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SCHOOL NOTES

Robert Carline, adjunct professor of fisheries science, received an award in September 2005 from the American Fisheries Society for the most significant paper in the North American Journal of Aquaculture in 2004.

Staff assistant Sandra “Sandi” Stauffer retired on disability in August 2005, with 25 years of service at Penn State.

In January, Kim Steiner, professor of forest biology, became vice-chair of the board of directors of the American Chestnut Foundation and chair of the Allegheny Society of American Foresters.

Several School of Forest Resources students were honored at Penn State’s 9th Annual Environmental Chemistry Student Symposium held at University Park March 17-18, 2006. Master’s students Sarah MacDougal and Lindsey Donaldson received poster awards and doctoral candidate Anthony Buda received an oral presentation award.

David DeWalle, professor of forest hydrology, is serving as president of the American Water Resources Association during 2006.

Richard Fritsky, a research associate who will complete an M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science this summer, won the 2006 Best Student Presentation Award in March 2006 from the Pennsylvania Chapter of The Wildlife Society for his work entitled, “Habitat Use, Density, and Survival of Eastern Cottontails on Six CREP Sites in Pennsylvania.”

John Karish, National Park Service (NPS) research biologist housed in the School of Forest Resources, was presented with the NPS 2006 Inventory and Monitoring Professional Excellence Award in February. Karish was chosen for his success in conveying research results to a variety of audiences—agency staff, other cooperators, and the public. He developed regional guidelines to promote continued, standardized presentation and publication of results, and improved a science information Web page to distribute results electronically.

Jennifer Stingelin Keefer, NPS Northeast regional NPSpecies database manager, was elected in April 2006 to serve on the National Species Database (NPSpecies) Advisory Committee. Scott Tiffney, NPS Northeast regional NatureBib database manager, was elected in January 2005 to serve on the National Natural Resources Bibliographic Database (NatureBib) User Board.

Goddard Chair professor Robert McKinstry co-wrote a brief submitted in May 2006 to the U.S. Supreme Court representing a number of leading scientists supporting the position of a number of states contending that the federal government should regulate emissions of greenhouse gases from automobiles to address climate change.

After one year each as vice president, president-elect, and president, Paul Smith, professor of forest products marketing, is now serving a one-year term as past president of the Society of Wood Science and Technology. His term as past president ends June 2007.

Sanford Smith, lecturer in forest resources, received a 2006 Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals Gold Award in the Computerized Graphic Presentation or Slide Set category for his program, “Forest Awareness Poster Presentation.” A collaboration between the School of Forest Resources and the Department of Integrative Arts in the College of Liberal Arts, the project was designed to educate youth about the forest resources of Pennsylvania by tapping the creative ideas and talents of some of the country’s most promising visual arts students.

Wood products junior Thomas Ruffing is one of eight undergraduates nationwide to receive a $5000 scholarship from the Robert E. Dougherty Foundation. The foundation’s scholarship program had its largest applicant pool in 2006 with 25 eligible applications from juniors, seniors, and graduate students enrolled in a forest products, wood science, wood technology, chemistry, mechanical engineering, or industrial engineering curriculum. Six member companies submitted a total of eight applications; the balance were nominations by college and university faculty.

The National Cooperative Research Awards Program annually recognizes the achievements and services of individual Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units. The Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (PCFWRU), housed in the School of Forest Resources, was one of two units selected in 2005 to receive this Unit Excellence Award for their research, technical assistance, and student training provided in support of cooperating state agencies.

Duane Diefenbach, adjunct associate professor of wildlife ecology, is collaborating with biologists from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and the National Wild Turkey Federation to trap, band, and release 300 wild turkey gobblers in each state to determine spring gobbler harvest rates. The research will also be used to determine annual survival and nonhunting mortality rates of gobblers, and hunter reporting rates of banded birds. The study will be conducted over four years.
Diefenbach was recently elected vice president of the Northeast Section of The Wildlife Society. He also serves as the section’s newsletter editor.

A collaboration between the College of Agricultural Science’s Office for Undergraduate Education and the Information and Communication Technologies unit has resulted in the development of a new student-recruiting tool – a twice-annual student recruiting newspaper. Called Penn State, Science for Your Life, the tabloid delivers news from the college to prospective students and their parents, emphasizing the wide diversity of educational and career opportunities the college provides. The first issue was mailed in March to about 10,000 prospective students, including high school seniors who have expressed an interest in attending the college and Penn State freshmen and sophomores systemwide who have not yet chosen a major.

In June, Nicole Robitaille Brown, assistant professor or wood chemistry, completed her term as chair of the Northeastern Section of the Forest Products Society and is now chairing the society’s Adhesion Technical Group.

Julianne Schieffer, extension urban forester in Montgomery County, recently received the “Governor of the Year Award” from the Philadelphia Academies for her constant support and contributions to the Environmental and Horticulture Academies.

In August 2006, Richard Yahner, professor of wildlife conservation, will be awarded an honorary life membership from the International Society of Arboriculture.

Michael Jacobson, associate professor of forest resources, will be on sabbatical from January to June 2007 to conduct collaborative research on the efficient and equitable commercialization of nontimber forest products to address the issues of poverty and environmental degradation in rural areas of southern Africa at Rhodes University and the University of Stellenbosch. He will also be assisting Stellenbosch University in curriculum development and establishing a Forest Business Unit.

Professor emeritus Rex Melton’s wife of 63 years, Margie Melton, died February 23, 2006. Memorial contributions can be made to Schlow Centre Region Library, 211 S. Allen St., State College, PA 16801.

Professor emeritus William Sopper’s wife of 54 years, Marie Sopper, died July 28, 2006. Memorial contributions can be made to Mount Nittany United Methodist Church, 1500 East Branch Road, State College, PA 16801.

Forest Science senior Charles “Chuck” Coup served as College Marshal at the College of Agrinultural Sciences summer 2006 commencement ceremonies held on August 12. He had the highest grade point average of all College of Ag summer graduates. Coup plans to pursue graduate studies in silviculture at one of three western universities.

Penn State | College of Agricultural Sciences | School of Forest Resources