Wing and Bram to represent Penn State Eberly College of Science as student marshals
Anna Wing and Joshua Bram, both of State College, Pennsylvania, will be honored as student marshals during the Penn State Eberly College of Science spring commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 7, 2016, on the University Park campus. Wing's faculty escort will be Joseph Reese, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology. Bram's faculty escort will be Stephen Schaeffer, professor of biology.
Anna Wing
Anna Wing will graduate with a 4.0 grade point average and a B.S. degree in biochemistry and molecular biology with a minor in English. In addition to her academic classes, she participated in research in the laboratory of Professor Reese, where she investigated transcription-regulation proteins under stressed conditions and the response of cells to DNA damage. She received a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service, which enabled her to perform research involving cells of the immune system in the laboratory of Kristina Schachtrup at the University of Freiburg in Germany during the summer of 2014. She also traveled to Tanzania to study ecology during the summer of 2013.
Penn State awards that Wing has received include Eberly College of Science Braddock Scholarships from 2012 through 2016, Schreyer Honors Scholarships from 2012 through 2016, the President's Freshman Award in 2013, the Women in Science and Engineering (WISER) Scholarship in 2013, the President Sparks Award in 2014, the Ronald Venezie Scholarship in Science for Honors Education in 2014, the Bayard D. Kunkle Scholarship in 2014, the Herko Family Scholarship in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2015, and the Evan Pugh Scholar Award in 2015 and 2016.
Her service contributions to Penn State include her participation in the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON) throughout her college years. During the 2016-2016 academic year, she served as administrative chair for Springfield -- a special-interest organization dedicated to supporting THON. She was a tutor for organic chemistry from 2014 through 2016, she was a volunteer at the Mt. Nittany Medical Center from 2013 through 2016, and she participated in the Penn State Presidential Leadership Academy from 2013 to 2016.
"I have gained such a strong family in my time at Penn State, from my work with professors in the classroom to the friends I have found in my clubs and extracurriculars," Wing said. "My own personal network of Penn State connections now reaches across the country, and the alumni network reaches around the world." After graduation, Wing will work in a cancer research lab at the University of Pennsylvania for one year, then she plans to attend medical school in the fall of 2017.
Wing is a graduate of the State College Area High School. She will be joined at commencement by her parents Karen and Scott Wing.
Joshua Bram
Joshua Bram will graduate with a 3.99 grade point average, a B.S. degree in biology with a focus on genetics and development, and a B.S. degree in immunology and infectious disease. In addition to his academic classes, he conducted research in the laboratory of Andrew Read, Evan Pugh Professor of Biology and Entomology and Eberly Professor of Biotechnology, where he studied the virulence of the malaria parasite and the evolution of drug resistance. He also served as a teaching assistant for a number of courses from 2013 through 2016.
The Penn State awards that Bram has received for his scholarship and research include Eberly College of Science Braddock Scholarships from 2012 through 2016; the Schreyer Academic Excellence Scholarship from 2012 through 2016; the President’s Freshmen Award in 2013; Schreyer Ambassador Travel Grants in 2013, 2014, and 2015; Eberly College of Science Undergraduate Research Grants in 2013 and 2015; the Undergraduate Summer Discovery Grant in 2014; the Overall Life Science award in the Eberly College of Science Undergraduate Experiences Poster Session in 2014; the Bayard D. Kunkle Academic Achievement Scholarship in 2014; the Evan Pugh Junior Scholar Award in 2015; the Evan Pugh Senior Scholar Award in 2016; and the Eric A. Walker Award in 2016.
Bram also received an American Society of Microbiology Undergraduate Research Fellowship in the summer of 2015. He became a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society in 2015, Phi Kappa Phi Society in 2014, and Gamma Sigma Delta Society in 2014.
His service contributions to Penn State include serving as the Science Lion Pride alumni relations director in the 2013-2014 academic year, helping to organize the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON) during the 2014-2015 academic year, and serving as administrative chair during the 2015-2016 academic year for Springfield -- a special-interest organization dedicated to supporting THON. As part of the Penn State Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship Program, he traveled to Sierra Leone and Zambia in the summers of 2014 and 2015, respectively. He also traveled to Tanzania to study ecology during the summer of 2013. Bram was selected to be honored as a student representative on the Penn State Homecoming Court in the fall of 2015.
"As an alumnus, I will always be reminded of what I accomplished here, the opportunities provided to me as a student, and the great things that come out of Penn State every single day," Bram said. "With graduation on the horizon, I know that I could not have attended a better school or gotten more out of my experience. "The bright future ahead for our University will bring me back home to stand proud as a Penn State graduate for the rest of my life."
After graduation, Bram plans to attend the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania beginning later this year.
Bram is a graduate of the State College Area High School. He will be joined at commencement by his father, Barry Bram; his mother, Ann Taylor; his stepparents and family.
CONTACT
Barbara Kennedy (PIO): science@psu.edu, (+1) 814-863-4682