The Eberly College of Science community
honors these extraordinary people

Rachel Weaver

Goes above and beyond (principles: 4, 7, 8, 12)

Rachel took the time to sit down with me and train me on how to navigate certain class sections and conduct degree audits. Even though I am not in her department, she is always willing to help me. I am very grateful for her support, and my supervisor also appreciates her assistance. Thank you so much, Rachel!

 Nominator: Kelsea Smith

Lori Lauck

Demonstrated commitment to supporting the team’s success (principles: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11)

I am delighted to nominate Lori for Eberly Kudos in recognition of her outstanding commitment to our office and the extraordinary level of support she provides across all functions. Lori consistently anticipates needs before they arise, allowing our team to operate smoothly, efficiently, and ahead of deadlines.

Lori plays a critical role in financial reconciliations, Expo payment processing, and graduation checkout, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and full compliance with college and university procedures. Her attention to detail and reliability provide our office with a foundation of trust—everyone knows that if Lori is involved, the work will be completed thoroughly and correctly.

Beyond her financial and administrative contributions, Lori is equally indispensable in organizing our letter collection and comprehensive review processes, offering steady guidance and seamless coordination. Her ability to juggle multiple responsibilities, anticipate workflow challenges, and find solutions before they become problems is a hallmark of her professionalism.

Most importantly, Lori approaches every task with a student‑centered mindset. She goes above and beyond to ensure that student needs are met and that our office continually exceeds expectations in service and responsiveness. Her work ethic, initiative, and positive attitude have a direct impact on the success of our students and the effectiveness of our team.

Lori’s dedication makes our office stronger, more efficient, and more supportive for everyone we serve. She is truly deserving of this recognition.

 Nominator: Melissa Krajcovic

Rachel Weaver

Demonstrated commitment to supporting the team’s success (principles: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11)

Rachel has been a lifesaver in being willing to assist me in my new role as an Academic Program Coordinator with Physics. Rachel has gone above and beyond in answering my questions and even provided me with screenshots, so I have the tools for later reference. Thank you so much Rachel in assisting me and helping me learn my position! 

 Nominator: Kelsea Smith

Christina Stover

Demonstrated commitment to supporting the team’s success (principles: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11)

Christina has been extremely helpful in teaching me how to handle final exam requests for my new position. I couldn’t have met the deadline without her assistance. Thank you so much for helping me!! 

 Nominator: Kelsea Smith

Michelle Bixby

Demonstrated commitment to supporting the team’s success (principles: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11)

Michelle recently took on a new video project, which required a lot of very-detail oriented work from scheduling video shoots with over 15 faculty members to spending multiple days shooting video and photography at different locations across campus, and editing hours of footage. In addition, this project was time-sensitive, which meant all the shooting and editing had to be done over the course of 3-4 weeks, all while Michelle took care of her normal day-to-day tasks.

Michelle's commitment to getting this project done over a short time period, as well as her commitment to making it a product that she is proud of and will represent the college well shows how she is dedicated to supporting the team's success and why I have given her this Kudos. 

 Nominator: Allison Wulfhorst 

Ryan Golas

Goes above and beyond (principles: 4, 7, 8, 12)

Ryan keeps the building running! He's incredibly efficient, helpful and proactive whenever we need help with something, which is often urgent and at the most random times.

 Nominator: Be Eldash 

Kelli Jones and Stephanie Geyer

Goes above and beyond (principles: 4, 7, 8, 12)

I would like to recognize Kelli Jones and Steph Geyer for their exceptional dedication and contributions to the Eberly College of Science. Kelli and Steph consistently go above and beyond their job responsibilities, demonstrating a strong commitment to collaboration, respect, and excellence.
During the recent visit from the Provost Sotiropoulos to 114 McAllister Building, Kelli and Steph took proactive steps to ensure everything ran smoothly, despite knowing the technology in that space can be challenging. Their attention to detail, professionalism, and thoughtful preparation were instrumental in making the visit a success. Their efforts not only supported the event logistically but also helped create a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere for all participants.

 Nominator: Kristen Robinson

Kelli Jones

Goes above and beyond (principles: 4, 7, 8, 12)

Kelli consistently goes above and beyond, always stepping in to help with programs in 114 McAllister. Your dedication and willingness to support others make a huge difference—thank you for everything you do!

