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《Three Pitt Students Awarded 2016 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships》

  • 来源专题：科学技术史学科动态
  • 发布时间：2016-04-07

  • Prestigious national honor supports research efforts of students pursuing careers in the fields of engineering, mathematics, and the natural sciences

    Contact:

    Anthony Moore

    mailto: amm114@pitt.edu

    412-624-8252

    Cell: 412-715-3644

    High resolution image(s) available >

    PITTSBURGH—Three University of Pittsburgh students have been awarded 2016 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships. The three Pitt juniors—Patrick A. Asinger, Natalie R. Dall, and Charles J. Hansen—were honored for their research endeavors in the areas of chemical engineering and molecular biology. Pitt junior Ethan A. Garcia-Baker received a 2016 Goldwater honorable mention designation.

    The Goldwater Scholarship, established in 1986 by U.S. Congress and named for then-Senator Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona, supports outstanding students who are pursuing careers in the fields of engineering, mathematics, and the natural sciences. The award—granted in either a student’s sophomore or junior year—assists in covering the costs of books, room and board, and tuition for each student’s remaining period of study.

    Institutions can nominate up to four students per year for the Goldwater Scholarship. This is the fourth consecutive year that all of Pitt’s nominees have received either the scholarship or an honorable mention designation. Pitt students have now won a total of 47 Goldwater Scholarships since 1996.

    “The University of Pittsburgh is immensely proud of our four 2016 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship nominees as well as Pitt’s continued success in this prestigious, highly competitive awards competition. Our track record is a testament to the high quality of our students as well as the strength of our institution,” said University Honors College Dean Edward M. Stricker. “Our Goldwater Scholars will use their scholarships to further hone their skills as researchers in the chemical engineering and molecular biology fields. They all have admirable aspirations to use those skills for the betterment of society, and we applaud and support their noble pursuits.”

    Pitt’s 2016 Goldwater Scholarship honorees study within the University’s Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and Swanson School of Engineering. Biographical information for Pitt’s four Goldwater honorees follows:

    A native of Bradford, Pa., Patrick A. Asinger is majoring in chemical engineering within the Swanson School. Upon his anticipated graduation from Pitt in the spring of 2017, Asinger plans to pursue a doctoral degree in chemical engineering.Patrick A. AsingerPatrick A. Asinger

    Asinger plans to focus his professional research in the areas of improved renewable-energy conversion and storage. Bridging the gap between laboratory experimentation and real-world application, he is working to be an influential figure in the development of catalyst systems that can efficiently convert carbon dioxide into fuel sources on a large scale.

    Asinger’s undergraduate research pursuits have been performed in the laboratory of Swanson School professor Götz Veser. This summer, he will be conducting research through the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation.

    In addition to his research, Asinger has been an organic chemistry teaching assistant, an outreach coordinator for the American Chemical Society, and a member of Engineers for a Sustainable World and the Chemical Engineering Honor Society. His previous honors and distinctions include Pitt’s University Scholarship, the most honorable design designation at the 2014 Pitt Student Design Expo, and the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) RISE Scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service.

    Natalie R. Dall is Pitt’s incoming Student Government Board president. A native of Loveland, Ohio, she is majoring in molecular biology within the Dietrich School. Upon her anticipated graduation from Pitt in the spring of 2017, Dall plans to pursue a doctoral degree in biology.Natalie R. DallNatalie R. Dall

    Dall plans to focus her professional research in the fields of evolutionary and developmental biology. Her endeavors will explore human developmental disorders—such as neural tube closure and spina bifida—from a molecular point of view. Dall hopes to establish her own laboratory at a major research institution, where she will work to identify the causative agents behind developmental disorders with the intent of developing innovative treatment methods.

    As an undergraduate, Dall has been performing research in the lab of Pitt biological sciences professor Mark Rebeiz for the past two years. Her work in the Rebeiz lab has been published in the peer-reviewed journal Developmental Cell.

    During her undergraduate career, Dall has been an active member of numerous campus organizations, including the Student Government Board and the national leadership honor society Omicron Delta Kappa. Her previous honors and distinctions include the Norman H. Horowitz Fellowship and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Mentor/Mentee Fellowship.

    A native of Mechanicsburg, Pa., Charles J. Hansen is majoring in chemical engineering within the Swanson School. Upon his anticipated graduation from Pitt in the spring of 2017, Hansen plans to pursue a doctoral degree in chemical engineering.Charles J. HansenCharles J. Hansen

    Hansen plans to focus his professional research pursuits towards clean energy production and energy storage. He looks forward to collaborating with scientists and engineers from different technical and international backgrounds in order to make breakthroughs in the energy field.

