NEW WILMINGTON, PA – Westminster College will celebrate the diversity and culture of the world and the campus community at its annual International Festival from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 4, in the Berlin Lounge of the College’s McKelvey Campus Center.

Attendees can sample international cuisine and enjoy entertainment provided by the Faculty Jazz Quartet. Westminster community members will share their own ethnic heritages by bringing samples of their favorite foods, music, games and art. Those attending can make ornaments on site for the campus’ international community tree.

Sponsored by Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Office of Disability Resources, ALLIES, the Black Student Union and the Student Government Association, the event is free and open to the public. Children of all ages are welcome.

For more information, please contact Jeannette Hubbard, director of diversity and inclusion, at 724-946-7179 or hubbarj@westhubbarj@westminster.eduminster.edu.

NEW WILMINGTON, PA – Westminster College will host its traditional Christmas Vespers worship service at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9, in the campus’s Orr Auditorium.

Coordinated by Westminster’s Office of Faith and Spirituality, the service “Signs in the Night” will feature special music from the Westminster Choir, Chamber Singers, Wind Ensemble, Brass Quintet and the Handbell Choir. The Rev. James R. Mohr II, Westminster College chaplain, will offer the homily. Students will participate throughout the service as liturgists.

A punch and cookie reception will be held in the Orr lobby immediately following the service.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Diane Gabriel at gabriedl@westminster.edu or 724-946-7117.

PHOTO: Westminster College Chaplain the Rev. James R. Mohr 

NEW WILMINGTON, PA – The Westminster College Nasturtium Saxophone Quartet took home top prize in the chamber music competition at the Pennsylvania chapter of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) music competition held Nov. 4 at Temple University in Philadelphia.

The quartet, which competed against other students from across the state, is comprised of the following Westminster College students:

Abby Grabigel, alto saxophone, is a sophomore music education major from Mercer. She is the daughter of Gerald Grabigel and a graduate of Mercer Area Senior High School.

Liam Horgan, tenor saxophone, is a junior music education major from Pittsburgh. He is the son of Edward and Carol Horgan and a graduate of Keystone Oaks High School.

Angela Renninger, soprano saxophone, is a senior music education/music performance double major from Spartansburg, Pa. She is the daughter of Timothy and Kristina Renninger and a graduate of Youngsville Senior High School.

Timothy Savage, baritone saxophone, is a senior music education/music performance double major from Purcellville, Va. He is the son of Chantelle Savage and a graduate of Loudoun Valley High School.

Savage also earned second place in the MTNA Young Artist Woodwind Solo Competition.

All the students of the Westminster College saxophone studio are instructed by Dr. James Flowers, adjunct instructor of saxophone.

Following the MTNA PA top prize, the quartet has a chance of moving on to the regional competition. If they do well at the regional level, they will advance to the national level.

PITTSBURGH, PA – December 14, 2018 – Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild (MCG) Youth and Arts, a program of Manchester Bidwell Corporation, is announcing an exciting new partnership with Westminster College. High school students that attend MCG Youth and Arts have long been given access to university-level art training and equipment to enhance their secondary education. Now, alongside Westminster, MCG will be offering college courses to junior and senior high school students taught by Westminster professors. Students taking these courses will be met with the same level of engagement and support that MCG Youth and Arts has provided for 50 years.

Kevin Jenkins, President and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corporation, sees this new partnership with Westminster as a natural fit for MCG Youth and Art’s programming.

“This is part of another path we see for MCG to carry out its mission of helping people break down barriers to opportunity and growth,” said Jenkins. “We’re committed to seeing students develop the tools and confidence they need for the rest of their lives, and enhancing educational resources for them is another vital piece of that goal.”

Beginning on Jan. 2, 2019, students can take Economic Reasoning on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Introductory Writing on Mondays and Wednesdays. All classes are from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. and will be held at 1815 Metropolitan St., Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Promise funding is available to all Pittsburgh Public School students who have attended PPS since ninth grade. As with MCG Youth and Arts’ art programming, transportation for students can be provided or arranged.

Dr. Kathy Brittain Richardson, President of Westminster College, expressed her enthusiasm about the partnership with MCG as well.

