News & Events

Fifth Annual Academic Festival showcased student achievement

The Fifth Annual Penn State Mont Alto Academic Festival was held April 14. More than 70 students presented projects they had researched, developed and created during the 2009-10 academic year. The event included oral and poster presentations, as well as an art show. Winners were ranked by first, second and third place in multiple categories with prizes of $20 to $200, courtesy of event sponsor F&M Trust Bank. The following is a list of award recipients by category.

Environmental Science

1st Place: Soils & How They Affect Tree Plantings - Josiah Knopsnider
2nd Place: Marcellus Shale - Severin Thierwechter
3rd Place: Robin Hood on the Road - Joe Brenner, Rick Dahal, Jonathan Hsieh, Bradley Lloyd

Humanities / Social Sciences

1st Place: Teaching Multiplication Through Literature - Gillian Colley
2st Place: Is Universal Health Care a Good Fit for the U.S?  -  Valerie Turner
3rd Place: The Effects of Divorce on Children - Christine Faulent

Science / Technology

1st Place: Education Workshop Piloted for Clients with Diabetes Type 2 - Eileen Hissong
2nd Place: Childhood Obesity - Hannah Hess
3rd Place: The Truth About RSV - Micah Jones

Art Show

Best of Show
Eliza Shoop, Blue October

1st Place
Bobby Laughman, Buck Skull

1st Place for 3D art
Jack Handshaw, Untitled work in porcelain

2nd Place
Katherine Kay Marshall, The Balloonist

3rd Place
Eliza Shoop, Taking the Plunge

Honorable Mention
Benjamin Wilt,  Into the Unknown
Katherine Kay Marshall, Joshua Bell
Anja Nace, Bloom
Gladys Cooper,  Serenity
Adam Eisentrout, Suspiria

Below: Amanda Kwizera explains her poster titled "Pro-Anan: Promotion for Anorexia" to Chancellor Dr. David Gnage.

Below: Alex Lamoreaux shares his poster presentation titled "Comparison and Analysis of Two Nearby Hawk Migration Sites in Pennsylvania" to geography instructor George Siehl.

Below: Maggie Gustafson presents her poster project "Clinical Effects of Physical Therapy of Colorectal Cancer" to a judge as teammate Nicole Becker, at right, looks on.

Below: William Yeager smiles as faculty judges Thomas Glumac, in blue, and Craig Houghton view his work. Yeager presented "The History of Mont Alto in Photographs."

For complete coverage of the Fifth Annual Academic Festival, please click here.