 Nominator: Jennifer Straka

Stephanie Geyer

Goes above and beyond (principles: 4, 7, 8, 12)

Steph consistently goes above and beyond, always stepping in to help with programs in 114 McAllister. Your dedication and willingness to support others make a huge difference—Thank you for everything you do!

 Nominator: Jennifer Straka

Sci-SAC Committee 

Goes above and beyond (principles: 4, 7, 8, 12)

Sci-SAC did an amazing job hosting the annual Staff Awards! It takes so many hours of work to make such a special event celebrating our incredible staff. Your time, effort, and dedication does not go unnoticed — thank you for all that you do to make this event so meaningful and fun!

 Nominator: Allyson Borger

Kallie Topham

Goes above and beyond (principles: 4, 7, 8, 12)

I’d like to recognize Kallie Topham for her generous help and great teamwork when I needed to find a new room for an event. Even though it wasn’t her event and we don’t usually work together, she jumped in without hesitation—searching 25Live, brainstorming options, and patiently answering my many questions. Her willingness to collaborate made the whole process so much easier, and I truly appreciated her support and positive attitude!

 Nominator: Allyson Borger

Dustin Zettle

Goes above and beyond (principles: 4, 7, 8, 12)

Dustin continues to demonstrate exceptional dedication, innovation, and leadership in his role, particularly through his work with the Eberly College of Science’s fall career engagement events.

Now in its third year, Dustin has successfully revived and grown the Eberly College of Science Networking Reception—an event that brings employers from the university-wide career fair to central campus to connect directly with our students. This year, Dustin achieved the largest turnout yet, with record-breaking attendance from both employers and students. His ability to foster meaningful connections and create a welcoming, professional environment is truly commendable.

In addition to the networking reception, Dustin is leading the charge on the upcoming Eberly College of Science Career Fair. He has already surpassed previous benchmarks with the highest number of registered employers to date and has secured two sponsorships—an impressive accomplishment that reflects his strategic thinking and commitment to excellence.

Dustin consistently goes above and beyond, managing these large-scale events with grace and precision, even when challenges arise behind the scenes. His calm demeanor, creative problem-solving, and tireless work ethic make him a standout colleague and an invaluable asset to the college.

 Nominator: Tiffany Mathews

Alexandria Murphy

Goes above and beyond (principles: 4, 7, 8, 12)

Alexandria goes above and beyond to ensure others feel welcomed, have access to resources, and help those in need. Between being ASBMB chapter president, BMMB GSA mentoring co-chair, recruiting for Eberly College, and managing the shared Mass Spec, she is an avid advocate for standing up for others, improving DEI efforts, and mentoring undergraduate students. In addition to her many roles in the department and college, she's helped plan plenty of events, symposiums, and recruitment. I've had the pleasure of collaborating with her on a few events, and I'm always impressed by her organization and timeliness despite all of her other commitments. Thank you for everything you do for us, Alexandria!  Your impressive efforts don't go unnoticed, and you inspire me to continue to advocate for others and myself. 

Nominator: Lauren Duenas

Marc Counterman

Goes above and beyond (principles: 4, 7, 8, 12)

Although there is no expectation that turnaround on college data asks would be quicker than the reasonable, promised few weeks of turnaround, I've been amazed as each time I've asked for data from Marc, he has turned it around within the day. Additionally, he goes back and forth in a timely manner and asks thoughtful questions, offers up other relevant data I didn't even know to ask for, etc. When Marc came to talk with Biology about our regular data needs, he quickly put together some data dashboards for us and took some notes for some other data we'd like to have in the future. This kind of support, long needed in the college, is essential for faculty squeezing in data analysis for assessment and other needs among all the other duties each day and for ability for programs to be responsive in real-time for potential concerns that might arise. 

Nominator: Glenna Malcolm

Allison Wulfhorst

Demonstrated commitment to supporting the team’s success (principles: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11)

Over the past 15 months, Allison has consistently gone above and beyond expectations in finding new avenues for creating engaging social media content, often in collaboration with students, faculty, and staff from across the college, as well as members of Penn State’s social media team from the Office of Strategic Communications. The outstanding results of her work are especially evident in the college’s Instagram channel, which she has tailored specifically for engagement with undergraduate and graduate students and young alumni. As a colleague recently wrote: “I really like how up close your content feels when focusing on students.”