“We are pleased to be partnering with MCG to provide Westminster’s Early College courses taught by Westminster faculty members on site on their Pittsburgh campus,” said Richardson. “This learning opportunity coordinates so well with the strong enrichment options that have long been offered at MCG to help enrolled students strengthen their preparation for their college careers.”

Enrolling in these classes can be a gateway to becoming a full-time Westminster student. Successful participation makes admission to the college very likely. Students and parents can contact Samantha Rapp from MCG Youth and Arts at srapp@manchesterbidwell.org for more information or to sign up for classes.

About MCG Youth and Arts
MCG Youth & Arts’ mission is to educate and inspire urban youth through the arts. In 1968, Pittsburgh was a city racially divided and economically distressed. Bill Strickland established Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild to help combat the economic and social devastation experienced by the residents of his predominantly African-American North Side neighborhood. Today, MCG Youth & Arts provides free arts programming to over 3,000 high school and middle school students. For more information about MCG Youth & Arts, visit http://mcgyouthandarts.org.

NEW WILMINGTON, PA – Alina Clough, a 2018 Westminster College international studies graduate, has been awarded one of only 30 Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowships following a highly competitive nationwide contest.

Funded by the U.S. Department of State and managed by the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard University, the Thomas R. Pickering Fellowship will financially support Clough for a two-year master’s degree in a field related to the Foreign Service, as well as internships, mentoring and skills training.

As part of the Pickering program, Clough will have an internship based in Washington, D.C., working with the U.S. Department of State in summer 2020. In the summer of 2021, the State Department will send Clough overseas to work and to gain hands-on experience with U.S. foreign policy and the work of the Foreign Service. Upon successful completion of the program, Clough will  work at least five years as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer based on the needs of the State Department.

As an undergraduate at Westminster, Clough served a year as a Congress-Bundestag Fellow in Berlin, where she worked with refugees at the Tempelhof shelter and researched economics with the German think tank Konrad Adenauer Foundation. As a volunteer with the mapping project Crowd2Map Tanzania, Clough participated in a mapathon at the United Nations General Assembly this fall. She held an internship with U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) her sophomore year, served as editor of the student newspaper, and participated with Model United Nations.

“The Pickering Fellowship had been on my radar since freshman or sophomore year, but seeing the impact of the embassy’s work while in Berlin made it click that this was what I wanted to do for a career,” said Clough. “The fact that the fellowship also provided graduate funding and mentoring throughout was also a huge plus, and I think the extra education and professional development will make me a lot better prepared when I enter the Foreign Service.”

“Alina’s success in being awarded the fellowship is a recognition on the part of the Foreign Service of her abilities, accomplishments and determination, qualities I have experienced continually in working with her,” said Dr. Edward S. Cohen, professor of political science at Westminster. “I have no doubt that she will perform with distinction in both graduate study and as a Foreign Service officer.  She will be an outstanding and effective representative of our country.”

Clough is the daughter of Kevin Clough and Lynette Kuzenko and a graduate of Lake Shore Central High School in Orchard Park, N.Y.

NEW WILMINGTON, PA — Westminster Dining Services and Theatre Westminster hosted a Murder Mystery Dinner event in November, a fundraiser for the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation.

Raising $729, the event—held Saturday, Nov. 10 in the Berlin Lounge of Westminster’s McKelvey Campus Center—featured a murder mystery performance by Theatre Westminster players and a three-course meal.

Under the direction of Dr. Karen M. Dabney, visiting assistant professor of theatre at Westminster, the student performance featured the following members of the cast and crew: Yiannoula Katsadas, Victoria Lisbon, Hamish Mathwin, Natalie Sperlunto, Miranda Woge, Helen Kanaitis, Sam Sherlock, Brandon Williams, Lauren Brooks and Amanda Walter.

The Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation works to ensure that every child in the United States, especially those most at risk, grows up with dependable access to enough nutritious food to enable them to lead a healthy, productive life.

More information about the event, please contact Mona Moufid at moufidms@westminster.edu or 724-946-7703. To learn more about the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, please visit http://us.stop-hunger.org/home/about-us/our-vision.html.

