Noteworthy

Thomas Wilk, assistant teaching professor of philosophy, has been selected from a competitive pool of applicants to take part in the Council of Independent College’s (CIC) New Currents in Teaching Philosophy Institute in July 2023. 

This program, funded by The Mellon Foundation, is designed for philosophy faculty to attend, collaborate, and bring new knowledge and skills back to their classrooms. As part of the institute, attending faculty will also receive a grant to support new curricular activities at their own institutions.

Dr. Wilk is most interested in learning how to grow philosophy at Widener to make it more interdisciplinary as he sees great potential for collaboration between philosophy and many other programs. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/philosophy-faculty-selected-summer-philosophy-institute

By: Riya Sembhi '25 secondary education, English

Taylor Easter ‘25, a political science and sociology major, has been recognized for her nonpartisan democratic engagement work as an awardee of the 2023 ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge’s Student Voting Honor Roll. She was one of just 175 students nationally to be recognized through the program.

ALL IN works to improve civic engagement, voter participation, and political education with campuses nationwide.  

The award highlights Easter’s commitment to increasing student voting rates, education, and turnout efforts, as well as ensuring equitable access to the polls. With a focus on civic engagement, Easter hopes to continue her political engagement on campus and beyond. She credited Director of Civic Engagement LaShanda A. Patton for unwavering support and encouragement of her efforts at Widener.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/30346/

Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing Jessica Guzman, Assistant Professor of English Christine Woody, and Assistant Professor of Sociology Jennifer Padilla Wyse have been invited to participate in Swarthmore College’s Humanities Leadership Development Program. 

This program is designed for faculty in the humanities and will provide facilitated discussions, guest speakers, case studies, and more for faculty from Widener and select other Philadelphia-area colleges and universities. The goal is to support faculty in growing their leadership skills and continuing to step into leadership roles within their institutions. The experience is funded by a grant from The Mellon Foundation, a known advocate for humanities and the arts.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/three-humanities-faculty-invited-join-summer-leadership-development-program

By: Riya Sembhi '25 secondary education, English

Zora DeSeignora ’23, a double major in Spanish and Communications, has been awarded the Janice Bond Memorial Plaque and Award for Graduating Seniors from the Pan American Association of Philadelphia. She is the first student from Widener to receive this award, which is given to graduating seniors of local colleges and universities for excellence in courses related to Latin America during their four years.

The award was presented at the 2023 Pan American Day Celebration & Scholarship Luncheon at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. Joining Zora at the event was her father, John, and Professor of Spanish Beatriz Urraca. The luncheon provided networking opportunities for students present, as well as a keynote address from Ramón Eduardo Martínez de la Guardia, Ambassador of Panama to the United States.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/spanish-and-communications-student-receives-janice-bond-memorial-award-graduating-senior

Biology Professor David Coughlin has been awarded the Cynthia H. Sarnoski Faculty Fellowship award to support his research focused on climate change and wild brook trout. This is the second time Coughlin has been the recipient of this award, which will run from July 2023 through June 2025.

“The future of biological systems, upon which humans depend, is imperiled by climate change. My laboratory uses multiple experimental approaches to examine how changes in the environment affect the physiological performance of a given organism,” Coughlin explained.

Coughlin works together with Widener students to examine the impact of rising temperatures due to climate change on muscle function in brook trout. Working in the lab, the team has found a strong physiological response to a warming environment in a controlled setting. In the past year, Coughlin has begun analyzing wild, native brook trout populations across the state of Pennsylvania. 

“This study aims to bring data together from throughout the year to determine how wild trout are responding to changing environmental temperatures,” says Coughlin. “We hope to gain insights that will contribute to management of threatened brook trout populations.”

The Sarnoski Fellowship supports science faculty through a generous gift made by Cynthia H. Sarnoski, who serves as vice chair of Widener’s Board of Trustees. Sarnoski graduated from Widener in 1974 with a bachelor's degree in chemistry. She is a retired senior vice president for Global Compliance and Quality Systems for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/biology-professor-receives-cynthia-h-sarnoski-faculty-fellowship-continue-climate-change-research

Associate Professor of Biology Janice Krumm is the recipient of over $143,000 from the National Science Foundation to continue a multi-year project aimed at making undergraduate research more accessible for students. This is the fourth grant that this project has received, bringing the total funding to nearly $2 million of which nearly half has been awarded directly to Widener. 

