social ones, but it also depends on the audience and position.

Information to include for each reference is as follows:  full name, title (Dr., Mr., Ms.), organization or company with which the reference is affiliated, complete mailing address, phone number, and an email address.

Here’s an example of how it might look.

Eliza Right Resume

reference example eliza right

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Grundy Haven Example: Communicating Science to a General Audience

I found these two examples of how to communicate a technical topic to a lay audience on NPR. If you’re considering the Grundy Haven Scholarship Competition, read these to see how the writers adapt the content and style to this general audience.

volcano

Deep in the Pacific, Scientists Discover Biggest Volcano on Earth.
breakfast

Skipping Breakfast Makes You Fat? Not So Fast.

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Summer Excursion to Jamaica for Sustainability Study for EMS LEAP

EMS LEAP Group Photo_Durgas DenSixteen freshmen started their Penn State experience this summer with an excursion to Jamaica for nine days as part of an international travel component of “Sustainability in Jamaica,” a course offered through the Learning Edge Academic Program (LEAP) and the Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS).

Led by Dr. Neil Brown, research associate for The Alliance for Education, Science, Engineering, and Development in Africa (AESEDA), Ms. Kimberly Del Bright, Giles writer-in-residence for EMS, and Ms. Kristin Thomas, global engagement coordinator for Global programs, students studied sustainability, communication, and leadership for five weeks on campus before traveling to Jamaica. This year, students examined sustainability on three scales:  global, local, and interpersonal. Once in Jamaica, they were challenged to apply their classroom knowledge to hands-on projects, to live in sustainable ways, and to be engaged global citizens.

“Jamaica provides a good case study for examining sustainability issues because it has economic issues from high-density tourism that can cause problems with infrastructure and natural resource use,” said Kyler Gordon-Rees, an incoming energy, business, and finance student.

In the classroom, students studied obstacles to achieving sustainable solutions. “When we arrived in Montego Bay and drove to Ocho Rios, I could see the huge walls built around the luxury resort compounds. I was seeing the actual physical barriers between the all-inclusive resorts and the rest of Jamaica. I realized the effects of tourism are more complex than I had originally thought,” said Ryan McCann who plans to study petroleum natural gas engineering (PNG) in the fall.

“Living in three very different sustainable locations and making day trips to both tourist locations and sustainable developments made me more conscious that there are choices to the way we eat and live and the impact it can have on the environment,” said Annie Rodden, a meteorology major.

Students stayed four days at the eco-friendly, Jamaican owned and operated Crystal Ripple Beach Lodge. They conducted research by interviewing local shop owners, fishermen, and residents. They took several day trips including ones to Dunn’s River Falls, a 600 foot waterfall visitors and locals climb, and to Jacobs Ladder, a 100 acre home for children and adults with disabilities that practices sustainable agriculture to feed its residents.

After staying at Crystal Ripple, the students travelled inland from the coast to a small five-acre sustainable eco-village and organic farm. For four days, the students worked in teams with on-site help from Lyse Charron, one of the owners, to design and implement a natural chicken garden using permaculture principles.  Communication and leadership skills were put to the test.

“This was one of our biggest challenges during the trip,” said Bryan Wood, a materials science and engineering major. “It was not because of the heat or the physical work; it was just trying to find consensus among people who all had different ideas. I know the same thing happens when trying to find solutions on larger scales to environmental issues.”

The last stop was a luxury sustainable resort in Port Antonio, the Hotel Mocking Bird Hill. “I saw here that sustainability can even mean upscale, but it can be very expensive. We learned that 86,000 gallons of rain water has to be collected from some very costly rain barrels for use, and the water can be used for up to six weeks. Plus, even though the hotel has been in existence for over 20 years, they constantly look for new ways to make the human impact on the environment smaller. This made me think of sustainability more of a process than a finished deal, “ observed Evan Lunak, a PNG major.

Many connections between classroom lessons and real-life applications were made, but students commented that one of the best aspects of their summer was the connections they made to each other through their LEAP experience.

“I am happy to say that I have made lasting friendships with my fellow students. Forming these ties is the highlight of my summer,” said Grant Senft a PNG major. “I am certain that the friends I made will last throughout my college years.”

 

To read more about what the students have to say about “Sustainability in Jamaica,” go to PSU NEWS (http://news.psu.edu/).