ABOVE PHOTO: From left to right, Brandon Williams, Lauren Brooks, Natalie Sperlunto, Miranda Woge, Yiannoula Katsadas, Sam Sherlock, Victoria Lisbon, Mona Moufid and Dr. Karen Dabney.

NEW WILMINGTON, PA — Before departing campus for the winter break, Westminster College football players got into the holiday spirit by volunteering their time with the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) of Lawrence County, proving they are as mighty off the field as they are on.

Following Thanksgiving, student-athletes Atit Amin, Chase Collison, Angel Lozano, Cameron Mika, Brady Hogue and Joey Joy helped the CAC staff clean out its office warehouse in preparation for the agency's Adopt a Family holiday gift drive. Players filled a large roll-off with discarded furniture, technology and debris, then helped office staff re-organize the warehouse.

The Westminster football team also raised $235 to support the gift drive, and six players went on a Walmart shopping spree to purchase items for a young mother and her infant son. Ian Valente, Jaevon Hardy, Augustus Necastro, Dylan Magill, Connor Cox and Nick Lampadarios purchased learning toys, clothing—including a football outfit and Titan gear—and food and gas gift cards.

“When I talk to players, I like to use a bus analogy and emphasize that our football program is made up of four wheels: social, spirit, academics and athletics. Those make up our foundation,” said Westminster College Head Football Coach Scott Benzel. “The spirit side is volunteering and helping others, like our players did with the Children’s Advocacy Center. Our players like to be viewed as part of the community and they feel good about themselves when they’re giving back.”

The CAC is a multipurpose non-profit providing a variety of education, services and programs, including Nurse-Family Partnership, Early Head Start, Trauma-Informed Outpatient Victim Services. The CAC also offers food, nutrition, and toy distribution to enrolled children and families in Lawrence County.

For more information about CAC, visit www.UPMCJameson.com/CAC or call 724-658-4688.

NEW WILMINGTON, PA – Diana Reed, lecturer of early childhood education at Westminster College, will bring new tools to her classroom after spending the fall 2018 semester volunteering and observing at two educational facilities in Washington, D.C.

Reed volunteered in early childhood classrooms at the Briya Charter School, which educates children and adults. Reed surveyed many of the coordinators for Briya’s Two-Generation Program, in which parents study English, digital literacy and parenting while their children receive a high-quality early education.

“Each and every staff member I spoke with has a deep commitment to the common vision for the school,” said Reed. “They see the positive results of two-generation education and are dedicated to its mission. It is truly inspiring to witness.”

Students and staff at Briya—which is accredited by the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools—come from more than 50 countries from around the world, incorporating its values of multiculturalism and diversity.

In addition to Reed’s work at Briya, she also observed and interviewed the director and staff at American University’s Child Development Center (CDC), that provides educational opportunities and care for children ages 2 ½ to 6 while also offering experience for American Unviersity students pursuing early childhood field work.

Reed said that she at the CDC, she learned new methods of observation and training that she will be able to use in her classroom, benefiting Westminster’s future educators and child and family studies majors.

Reed, who has been with Westminster since 1990, spent 22 years as the head teacher of Westminster College’s Preschool Lab. She earned her undergraduate degree from Grove City College and her master’s from the University of Pittsburgh.

Above photo:  Diana Reed, far right, with Briya staff Gladis Canizales, Early Childhood Coordinator, and PreK teachers Nury Sandoval, Alejandra Cardenas and Shiela Escamilla. Bottom photo: At American University, Reed, far right, poses with Djamilia Akkache, Zakia Charfi, Emery Hartstein and Lawrence McCarthy.

NEW WILMINGTON, PA – Dr. Randy Richardson, Westminster College's visiting associate professor of communication studies, and Daniel Miller '95, director of operations for the Springfield Restaurant Group (SRG), will kick off the 2019 Titan Talks series at Westminster College at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, in the Majoras Lobby of the College’s Hoyt Science Center.

Dr. Richardson, a nationally acclaimed professor who has led students to win numerous national forensics competitions, will offer advice for public speaking and more effective communication in daily life in his talk titled “Public Speaking: More Feared Than Death but Really Helpful in Life.”

