Eberly College of Science Student Marshals Chosen

Brian Finkelman '08 of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania; Douglas Murken '08 of Port Matilda, Pennsylvania; and Philip Yinger '08 of Strasburg, Pennsylvania will be honored as the Eberly College of Science student marshals during spring commencement ceremonies on Saturday, 17 May 2008 at the Penn State University Park campus.

Brian Finkelman, who will be completing a major in biology with a concentration in vertebrate anatomy and physiology, is enrolled in the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State and has earned a 4.0 grade-point average. His academic achievements have been recognized with the Schreyer Honors College Academic Excellence Scholarship, the Albert H. and Van B. Holtzinger Endowed Scholarship in Chemistry, the Edward C. Hammond Jr. Memorial Scholarship in Biology, the Morrow Endowed Prize in Biology, and the Schreyer Honors College Summer Research Scholarship. Finkelman's university-wide academic awards include the President's Freshman Award, the President Sparks Award, and the Evan Pugh Scholar Award.

Finkelman began working in the laboratory of Bryan Grenfell, professor of biology, in 2006 and spent the summer of 2007 working with Cecile Viboud at the National Institutes of Health. In both laboratories, his research focused on the epidemiology of human influenza. In one project, Finkelman described patterns of seasonality in annual influenza over a 10-year period in 20 countries around the world. This work led to the publication of a paper in the journal PLoS ONE, for which Finkelman was the first author. The second project focused on modeling the unusual age-specific mortality pattern observed during the 1918 influenza pandemic. Finkelman currently is preparing a manuscript for publication based on this work. In addition to the work on influenza, Finkelman also spent the summers of 2005 and 2006 doing research in the drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics department at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals in Wilmington, Delaware, and the fall 2005 semester conducting neuroscience research in the laboratory of Penn State Professor of Biology Bernard Luscher.

In addition to his academic accomplishments, Finkelman sang baritone in the Penn State Concert Choir, was a member of the Penn State Table Tennis Club, and was a volunteer at Mount Nittany Medical Center. In 2005, he performed in Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap with the student-run organization No Refund Theater, as well as in the Penn State Opera Theater's production of Mozart's The Magic Flute.

After graduation, Finkelman plans to enroll in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program at the University of Pennsylvania, with a focus on epidemiology. In the long term, he would like to work at a university research hospital, where he can design and conduct clinical trials that will help to determine the safety and efficacy of potential therapies against some major diseases, including influenza.

Finkelman, who graduated from Unionville High School in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, will be accompanied at graduation by his parents Richard and Ellen Finkelman. He has selected Bryan Grenfell to be his faculty escort for the commencement exercises. "I feel honored to be selected as a student marshal," said Finkelman. "I know a lot of people who deserve the distinction just as much as I do, and it is rewarding to have been chosen among such a large group of talented students."

Douglas Murken, who will be completing a major in chemistry, is enrolled in the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State and has earned a 4.0 grade-point average. His academic achievements have been recognized with the President's Freshman Award, the Sparks Award, the Evan Pugh Junior Scholar Award, the Evan Pugh Senior Scholar Award, and multiple John and Elizabeth Holmes Teas Merit Scholarships.

Murken has been doing research in the laboratory of Steven Weinreb, Russell Marker Professor of Natural Products Chemistry at Penn State, since January 2006. "Dr. Weinreb is a wonderful research adviser and I consider myself fortunate to have been able to have worked with him," said Murken. Researching in the area of natural-product synthesis, Murken was particularly interested in completing an enantiomerically-pure synthesis of the marine alkaloid haouamine A, a compound that exhibits cytotoxic activity against human colon carcinoma cells. Thus far, he has assembled the core of haouamine A and hopes that a total synthesis of the compound can be completed in the near future.

In addition to his academic accomplishments, Murken played multiple intramural sports and volunteered at Mount Nittany Medical Center. He said that while academics played a major role in his Penn State experience, they were only a part of the larger picture. "I formed many lasting friendships and memories that I will take with me," he said. "Those experiences were invaluable to me."

After graduation, Murken hopes to pursue an M.D. degree. Upon completion of medical school and residency, he would like to practice as a surgical oncologist.

A graduate of the Sewickley Academy in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, Murken will be accompanied at graduation by his parents, Geoffrey '72 and Marylu Murken '72, and his sisters Kathryn Murken '02 and Annie Ritchey '05. He has selected Steven Weinreb to be his faculty escort for the commencement exercises.

Philip Yinger, who will be completing a major in biology and a minor in psychology, is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and the Golden Key International Honor Society. He has been on the Dean's list every year and has earned a 4.0 grade-point average. Yinger is the recipient of an Edward C. Hammond Jr. Memorial Scholarship, a Charles E. and Joyce Knauss Mathues Scholarship, a Walter and Lynn Marie Weiland Scholarship, an Academic Excellence Scholarship, the M. Leonard Shaevel Award, the Lion Scholar Award, the President Sparks Award, and the President's Freshman Award. He also is an Evan Pugh Scholar.

Yinger, who began his undergraduate career at Penn State Hazleton, conducted a research project on oligothiophenes, which are short chains of molecules containing carbon, hydrogen, and sulfur. Oligothiophenes have gained attention in recent years due to their applications in thin-film transistors. "This research was important because I learned that electron-withdrawing groups, such as bromine and tetracyanoethylene, reduce bandwith and promote stacking, thereby making bithiophene a more suitable organic semiconductor for use in organic thin-film transistors," said Yinger.

In addition to his academic accomplishments, Yinger has been a member of Campus Crusade for Christ and Calvary Baptist Church Kids' Connection. He was a 2007 THON dancer and a 2008 THON hospitality member, and also volunteered at Mount Nittany Medical Center. Yinger played intramural soccer and volleyball, and was on the Penn State Hazelton tennis team from 2004 to 2006. He was the captain of this team in 2005.

Yinger's experiences while at Penn State have given him more than just academic knowledge. "During my time at Penn State, I have learned that friendship and memories transcend time," he said. After graduation, Yinger plans to spend a year in Kazakhstan as a representative from Campus Crusade for Christ. When he returns to the United States, he hopes to attend medical school and eventually to become a pediatrician.

Yinger, who is a graduate of Lampeter-Strasburg High School in Lampeter, Pennsylvania, will be accompanied at graduation by his parents Robert and Deborah Yinger, his sister Sara Yinger, and his grandparents Arlene Bell and James and Shirley Yinger. He has selected James Strauss, a senior lecturer in the Department of Biology, to be his faculty escort for the commencement exercises. "I never expected that working so hard over the past four years would result in an honor such as this," said Yinger.

CONTACTS:

Brian Finkelman: (+1) 484-459-4966, bfink86@gmail.com
Douglas Murken: (+1) 724-984-8166, drm5001@psu.edu
Philip Yinger: (+1) 717-519-9538, pjy5000@psu.edu