Ombudspeople
The Eberly ombuds assist faculty, staff, and graduate students in conflict resolution and solutions-oriented support. This includes facilitating communication among conflicting parties and referring people to resources for further assistance. Although each department has at least two Eberly ombuds, faculty, staff, and graduate students within Eberly can choose to meet with any ombuds across the College.
Eberly Ombudspeople
Julia Kregenow
Astronomy and Astrophysics
jmk50@psu.edu
Julia is an Associate Teaching Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, where she works to improve how science is taught to non-science majors. She loves sharing science and math with the world by bringing the wonder of the universe down to Earth. She is part of a community of passionate educators at Penn State who share ideas to continually improve their teaching. As an ombudsperson she hopes to spread empathy, transparency, and sincerity, and tap into the infinite power of human connection to open ever more doors for communication. As Bill Nye likes to say, we are all in this together folks.
John Nousek
Astronomy and Astrophysics
jan2@psu.edu
John Nousek is a Professor in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, serving on the faculty since 1981. John is the Mission Director for the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, operating this satellite for NASA since its launch in 2004. Swift is designed to react in seconds to new events that occur in the sky, especially Gamma-ray Bursts, supernovae and gravitational wave and neutrino source discoveries. John spends his spare time playing board games such as Gloomhaven, and on-line video games. He believes the role of an ombudsperson is to listen with an empathetic ear to issues which are bothering people, and to allow them to phrase the problem in a way that looks at solutions to the problem.
Maria Krasilnikova
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
muk19@psu.edu
Maria Krasilnikova is an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She is teaching several undergraduate level classes and performing research in instability of DNA repeats. Maria is also a certified yoga instructor and enjoys teaching yoga classes to her students and friends. As is an ombudsperson, she encourages people to initiate conversations to promote positive change.
Lorraine Santy
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
lcs13@psu.edu
Lorraine Santy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, whose research focuses on understanding the signaling and trafficking processes that promote migration of epithelial cells. Epithelial migration plays important roles in tissue repair after injury and in cancer metastasis. She currently teaches a Cancer Biology course and a graduate Cell Biology course, and she has previously taught introductory Cell and Molecular Biology. She enjoys cooking, hiking and has a teenage daughter. Dr. Santy served as the BMMB Graduate Student Liaison Officer before becoming one of the BMB department’s ombudsperson. She serves as an ombudsperson because she believes it is important for students to have a place to go for support when experiencing difficulties that impact their academic progression.
Ola Sodeinde
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
oas1@psu.edu
Ola Sodeinde is a Teaching Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. His interests include homebrewing, watching Formula 1, playing guitar and road cycling around the stunningly beautiful scenery of Centre County. He earned his PhD in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and did his postdoctoral fellowship in the Plant Science Center at Cornell University. He is an ombudsperson because of his belief in justice and fair play.
Charles T. Anderson
Biology
cta3@psu.edu
Charles T. Anderson is an Associate Professor of Biology and the Sustainability Chair for the Eberly College of Science. He teaches plant and cell biology and studies the dynamics of plant cell walls, with the goal of informing efforts to produce sustainable food, materials, and bioenergy from plants. After growing up in Lancaster, PA, he completed an undergraduate degree at UNC Chapel Hill where he imaged fruit flies with cool microscopes, sang a capella, and learned to love college basketball. He then traveled to California where he earned his PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from Stanford University, then completed postdoctoral work at UC Berkeley before joining Penn State in 2011. Outside of the classroom and lab, he enjoys running, doing triathlons, playing disc golf, singing, learning guitar, and spending time outside with his family. As an ombudsperson, he aims to support the inclusion, well-being, and success of everyone at Penn State.
Leana Topper
Biology
lvm12@psu.edu
Leana received her PhD from the Department of Cell Biology at The University of Virginia where she studied the metaphase checkpoint and cell cycle control. She has been part of the Biology Department for over 13 years as an instructor and academic adviser. She teaches introductory biology, genetics, and developmental biology courses. She aids faculty in creating online course content, guides new faculty in course design, and works closely with transfer students entering the department. In her free time, she can be found walking her dogs, teaching science to elementary school children, and coaching gymnastics at the local gym or dance studio. As an Ombud, she is eager to listen and to connect members of our PSU community to applicable resources aimed at favorable outcomes.
