FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Sept. 11, 2015
Chambersburg, Pa. — Wilson College will host a “Community Adventure in Healthy Eating” again this year, kicking off with a lecture and dinner at the college on Tuesday, Sept. 22. The program is a 28-day, heart-healthy, plant-strong diet program based on the one introduced by Austin firefighter Rip Esselstyn in his bestselling book, The Engine 2 Diet.
The program will begin at 6 p.m. in Wilson’s Laird Hall with Mercersburg physician Elizabeth George presenting the results of Dr. Esselstyn’s life-changing work with his cardiology patients and speaking on the topic, “A Research-Based Revolution in Healthy Eating.” The lecture is free.
At 7 p.m., a plant-based dinner featuring produce from Wilson’s own Fulton Farm will served. Tickets for the dinner are $15 and can be purchased at the door or by contacting Patti Peck at 717-352-3046.
People who participate in the healthy eating program will have a coach and the support of a series of weekly potluck dinners where they will share dishes based on the Esselstyn diet. A how-to “kitchen makeover” session will be held at 6:30 Sept. 29 in Laird Hall, followed by weekly potluck dinners to be held at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 6, 13 and 20 in the Brooks Science Center atrium. A final dinner will be held at 6 p.m. Oct. 27 in Laird Hall to celebrate success.
The program is sponsored by Wilson College’s Fulton Center for Sustainable Loving, the Penn National Golf Course Community and the Mercersburg Area Council for Wellness, and is supported by a grant from Summit Endowment.
MEDIA CONTACT: Chris Mayer, Fulton Center for Sustainable Living Director Phone: 717-264-4141, Ext. 3247 Email: christine.mayer@wilson.edu
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Founded in 1869, Wilson College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering bachelor’s degrees in 29 majors and master’s degrees in education, the humanities, accountancy and nursing. Wilson is committed to providing an affordable education that offers value to its students beyond graduation.
Located in Chambersburg, Pa., the college had a spring 2015 enrollment of 805, which included students from 17 states and 14 countries. Visit www.wilson.edu for more information.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Sept. 10, 2015
Chambersburg, Pa. — Internationally acclaimed artist Patrick Dougherty will work with the Wilson College community and local volunteers to create a one-of-a-kind environmental sculpture on the Wilson campus over three weeks in October, with the completion of the project expected on Friday, Oct. 23.
Dougherty, whose swirling, inventive sculptures are made of natural materials such as tree saplings, was featured in a recent segment of “CBS Sunday Morning” and is the subject of the feature-length 2013 documentary, Bending Sticks, as well as a monograph-memoir - Stickwork - published in 2010, which features 38 of his stunning creations.
“Patrick Dougherty is an enormously talented, world-renowned artist and it’s an honor to have him come to the Wilson campus to create one of his remarkable sculptures,” said Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick. “His works are cooperative efforts that bring the community together, which reflect the ethos of our campus culture and community. We couldn’t be more excited.”
The college is seeking volunteers to assist Dougherty, who will begin work on Oct. 5 to collect natural materials for the installation at two different sites – the former Wolf Lake area on the Wilson campus and the Shippensburg Township Park Wetland Preserve at Burd Run, where the bulk of the material will be gathered, according to Philip Lindsey, Wilson professor of fine arts.
“He’s looking for 15 or 20, maybe more, volunteers to assist with the harvest,” said Lindsey. “He’s got to collect a 53-foot tractor-trailer full of saplings.”
After the materials are gathered, Dougherty will need about half a dozen volunteers for each of two daily shifts that will work between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Lindsey said.
Those interested in volunteering should contact Lindsey at philip.lindsey@wilson.edu or 717-264-4141, Ext. 3305.
A public opening of Dougherty’s stick sculpture is being planned and will be announced at a later time. In addition, he will present an “artist’s talk” during Wilson’s annual Arts Day, which will be held Wednesday, Oct. 14. Details are forthcoming.
Dougherty visited the Wilson campus last December to scout locations for his sculpture, eventually choosing Wilson’s main green in front of the library. Exactly what his creation will be is a mystery.
“We do not (know),” Lindsey said. “He’s working on designs and he’ll show up with some sketches and an idea and off he will go.”