 

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Reader Suggests Link (MLA)

ginaLast week, I got this nice email from a writing tutor that helps out at the W.B. Goodwin Community Center. One of her students found another good resource for citing using the MLA format. More technical disciplines, such as engineering, science, and social science,  use APA style citations more frequently. Because most of my readers are EMS students, I tend to emphasize APA style. But check out the link she suggests. It looks like it has a lot of useful information!

HI Kimberly,

I wanted to email you quickly to thank you for your webpage (https://sites.psu.edu/gileswriter/useful_links/). My name is Gina, and I volunteer as a tutor at my teen center. We are currently learning about plagiarism about ways to prevent it when writing papers. Your page has some great information we can share with the group. Thanks for helping!! 🙂

I also wanted to let you know about a page that my student Madelyn found about the MLA style: http://english.answers.com/essays/mla-essentials-research-paper-checklist . Can you include this in your list of resources? I’d like to show Madelyn that she is making contributions to the class, because lately she has been struggling to keep up with her work. And I thought it would be a great addition for other students to learn more about MLA citation.

If there’s any other great sites or information you think my students should know about, I’ll make sure to share it with them. Thanks again, and have a great April!

Take care,
Gina Alvarez

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EMEX Packs Them In!

Kevin Cloud Giving Student Tour of EMS Historical Ventilation Lab

“Welcome to PSU on this beautiful spring-like day,” Dean William Easterling joked with a packed auditorium on a cold, snowy 16th of March, at the kick-off of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences’ (EMS) annual recruiting event. All students who are considering an EMS major are invited to attend the Earth and Mineral Sciences Exposition (EMEX). Over 425 prospective students and their families, from as far away as Hawaii, didn’t let the weather deter them from exploring the eleven bachelor degree options EMS offers.

“We’re one of the oldest colleges at Penn State, with an emphasis on mining at first, but growing to include diverse options in geography, geosciences, meteorology, materials sciences and engineering, and energy and mineral engineering—with all five programs ranked in the top ten nationally by any service you want to pick,” Easterling said. “And our students get jobs in their fields!”

Each EMS department provided opportunities to meet and discuss majors and careers with current students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Sessions on weather forecasting, natural disasters, fire ecology, advanced materials, and energy solutions for the future were available. “Hands-on” demonstrations and tours also engaged visitors. One of the most popular features of this year’s EMEX also speaks to the long history of EMS:  a tour of the old ventilation laboratory.

Built in 1930 in the basement of the Steidle Building, it was considered a cutting edge research facility for its time. Advancements in effective mine ventilation practices, modeling of mine ventilation systems, as well as the control of diesel emissions and respirable dust in the underground mine environment were made possible by using this laboratory to recreate actual mine ventilation conditions.

But that was then. Now days you’re more likely to find mining and mineral process engineering students using computer applications and completing course work and research on innovative mining systems, geomechanics, rock mechanics, materials handling, mine management, health and safety, and other issues at the forefront of mining science and technology.

Not all the attention was on academics at EMEX either. The event is all student-led, and chairperson Devin Boyer (meteorology) and his co-chairs Ryan Belz (meteorology), Nick Philips (petroleum and natural gas engineering), Rob Englund (earth and mineral sciences) and Everleigh Stokes (geography) incorporated opportunities for prospective students to experience college life. Those arriving on March 15 could attend classes and shadow their student sponsors for the day. Residents of Irvin Hall, the Special Living Options for EMS, sponsored an evening of ice-breaking activities and plenty of time to talk about life at Penn State. While students socialized with their peers, parents and families were enjoying a dinner at the Atherton Hotel where they asked questions of the deans, faculty, staff, alumni, and EMS students.

“I love EMEX because it’s a chance to show off and share what we have here,” said Everleigh Stokes. “We have a small college and a really strong community.”

Dean Easterling echoed this sentiment. “We’re a small college within a large university. With 136 tenure line professors, you will get to know your professors. And they’re tackling the big challenges from glacier dynamics to new cancer delivery materials and much more. We don’t just have good textbooks here. We write the textbooks.”

The snow was still falling at the close of EMEX, but many didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave. “I was worried that I would feel overwhelmed at Penn State,” said one high school senior from New Jersey. “But EMEX definitely helped me see what EMS is all about.”

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Third Year EMS THON First Among General Organizations

dancers_before_ 2013

“The last four hours were a real struggle for me,” said Sarah Bademan (B.S. ENENG ‘13) a Penn State Dance Marathon (THON) dancer for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS). “But when the time came for the totals to be slowly revealed on the screen, I grabbed the hands of the people around me. When the EMS amount of $92,481.23 popped up on the screen, I was jumping up and down with excitement.”