Krumm served as primary investigator for the first three awards and is now collaborating with additional researchers from George Washington University, Texas Tech University, Westfield State University, and Anoka-Ramsey Community College. The project has been focused on creating Course Based Undergraduate Research (CURE) classes which utilize a newly created online database of natural history resources that are free and available for use by students across the country. 

This new funding will:

• Support recruitment and training of more faculty nationwide to implement accessible CURE strategies into their classrooms
• Allow researchers, like Dr. Krumm, to assess the effectiveness of these new practices using newly designed research instruments
• Provide funding to support students participating in these CURE courses to attend national conferences to present their research. Dr. Krumm estimates that nearly 100 students will be able to attend and present their work over the next 3 years. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/biology-faculty-receives-continued-national-science-foundation-funding

Professor of Political Science Wes Leckrone has co-edited a newly released book, “Teaching Federalism: Multidimensional Approaches” which “presents innovative ideas for teaching a wide variety of key concepts of federalism and federal-country cases.”

The book is open access and free to read, download, and share. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/political-science-faculty-co-editor-new-open-access-book

A collaborative paper featuring Professor of Biology David Coughlin and student Emma Wilcock has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. The paper features authors from across the globe, including Coughlin and Wilcock. 

The paper, “Metabolic reprogramming underlies cavefish muscular endurance despite loss of muscle mass and contractility,” discusses research done to analyze the skeletal muscle physiology of the Mexican cavefish. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/biology-faculty-and-student-featured-authors-published-paper

The first Humanities mini-camp was held by the Humanities Division of the College of Arts and Sciences. The camp was led by Widener English and History students and explored the intellectual and artistic history of the Harlem Renaissance.

The event was the culmination of work by faculty and students, both past and present, to bring prospective students and members of the community to campus to learn about topics in the humanities. Attendees at the event included area high schoolers and community members.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/humanities-hosts-mini-camp-examining-harlem-renaissance

By Matthew Sullivan '22 communications studies

Widener University’s FreshBaked Theatre Company performed their first show since 2019, a fresh adaptation of Little Mermaid that places the act of storytelling on center stage, written by award winning playwright Mike Kenny. Audiences gained admission to the hour-long show and post-show discussion by freewill donations, with all proceeds benefitting Chester community programs. 

FreshBaked Theatre Company is part of the university’s community service mission. They present inventive drama for schools and families in the greater Chester community. Little Mermaid is produced by arrangement with New Plays for Young Audiences. 

Featured student cast members Anna Greydanus, Maura O’Brien, McKenna Stine, and Leo-Paul Wahl were led by director of FreshBaked Theatre Company Lisa Cocchiarale. Performances of the show occurred on November 5th, 9th, 11th, and 12th.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/students-wideners-freshbaked-theatre-company-perform-little-mermaid

By Matthew Sullivan '22 communications studies

Members of Widener and the surrounding communities attended America 250 PA Delco’s Revolutionary Reads event, hosted by Widener University at the Kapelski Learning Center on November 6th, where visiting author Serena Zabin discussed her book The Boston Massacre: A Family History. The event consisted of a discussion of the book between Serena Zabin and Widener President Stacey Robertson, a question-and-answer session with the audience, and concluded with a reception and book signing. 

Revolutionary Reads is an annual, year-long reading event happening through 2026, where the America 250 PA Delco committee selects a book about the history of the United States of America for the Delaware County community to read. Each book that is chosen by the committee commemorates the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, with the mission to “ignite imaginations, elevate diverse stories, inspire service, and highlight the American founding and 250 years of American history through Delco’s unique lens.” 

Serena Zabin is a professor of history and director of the American studies program at Carleton College. Her book, The Boston Massacre: A Family History, explores the Boston Massacre through stories of political and personal conflicts between the soldiers, colonists, and their families during the revolutionary war.

America 250 PA Delco partnered with Widener University led by Dr. Jordan B. Smith, assistant professor of history, and the Delaware County Library System to present the Revolutionary Reads Community Read visiting author at Widener University. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/widener-university-hosts-author-serena-zabin-revolutionary-reads-event

Associate Professor of Chemistry Andrea Martin has been recognized with the Fitz Dixon Innovation in Teaching Award, announced at the 2022 faculty awards program. 

