2016 Climate and Diversity Awards
On Friday, January 15, members of the college community gathered to recognize individuals who have made a positive impact on the college’s climate and diversity in the past year. The College Climate and Diversity Awards, sponsored by the Eberly College of Science Climate and Diversity Committee, is an annual ceremony held by the college to celebrate achievements that improve the climate and diversity of the college. This year, the Climate and Diversity Committee chose the following winners from thirteen nominations.
Stephen W. Schaeffer, professor of biology, was nominated by Charles Fisher, associate dean for graduate education, professor of biology, and Distinguished Senior Scholar of Biology.
According to Fisher, Schaeffer has worked diligently to increase the diversity in both the biology department, as well as in academia in general. He has advised or co-advised two of the three African American students that have received a Ph.D. from the biology program in the last ten years. In addition to his mentoring of students of color, Schaeffer works with all graduate students in the biology program interested in submitting a grant for the NSF Predoctoral Fellowship Program. Additionally, he serves on the NSF predoctoral panel each year, participates in the annual workshop for interested graduate students organized by The Graduate School, and also serves as one of the ombudspersons for the Department of Biology.
Schaeffer is an effective and dedicated mentor for underrepresented and minority students while also being a significant contributor to a positive climate for every graduate student in the department.
Physics and Astronomy for Women (PAW) was nominated by Rick Robinett, professor of physics. The PAW board members include Kelly Malone, Melissa Quinnan, Feifei Huang, Anne-Sylvie Deutsch, Victoria Lumsargis, Susan Kempinger, and Amber McCreary.
PAW is a student club dedicated to advancing the status of women in physics and astronomy by providing a network of support and a forum to discuss issues facing women in these fields. Established in 2011, PAW has already had a great impact on the overall climate and diversity atmosphere of the Department of Physics, as well as making very specific contributions to both outreach and recruiting in the program, both at the Penn State level, but also with broader impacts stemming from their organization of regional conferences.
Starlette Sharp, director of the Penn State Millennium Scholars program, was nominated by Olivia Richards, Millennium Scholar and science student.The Penn State Millennium Scholars program is designed for high-achieving science, technology, engineering, and math students who will become leaders in their chosen field and are committed to increasing the diversity of researchers and leaders in STEM fields.
After successfully completing three and a half years as the program director, Sharp now guides over 60 scholars. She works closely with the scholars to provide them with everything they will need to become successful in their chosen field.
According to Richards’ nomination, Sharp has a passion for helping underrepresented students in science and engineering succeed. Over the years, she has displayed such leadership in fostering a diverse and inclusive climate in the college community.