As psychology continues its rise in popularity among college students, this fall Penn State Brandywine will begin offering a bachelor's degree in the field to meet the needs and interests of current and prospective students.
The bachelor of psychology degree program will combine the knowledge, skills and values of psychology with a liberal arts foundation.
Professor Laura Guertin's teaching came to life on Tuesday, August 23, as a 5.8 earthquake literally rocked Penn State Brandywine. As associate professor of Earth sciences, she helped install an earthquake monitoring station on campus in 2008 that not only picked up the vibrations from this earthquake, but continues to detect those occurring in South America and even the magnitude 9.0 that devastated Japan in March.
A few lucky Penn State Brandywine students had their essays chosen for publication in the University-wide annual journal Best of Freshman Writing. Myra Goldschmidt, associate professor of English and linguistics at the campus, submitted the essays for consideration.
"There is nothing as gratifying as being able to tell students they are being published, especially a freshman," Goldschmidt stated.
A poem written by Penn State Brandywine senior Lauren Orner was recently published in "175 Years of Reflections, Laurel Hill Cemetery," a commemorative booklet marking the cemetery's anniversary.
Several Penn State Brandywine students donned nineteenth century garb and gave a walking tour of Cumberland Cemetery on Sunday, Sept. 25. Junior Eileen Fresta created the tour during her summer internship at the cemetery.
Fresta researched some of the most important people interred at Cumberland Cemetery and explored what life was like in Delaware County hundreds of years ago. She used her findings to create a tour that included anecdotes about the lives of the cemetery's inhabitants.
Current and former students from Penn State Brandywine joined Senator Dominic Pileggi's fifth annual Kids' Fun Fair to engage with local families and discuss their research on child development on Saturday, Oct. 8 at Sun Valley High School in Aston. Two current students and one alumna accompanied Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Studies Jennifer Zosh to represent the campus' new Brandywine Child Development Lab (BCDL), where they explore how young children learn.
Penn State Brandywine received a $15,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) as part of the Alcohol Education Grant program, which helps organizations across the state curb underage drinking. The campus has been awarded the maximum amount of funds for the past two years.
The Penn State Brandywine tennis team finished first in the Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) Championships last weekend, October 21 through 23. The new champs finished the regular season undefeated with a 9-0 record in the PSUAC and an overall score of 78 in the championships, followed by Penn College with a score of 55.
Distinguished Professor of English Adam J. Sorkin was shortlisted for the British Poetry Society's Corneliu M. Popescu Prize for Poetry Translated from a European Language into English. His nomination stemmed from a translation of Mircea Ivanescu's "Lines Poems Poetry," published by the University of Plymouth Press. This work, along with five others, was honored by selection as part of the group of finalists out of an initial pool of 73 submissions. Sorkin's translation of a book of poems by Marin Sorescu, "The Bridge," won this prize in 2005.
Penn State grad John McManus, of Media, released a compilation of music on November 1 under independent record label, Realize Records, in Los Angeles. The album, titled "613," has an "indie" alternative sound to it and was inspired by McManus' desire to "share his life thoughts through music," he said, adding that he uses music as a vehicle for expressing his feelings in the hopes that others can relate.