Allison also has proven herself to be someone who can be counted on to step up for the team and fill gaps whenever needed, and she has excelled at balancing day-to-day priorities with the development of long-term, holistic, and data-driven strategy for the college’s social media. Throughout, she displays exemplary thoughtfulness and maturity, including in her ability to work independently and with awareness and understanding of the bigger picture of communications across the college and University.

For a new employee—who in January celebrated one year at Penn State—this is absolutely exceptional.

Kudos to you, Allison!

Nominator: Seth Palmer

Kimberly Johnson

Demonstrated commitment to supporting the team’s success (principles: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11)

Kimberly successfully coordinated Prehealth Advising's second-annual Health Professions Expo, ensuring seamless communication with 83 vendors in a professional and welcoming manner. She effectively addressed challenges as they arose, contributing to a well-organized event, even with 18% more students and 30% more vendors in attendance than last year. The expo attracted 301 students from five Penn State campuses and all Colleges at University Park, with both vendors and students expressing satisfaction with the event’s management and the quality of their interactions. Thank you, Kimberly, for your hard work and tireless dedication to making this event such a success!

Nominator: Melissa Krajcovic

Steve Van Hook

Goes above and beyond (principles: 4, 7, 8, 12)

I would like to nominate Steve for reinstating a physics teaching group journal club after many years of quiescence. This brings together our teaching team (faculty and staff) outside of normal work obligations to discuss innovation and insights - allowing an opportunity for everyone to share expertise and feel a valued member of the teaching team.

Nominator: Kirstin Purdy Drew

Sarah Pope

Demonstrated commitment to supporting the team’s success (principles: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11)

I have worked closely with Sarah for the past two years. She is my mentor in lab, and has been the most wonderful mentor I could have asked for, she goes above and beyond when it comes to teaching me new techniques and concepts, is flexible around my schedule, and makes me feel included, supported, and free to make mistakes and learn. During this time, I have also been able to observe Sarah’s conduct with others in the lab. For a while, there was another undergraduate student in lab under Sarah’s mentorship, and I saw that her willingness to help and teach was not exclusive to myself, but extended to others as well. She also made it a point to make sure that both of us knew how to work together as a team, and fostered a cohesive unit, rather than separate relationships with each of us. Furthermore, I frequently observe her conduct with others graduate students in the lab. It is not unusual for her to be approached by her colleagues with questions about protocols, equipment, etc.. I have never once seen her treat them with disregard or disrespect, she always makes the time to work with them and help them with their particular needs, even if this is outside of her scope of work/ outside of the scope of her own projects. I find this particularly admirable about Sarah. Additionally, I have observed her interactions with our collaborators in other laboratories. She is extremely communicative and takes projects above and beyond, finding new, unexplored directions to add to the group’s final goals. While some people are content in simply doing the bare minimum of what is asked of them, she is passionate and committed to making projects the best they can be, and puts in extra work to benefit the whole of the team. Lastly, Sarah is committed to a team’s success even after the individual members leave. For example, she has written past undergraduate student mentee’s letters of recommendation. Sarah deserves to be recognized for her tireless efforts to her many teams (mentor/mentee, greater lab, collaborators, etc.).

Nominator: Gabriella Zuccon Sindicic

Danielle Bayletts

Demonstrated commitment to supporting the team’s success (principles: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11)

Danielle has recently taken on additional responsibilities to address staffing gaps in the Dean’s Office. When asked about the extra work, she gracefully sees it as an exciting opportunity to learn and grow.

Beyond her office role, Danielle is actively involved in several college committees, including the Science Staff Advisory Council, United Way, and Eberly’s Sustainability Council, among others. She is the quiet force that ensures these committees and their events run smoothly. Danielle consistently advocates for others in everything she does. I have great respect for her and truly admire her as a colleague.

Nominator: Allyson Borger

Gabriella Zuccon Sindicic

All the above!! Goes above and beyond, Fosters an inclusive work environment, Advocates on behalf of others, Effectively communicates to support the team and manage change, and Demonstrates commitment to supporting the team’s success (principles: 1-12).