    During his undergraduate career, Hansen has been heavily involved in a range of undergraduate research endeavors, working closely with Swanson School professors Daniel Cole and Götz Veser. The findings of his work have been published in Ingenium, the publication of undergraduate research within the Swanson School.

    This summer, Hansen will continue his energy research through the Amgen Scholars Program at the California Institute of Technology. His other awards and distinctions include the Swanson School’s John W. Tierney Scholarship and Edward B. Stuart and Geraldine J. Stuart Memorial Scholarship. He was an active member of such notable organizations as the American Nuclear Society and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Hansen also served as a peer advisor on Pitt’s Freshman Engineering Leadership Team.

    Goldwater honorable mention designee Ethan A. Garcia-Baker is majoring in neuroscience as well as history and philosophy of science within the Dietrich School. Upon his anticipated graduation from Pitt in the spring of 2017, he plans to pursue a doctoral degree in computational biology and genomics.

    Garcia-Baker plans to focus his career in the area of human genomics technology, developing advanced tools for diagnosing psychiatric disorders and exploring new approaches for diagnosing mental disorders. He also will make the mentorship and training of doctoral students working in the area of precision medicine a priority throughout his career.

    Pitt’s four 2016 Goldwater Scholarship applicants were nominated with assistance from Pitt’s University Honors College, which advises Pitt undergraduate students and alumni who are interested in pursuing national and international awards.