The award recognizes faculty members, either individually or in teams, who have designed, implemented, and assessed an innovative or experimental teaching and learning project. 

Martin has a deep commitment to innovative, inclusive, and continuously renewed teaching of undergraduate chemistry.  This includes in-class structured group activities and frequent low-stakes assignments that are designed to build content knowledge and process skills simultaneously. She uses “Math Minute” videos to address deficiencies in the algebra needed for success in chemistry, and a flipped classroom model that involves making lecture material online and using the class period for problem solving. Martin uses applied process-oriented guided inquiry learning to include all students in active-learning group problem-solving, where students take turns with different roles of manager, recorder, reporter, and reflector – to explore chemistry problems as a team. 

Martin helped create Widener’s Peer Learning Assistant Program to support class goals and offer feedback on class activities. These exemplary, innovative, and impactful multi-faceted teaching projects advance the Widener mission to provide active and inclusive learning experiences for all students.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/27651/

Associate Teaching Professor of English Jayne Thompson received the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award at Widener’s 2022 faculty awards program. The honor is given annually to recognize one outstanding faculty member and is funded by the Lindback Foundation as a means of honoring dedicated faculty members at universities across the Philadelphia region.

Thompson has worked more than two decades to join her passion for teaching literature and creative writing with deep engagement in the Chester community.  She has made the act of writing a central tool for addressing the hopelessness and pain of people caught in the "school-to-prison pipeline."  Her work has grown organically from her experiences with high school students, incarcerated people and community groups.

Thompson has included students through the Chester Writers House and by creating and teaching the Community Literacy and Social Justice course. Along with Widener students, she began a women’s writing group called The World Split Open Story Collaborative for those who live, work, volunteer, and study in Chester.  It encourages women to tell their stories, share life experiences, and explore their sense of agency.

From her work with the Chester School District; Chester Made and Chester Cultural Corridor; Widener University’s service learning, Bonner Leaders, and Periclean Faculty Leadership programs; and multiple places of communal gathering, to her role on the Mayor’s Advisory Council at Chester City Hall, Thompson’s work in Chester supports vibrant communities.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/27656/

Profession of Criminal Justice Shana Maier was honored at the 2022 faculty awards program with the Outstanding Researcher Award. 

The award recognizes a faculty member who has exhibited distinction in scholarly work. Through their research, the recipient has made a significant contribution to advancement of their profession or discipline, and to the university’s mission and vision. 

Maier’s research addresses society’s contemporary conflicts and hot-button issues such as student fear of crime and perception of safety; marijuana decriminalization; jury instructions; and sexual violence and victimization. Throughout her career she has established an impressive record of research as someone who undertakes complicated criminal justice and socio-legal analyses. 

Maier has achieved an outstanding record of publication over the previous five years despite pandemic-related slowdowns of scholarly activity and production across higher education. She is committed to actively engaging undergraduate and graduate students in rigorous academic research and has recently authored four manuscripts for publication with undergraduates.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/27646/

Associate Professor Angie Corbo, chair of the Communication Studies program, received the Institutional Leadership Award at Widener’s 2022 faculty awards program.

The award is given annually to a faculty member who has a history of leading university initiatives that further Widener’s vision, mission and strategic objectives. 

Corbo has served her college and the university in leadership roles in faculty governance. She currently serves as faculty chair, and has served on the crisis management team’s academic consulting team. She is part of the High Impact Practice Fair committee, chairs the Breathe Board, and serves on the provost’s Mental Health Task Force.

Corbo is an engaged leader in the campus community, serving as the Summer Undergraduate Research and Creative activities program co-director since 2014. As a co-instructor of Contemporary Issues in Political Engagement, she empowered students to interview political candidates and lobby elected offices to be cognizant of the impact of college student debt. 

Story link: https://www.widener.edu/node/27641

The annual Summer Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA) program offers a high-impact experience through faculty-mentored undergraduate research, collaborative engagement, and a student-faculty learning community. The months-long program culminated with a symposium event which allowed participating students to present their projects and findings to the Widener community as well as a panel of volunteer judges who ranked the presentations by category.