If Dougherty’s previous works are any indication, though, it will be something spectacular. His sculptures made of natural materials, which are designed to be as inviting and as interactive as possible, are in great demand – at any given time, he has a more than two-year waiting list. Recent installations of his interactive stick sculptures include the Arte Selia Sculpture Park in Valsugana, Italy; Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire, France; Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C.; Brooklyn Botanic Garden and a number of colleges, including Swarthmore, Bowdoin and Middlebury.
"I am looking forward to building at Wilson College and working with the volunteers,” said Dougherty. “It will be invigorating to work in the center of campus life, near the library, and I hope to create a sculpture with compelling views that will lure students and visitors in to explore.”
Dougherty has received a number of prestigious awards, including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, Henry Moore Foundation Fellowship, Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, North Carolina Artist Fellowship and a Factor Prize for Southern Art.
Dougherty, who lives in North Carolina, began studying primitive building techniques in the early 1980s, including his first experimentations using tree saplings as construction material. His work quickly evolved from small pieces on conventional pedestals to monumental scale, site-specific environmental works. Using green saplings of various sizes and weaving them together, Dougherty creates organic sculptures that are designed to be reclaimed organically several years after they are constructed.
Impermanence is a major theme of his art. “Often the public imagines that a work of art should be made to last, but I believe that a sculpture, like a good flower bed, has its season,” Dougherty says on the Bending Sticks website. His sculptures, like the sticks they are made from, begin to fade and decay after about two years, he says.
For more information and to see more examples of his work, visit Dougherty’s website, www.stickwork.net.
MEDIA CONTACT: Cathy Mentzer Phone: 717-262-2604 Email: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu
Photo credits: Just for Looks, 2006. Max Azria Melrose Boutique, Los Angeles, CA. Photo: David Calicchio
Sortie de Cave/ Free At Last (2008). Jardin des Arts, Chateaubourg, France. Photo Credit: Charles Crie
Founded in 1869, Wilson College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering bachelor’s degrees in 29 majors and master’s degrees in education, the humanities, accountancy, nursing, fine arts and healthcare management for sustainability. Wilson is committed to providing an affordable education that offers value to its students beyond graduation.
Located in Chambersburg, Pa., the college has a fall 2015 enrollment of 923, which includes students from 22 states and 16 countries. Visit www.wilson.edu for more information.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Sept. 1, 2015
Chambersburg, Pa. — Wilson College will hold a reception from noon to 3 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7, to mark the opening of an exhibit of works by sculptor Aaron Treher called New Ground. The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, will continue through Oct. 25 in the Bogigian Gallery on the second floor of Lortz Hall.
The recipient of numerous public commissions for his work, Treher has been exhibiting since 2006 and has shown in venues such as the Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown; the Manayunk Art Center in Philadelphia; and the Circle Gallery in Annapolis, Md. A graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania and trained at the University of Zagreb in Croatia, Treher is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree at University of Colorado Boulder.
Treher works in a variety of media, “examining the multifaceted relationship of humans and the natural world … investigating the co-evolution of humans and their environment,” according to his artist statement. He is interested in the distinctions between man-made objects and the natural world, and how those distinctions are made in contemporary society.
The Bogigian Gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission is free. For additional information or an appointment, contact Professor of Fine Arts Philip Lindsey at 717-264-4141, Ext. 3305, or philip.lindsey@wilson.edu.
MEDIA CONTACT: Philip Lindsey, Professor of Fine Arts Phone: 717-264-4141, Ext. 3305 Email: philip.lindsey@wilson.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Aug. 6, 2015
Chambersburg, Pa. — A year after the successful launch of bachelor’s and master’s degree programs for existing registered nurses, Wilson College this fall is adding a new bachelor’s degree program that provides a pathway to becoming an RN.
The new Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN) program is open for registration now for the fall semester. It builds upon two programs that began in fall 2014 — one that allows existing registered nurses to get a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing and one that leads RNs to a Master of Science degree in nursing.
The new program is appropriate for recent high school graduates, as well those already working in health care and/or nursing but who are not registered nurses. Although a bachelor’s degree is not required to become an RN, the health care industry is moving in that direction, according to Carolyn Hart, program director for Wilson’s Department of Nursing. “Generally, registered nurses with at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing will have better job prospects than those without one,” she said.
Nursing is the overwhelmingly the most requested program among college-bound students nationwide, according to Wilson Vice President for Enrollment Mary Ann Naso. That interest is being fueled by strong demand for nurses in the region, as well as across the country, Hart said. “The need for well-educated nurses continues to grow, with opportunities for employment steadily increasing,” she said.