Gabriella is a one of a kind when it comes to being a Penn State Eberly Student. Not only is she extremely passionate about everything she does, but she goes above and beyond when doing it! Gabriella was a former Chem 112B LA and will be again next semester. She is currently a TA for Chem 110B and an Undergraduate Researcher for Dr. Amie K. Boal’s lab (which she has been doing research for since her freshman year). It would also be unfair to mention everything Gabriella does outside of Eberly College of Science as she is the current RA for the Women in Science and Engineering LLC on campus (which she was a member of 2 years ago, and a Program Assistant last year, before working her way up to RA). Within WISE, she continuously creates an inclusive and safe space for all young women in STEM.

Gabriella is involved with a lot on campus, maintains immaculate grades, and is currently preparing for the MCAT Exam. Somehow, with all this going on, she still is able to put 100% into every position she has. Within all her leadership roles, Gabi is very passionate about educating others and getting them excited about learning STEM. She does this outside of her leadership roles on a regular basis.

I have worked with Gabriella for 3 years now. As her friend and coworker, I can say she deserves much recognition for all the hard and successful work she puts into each one of her roles. Even when she is exhausted from a full day of classes and labs, she always jumps at the chance to teach others and help their learning. From personal experience, she is also an amazing mentor and teacher. When I struggled with Chemistry my freshman year, she was the best teacher I ever had and always willing to help. I have seen her do this same thing for so many other young women in STEM inside and outside classroom."

Nominator: Madison Reid

Gabriella Zuccon Sindicc

Goes above and beyond (principles: 4, 7, 8, 12)

She constant supports her friends and those around her to do their best. She excitedly tells people like me, who are not in the major, new topics she learns and explains it to us in a way we understand. Gabriella is apart of an amazing research lab. She helps immensely in the research lab she’s in, doing her responsibilities to the best of her ability to help the team overall. Not only this, she has been an LA for Chem 112b and is currently an TA for Chem 110b, and plans to continue next semester. Over the previous summer, she volunteered at a psychiatric department and the federal university of São Paulo. Not only this, she is also a RA for a LLC here on campus, creating engaging events with impressive turnouts. She cares for all the people she interacts with, from the students in the classrooms to the residents in her halls, to her friends. She is always on top of her work and not only does it correct, but also understand why and the bigger picture. She does not lack in any area, she always does her best work, even on the smallest of tasks, both efficiently and effectively. She is an outstanding student and should definitely be recognized for all the hard work she does.

Nominator: Bronte Chitu

Lauren Dueñas

Goes above and beyond (principles: 4, 7, 8, 12)

Lauren is extremely involved in our department's DEI efforts and recently helped organize the annual diversity luncheon, uniting the whole chemistry department in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month with good food, music, and spotlights on underrepresented scientists both at Penn State and elsewhere. Within the lab, she is always someone who advocates for others and strives to make everyone feel included. Despite her heavy research load, she has always been excited to donate her time to DEI efforts and inspires me to be more involved and advocate for what I believe in.

Nominator: Kueyoung Kim

Xiaoyi Hou

Goes above and beyond, Fosters an inclusive work environment, Advocates on behalf of others, Effectively communicates to support the team and manage change, and Demonstrates commitment to supporting the team’s success (principles: 1-12).

She went above and beyond her job as a Biology Lab TA, making videos for students, and volunteering her personal and research time to help other TAs (especially first-semester TAs). I am convinced the Biology lab coordinators could not have done their jobs as successfully without her. She is definitely the best TA/instructor the Biology Department has ever had and deserves to be recognized for her efforts.

Nominator: Mei-Ling Liber

Chris Nebgen

Demonstrated commitment to supporting the team’s success (principles: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11)

Sending a big kudos and thank you to Chris Nebgen, applications developer and Drupal expert in the college, for months of tedious work on the college website. He has edited and refined more than 210,000 lines of code and updated well over 120 files. While this work is unseen by most in the college, it is creating consistency as well as more security to set us all up for future, more visual success down the road.

Nominator: Heather Robbins

Cathy Lutz and Grace Donahey

Demonstrated commitment to supporting the team’s success (principles: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11)

Both Cathy and Grace continually strive for excellence. The effectively support the college and our team to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our customers. There isn't one-day that goes by that they aren't asking how they can do more to support the unit. We are a small, but mighty office! I appreciate all that they do for the me, our team and the college!