The winners of the 2022 SURCA Symposium are:

Biochemistry: Michaela Jemison (advisor: Alexis Nagengast)
Detecting phenotypic difference of Alzheimer’s progression in a variety of Drosophila genotypes

Biology: Zachary Anderson (advisor: Caroline Fortunato)
Understanding the biogeographical patterns of microbial communities within the grassland soils of Northeastern Pennsylvania

Business & Computer Science: Shea’lyn Hubbs & Daniel Wiedl (advisors: Babatunde Odusami & YoungHa Ki)
Green bond performance in the United States

Chemistry: Elana Nguyen (advisor: Robert Mishur)
Microwave-assisted synthesis of transplatin, trans-[Pt[NH3]2Cl2]

Engineering A: Jared Ware (advisors: Babak Eslami & Kamran Fouladi)
Investigation of effect of melting temperature on the quality of 3D printed parts out of PLA filaments

Engineering B: Brian Hoffman (advisor: Dipendu Saha)
Conversion of Styrofoam into value-added products

Environmental: Emily Mills (advisor: Chad Freed)
Spatial modeling to support conservation of Sialia sialis, Eastern Bluebirds, in Pennsylvania

Humanities: Madison Smith & M’Nya Preston (advisor: Jordan Smith)
Hidden History of Widener

Molecular Biology: Adam Oladeji (advisor: Michael Toneff)
Transient expression of miR-200c does not permanently inhibit breast cancer cell aggression

Social Science A: Zora DeSeignora & Kaitlyn Lathrop (advisor: Angela Corbo)
Belonging, inclusion, and collaboration in communication studies: Building self-awareness and community

Social Science B: Cloë Di Flumeri & Marissa Fowler (advisor: Jeremy Backstrom)
Intimate partner violence during civil war

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/undergraduate-students-named-winners-2022-surca-symposium

Assistant Professor Hongwei Yang, along with collaborators John Mason ’21 and Joanna Weyrich ’23 have had an article, “Mechanic Study of Porosity Formation in Liquid-Assisted Mechanochemical Synthesis of Metal-Organic Framework Cu3(BTC)2  for adsorption-Based Applications,” published in Sustainability, a journal distributed by MDPI. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/faculty-and-students-published-sustainability-journal

Widener students and faculty visited Stetser Elementary School to participate in their annual end-of-the-year garden harvest. The gardening program, developed by professor Bruce Grant, is a place-based program which aims to improve the academic performance of Stetser students in science and promote social engagement in their school community.

The program has engaged Widener students as part of Grant’s academic service learning enhanced courses with the goal of providing students with meaningful work and sustainable community development opportunities.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/widener-faculty-and-students-join-stetser-elementary-garden-harvest 

Assistant Teaching Professor Catherine Safran was invited to present a workshop at the Human Anatomy & Physiology Society’s Annual Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Safran presented her experience working with Peer-Learning Assistants at Widener in anatomy and physiology lectures and labs.

This annual conference is attended by anatomy and physiology instructors from around the world.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/faculty-presents-workshop-peer-learning-annual-conference

Widener University’s ROTC program celebrated its 2022 Commissioning Ceremony in Alumni Auditorium on Wednesday, May 18 with 22 cadets taking the oath of office as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army.

Four Widener students were among the cadets commissioned. The group of 22 hailed from three area universities and all trained through the Dauntless Battalion unit at Widener, where they engaged in the hands-on, intense military training that has prepared them for successful careers. Family members pinned the new rank to their dress uniforms, and each officer shared a silver dollar with the individual they selected to give them their first salute – a military tradition.

The four officers who earned their undergraduate degrees from Widener last week, and the military careers for which they prepared, included:

• Arlie Cesarone, nurse corps officer.
• Noah Davis, armor officer.
• Memphis Martin, nurse corps officer. She was commissioned as a distinguished military graduate and also received the commissioning saber – a point of honor that recognized her leadership.
• Bryanna Ortiz, military intelligence officer.

The program speaker was Major General Patrick J. Donahoe, commanding general of the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia. He advised the new officers to maintain their physical fitness, increase their professional knowledge and broaden their horizons intellectually. And, he acknowledged their decisions to focus on serving the country at a challenging time when much of the nation is focused on self.

“Thank you for taking the challenge to lead,” he said. “Lead well. You are well prepared to do so.”

Photo shows from left, Army Second Lieutenants Memphis Martin, Bryanna Ortiz, Arlie Cesarone, and Noah Davis.

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