Piper Jones selected as Eberly College of Science’s fall 2021 student marshal
Piper Jones of Newtown, Pennsylvania, will be honored as the student marshal for the Eberly College of Science during Penn State’s fall commencement ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 18, on the University Park campus. Jones’s faculty escort for the commencement exercises will be Louis Martarano, director of Penn State’s Science B.S./M.B.A. program.
Jones will graduate from the B.S./M.B.A. program with a 4.0 grade-point average and a bachelor’s degree in science with minors in biology and in French and francophone studies. She has received numerous awards including the Balog Scholarship, the Gerald P. and Joyce Kessler Graduate Scholarship, the Evan Pugh Scholar Senior Award, and the President’s Freshman Award. Jones has been a Schreyer Scholar from 2017 to 2021 and was awarded first place in the 2020 Undergraduate Research Exhibition for the Health and Life Sciences category.
“I was surprised and humbled when I learned that I had been selected to be the fall 2021 student marshal for the Eberly College of Science,” she said. “It is a tremendous honor to be asked to represent the many talented students who challenged and inspired me every day here at Penn State.”
While at Penn State, Jones conducted research for the Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Lab under Sonia Cavigelli, associate professor of biobehavioral health. Her work contributed to the long-term study of asthma development and comorbid internalizing disorders, like anxiety and depression. Jones’s honors thesis focused on genetic mediators of childhood asthma development. Beyond Eberly, Jones participated in an internship and co-op with Johnson & Johnson.
In addition to her academic achievements, Jones was a Science LionPride Ambassador, chemistry lecture assistant, student lead for the Science B.S./M.B.A. Mentoring Initiative, volunteer at Mid-State Literacy Council, and intern with Eberly’s Office of Science Engagement.
“Penn State gave me so many unique opportunities from working on research to studying abroad in Tanzania to being able to pursue a unique dual degree,” she said. “I am grateful for these opportunities and urge future students to take advantage of all Penn State has to offer.”
Jones, a graduate of Council Rock North High School in Newtown, Pennsylvania, will be accompanied at commencement by her parents, Jeanne and Michael Jones.