A 2009 Highmark Foundation report describes Pennsylvania’s nursing shortage as “severe” and cites the Health Resources and Services Administration as predicting a 41 percent vacancy rate for nurses in Pennsylvania by 2020, which means an additional 54,000 nurses will be needed to provide adequate patient care.
“Employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 19 percent from 2012 to 2022, faster than the average for all occupations,” Hart said.
The Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing gave preliminary approval for Wilson’s new BSN program on June 25, but the college could not begin enrolling students until final approval, which came July 15 after a site visit. As of Aug. 3, 19 students had enrolled in the program and another 10 are in the process of applying, according to Hart.
Wilson’s new BSN program is innovative in a number of ways, including its emphasis on liberal arts. “The American Association of Colleges of Nurses recommends that nursing education include a broad liberal studies background,” said Hart. “It helps nurses have a better understanding of patients and makes them more empathetic.”
Another innovative feature of Wilson’s nursing program is the college’s interactive practice labs, where students will get hands-on experience with such things as IV therapy, wound care and physical assessment.
Students will have access to mock hospital rooms with low- and medium-fidelity mannequins, where they can practice critical thinking with skills such as checking blood pressure, starting an IV, inserting a catheter or nasogastric tube, and positioning a patient.
“All of these modalities allow you to practice in a safe environment where you can learn from your mistakes without affecting a real patient,” said Hart.
In addition, students enrolled in the program will benefit from Wilson’s partnership with several area health care organizations seeking to address their need for RNs, including Summit Health, Keystone Health and Menno Haven. Hart said those organizations have agreed to provide clinical sites where students can work with patients and put what they learn in the classroom into practice on actual patients.
“That will make our graduates much more skilled, much more confident and achieve better outcomes for the patient,” said Hart, who noted that most nursing programs only offer skills practice to students during clinical sessions late in their education. “We’re including the first nursing class in the first semester, so students will have four years to learn and practice skills. By the third nursing class, they will be working with real patients.”
Sherri Stahl, senior vice present of hospital services for Summit Health, said today, hospitals across the country are admitting patients with more serious and chronic conditions. “The need for highly trained and knowledgeable registered nurses is evident,” she said. “We’ve worked with Wilson closely on other important nursing opportunities and we’re happy to be a part of what we feel is a great addition to the already top-quality educational programs offered in Franklin County.”
For information about Wilson’s BSN program or to register, contact Hart at 717-262-4853, 717-414-6184 or carolyn.hart@wilson.edu.
MEDIA CONTACT: Carolyn Hart, Program Director of Nursing Phone: 717-262-4853 or 717-414-6184 Email: carolyn.hart@wilson.edu
Located in Chambersburg, Pa., the college had a spring 2015 enrollment of 805, which includes students from 17 states and 14 countries. Visit www.wilson.edu for more information.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | July 29, 2015
Chambersburg, Pa. — Two organizations recently approved grants for Wilson College totaling $38,000 to be used for scholarships for mature women students and programming to help address nutrition deficiencies by educating children about healthy food choices.
The college was granted $30,000 from The Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation, a Princeton, N.J.-based charitable organization founded in 1979 to support students seeking college degrees. The funds will be added to the Newcombe Scholarships for Mature Women Students program at Wilson, which supports women students age 25 and older who are pursuing a bachelor’s degree and need financial assistance. Wilson matches the awards on a one-to-one basis. Next year will mark the 30th year of the Newcombe Foundation’s partnership with Wilson College.
The college also received an $8,000 grant from Summit Endowment, which is part of Summit Health Inc., to help address nutrition deficiencies identified in a 2012 health needs assessment performed by Summit Health. The funds are being used by Wilson’s Fulton Center for Sustainable Living for educational programming about food, including its summer children’s program, “Vegetable Literacy at Fulton Farm,” which is aimed at raising awareness and improving nutrition among area children and their families.
MEDIA CONTACT: Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations Phone: 717-262-2604 Email: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has approved a new, early childhood (preK-4)/ special education (preK-8) major within Wilson’s education curriculum. The dual certification program will be available this fall, along with a new minor in special education.
Students who choose the dual certification major will pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree in early childhood that will prepare them to teach both typically developing students and those with disabilities. (In addition to the dual certification B.A., those who already have a bachelor’s degree in any area can seek dual certification through the Wilson College Teacher Intern Program.)