Westminster alumnus Miller, who has been with SRG since 1993, will discuss “Starting Something," exploring SRG's transition from a family-owned business to one of the larger restaurant groups in the greater Pittsburgh/Youngstown area. Springfield Restaurant Group includes favorite area dining spots such as Rachel’s Roadhouse, Iron Bridge Inn, Log Cabin Inn, Hickory Bar and Grille and Springfield Grille.

“I’m excited to begin this new year of Titan Talks and I’m sure this will be such an engaging installment,” said Nicole Hunter, assistant director of alumni engagement and coordinator of Titan Talks. “This is such a dynamic combination of experts, with Richardson’s charismatic way of changing the lives of the people he teaches and Miller’s leadership and involvement with such a successful and well-known regional venture.”

Established in the fall of 2018, Westminster College’s Titan Talks is a three-part series featuring Westminster scholars and professional and aimed at helping human beings develop their best selves and live lives with a mindful purpose.

Titan Talks are free and open to the public, but reservations by Jan.14 are recommended. To register, visit https://www.westminster.edu/alumni/events/event.cfm?id=512. For more information, please contact Hunter at 724-946-7373 or hunterna@westminster.edu.

Pictured above: Dr. Randy Richardson

NEW WILMINGTON, PA – Westminster College’s seventh annual Tournées French Film Festival will bring contemporary and classic French cinema to campus beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 29.

Over six consecutive weeks, six French films—five contemporary and one classic—will be presented. All screenings will take place 7 p.m. each Tuesday evening in the McKelvey Campus Center’s Mueller Theater.

Schedule:

Jan. 29: L’atelier (The Workshop)

Feb. 5: Félicité

Feb. 12:Visages, Villages (Faces, Places)

Feb. 19: Polina 

Feb. 26: Les Fantômes d’Ismaël(Ismael’s Ghosts)

March 5: Le Crime de Monsieur Lange (The Crime of Monsieur Lange)

Each film will be introduced by a Westminster College faculty member or student and will be followed by discussion. All films will be in French with English subtitles.

Presented by the Westminster College Department of Modern Languages and the Jake Erhardt International Film Series, the Tournées Film Festival is made possible through a grant awarded by the French-American Cultural Exchange and sponsors Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the U.S., Centre National du Cinéma et de L'image Animée, Franco-American Cultural Fund, Florence Gould Foundation, and Highbrow Entertainment.

For more information, contact Dr. Ann Murphy, associate professor of French and Spanish, at 724-946-3046 or dammroa@westminster.edu.

NEW WILMINGTON, PA – Dr. Timothy Winfield, assistant professor of music and Heritage Professor for Humanities at Westminster College, will perform the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and music from early 20th century France at a faculty trumpet recital at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 25, in the college’s W. Charles Wallace Memorial Chapel.

The first half of the recital will feature selected works of Bach arranged for solo trumpet; trumpet and organ; and trumpet, voice and piano. The second half of the recital will feature music from early 20th century France written and arranged for trumpet and piano.

Works to be performed include the “Prelude” to Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1; Arias from Bach’s Cantatas No. 51 and No. 103; Bach’s Concerto in D, BWV 972; Arthur Honegger’s “Intrada”; J.G. Pennequin’s “Morceau de Concert”; and an arrangement of Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune.”

Winfield will be joined by Dr. Nancy DeSalvo, associate professor of piano; William Ambert, adjunct professor of voice; Paula Kubik, college organist and adjunct professor of organ and carillon; and guest soprano artist Brianne Kochunas Samson.

Winfield, who joined the Westminster faculty in 2014, is principal trumpet with the Butler Symphony Orchestra and has held positions with the Billings (Montana) Symphony Orchestra and the Boulder (Colorado) Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra and the Canton, South Florida, Westmoreland, Johnstown, Steamboat Springs, Corona, and Aspen orchestras. He has been a featured soloist on the new works recital at the 2017 and 2018 International Trumpet Guild Conferences, and will perform at the 2019 conference as part of the Northwest Passage Trumpet Trio.

The recital is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Winfield at 724-946-7274 or winfietd@westminster.edu.