Nominator: Adrian Weaver

Kelsea Smith

Goes above and beyond (principles: 4, 7, 8, 12)

After attending our recent University Brand Review workshop, Kelsea reached out to the communications office with a request to review a set of flyers for upcoming, fall-semester talks in the biology department. She quickly picked up the branding guidelines, and once we'd revised and approved one of the flyers, Kelsea used it to make a template that she applied to all the others, making the reviews quick and easy. Already, she's thinking ahead and applying what she's learned to improve products and processes for the long term. Kudos, Kelsea!

Nominator: Seth Palmer

Megan Holmes

Demonstrated commitment to supporting the team’s success (principles: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11)

I was referred to Megan when key donors asked for a tour of Eberly College of Science for their daughter. I thought she would just help with scheduling a tour, but instead, she went much further - arranging for time with a faculty member/advisor and providing a detailed schedule that included their other scheduled activities with the university Admissions office. Not only has she helped arrange that initial tour, but several since. She has become my 'go-to' to arrange tours for our alumni/donor's children and grandchildren, and I am grateful for her expertise and flexibility.

Nominator: Jenny Miska

Evan Yarnell

Goes above and beyond (principles: 4, 7, 8, 12)

Evan Yarnell assisted with the logistics for the 2024 Eberly College of Science Ethics Workshop held the week of May 13-17, 2024. He helped deliver snacks and food in a timely manner to the workshop and he broke down the setup after the workshop was over.

Nominator: Stephen Schaeffer

Kelsea Smith

Goes above and beyond (principles: 4, 7, 8, 12)

Kelsea Smith was instrumental in handling the logistics for the 2024 Eberly College of Science Ethics Workshop held May 13-17, 2024. She handled ordering snacks and food for the workshop and made sure that it was delivered to workshop, which was in separate building on campus. She also broke down the room after each day's activities were done. For this, the instructors and participants were grateful because it contributed to the success of the workshop.

Nominator: Stephen Schaeffer

Carly Sjogren

Goes above and beyond (principles: 4, 7, 8, 12)

In her first year at Penn State and as FRI Coordinator, Carly Sjogren has gone above and beyond to make the FRI program an inclusive environment for faculty and undergraduates alike. The first thing you notice when you walk into the FRI lab teaching space is a colorful rainbow of bins, signage, and lab coats, set up during her own summer time before the fall semester began. During the first couple weeks of the semester, Carly encouraged all faculty working in FRI to consider joining the Rainbow Science Network with her and/or to set an intention to increase inclusivity in some way in each of our lab sections. Teaching assistants (TAs), who are former FRI students, were also encouraged to consider how to make the FRI teaching lab space feel more inclusive after reading some articles on evidence-based teaching. For the undergraduates in the program, Carly was regularly booked for meetings as they seemed to feel comfortable and supported by her as challenges arose during their first year of college. The list could go on. Most recently, the FRI program, which is a two-semester sequence for first-year students, culminated in a well-attended research symposium featuring undergraduate research. Carly put even more time than she already does in the weeks leading up to this event to help students and their partner faculty have success. At the research poster symposium, the vibe in the room was one of accomplishment and pride in the work accomplished together by first-year undergraduates and their partnering faculty and TA teams.

Nominator: Glenna Malcolm

Claire Harlow

Effectively communicates to support the team and manage change (principles: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7)

Claire has helped support our faculty and students through helping me interview and write letters of support for awards for them. She has also supported our Department through planning multiple awards ceremonies. Claire is always organized, proactive, and in the know!

Nominator: Philip Bevilacqua

Ed Hilvano

Goes above and beyond (principles: 4, 7, 8, 12)

Ed is the most impactful, inspiring TA I have ever had. As part of his TA responsibilities, Ed creates well-designed, challenging questions that require students to think deeply and richly about the course content. (Ed is much better at question design than I am!) Students are allowed to work on these questions during student hour sessions, where students become teachers to one another! It is truly the ultimate collaborative activity I have ever witnessed in my lecture courses. Ed has inspired me to challenge my students to the next level and beyond. Thank you, Ed, for your dedication and care for student learning. I am blessed to have you as my colleague. Kudos!

Nominator: Kate Masters