Upon graduation or completion of the program, they will be qualified as an early childhood (preK-4) and/or special education (preK-8) teacher in both public and private schools in Pennsylvania. In addition, they will have the credentials needed to work in facilities that provide services to people with disabilities, according to Lynn M. Newman, associate professor and chair of Wilson’s education department.
Newman said Wilson receives numerous inquiries from potential students seeking dual certification in early childhood and special education. The college conducted a survey of special education supervisors for Pennsylvania school districts, who “overwhelmingly stated an anticipated need for teachers with dual certification (preK-4/special education) over the next five years,” according to the college’s program proposal.
The undergraduate dual certification in early childhood/special education will differentiate Wilson from a number of other area institutions, which do not offer such a program, said Theresa Hoover, Wilson assistant professor of education.
MEDIA CONTACT: Lynn Newman, Chair, Department of Education Phone: 717-264-4141, Ext. 3398 Email: lynn.newman@wilson.edu or Theresa Hoover, Assistant Professor of Education Phone: 717-264-4141, Ext. 3124 Email: theresa.hoover@wilson.edu
Wilson College’s new, low-residency Master of Fine Arts program launching this summer has finalized the faculty who will lead the inaugural session.
In addition to internationally renowned choreographer RoseAnne Spradlin, the New York City-based director of the M.F.A. program in choreography and visual arts, faculty members include:
Wilson announced its new M.F.A. program in late February and began enrolling its first students, who come from New York, Pennsylvania, Arizona and France. Classes begin in July. The students will take courses in the history and philosophy of art; study current trends in art and performance; learn media techniques; explore the experience and meaning of ‘embodied’ movement and human form; and most importantly, work to develop their own artwork with mentoring and guidance provided by an experienced summer faculty.
The M.F.A. was conceived and designed by Wilson arts faculty members Paula Kellinger, Philip Lindsey and Robert Dickson.
Special events planned for summer sessions include performances by visiting artists and trips to the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., and the new Whitney Museum in New York City.
For more information, contact RoseAnne Spradlin at roseanne.spradlin@wilson.edu.
-- June 9, 2015
Wilson College honored students at its annual Academic Awards ceremony held Friday, May 1, in the Harry R. Brooks Complex for Science, Mathematics and Technology.
The following students received awards:
James Applegate Award, which is awarded to a student with an interest in drama and theater, went to two students: Annika Dowd of Chambersburg and Ghada Tafesh of Gaza, Palestinian Territories.
Lucy Bremmer Global Citizenship Award, awarded to a student who participates in the service learning component of Wilson’s global citizenship initiative, was given to Katelyn Wingerd of Orrtanna, Pa. Wingerd also received the Josef Michael Kellinger German or Foreign Language Award for a student who has demonstrated excellence in German or foreign language studies; and the Margaret Strode Haines Award, which recognizes a student with outstanding qualities of scholarship, interest in the humanities and strength of body, mind and spirit.
Alice Martin Brumbaugh Award in Sociology, which is given to a female student who has entered the college at a non-traditional age and shows a special interest and/or outstanding promise in the field of sociology, was awarded to Stacy Hess of Chambersburg.
CRC Press General Chemistry Achievement Award was given to Gaser Ahmed of Chambersburg.
Marel Harlow Cheng Memorial Prize, awarded to a student who has done well in international studies or has made some noticeable contributions to international understanding, went to Christina Gonzalez of Santa Barbara, Calif.
Regina Shaputnic Cuomo Mathematics Award, given to a student who is majoring and shows outstanding ability in mathematics, was awarded to Jennifer Skinner of Waynesboro, Pa.
Estep-Lawson Memorial Prize, awarded to a student in lower-level French who demonstrates excellence and shows future promise in French studies, went to Jesse Smith of Bronx, N.Y.
Mildred Franklin Prize, given to a senior for excellence in classical languages, was awarded to Tia Shearer of South Mountain, Pa.
Donna Gomer VMT ADP award for an adult degree student displaying excellence in the study of veterinary medical technology went to Jena Forsythe of Chambersburg.
Davison Greenawalt Grove Award for a student participating in research in physical and life sciences was given to Jessica Meck of Huntingdon, Pa.
Dorle Haas Memorial Prize, awarded to a senior for outstanding service within the greater Chambersburg area, went to Taylor Staudt of Robesonia, Pa.
