Academic excellence at Penn State Behrend was recognized Sunday, April 9, at the campus' 68th annual Honors and Awards Convocation.
The convocation, which honored 312 students, is Penn State Behrend’s second-oldest tradition after Hanging of the Greens, a tribute to the Behrend family that is held every December. Recipients of the major awards for the 2016-17 academic year were:
COLLEGE-WIDE AWARDS
Archie K. Loss Undergraduate Honors Thesis Award Martha Larkin, Pittsburgh; Alex Lyon, Fairview, Pa.; Yuanheng Wang, Kumming, China
Outstanding First-Year Student John McDermitt Jr., Bridgeville, Pa.
Penn State Behrend Council of Fellows Undergraduate Research Award Mary Beth Burbules, Erie; Scott DeLaney, Leeper, Pa.
Division of Undergraduate Studies Award, First Year Sydnee White, Albion, Pa.
Division of Undergraduate Studies Award, Second Year Benjamin Homan, Erie
Outstanding Tutor Award, Business McKenna Aleksivich, Clearfield, Pa.
Outstanding Tutor Award, Engineering Samantha Muhhuku, Westlands, Nairobi
Outstanding Tutor Award, Mathematics Mitchell Smithbauer, St. Marys, Pa.
Outstanding Tutor Award, Science Tyler Summers, Williamsport, Pa.
Outstanding Tutor Award, Writing Kat Giordano, Springfield, Pa.
BLACK SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AWARDS
Accounting Chris Martone, Erie
Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) Award Nicole Overby, Erie
Institute of Management Accounting (IMA) Award Meredith Snyder, Parker, Pa.
Association for Supply Chain and Operations Management (APICS) Award Mitchell Eberle, Oil City, Pa.; Ryan Puchak, Lower Burrell, Pa.
Business Club Leader Natalie Szalajko, South Bend, Ind.
Business Economics/Economics Erich Busching, Cranberry Township, Pa.
Delta Sigma Pi Scholarship Key Award Ariana Gloeckner, Erie
ETS Major Field Test Award Kirsten McGarvey, Erie
Finance Patrick Kress, Erie
Finance, World Campus Tiare Mashima, Denver, Colo.; Elena Sarkus, Stockbridge, Ga.
Interdisciplinary Business with Engineering Studies Nathan Ropelewski, Erie
International Business Alexa Haverly, Erie
Kenneth L. Spencer Award, Accounting Andrew Buzzelli, Cranberry Township, Pa.
Kenneth L. Spencer Award, Finance Jason Pettner, Beaver Falls, Pa.
Management Information Systems Victoria Traut, Erie
Marketing Mackenzie Thompson, West Middlesex, Pa.
Master of Business Administration, Erie Taylor Lehman, Erie
Master of Business Administration, Cranberry Township Cari Hochbein, Cabot, Pa.
Professional Readiness Award Connor Combs, Corry, Pa.
Project and Supply Chain Management Taryn Testa, Cranberry Township, Pa.
Student Entrepreneur Award Wes Hall, Pittsburgh
SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES AWARDS
Corey N. Farrell Nonfiction Award Martha Larkin, Pittsburgh
Clarence A. and Eugenie Baumann Smith Fiction Award Angela Roman, North East, Pa.
Kenneth Jonathan Sonnenberg Poetry Award Kat Giordano, Springfield, Pa.
Outstanding Achievement in Communication Christa Schonthaler, Erie
Outstanding Creative Writing Major Angela Roman, North East, Pa.
Outstanding English Major Yuanheng Wang, Kumming, China
Best Contributing History Major Thomas Bucklin, Erie
Dr. John Rossi Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award Justin DeFonzo, Erie
Outstanding Political Science Major Brandon Petras, Worthington, Pa.
Zachary T. Irwin Humanitarian Award Gretchen Berry Haislip, Wilson, N.C.
Outstanding Psychology Student Taylor Morris, Bradford, Pa.; Grace Waldfogle, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Outstanding Scholarly Achievement in Psychology Emily Galeza, Erie
Myron Jones Broadcasting Award Mark Massimino, Hunker, Pa.
Outstanding Elementary and Early Childhood Education Graduate Stephanie Ruggerio, Coraopolis, Pa.
SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AWARDS
Academic Excellence in Biology Lindsey Chase, Randolph, N.Y.
Aaron Meehl Biology Award Sean Artello, Erie; Samantha Slawson, Erie
Academic Excellence in Chemistry Shannon McDonnell, Moretown, Vt.
Outstanding Freshman in Chemistry/American Chemical Society Award Lindsay Bielek, New Kensington, Pa.
Academic Excellence in Environmental Science Rose Kerr, Erie
CRC/Outstanding Freshman Tyler Hostetler, Butler, Pa.
Mathematics Competition Award Luke Mariotti, Sarver, Pa.; Oliver Miles, Philadelphia, Pa.
Academic Excellence in Mathematics Thomas Fisher, Levittown, Pa.
Most Promising Freshman in Mathematics Charles Robertson, Albion, Pa.; Yiqing Wang, Erie
Academic Excellence in Physics Chrystopher Goodteacher, North East, Pa.
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AWARDS
Computer Engineering Aron Barker, North East, Pa.
Computer Science Austin Rausch, Erie
Electrical Engineering Daphne Cruz Hidalgo, San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology Amy DeWoody, Saegertown, Pa.
Industrial Engineering Anton Benedikt, Montrose, Pa.
Mechanical Engineering Jacob Elder, Stoneboro, Pa.
Mechanical Engineering Technology Brooke Colley, Jamestown, N.Y.
Plastics Engineering Technology Sara Allgeier, Waterford, Pa.
Software Engineering Rachel Rattay, Pittsburgh
Jake Boyle Memorial Award Rachel Kaschauer, South Park, Pa.