NEW WILMINGTON, PA – The Westminster College Preschool Lab registration for the 2019-2020 year will be held Monday, Feb. 4 through Friday, Feb. 8. This is an online registration only.

Children who turn 3 by Sept. 1 may be enrolled in the Tuesday and Thursday class, and those who turn 4 by Sept. 1 may be enrolled in the Monday-Wednesday-Friday class.

“The Westminster Preschool Lab provides a warm and nurturing environment that encourages children to freely explore, discover and create,” said Melissa Moore, head teacher. “Our curriculum is appropriate for each child’s developmental needs and offers a variety of activities that focus on social, emotional, cognitive, physical and language development.”

Nationally accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Westminster’s Preschool Lab is committed to providing an excellent learning experience for the area’s children. The program is enhanced by the use of an innovative curriculum, well-trained staff, developmentally appropriate equipment and individual attention.

As a collaborative effort, Westminster’s undergraduate students gain exposure to young children through observation, volunteer opportunities and as members of the teaching team.

For more information, contact the psychology department office at 724-946-7356 or visit www.westminster.edu/preschoolregistration.

Westminster undergraduates Michaela Libell and Samantha Dubetz gain experience working with children in the Westminster College Preschool Lab.

NEW WILMINGTON, PA – Westminster College’s Foster Art Gallery will host Sand Swallows Beneath My Feet, an art exhibition of mixed media sculptures, video and prints by Anina Major from Jan. 14 to Feb. 8. A gallery reception will be held from 4:30 - 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, in the gallery.

A native of Nassau, Bahamas, Major works primarily in clay but has extensive training in various fine arts medium, including drawing, painting and printmaking. Her work often pays homage to her island upbringings and surroundings.

“There is a transformative space between grounded and uprooted experiences that counteract our states of stay. With references to the ecology of my homeland, I continue to investigate the relationship between self and place. Through imaginative rediscovery, the work explores themes of hybridity and cultural identity within the context of my personal migration,” said Major in describing her exhibit.

Major studied at the College of The Bahamas before earning her undergraduate degree in graphic design from Drexel University in Philadelphia and a master of fine arts degree in ceramics from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence.

The exhibition is free and open to the public. The Foster Art Gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For more information, please contact Summer Zickefoose, professor of art, at 724-946-7267 or zickefse@westminster.edu.

PICTURED: Ecology of Relationships, 2018 • Clay, rope, lightbulbs

NEW WILMINGTON, PA – Westminster College will celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. at a special vespers service at 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20, in the college’s W. Charles Wallace Memorial Chapel.

Jarrett Samuels Sr.’94, a leader in the Farrell community, will serve as guest speaker. A mentor to many youth in the Farrell area, Samuels is founder of Crossroads Group Homes and Services that provides support to at-risk adolescents. Since 2007, Samuels has served as the head coach of the Farrell High School football team, which finished the 2018 season with a 15-0 record and claimed the PIAA Class A State Championship.

Music during the service will be provided by the New Castle Community Choir.

The service is free and open to the public.

For more information, please contact Diane Gabriel in the Office of Faith and Spirituality at 724-946-7117 or gabriedl@westminster.edu.

NEW WILMINGTON, PA – Eve Terwilliger, a senior molecular biology major at Westminster College, recently received a grant from Westminster College’s Drinko Center for Undergraduate Research to investigate two different combinations of chemotherapies.

Terwilliger’s project, “Investigating Chemotherapeutic Effects on Calcium Location and Nuclear Transport,” researched nuclear transport in the process of cell death as induced by chemotherapies. Dr. Karen Resendes, associate professor of biology, served as her research adviser.

To research the effects of the drug treatments on killing cancer cells, Terwilliger used the combination of the drug treatment thapsigargin and the chemotherapy gemcitabine, as well as the combination of thapsigargin and the chemotherapy 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Terwillinger determined that both drug combinations do not significantly induce cell death, and that the combinations were less effective at killing the cancer cells than the individual drugs.

She also investigated the distribution of calcium in the cell to aid her understanding of how the drug treatments affected calcium distribution and nuclear transport. 

