Penn State Great Valley Library Blog

Washington, D.C. — Tanya Furman, professor of geoscience at Penn State, received a 2005 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.

The award honors individuals and institutions that have enhanced the participation of underrepresented groups — such as women, minorities and people with disabilities — in science, mathematics and engineering education at all levels. The program is supported and administered by the National Science Foundation, and individual awards include a $10,000 grant for continued mentoring work.

Furman, who also is associate director of Penn State’s Alliance for Earth Sciences, Engineering and Development in Africa, received the award for working to identify best practices for organizations wishing to develop mentoring programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. She developed an innovative series of programs that promise a substantial effect on increasing underrepresented students considering STEM-based career opportunities and has built collaborative relationships at other academic institutions that now use her programs.

Her work helps to increase minority and female student participation in geosciences. Furman focuses on designing research opportunities that engage African-American students and encourage them to pursue graduate studies.

“They’re young, smart, brash. They may wear flip-flops to the office or listen to iPods at their desk. They want to work, but they don’t want work to be their life.” By Stephanie Armour, USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2005-11-06-gen-y_x.htm

For the third consecutive fall, Penn State Great Valley’s Social Entrepreneurship and Community Leadership course participants are presenting local organizations and businesses with free business plans and other consulting projects. Teams consisting of MBA and Master of Leadership Development students from Penn State Great Valley, and high school students from Conestoga, Great Valley and Malvern Prep, consulted with four socially responsible organizations
— Vanguard School, Sustainable Landscapes, Chilly Philly Ice Cream and Winning Wealth Services — to assess their business needs.

The Vanguard School, which is approaching its 50th anniversary, is a school that aids children with learning disabilities. Sustainable Landscapes is a consortium of small businesses that strive to support natural habitats while growing their businesses. Chilly Philly Ice Cream is a relatively new ice cream company with a goal to hire local employees and use ingredients produced by local farmers. Winning Wealth is a community organization that seeks to partner with local businesses to improve economic opportunities for minority communities through financial education.

The social entrepreneurship course teams have analyzed these organizations using business knowledge and skills learned during this class, and they will share their recommendations, which include business plans, strategic plans, marketing plans, funding proposals and performance management plans for the organization, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7, and Monday, Dec.
12.

The presentations will be held in the Musser Auditorium in the Safeguard Scientifics Building on the Great Valley campus. The events are free to the public. Due to limited space, RSVPs to barrielitzky@psu.edu are requested.