Aaron Garner
Chemistry
rag57@psu.edu
Aaron Garner is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Chemistry. Aaron teaches the introductory general chemistry series (CHEM 110/112 and CHEM 130) and the learning assistant pedagogy course (SC 220). Aaron’s academic background is in biochemistry, which inspired the creation of the biological chemistry specialty sections of our general chemistry courses (CHEM 110B and CHEM 112B). Aaron earned his B.S. in Chemistry, Biological Sciences, and Botany from North Carolina State University in 2008 and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard University in 2014. Outside of teaching, Aaron enjoys cooking, football, and movies (especially the horror genre). As an ombud, he hopes to help build and maintain a welcoming and inclusive climate within our college.
Kenneth Kappenberger
Chemistry
klk260@psu.edu
Ken Knappenberger is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry. His research interests include laser spectroscopy and photonic materials. He advises a group of graduate and undergraduate student and postdoctoral researchers. He is an avid runner. When he is not working, he can often be found running with friends or hiking local trials with his family. He earned his PhD in Chemistry from Penn State, and was subsequently a postodoctoral research fellow at University of California, Berkeley, and a faculty member at Florida State University. He returned to Penn State as a member of the faculty in 2017. He is an ombudsperson because he believes in the Penn State community and helping people develop positive, productive working environments.
Chris Keating
Chemistry
cmd8@psu.edu
Chris Keating is a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry whose research interests include bioinspired materials, synthetic cells, and interface science. She has experienced Penn State from multiple roles over the years, including graduate student, postdoc, research faculty, and tenure-track faculty. Her hobbies include exploring the natural world, gardening, and baking. She believes that science is for everyone. As an ombudsperson, she hopes to serve as a resource for anyone facing a difficult situation in the workplace.
Crista Spratt
Chemistry
cus1246@psu.edu
Crista Spratt is the Graduate Program Coordinator for the Chemistry department and organizes the department's Admissions, Open House and Orientation events, as well as, monitoring all of the graduate students' academic progress to ensure that they meet the requirements and deadlines to earn their PhD in Chemistry at Penn State. When she is not in a meeting with a student or faculty member, she is walking her two energetic dogs, Anna and Kona through their neighborhood. Her hobbies include traveling with her husband, cooking, crocheting and watching her children in their many activities. As an ombudsperson, she hopes to provide a safe place where people can express themselves and be enabled to develop new strategies that benefit everyone in the situation.
Jim Hager
Mathematics
jah14@psu.edu
Jim Hager is a Teaching Professor and Assistant Director of Undergraduate Education in the Department of Mathematics. He coordinates many of the department’s first and second year course offerings and is active in undergraduate student research. Outside of his departmental responsibilities, he enjoys traveling, hiking, gardening, fly-fishing, and oil/acrylic painting. He earned his PhD from Stanford University while working as a senior scientist at Stanford Research Incorporated. His primary research areas are focused on signal processing, Natural Language Processing, and Automatic Theorem Proving. He is an ombudsperson because it represents the university’s commitment to being fair, to promoting a constructive and user-friendly approach to conflict resolution, and to helping identify policy weaknesses and gaps in the system.
Nestor Handzy
Mathematics
nzh100@psu.edu
Nestor Handzy is a Teaching Professor in the Department of Mathematics focused on undergraduate education as well as training graduate students to prepare lectures and teach mathematics. His lectures and discussions with students center around applications of math to anything from nuclear particles to the human brain. He enjoys a good game of chess and spends most of his time with his family. He is an ombudsperson because he thinks everyone should feel respected and comfortable in the workplace, and there should be a resource for people who experience harassment or other unprofessional conduct.
Diane Henderson
Mathematics
dmh9@psu.edu
Diane Henderson is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics. She enjoys teaching, especially when she sees a student "get it". Her research involves laboratory experiments on nonlinear water waves in the Department's Bill Pritchard Fluid Mechanics Laboratory. A long-standing hobby is white-water kayaking; more recently she has begun learning to play fiddle. She recommends starting this hobby at an earlier age. Her PhD is in Physical Oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. She became an omsbud in the hope that she could help all math-folk feel safe, welcome and at home in the Department.