Gloria Randle Scott-Frances Richards Hesselbein Prize, awarded to the senior who has demonstrated outstanding volunteer service during their four years at Wilson College, was given to Sonja Hess of Bolton Landing, N.Y.
Joanne Harrison Hopkins Literary Achievement Award, given for the finest piece of imaginative literature in fiction, poetry or drama produced during the academic year, went to Caitlyn Minelli of Beverly, Mass.
Catherine Herr Langdon Award, given to a senior who has demonstrated academic excellence and has gien encouragement and guidance to fellow students during the year, went to Nicole Melanson of Hyannis, Mass.
Mary-Eleanor Maule Travel Grant, awarded to graduating seniors or students entering their junior or senior years for travel planned in support of study in Spanish, was given to Netha Kane of Chambersburg.
Alta Lindsay McElwain Prize, awarded to the best student in Latin or Greek in the freshman class, went to Haley Hutchinson of Acme, Pa.
Robert Shannon McElwain Prize, awarded to the best student in mathematics, went to Kristyn T. Fogg of Virginia Beach, Va.
Helen Adams Nutting History Prize, awarded to a member of the junior or senior class who has demonstrated outstanding ability in the field of history, went to Nicole Trusky of Chambersburg.
Organic Chemistry Award, given to the student in organic chemistry who earned the highest grades for the year, went to Nicole Bodulow of Perkasie, Pa.
Outstanding Peer Teacher Award, given to honor exemplary service as a First-Year Seminar peer teacher for the year, went to Danniele Fulmer of Clymer, Pa.
Nicky Hoffman Reich Award, given to the student whose work with animals shows commitment to humane treatment, was awarded to Danielle Boock of Chambersburg.
Helga Rist Prize, given to a dedicated American foreign language student who has shown integrity, promise and potential, went to two students: Krista Dewald of Fairfax, Va.
John D. Rose Award in Environmental Studies, given to an outstanding junior majoring in environmental studies or biology to fund a summer research project or internship, went to Sadie Repp of Mercersburg, Pa.
William and Ivy Saylor Prize, established through the Academy of American Poets to support young poets at colleges nationwide, was awarded to Darah Wolf of Chambersburg.
Grace Tyson Schlichter Award in Communications, which is given to a senior who has shown general academic excellence and outstanding promise for a career in a field of communications, was given to Carol Zehosky of Shippensburg, Pa., and Shoshana Rudski of Allentown, Pa.
Mary Beers Sheppard Prize, awarded to the member of the senior class who has shown the keenest understanding and appreciation of literature, was given to Jennifer Dodds of Hagerstown, Md.
Joan M. Thuebel ’52 Earthwatch Prize, which sponsors a student to participate in an Earthwatch Institute project of his or her choosing, was awarded to Jessica Larkin of Carlisle, Pa.
William P. Van Looy Business Prize, awarded to the junior or senior business and economics major who has demonstrated excellence in business studies and in service to the well-being of both the Wilson College and larger community, went to Han Yan of Wuhan, China
E. Grace White Prize, awarded to a senior whose major field is biology or biochemistry and who has demonstrated outstanding achievement and plans a career involving the biological sciences, went to Kotchaphorn Mangkalaphiban of Chiangmai, Thailand.
E. Grace White Summer Scholarship, which is given to an outstanding junior in biology for use at approved laboratories, went to Amadea Clement of Bowie, Md., and Ghada Tafesh of Gaza, Palestinian Territories.
Wilson College Education Award is awarded to one elementary education major and a student preparing for teacher certification in a secondary school level who have shown outstanding achievement in both their academic studies and in their professional preparation. Jennifer Isaac of Biglerville, Pa., won the secondary award and Nathanael Stump of New Bloomfield, Pa., received the early childhood award.
Wilson Equestrienne Award, given to a graduating senior who has excelled in academics and equitation, went to Marissa Kosko-Blyler of Hollidaysburg, Pa.
Wilson College Fine Arts Prize, given to a graduating senior for outstanding achievement in both art history and studio art, was awarded to Jessika Glass Dockery of Chambersburg.
Carolyn Zeleny Prize, which goes to a sociology student in the junior or senior class on the basis of academic excellence and/or community service, went to Heather Humwood of Chambersburg.