The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) THON organization is on a roll. For the third year in a row it has achieved the distinction of raising the most money among the 253 General Organizations participating in THON on February 15 -17, 2013, on the University Park Campus. Overall, THON raised $12,375,034.46 for the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Medical Center.

The motto of EMS THON is “One College. One Love. One Fight.” Overall EMS Chairperson Marla Korpar (B.S. ENVSE ‘13)  describes herself  and her fellow students as “warriors who battle against pediatric cancer.” And the preferred weapon of this warrior is a spread sheet. Months before the event occurred, she created a detailed hour-by-hour Excel sheet to plan events before and during THON weekend.

She explains that THON is “evolving,” and “canning is just one major part of the fundraising efforts.” She credits corporate donations, THONline fundraising, Peer to Peer Giving, and the inspirational WPSU documentary, Why We Dance, as reasons for this year’s success.

“No one person could accomplish what we did. For us, it’s a team approach. I’m so proud of our integrity too. We are guided by the true purpose of THON. When it came time to pick our dancers, which is a huge honor, we all agreed it wasn’t a popularity contest. We picked dancers who had demonstrated the heart for the cause,” she said.

In addition to Sarah Bademan, Chris DiMisa (B.S. EBF ‘13), Brittany Eckert (B.S. EBF ’13), Julianna Ganter (B.S. ENVSE ‘13), Alyson Hoegg (B.S. METEO ’13)) and Jacqueline Layer (B.S. METEO ’13 ) were chosen to represent the College. Pre-THON training of cutting caffeine, getting regular work-outs, finding time for sleep, and eating healthfully strengthened their hearts in a physical way too. “I haven’t felt this healthy in my whole college career,” said Layer.

Eckert added, “THON changes the lives of the dancers in so many ways. But it also changes the lives of our THON families and all those participating. It gives us a better perspective on what’s truly important.”

“Providing emotional support to the Four Diamonds Families is my favorite part of THON. I don’t think people realize how emotionally connected we are to the families,” said Ganter.

“It’s true,” said DiMisa. “The most memorable moment of THON for me was after Family Hour. Butch Brewer, the father of one of our families just hugged me. We didn’t say anything, we just hugged.”

“The best part for me was seeing the Woods family in the human tunnel as I entered the Bryce Jordan Center to start THON,” said Eckert. “They surprised us; we didn’t think they’d come until Sunday.”

Along with the Brewers and the Woods, the Jackson Hollinger family was paired with EMS this year through the Adopt-A-Family program. Jackson turned twelve in January and is in active treatment for his cancer.

“Seeing the children and the families shows me that complaining about little things in life is unnecessary,” said Hoegg. “I will live every day to the fullest. You never know what will happen today or tomorrow.”

Read more on PSU News.

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TICK…TOCK: GRUNDY HAVEN 2012-13

clockThe deadline for the Grundy Haven Paper Competition is only 23 days away (midnight of FEBRUARY 15, 2012). Many of you have come to see me to discuss your papers. It’s still not too late to get started, but time is getting short.

If you may be interested, the first step is to read the winning entries on the EMS website. This will help you get a feeling for the style and tone of the Grundy Haven. Most importantly, the audience for your paper is a well-educated, intellectually curious person who may not be a specialist in the field in which you’re writing. You’ll have to engage this particular audience, and this means you’ll need to focus on why he/she should care. As you read these entries, notice the citations are weaved into the text, and they are not placed in parentheses as they are in academic writing.

Next, read the guidelines carefully. Then, take a look at the scoring rubric that will be used to evaluate your paper (Grundy Haven Scoring Rubric 2012_13).

Last, but not least, make an appointment with me to discuss your entry (kdb9@psu.edu). This is required in order for you to submit a paper. My appointments do fill up quickly, so don’t delay.

Also, on Thursday, February 7, I’ll hold a drop-in day for all Grundy Haven participants. You can stop by anytime between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and meet with me or Brendan.

Tick tock.

 

 

 

 

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Expressing

 

Daniel-Post-Senning-3-WO                                                         Photo: Daniel Post Senning

 

Is the art of the thank you note long gone or alive and well? I interviewed Daniel Post Senning, the great-great grandson of Emily post to find out. This article is in the January 2013 issue of the State College Magazine.

“Grandmothers complained to my grandmother about thank you notes,” says Daniel Post Senning.