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  • 《Pitt professor writes the book on Polish culture | TribLIVE.com》
    • 来源专题：科学技术史学科动态
    • 编译者：ihns
    • 发布时间：2016-02-03
    • Pitt professor writes the book on Polish culture. By Rex Rutkoski Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, 8:09 p.m. Email Newsletters Sign up for one of our email newsletters. Updated 10 hours ago A lot of folks might think Polish culture begins and ends with kielbasa, pierogies and polka music, says veteran University of Pittsburgh professor Oscar E. Swan. Never mind that the polka isn't even a Polish dance, emerging instead from the oom-pah music of Bohemia and Southern Germany, says the instructor of Slavic languages and literatures. “Several of my consultants in Poland specifically begged me: ‘Please tell Americans that the polka is not Polish!'” says Swan, author of “Kaleidoscope of Poland: A Cultural Encyclopedia” (University of Pittsburgh Press, $39.95) and 14 other books. An item about the polka is one of 900 compact text entries, serious and lighthearted, and 600 illustrations in the nearly 400-page book. It contains articles on major events, people, culturally shared knowledge and accomplishments from the more than 1,000-year-old record of Polish history and culture, along with a selection of articles on lesser-known, but (what Swan considers) equally noteworthy, Polish-related topics. The book's aim is to get students and visitors to Poland up to speed, so that they can come across as culturally literate in a country that places a high value on it, Swan says. “This book is full of insights into the Polish state of mind,” says British historian Adam Zamoyski, who wrote the foreword, calling it “a must” whose use is by no means confined to novices. Pittsburgh City councilwoman Natalia Rudiak, honored as Polonian of the Year in 2014 by the Polish-American Congress of Western Pennsylvania, and whose grandfather fought for a free and open Poland, sponsored a council proclamation last month honoring Swan and his book. “Poland is the fastest-growing economy in Europe,” Rudiak says. “Rather than be relegated to the back burner behind Germany and France, Poland and the Polish language need to be seen as mainstream as German and French.” This volume, she says, helps bridge gaps for both the casual traveler and the cultural aficionado in a way that is concise, colorful and easy to understand. Any attempt to improve one's general understanding and appreciation of a culture is a worthwhile endeavor, says Timothy Kuzma of Regent Square. He's the president and CEO of the Polish Falcons of America, the fraternal benefit society based in Green Tree. “The timing is always right for something like this,” Kuzma says. “Polish history and culture is a long, often complicated, story with numerous characters and plot lines. Dr. Swan's new book provides an informative, interesting and enlightening view into many of these stories.” Swan, 73, of Squirrel Hill is the first American selected for the Thesaurus Poloniae Award from the Center of International Culture, Krakow. He also is recipient of the Polonicum Award from the University of Warsaw for the “outstanding promulgation” of Polish language, literature and culture outside of Poland. He's not Polish, and it surprises him that people assume he is just because he specializes in that country's language, country and culture. “I see no inherent reason why a country like Poland should be any less interesting than France, Germany or Russia to study,” says Swan, who is Scots-Irish and first visited Poland in 1967 with his wife on a Stanford University Fellowship. “I think that I have a Polish sense of humor, but that is about as far as my genetic or ethnic connection to the country goes. I've sort of married into a Polish family. My son married a Polish woman from Krakow and lives in Poland,” he says. Swan believes that now is the right time to chronicle what makes Poland distinctive, before it is seen “as just one more European country.” Poland is a Western-style democracy, a member of the European Union and NATO and exists in an increasingly homogenized and globalized world. The country is undergoing significant cultural changes as it continues to become a part of the broad world. “One of the things that drew me to Poland in the first place was that (the) people are smart, well-read and informed, engaged in the outside world and have interesting things to say about most things and are articulate about saying it,” he says. “I think the Poles as a culture are among the most enterprising people I know.” He says the results show in the strides the country has made after the fall of communism, including Poland's status as a manufacturing powerhouse. “I wish that Americans would get rid of their cultural prejudices about Poles in the same way that they have largely rid themselves of their Irish, Hungarian or Italian stereotypes,” Swan says, “because they have nothing to do with reality.” All the countries of Central Europe unfairly “get short shrift” when histories of the world or of Europe are written, he says. “I think by coming to Poland's traditions as an outsider, I can possibly offer a perspective unaffected by the standard national narrative as to what outsiders might find interesting about Poland.” Swan has taught Polish language, literature, film and culture for more than 40 years at Pitt and says he has accumulated “a lot of passive knowledge” about these subjects that he was able to use for “Kaleidoscope of Poland.” Swan's book is not only timely but also contains information not always known to Americans or even Poles, says Eva Tumiel-Kozak of Pittsburgh, who came to America from Poland in 1974. She was producer and commentator of about 60 programs on the history of Polish music on WQED and WDUQ, many broadcast nationally on National Public Radio. “Some time ago, (Swan) initiated the Endowment for the Polish Program in order to continue the program for Polish studies even when he retires,” she says. “Perhaps his book will attract more students and donors to this worthwhile cause. I always believed that Polish culture had a big influence on the cultural life not only in Pittsburgh but in America.” Poles have been part and parcel of the American fabric since Jamestown Colony, says New Kensington native Rick Pierchalski, president of the Pittsburgh Polish Cultural Council. “They have contributed to virtually every sphere of American life from theater, music, industry, politics, academia, sports and the arts. Their industry, thrift and persistence in whatever they endeavor to do is what I consider to be traits of the Polish people.” Teacher and author Mary Louise Ellena of Richland, vice president of the Pittsburgh chapter and active in the national headquarters of the Kosciuszko Foundation, which promotes educational and cultural exchanges between the United States and Poland, finds Swan's book the definitive text “for anyone with Polish blood coursing through their veins or for anyone with an interest in things Polish.” When we keep traditions alive, we keep the spirit of people who passed them on to us alive, says Larry Kozlowski of Monroeville, chairman of the Polish Nationality Room at Oakland's Cathedral of Learning and cultural commissioner for the Polish Falcons Heritage Foundation. He also is founder of Polishfest at Pitt and the author of five books. We all want a sense of where we are, where we came from and where we are going, Kozlowski says, and honoring the customs of our heritage accomplishes that. Kozlowski used Swan's textbook when he was a student at Alliance College and praises Swan's new work as an excellent resource. “He's already distilled the important points, so it is very easy reading and informative,” he says. Swan says he hopes “people are infected by my interest in Poland and will want to keep learning more about the subject, while realizing that there is much more to this country, its history and its culture than can possibly be alluded to in a book or known by a single person. “I hope readers will find a few topics they would like to follow up on somewhere else in depth.” Rex Rutkoski is a Tribune-Review contributing writer. Subscribe today! Click here for our subscription offers. . . Show commenting policy. TribLive commenting policy. You are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to our Terms of Service. We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information. While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. Because of the volume of reader comments, we cannot review individual moderation decisions with readers. We value thoughtful comments representing a range of views that make their point quickly and politely. We make an effort to protect discussions from repeated comments â?? either by the same reader or different readers. We follow the same standards for taste as the daily newspaper. 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  • 《￡5M awarded for new UK-Brazil joint projects in advanced biofuels and biorefinery research》
    • 来源专题：生物安全知识资源中心 | 领域情报网
    • 编译者：yangrui
    • 发布时间：2016-11-14
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