Wilson College Scholar Athletes, those who have maintained a grade-point average of 3.4 or higher and participated in at least one Wilson varsity athletic team, are: Nicole Bodulow of Perkasie, Pa.; Nicole Melanson of Hyannis, Mass.; Emma Miller of Salisbury, Md.; Brittney Poff of Red Lion, Pa.; Lily Rembold of Franklin, Pa.; and Katelyn Wingerd of Orrtanna, Pa.
-- by Cathy Mentzer
May 6, 2015
Wilson College has received an additional $1.2 million gift for its Reimagining the John Stewart Memorial Library fundraising effort from Wilson alumna Sue Davison Cooley, a Portland, Oregon, area philanthropist who contributed $2.4 million to the project last year.
Cooley’s latest gift, which she made in honor of Wilson’s longest-serving dean, Margaret Criswell Disert, brings the total raised for the $12 million library project to more than $11.8 million in cash and pledges.
“Mrs. Cooley’s generosity to her alma mater has been extraordinary, especially when it comes to helping us provide our students with a comprehensive, state-of-the-art library,” said Wilson College President Barbara K. Mistick.
Cooley’s initial gift early last year assisted in completing a matching gift from another alumna, Marguerite Lenfest, and her most recent gift will allow the construction of a plaza off of the new learning commons and an academic green planned as part of the library project to move forward, according to Mistick.
“We are grateful to Mrs. Cooley for supporting Wilson College and contributing in such a significant way to our future,” she said.
The library project includes repairing and restoring the college’s 1924 collegiate gothic library building and replacing a 1961 addition with a contemporary learning commons equipped to meet the needs of today’s students. The learning commons will house academic support services, writing labs, two “smart” classrooms, a commuter lounge, bookstore and outdoor plaza, as well as the “Sue Davison Cooley Gallery,” named in honor of Cooley’s transformational gifts. The project is scheduled to be completed this fall.
Cooley, who attended Wilson from 1940 to 1942, said her experience at the college had a profound and lasting effect, and she is happy to give back to the institution that she holds dear to this day.
“I have so many fond memories of being at Wilson that it is very much a part of my life,” Cooley said. “Students are given very special gifts when they are at Wilson. They get an outstanding experience.”
Cooley, who recognizes how important a modern library is to the vitality of any college campus, said her gift is an expression of confidence in Wilson’s current leadership and the path the college is on today. “I am a very, very big fan of Wilson,” she said.
Cooley is a longtime supporter of the college. She donated $1 million in 2005 to establish a scholarship for participants in the Women with Children program in honor of old friends Sylvia Scalera Davison and Mary Meinecke Dee, both with the Wilson College Class of 1944. She has also been a faithful contributor to the college’s annual fund.
Wilson’s library building has been closed since fall 2011 due to a heating system failure. Its functions were relocated to the lower level of Lenfest Commons.
Wilson College is taking a number of innovative steps through its Wilson Today plan to transform itself into a thriving liberal arts institution, including adding programs in nursing and the health sciences and other areas, expanding coeducation across all programs, creating a value proposition to lower tuition and repay up to $10,000 in federal loans for qualified students, and improving infrastructure. An updated library configured to meet expanded enrollment is an important component of Wilson’s revitalization.
MEDIA CONTACT: Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations Email: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu
Five Wilson College seniors presented the results of their research and one was recognized for her oral presentation at the 91st Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science, held April 10 to 12 at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pa.
The following Wilson students presented research: Kotcha Mangkalaphiban of Thailand; Jessica Meck of Huntingdon, Pa.; Martina Mellott of Mercersburg, Pa.; Ashley Perkins of Singlehouse, Pa.; and Allison Shastay of Bedford, Pa.
Meck, who is majoring in biology, placed second in the oral presentation category for her research project, “The Effects of Temperature on the Competitive Interactions between Pseudogymnoascus destructans and Native Cave Fungi.” Last year's winner of Wilson’s John D. Rose Award in Environmental Studies, Meck is the recipient of an Outstanding Research Grant from the Pennsylvania Academy of Science in support of her undergraduate research.
Shastay and Mangkalaphiban also received PAS Outstanding Research Grants.
PAS judged oral presentations and posters, and provided monetary awards for the top three places in each category. Oral presentations were assessed in categories for scientific merit - ranging from experimental methodologies to analysis of results - and presentation qualities, including visual impact and fielding of questions. The overall score was reflective of all subcategories
This is the fourth year for the award competition and the fourth year that a Wilson student has been recognized by the Pennsylvania Academy of Science for excellence in the oral presentation category.