As co-author of the 18th edition of Emily Post’s Etiquette, and great-great-grandson of Emily Post, he’s got an informed perspective on manners. Today, he and the younger generation of Posts, seven in all, run The Emily Post Institute in Burlington, Vt., which according to its website operates as a “social civil barometer.”

Is the civility barometer rising or falling? What better time to consider this question than at the beginning of a new year—a time of renewal and introspection, following the season of gifts and parties, especially with respect to the art of the handwritten thank you note.

“Good manners never go out of style, but etiquette practices adapt to cultural trends. And technology has changed the way we say thank you,” says Senning.

He’s not worried that texting, tweeting and emailing have cheapened our expressions of gratitude. “It’s all about balance,” he says.

If people post on your Facebook page wishing you a happy New Year filled with good health and good friends, it’s fine to update your status with a hasty, “thanks for the good wishes.” The senders didn’t invest much time, and you don’t have to either. And, if it’s a large office group gift, it’s okay to write one handwritten note to all your co-workers. But if someone shops for a present, wraps it and gives it to you with a card, it’s time to get out the stationery.

“The handwritten thank you note is an important gesture of gratitude, and the medium becomes part of the message.” It takes more effort, but it’s often the proper thing to do.

Two times when the thank you should be handwritten, according to Senning, is after a job interview and after a meal has been provided. He suggests thinking of the thank you as providing a powerful opportunity to distinguish yourself from others by demonstrating good manners and communication skills.

As an example, he mentions that each year The Emily Post Institute hires interns. They have many more applicants than they have positions. “The first cut-off is easy; we eliminate for consideration all those who don’t write thank you notes for the interview,” says Senning. “You’d think that for a position like this everyone would write one, but it doesn’t happen.”

In considering why we should express gratitude to those who touch us with their generosity, we often “lack a totality of vision,” Senning says. “Self-interest and altruism can overlap.”

It has been said that the Posts are “gene-etiquette-ly” superior to most of us, so it may surprise you to know that even Senning didn’t always see the total picture. “I’m pretty typical in that my mother taught me to write thank you notes, but at some point in my early adult years, I fell away from the practice,” he says. “One of our core principles at our institute is honesty, so I found that I needed to follow my own advice.“

When he did, he noticed something profound. “The simple gesture of gratitude has the power to improve our relationships and make us more appreciative of our own lives.”

Writing thank you notes makes you more mindful of the good things you already have and may even make you happier. It also positively reinforces a behavior from someone that is beneficial to you and may result in your receiving more gifts and opportunities.

Senning points to John Kralik’s book, A Simple Act of Gratitude: How Learning to Say Thank You Changed My Life to explain. It’s a chronicle of the author’s yearlong focus on being appreciative. Kralik is depressed because of failed relationships with his family and friends. He has financial worries because his law firm is losing money. In his hopelessness, he takes a walk and gets advice from an inner voice. It tells him the key to becoming joyful again is to learn to be grateful for the things he already has. Over the next year, each day, he practices being grateful by finding something that merits a handwritten thank you note, and he writes it. It was transformative. Senning acknowledges he experienced something similar when he came back into the habit of writing thank you notes.

With all this to gain, why don’t people write more thank you notes? We don’t make it super convenient for ourselves is one reason, according to Senning. He recommends that we have stationery and postage on hand, both in the office and at home.

For some, it may be difficult to overcome the apprehension of not writing well enough. Free yourself of the notion you have to write something worthy of the Nobel Prize for literature. Senning suggests concentrating on three points: say, “thank you for” and mention the gift, dinner, job interview or opportunity you’ve been given. Next add the details. Expand by personalizing it. Tell how you’ll use the gift, how tasty the dinner was or mention what you learned in the job interview. But don’t mention the amount of money if you’re given cash or a check; it’s crass. Close by alluding to the future, such as how you’re looking forward to using the fluffy slippers the next cold morning, or visiting again at the family reunion, or in the case of an interview, hearing from the prospective employer. It’s okay to repeat the “thank you” once more in the closing. Add a warm greeting at the beginning, and a polite closing at the end, and you’re done.

Length is up to you. Senning says it can be as short as three sentences or as long as it takes for you to feel like you’ve adequately expressed your gratitude. If your handwriting is indecipherable, he recommends typing it, but “there is something to the handwritten note that makes it more personal.”

Two of the more difficult thank you note questions Senning is asked are what to do if someone writes to you after the death of a loved one and what to write when you don’t feel thankful.

