Recently in Alumni Category

On November 9, 2008, the honors program had the privilege of welcoming former Cooper and Schreyer Honors Scholars back to the Brandywine campus (of course, the campus was the "Delaware County" campus for most of them when they were students!). The alumni sat down with current scholars for a lively dinner discussion about school, work, and the honors common read Nickel and Dimed.

In the fall of 2001, Michele McClellan started her Penn State years as a student at the Brandywine Campus (then Delaware County). While she chose to pursue a major in Chemistry, she was also able to explore other interesting areas of study as a member of the Cooper Honors Program and later, as a member of the Schreyer Honors College. As a Cooper Scholar, she took classes in Music, English Composition and the works of Women Writers, Introduction to Psychology, and also did independent research in the Chemistry Department. While doing research with Dr. Michael DeRosa, Michele worked on a project studying the synthesis and analysis of molecular propeller molecules. After two years at the Brandywine Campus, Michele moved on to University Park to complete her degree. She received her B.S. in Chemistry from the Eberly College of Science in the spring of 2005. During her time at Penn State, she was a member of the Lion Ambassadors, tutored Chemistry in the Learning Center, and also helped with new student orientation as an orientation leader. Currently, Michele works as an Analytical scientist at DuPont's Chambers Works Plant in Deepwater, NJ. There she helps support the Gas Chromatography unit of her analytical group, working on troubleshooting and method development for the chemical intermediates manufactured on the site. She is also a member of the board of the Delaware County Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association.

Michele's advice for current honors scholars: "The best advice I've been given and that I can now give is to never stop learning.  As a member of the Honors Program you're given a great start--there are things to be learned through the classes you take and lasting relationships to be made with the wonderful faculty members who will teach you.  But getting your diploma is only the beginning--never let an opportunity to learn about your work, your interests, or even yourself, pass you by.  Every experience you have and every person you meet teaches you something.  I learned so much at Penn State that led me to who I am and what I'm doing now, but I'm constantly learning more to make me both better at what I do and make me into the person I'll be in the future."

 

We found a photo of Michele McClellan with the poster she presented at our campus research symposium in 2003. Michele's title and abstract are included here.

HOW MASS SPECTROMETRY IS BEING USED TO CHANGE THE FIELD OF VIRUS RESEARCH

Student Researcher: Michele McClellan (Chemistry)
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michael DeRosa (Chemistry)
Mass Spectrometry has been used to make progress in the field of immunology and virus research. New techniques of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) MS, electrospray ionization (ESI) MS, and gas chromatograph (GC/MS) have made it possible for scientists to understand the nature of viruses, find better techniques for quickly identifying viruses, and has even helped make progress in finding vaccines. MALDI, ESI, and GC/MS have solved the previous obstacle of viruses being too massive to analyze by traditional MS--these new machines instead transform the virus into ions and study the molecule according to charge. These advances have already made it possible to identify specific characteristics of the Sindbus virus after only 2 to 5 minutes of being tested. Distinguishing characteristics of the e-coli bacteria have also been isolated along with the human rhinovirus, the tobacco mosaic virus, and others. These new MS methods have also given scientists greater insight into how T and B cells fight against HIV which may put them closer to finding a cure. Recently MALDI, ESI and GC/MS have become an important factor in quickly identifying various chemical and biological weapons in order to offset their effects.

Toni Marie Hoffman began her undergraduate career at Penn State Brandywine (then Delaware County) in Fall 2001. As a Cooper Scholar, Toni took honors courses in English composition, effective speech, introduction to psychology, microeconomics, and natural disasters. She also completed an independent study doing a qualitative grain-size analysis comparison between Ocean City, Maryland, and Assateague National Island Seashore. She went to University Park to complete her degree in the College of Communications, graduating in spring 2005 with a major in media studies. During her time at Penn State, she was involved with several organizations including Lion Ambassadors and THON. She currently works as an escrow officer at First American Title Insurance Company in King of Prussia, PA. She serves as the Secretary for the Penn State Alumni Association for Delaware County and serves on their community service, activities and website development committees. She also is a coach for the Mean Green Canoe Team with the Girl Scouts of Eastern PA. She looks forward to continuing her connection with Penn State and working with the community.

We found a photo of Toni Hoffman with the poster she presented at our campus research symposium in 2003. Toni’s title and abstract are included here.

INVESTIGATING THE EROSION OF SEDIMENT AT OCEAN CITY MARYLAND AND ASSATEAGUE ISLAND

Student Researcher: Toni Hoffman (Communications) Faculty Mentor: Dr. Laura Guertin (Earth Science)
The purpose of my investigation was to determine the effect of erosion caused by the jetties in Ocean City Maryland on Assateague Island. There are two jetties, built in the 1930’s, which scientists believe are blocking sediment transport to Assateague Island through the currents. By collecting samples of sediment in various areas on the beach, my goal is to try to detect if the compositions of the sediment samples from each location are the same and to see if sediment from Ocean City is being transported to Assateague Island. The samples were collected from the berm, the high tide line, the intertidal zone and further back along the beach from both locations. I then looked at the samples under a microscope to determine different characteristics of the sediment, such as composition, grain size, grain sorting, and grain roundness. From these findings, I am able to determine a lack of longshore sediment transport from Ocean City to Assateague Island. I will also discuss what measures can be taken to stop the erosion of sediment at Assateague Island.

At Penn State Brandywine, our honors community is a very close group - some students even refer to us as "family."  We care deeply about the personal and professional development of the honors scholars while on campus, after heading to University Park, and after graduation.  We use this section of our blog to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of our Cooper and Schreyer Scholars.  May these alumni continue with their successes and serve as an inspiration to current and future scholars.