navigate: home: magazine: fall 2003: article

Graduate students showcase outreach research at exhibition
	More held in the than 200 graduate students presented their research and creative endeavors to the University community and the public during the 18th annual Graduate Exhibition, spring at University Park campus.   Faculty judges from a wide range of academic disciplines selected 47 graduate students to receive awards in the categories of arts and humanities, engineering, health and life sciences, performance, physical sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and visual arts. Judges made their selections based on the quality of the student’s project content, display and oral presentation. Winners received cash awards ranging from $100 to $500; the overall value of the awards was about $10,000.   Established by the Graduate School in 1986, the Graduate Exhibition continued the outreach-centered approach to research findings begun during the 2002 program. The Graduate School challenged students to communicate their research and creative work in clear, comprehensible terms to people outside their fields.   Posters were displayed in Alumni and Heritage Halls at the Hetzel Union Building–Robeson Center (HUB), performances were held in the Esber Recital Hall of the Music Building, and visual arts were displayed in the HUB Gallery.   Information about the 2003 exhibition and the winners is online at http://www.gradsch.psu.edu/exhibition/. An outreach program of the Graduate School
Janet Irene Woods (right) won first place in the arts and humanities category at the Graduate Exhibition for her project “Costume Design and Prototype for Princess Eboli.” Woods explains to faculty judge Barbara Bird, assistant professor of communications, how she researched, designed and made the costume for this character in Don Carlos, an opera by Giuseppe Verdi. During the Graduate Exhibition, Brian Evans (left) explains the research project “Development of a Cylindrical X-ray Transparent Hybrid Rocket Engine” to faculty judge Dr. David Gustine, professor of crop and soil sciences with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. Evans collaborated on the project with Grant A. Risha, Robert B. Wehrman and Eric Boyer. Yifeng Hu (second from left) discusses the research project “Liberating Friendships through IM? Examining the Relationship between Instant Messaging and Intimacy” with colleagues Vivian Smith (far left), Nalova Westbrook and Jackie Wood (far right). The students were second-place winners in the behavioral sciences category at the Graduate Exhibition. Photos by Dave Shelly—Campus Photography
Undergraduates emphasize outreach in their research and scholarship
	Undergraduate students from throughout the University participated in the 12th annual Undergraduate Exhibition, held at the Hetzel Union Building–Robeson Center’s Alumni Hall.   Sponsored by The Schreyer Honors College and the Office of Undergraduate Education, the exhibition showcased more than 100 research posters, musical performances and theatrical readings by undergraduate students, including seven first-year students. The theme was dissemination of research to the public, which is the embodiment of outreach.   This year’s exhibition was dedicated to the seven crew members of Space Shuttle Columbia and their passion for research. The Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium partnered with the exhibition sponsors to provide a journal for students and visitors to sign. The journal will be presented to the families of the crew members.   Faculty members and graduate students served as judges, selecting 14 students to receive awards in the categories of arts and humanities, including the visual arts; engineering; physical sciences; health and life sciences; and social and behavioral sciences, including business.   Kristen A. Yarmey, a chemistry major, was named winner of the Gerard A. Hauser Research Prize for the best overall presentation during the 2003 Undergraduate Exhibition. Her project “100 Years of Women in Chemistry at Penn State” also was awarded First Prize in the arts and humanities category. Her project adviser is Dr. Roy Olofson, emeritus professor of chemistry. Yarmey’s poster is now on display in Atherton Hall.   First Prize winners received $150; Second Prize, $125, and Third Prize, $100. The Hauser Prize winner received $500. Prize money totaled $2,800.   Information about the Undergraduate Exhibition is online at http://www.shc.psu.edu/exhibition/ and http://www.psu.edu/oue. The 2004 Undergraduate Exhibition will be held April 22–23. An outreach program of The Schreyer Honors College and the Office of Undergraduate Education
J. Alex Vojick (right), a human development and family studies major at Penn State Worthington Scranton, discusses her research project “Gender Differences in Gender Role and Body Image” with Dr. Ronald L. Filippelli, associate dean for administration and undergraduate studies in the College of the Liberal Arts, a judge for the Undergraduate Exhibition. Kristen A. Yarmey’s project “100 Years of Women in Chemistry at Penn State” was selected as the best overall presentation during the 2003 Undergraduate Exhibition, earning the chemistry major the Gerard A. Hauser Research Prize. During the Undergraduate Exhibition, Janelle Burrell (left), a biology major, explains her research project “The Effects of Chronic Alcohol Exposure in Drosophila Melanogaster” to judges Dr. James Brasseur (center), professor of mechanical and biochemical engineering, and Dr. Andrea Mastro, professor of microbiology and cell biology. Photos by Dave Shelly—Campus Photography