Terwilliger is the daughter of Anita Terwilliger of Cabot, Pa., and a graduate of Knoch Senior High School.

NEW WILMINGTON, PA — Close to 200 people attended the 11th annual Student Symposium on the Environment held Dec. 6 in the McKelvey Campus Center at Westminster College.

The symposium featured environment-focused projects, research, service work, internships, and artwork of students from eight regional colleges and universities including Westminster College, Chatham University, Clarion University, Duquesne University, Geneva College, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Slippery Rock University and University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Students from two area high schools, Central Valley High School and Greenville Senior. High School, also participated.

Seventy-three students presented at this year’s symposium, which featured four categories: Environmental Research Poster, Environmental Project Poster, High School Presentation and Oral Presentation.

Westminster student Katarina Lewis earned top prize for her Environmental Project poster presentation on “Stress and exposure to imidacloprid- a neonicotinoid pesticide, affect host selection in Nasonia vitripennis.”

Westminster student Hailey Tammaro won for her Research Poster presentation on “Influence of weather variables on timing of breeding in American kestrels.”

Westminster students Tia Kowalo, Andrew Kearney, Justin Anuszek and Matthew Balczon won for their Oral Presentation on “Investigating microplastics in macroinvertebrates collected from the Little Neshannock Creek, using clean air processing techniques.”

In the high school category, Brian Ross and Trey Wilt from Greenville High School, took home the award for their presentation on “Acorn Parasite Preference.”

Honorable mentions went to Lauren McNany and Courtney Kinkead from Westminster College for their project poster; Rachel Dressler, Melanie Opyrchal and Hannah McElrath from Clarion University for their research poster; Elizabeth Cochran from Duquesne University for her oral presentation; and the Environmental Science AP Class from Central Valley High School for their high school research project.

Participating Westminster alumni included Jamie Linderman, John Matyasovsky, Cassie Treshok and Tyler Umstead who served as judges for the event.

Westminster College and the Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition, co-organizers of the event, announced the winners of this year’s symposium. Cash prizes sponsored by Stream Restoration Inc., were awarded to the winners of each category. All awardees received a certificate.

This year was the first for an employment initiative was held in partnership with the Professional Development Center, welcoming regional businesses who brought internship and job opportunities to the presenting students.

The 12th Annual Student Symposium on the Environment will be held on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019.

For more information about the Environmental Symposium, contact Dr. Helen Boylan, professor of chemistry and director of the Center for the Environment, at 724-946-6293 or boylanhm@westminster.edu.

Pictured from top to bottom: Katarina Lewis; Hailey Tammaro; Tia Kowalo, Andrew Kearney, Justin Anuszek and Matthew Balczon

NEW WILMINGTON, PA – Twenty-five Westminster College psychology and neuroscience majors presented their senior capstone projects on Tuesday, Dec. 11 in Hoyt Science Center.

Capstone is a course that provides an opportunity for students to conduct in-depth research in their majors. After completing their research projects, which were proposed during the spring semester of junior year, the psychology and neuroscience students presented their research findings and discussed the implications of their work.

Faculty advisers for the capstone projects included Dr. Deanne Buffalari, assistant professor; Dr. Mandy Medvin, professor; Dr. Sherri Pataki, associate professor; Dr. Jessica Rhodes, assistant professor; and Dr. Sandra Webster, professor.

“I believe this opportunity to conduct undergraduate research with faculty is one of the greatest strengths of our program,” says Pataki. “This experience provides great preparation for graduate school, medical school, and professional careers, and our alumni often reflect back on how valuable this experience was to them following their graduation from Westminster.”

For more information, contact Pataki at 724-946-7361 or patakisp@westminster.edu.

NEW WILMINGTON, PA — In celebration of International Girls Day in November, sisters from Westminster College’s Kappa Delta sorority hosted a STEAM event for area Girl Scouts, hoping to broaden the young girls’ experiences and shrink the gender gap in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art and math.

Nearly 25 Westminster students—whose majors include neuroscience, biology, computer science, nursing, music, education, political science, communications, international studies and English—participated in the event, said event coordinator and senior early childhood education major Sophia Sprunger.

