Penn State Behrend students succeed in and out of the classroom. Here are just some of the many students whose accomplishments and achievements were remarkable this year.
The SAE club poses with their Supermilage vehicle
Behrend wins second consecutive SAE Supermileage competition
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Club ended this year’s International Supermileage Challenge the same way it finished the 2018 event: in the winner’s circle.
However, the path to the championship, which was held in June at Eaton Corp.’s Marshall Proving Ground test track in Michigan, was not easy.
“Basically, everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong,” said Aleksey Checkeye, vice president of the Behrend SAE club and the driver of the vehicle. “I think this year was probably the most rewarding, simply because we did not know if we would even make it onto the track.”
When problems arose, the students did what engineers do best—they remained focused and methodically worked through the issues, using sound engineering practices and good old-fashioned ingenuity. It led to a big win for the Behrend car, which reached 2,420 miles per gallon of gas.
Summer in the Senate
Carlos Mora, a junior majoring in Political Science, landed a prestigious summer internship with the U.S. Senate in Washington, D.C. The position was in the Secretary of the Senate’s office, rather than with an individual Senator, so Mora was exposed to many facets of U.S. Senate operations. Mora worked in the Disbursing Office.
Jessica Till, one of the Behrend students to present plant research work at the Experimental Biology 2019 conference.
Biology students present research work
Three Biology students traveled to Orlando, Florida, this spring to present their research at the Experimental Biology 2019 conference, the largest interdisciplinary meeting of its kind. Biomedical and life sciences researchers from all over the world attend the meeting to network and share research.
Kara Dobson, Veronica Stefanick, and Jessica Till presented plant research work they have done with Dr. Michael Campbell, professor of biology and director of the University's Lake Erie Regional Grape Research and Extension Center.
Dobson also presented her work—“How Lake Erie Alters Climate Change in the Lake Erie Grape Belt”—at an International Association for Great Lakes Research meeting in Rochester, New York, this summer.
Finance majors win regional research challenge
A student investment team from Penn State World Campus, consisting of three Behrend Finance majors, won the regional competition of the CFA Institute Research Challenge in Pittsburgh. The team—Mike Dalton of Oregon, Kris Mbah of Michigan, and Kristen Rance of Georgia—was coached by Dr. Brian Boscaljon, associate professor of finance. The team advanced to the Americas Competition in New York City.
Olivia Coghe orchestrated Artsapalooza, a one-day arts festival and craft show on campus
Artsapalooza at Behrend
In April, Olivia Coghe orchestrated Artsapalooza, a one-day arts festival and craft show on campus, as her senior capstone project. The event featured artists, artisan vendors, live musical performances, and craft activities.
“I’m from Pittsburgh, and the Three Rivers Art Festival is one of my favorite things, so I wanted to emulate that, but on a smaller scale,” said Coghe, who graduated in May with dual degrees in Arts Administration and Digital Media, Arts, and Technology, “That’s how I got the idea of the different vendors and musical performers.”
The senior capstone project is a requirement for Arts Administration majors. Community engagement is a core component of the program, which launched in 2012 and is one of a few such undergraduate programs in the country.
The event was a resounding success with several hundred attendees checking in throughout the day.