It's mid-September, temperatures are finally falling to the low 80s, and most students have by now managed to outsmart LionPath to find their classrooms, finalize their schedules, and pay their tuition bills. Quite a number of those students have already made their way to 220 Boucke, 7 Sparks, or 101 Pattee to work with a tutor. More will start to visit GSG sessions, too, in classrooms reserved in the nick of time, by the skin of their coordinators' teeth. Let's take a moment to congratulate ourselves on having dodged or powered through all of the obstacles to what has been, so far, a hectic but invigorating transition to the 2016/17 academic year. Good work!
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And Now...September Birthdays
Brian Bondiskey, French tutor, September 6
Brian, who turned 22 this year, is a senior studying World Languages Education - French Option. After graduation, he hopes to land his first teaching job around the Philadelphia area or return to France to teach English abroad and strengthen his French competencies. Brian taught himself how to do a back flip when he was 8 years old and has been able to do it ever since. He says the back flip is second nature to him, like riding a bike. Of course, he SAYS he can do back flips, but has he demonstrated this skill in 7 Sparks? Not yet, friends, not yet. (Also, apologies to Brian for cutting off the Eiffel Tower in his photo...)
Brian, who turned 22 this year, is a senior studying World Languages Education - French Option. After graduation, he hopes to land his first teaching job around the Philadelphia area or return to France to teach English abroad and strengthen his French competencies. Brian taught himself how to do a back flip when he was 8 years old and has been able to do it ever since. He says the back flip is second nature to him, like riding a bike. Of course, he SAYS he can do back flips, but has he demonstrated this skill in 7 Sparks? Not yet, friends, not yet. (Also, apologies to Brian for cutting off the Eiffel Tower in his photo...)
Rob Shreiner, GSG Leader for PHYS 212, September 8
Rob will graduate this Spring with a degree in Engineering Science and minors in Physics and Mathematics. This time next year, he'll begin the journey towards a doctoral degree in Physics. He hopes to become a professor someday but is open to opportunities in industry/government research or secondary education. He writes, "I’m a big fan of 'bad' movies (e.g., The Room – which I’ve watched over twenty times, Birdemic: Shock and Terror, Samurai Cop)! My friends and I quote obscure lines throughout otherwise normal conversations, not so much a game of one-upsmanship as a momentary connection through shared silliness. I think that is lacking significantly in the world, and shoddy cinema, unfairly scoffed, offers an excellent vehicle for such joyful engagement. 'See you guys!'"
Rob will graduate this Spring with a degree in Engineering Science and minors in Physics and Mathematics. This time next year, he'll begin the journey towards a doctoral degree in Physics. He hopes to become a professor someday but is open to opportunities in industry/government research or secondary education. He writes, "I’m a big fan of 'bad' movies (e.g., The Room – which I’ve watched over twenty times, Birdemic: Shock and Terror, Samurai Cop)! My friends and I quote obscure lines throughout otherwise normal conversations, not so much a game of one-upsmanship as a momentary connection through shared silliness. I think that is lacking significantly in the world, and shoddy cinema, unfairly scoffed, offers an excellent vehicle for such joyful engagement. 'See you guys!'"
Castle Leonard, GSG Leader for CHEM 110, September 10
Castle is a sophomore majoring in Aerospace Engineering. After graduation, she hopes to work with Aero computer systems and then maybe go to graduate school after gaining some experience. Fun fact: Castle has an identical twin sister named Cierra. "But we are not very similar," she adds.
In other news: Castle completed research this summer with Dr. Christopher Martin at Penn State Altoona on the electric characteristics of an oxy-fuel flame for improved industrial steel cutting. Their initial findings were published in a paper titled 'A Study of the Electrical Characteristics of an Oxy-Fuel Flame' in Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science.
Castle is a sophomore majoring in Aerospace Engineering. After graduation, she hopes to work with Aero computer systems and then maybe go to graduate school after gaining some experience. Fun fact: Castle has an identical twin sister named Cierra. "But we are not very similar," she adds.
In other news: Castle completed research this summer with Dr. Christopher Martin at Penn State Altoona on the electric characteristics of an oxy-fuel flame for improved industrial steel cutting. Their initial findings were published in a paper titled 'A Study of the Electrical Characteristics of an Oxy-Fuel Flame' in Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science.
Ruiyan Liu, Japanese Tutor, September 12
Ruiyan is majoring in Japanese and Psychology, business option. After she graduates in May, she hopes to find a job in education, preferably in Japan. Ruiyan speaks English, Japanese, and Chinese fluently and a little bit of Korean. People tell her that she is "the most warm-hearted and friendly person" they've ever met. According to an article in New Republic, "...people who are actually fluent in two languages also feel their personality shifting as they switch between languages." Read the whole article, "Multilinguals Have Multiple Personalities," to find out more!
Ruiyan is majoring in Japanese and Psychology, business option. After she graduates in May, she hopes to find a job in education, preferably in Japan. Ruiyan speaks English, Japanese, and Chinese fluently and a little bit of Korean. People tell her that she is "the most warm-hearted and friendly person" they've ever met. According to an article in New Republic, "...people who are actually fluent in two languages also feel their personality shifting as they switch between languages." Read the whole article, "Multilinguals Have Multiple Personalities," to find out more!
Seth Nishiyama, Math Tutor & Coordinator, September 18
Seth, a junior in Risk Management with an Actuarial Science Option, hopes to be an actuary after he graduates next year. He studied abroad in Japan this past summer, where he "partly climbed up Mt. Fuji (in a bus), held owls in an owl cafe and relaxed in the hot springs." According to this article about Akiba Fukurou, an owl cafe in Tokyo, "The owls were so peaceful — content little creatures napping and winking, seemingly happy to allow a roomful of curious strangers to stroke their unbelievably soft heads."
Seth, a junior in Risk Management with an Actuarial Science Option, hopes to be an actuary after he graduates next year. He studied abroad in Japan this past summer, where he "partly climbed up Mt. Fuji (in a bus), held owls in an owl cafe and relaxed in the hot springs." According to this article about Akiba Fukurou, an owl cafe in Tokyo, "The owls were so peaceful — content little creatures napping and winking, seemingly happy to allow a roomful of curious strangers to stroke their unbelievably soft heads."
Colin Kaye, Math Tutor, September 4
Joanne Oh, Math Tutor & GSG Leader for Math 141, September 4
Mary Beth Munera, Writing Tutor, September 18
Joanne Oh, Math Tutor & GSG Leader for Math 141, September 4
Mary Beth Munera, Writing Tutor, September 18