“I really enjoyed giving these young girls an opportunity to learn STEAM concepts through hands-on activities,” said Sprunger. “I hope to use these activities in my future classroom.”

Approximately 60 local scouts—ranging from kindergarten through 12th grade—attended the event, which featured six different stations: hands-on science, art with science, technology, engineering/building, decorating cookies to look like animal cells, and a chemistry demonstration by Dr. Helen Boylan, professor of chemistry and director for the Center for the Environment.

Within the hands-on science, art, technology, and engineering stations, the Girl Scouts could choose from three to four different activities based on their interest and ability levels. Activities included a boat building challenge, binary coding, robot programing, making chromatography butterflies and a rainbow in a jar demonstration.

Through the embedded STEAM activities and the chemistry demonstration, girls were able to learn biology, chemistry, engineering, technology and problem-solving concepts. With the hands-on learning approach, the girls were able to exercise their creativity as well.

Girl Scouts is one of the nationally recognized philanthropies of Kappa Delta. The event was held in celebration of International Girls Day, which is recognized by the national Kappa Delta sisterhood.

For more information about the event, please contact Dr. Helen Boylan, professor of chemistry and director of the Center for the Environment, at 724-946-6293 or boylanhm@westminster.edu.

NEW WILMINGTON, PA — Dr. Helen Boylan, professor of chemistry and director of Westminster’s Center for the Environment, served as one of 15 female presenters at “A GEM Affair: Girls Engaging Mentors” hosted by the Butler County Community College at Lawrence Crossings on Dec. 18.

Coordinated by the Lawrence County School to Work Program, GEM’s mission to inspire young girls to pursue careers in STEM fields or other non-traditional pathways. One hundred and fifty-five ninth grade girls representing 10 schools in Lawrence County participated in the event, with small groups rotating around the various mentor presentations.

“This was a great opportunity for female students to be exposed to careers where women are generally underrepresented,” said Boylan. “I took the opportunity to talk to the girls about what they could expect as a STEM major in college.”

The panel consisted of women with careers as a software engineer, metallurgist, detective, judge and pilot—just to name a few.

Boylan joined the Westminster faculty in 2001. She earned her undergraduate degree from Westminster and her Ph.D. from Duquesne University.

For more information about her experience, contact Dr. Helen Boylan, professor of chemistry and director of the Center for the Environment at 724-946-6293 or boylanhm@westminster.edu.

NEW WILMINGTON, PA – Westminster College’s Dr. Pete Smith, professor of chemistry, and Dr. Sherri Pataki, associate professor of psychology, will continue the 2019 Titan Talks series with “The Chemistry of Beer & of People” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, at the Hop Asylum Brewery in New Wilmington.

Dr. Smith, chair of the department of biochemistry and chemistry, is a guest/assistant brewer for the local craft brewery Hop Asylum. He was featured in the brewery’s first Professor Tap, where he created a red IPA called “Chemical Imbalance.”

At the talk, Dr. Smith will explain the science and chemistry behind the craft of brewing beer, including why hops are added to beer, why some beers are darker than others and the difference between ales and lagers.

Dr. Pataki, chair of the psychology department, will discuss the chemistry of people, as she shares the science behind relationships and how to make those connections stronger with the ones you love.

Smith, who joined the Westminster faculty in 2002, earned his undergraduate and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Tennessee. Pataki has been with Westminster since 2004. She earned her undergraduate degree from Allegheny College and her Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University.

Established in the fall of 2018, Westminster College’s Titan Talks is a three-part series featuring Westminster scholars and professionals and aimed at helping human beings develop their best selves and live lives with a mindful purpose.

TITAN Talks are free and open to the public, but reservations are due by Friday, Feb. 1. To register, visit www.westminster.edu/titantalksfebruary. For more information, please contact Nicole Hunter, assistant director of alumni engagement and coordinator of TITAN Talks, at 724-946-7373 or hunterna@westminster.edu.

Above left photo: Dr. Pete Smith, on ladder, brews up some of his Chemical Imbalance IPA with Matt Turk, brewer at Hop Asylum Brewery. Above right photo: Dr. Sherri Pataki