If you receive a handwritten note from someone expressing sympathy on your loss, it’s proper to respond with a handwritten note expressing gratitude for the sentiment. You shouldn’t assume that because you’re in mourning, you don’t have to respond. If you just don’t have the wherewithal to write back, Senning recommends asking a family member or friend to help you.

And what about when you really don’t feel grateful, what do you do? What if your best friend helps you make wonderful food for a holiday party, but then gets so obnoxiously drunk he embarrasses you by trying to pick up your married boss?

Senning stresses that honesty is important. He suggests that you find something you like. “Operate from sincerity. When people aren’t honest, it destroys relationships and is offensive.

“You might say thank you for your friendship for the past 10 years. Human attention is a gift in itself. Remember, someone who shares time with you is giving a part of herself. You can be thankful for this. But if you really can’t find something, then don’t write it.”

For all of us who have the best intentions but never get around to writing the thank you, the question becomes: when has too much time passed?

“Better late than never,” he responds.

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EMS Holds First Undergraduate Poster Exhibition

Dr. Miller reviews Dan Tauriello’s poster

Materials of fictional superheroes, medical mapping, and the Telica Volcano: all are among the variety of topics covered in the posters presented on December 5, 2012. Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) held its first undergraduate poster exhibition to showcase the variety of research and creative endeavors of their students. Twenty-six entries from all five departments were unveiled before an enthusiastic audience in the hallway of the Deike Building. Nine EMS faculty judges critiqued the posters based on display, content, and oral presentation.

 

Andrew Dzambo, (meteorology) won first place for his poster, “Boundary Layer Heights in a Heterogeneous Landscape” The Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) is an important parameter in air quality forecasting. He collected data for his poster during his summer internship at the Beltsville Center for Climate System Observation (BCCS) in Beltsville, Maryland.

 

“Many modeling studies of the PBL have been done in the past for heterogeneous landscapes, but this research was one of the first true observational studies of the PBL in a heterogeneous landscape” said Dzambo. He entered the contest because he wanted to get some practice; he is presenting at the American Meteorology Society’s (AMS) conference in Austin, Texas this January.

 

Emily Ann Fucinato, (materials science and engineering) is starting her EMS career with a bang. She is only a freshman, yet she won second place for her poster, “SWCNTs and BaTiO3 Crystals as an Anit-Reflective Coating Composite for PV Cells.” In the poster, Fucinato describes the process of developing anti-reflective coatings for the surfaces of solar photovoltaic cells.

 

“One of the main problems we see with today’s solar cells is a large loss of light due to reflection. When the light strikes the surface of the solar cell, some of the light reflects back off the surface and is not available to be converted by the cell into usable energy.” She pursued the topic independently because of her own curiosity. Although she was “completely shocked” when she found out she had placed, she is already making plans to tweak her poster and enter it in the 2013 Undergraduate Exhibition for the University.

 

Mosquitos and West Nile Virus (WNV) were the focus of Dan Tauriello’s (geography) poster. He won third place for “A Spatio-Temporal Analysis of West Nile Virus in Pennsylvania,” a project he began during an internship with GeoVista. In generating the data for his poster, he admits to being challenged.

 

“A lot of time was spent simply trying to get tools and data to cooperate with each other. Formats had to be changed, data had to be manually scrubbed to remove strange values, and tests of model parameters had to be run to determine ideal outputs. But I wanted to learn more about geographic analysis and sharpen my graphic design skills, and I think I accomplished both of these goals by participating in this exhibition.”

 

Seven freshman teams also participated. The Freshman Award, sponsored by The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, was awarded to Jared Fisher, Mohammed AlSaud, Mohammed Alnahas, and Sven Alagic. They completed a poster titled “Davis-Besse Nuclear Reactor Vessel Head Degradation” for Dr. Douglas Wolfe’s First Year Seminar class (EM SC100S). Monetary prizes were awarded to the top entries in each of these categories.

 

EMS students also had an opportunity to vote and select the Student Choice Award. A team of meteorology students, Michael Page, Sydney Daniel, Jacqueline Layer, and Brandon Orr won for their poster, “Weather or Not.” The poster explained the 15-minute student-run weekly weather program that airs on C-Net Channel 7 across Centre County. “We loved the chance to let people know about our show,” said Jacqueline Layer. “We’ve gone to AMS conferences, and because we’re on the broadcasting side of things, we don’t get to do posters. This was fun!”

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