Kirstin Purdy Drew
Physics
krp15@psu.edu
Kirstin Purdy Drew is an Associate Teaching Professor of Physics. Her favorite courses to teach are physics courses for non-majors and hands-on senior level courses for physics majors. She's also heavily involved in the organization of summer research in the physics department. She has two school-aged boys which consume most of her free-time, but otherwise enjoys being outdoors, gardening, home-repair, and traveling. She is an ombudsperson because she enjoys being a resource for positive change.
Julianne Mortimore
Physics
jrm62@psu.edu
Julianne Mortimore is the Graduate Program Coordinator for the Physics Department. She is a liaison between the graduate students, the Physics Department, the College of Science, Human Resources, and the Grad School. She has a husband, three mostly grown kids, a dog, and a cat. She earned an M.P.S degree from the Alliance Theological Seminary, focusing on counseling and education. She enjoys talking to people of all persuasions, learning about different cultures, and trying recipes from all over the world. She also likes to grow plants, sometimes with great success. As an ombud she hopes to empower others to take control of their circumstances and learn to resolve conflicts peacefully.
Jorge O. Sofo
Physics
jos13@psu.edu
Jorge Sofo is a Professor of Physics and of Materials Science and Engineering. His research is in the area of theoretical condensed matter physics, with emphasis in transport and non-equilibrium phenomena. His hobbies are physics, mathematics, food, and cocktails. All things he likes to mix with good friends and family. Jorge is originally from Argentina and got his Ph.D. in Physics from the legendary Instituto Balseiro of Bariloche, in the northwest Andean mountains of Patagonia in Argentina. His role as an ombudsperson is the result of a long-life passion for humanism and the well-being of others.
Francesca Chiaromonte
Statistics
fxc11@psu.edu
Francesca Chiaromonte has been a faculty in the Department of Statistics at Penn State since 1998. Since 2019, she holds the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Statistics for the Life Sciences. She develops methods for the analysis of large, high-dimensional and complex data, and works on applications in “Omics”, Biomedical Sciences, Meteorology and Economics. She received a Laurea (cum laude) from the University of Rome La Sapienza (Italy), and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. At Penn State, she is part of the graduate programs in Statistics, and in Bioinformatics & Genomics. She also entertains a number of international collaborations, and is part of the faculty of graduate programs in Data Science and AI in Italy. She has a long history of advising doctoral and postdoctoral students across disciplinary, geographical and cultural boundaries. She is an ombud because of her passion for mentoring young scientists, supporting them as they chart their paths, and fostering collaboration at all levels of academia.
Dave Hunter
Statistics
drh20@psu.edu
Dave Hunter has been a faculty member in the Department of Statistics since he finished his PhD at the University of Michigan. He and his wife have two daughters and have lived in State College for approximately one Molly. (Molly finished her undergraduate chemistry degree in 2022.) He's previously served as undergraduate chair, department head, and Tussey Mountainback team organizer for the Statistics Department. Adding the role of ombud to that list is a way to help all members of the Department and College community work toward a supportive climate for everyone.
Jeff Engelmann
Dean's Office
jqe5132@psu.edu
Jeff Engelmann is an IT Consultant for the College, assisting staff in identifying their technology needs and helping to make their tech-based dreams a reality. Before coming to the University and a life in IT, he spent over a decade as a Registered Nurse. In his off time he enjoys gaming and home brewing. He is an ombud because of a personal drive toward empathy and inclusion, as well as a desire to help people navigate challenging situations.
Beth Johnson
Dean's Office
bai107@psu.edu
Beth Johnson is the Director for the Science Major and the Director of Academics for the Science BS/MBA Program within the college. Beth works with undergraduate students pursuing the Science Major or the BS/MBA duel degree major. When she is not working with students, she can usually be found chasing after her little kid who always seems to be two steps ahead. Her hobbies include cooking, gardening, fishing, and homebrewing. She earned her PhD from Penn State’s Entomology Department where she conducted research in the areas of plant-insect interactions, chemical ecology and plant biology. She is an ombudsperson because she enjoys empowering others to take action toward the goal of positive change.
If you would like to utilize an ombuds program outside of the Eberly College of Science, there is a separate University Faculty Ombudsperson program administered by the University Faculty Senate who have specific responsibilities for faculty, and there are Graduate Student Ombudspersons administered through the Graduate School.