News — College of the Liberal Arts

Penn State GIS Day virtual event to take place Nov. 16 On Oct 25, 2021 Penn State University Libraries will observe GIS Day with a virtual event from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 16. Co-sponsored with the Penn State Department of Geography, GIS Day is an annual event that celebrates the technology of geographic information systems (GIS) and aims to foster geospatial awareness across the University and beyond.

Paterno Fellow fights for a more sustainable university On Oct 22, 2021 Nora Van Horn, a senior majoring in philosophy, Chinese, and global and international studies, is creating a lasting change for sustainability at Penn State. Van Horn helped to establish the University Park Undergraduate Association’s Department of Sustainability and the University’s Environmental Sustainability Fund to support on-campus sustainability efforts.

Meet Penn State's 2021-22 Administrative Fellows On Oct 20, 2021 Penn State's 2021-22 Administrative Fellows are bringing a diverse range of expertise and experiences to their new role as fellows working with and learning from some of the University's senior leaders this academic year.

Inspired by dean, former ethics and compliance chief creates Liberal Arts award On Oct 20, 2021 Kenya Faulkner, former Penn State chief ethics and compliance officer, was inspired by Clarence Lang, Susan Welch Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts, to create an award recognizing staff who do the work of equity and justice.

Liberal Arts professor seeks broader view of University as Administrative Fellow On Oct 20, 2021 Having the opportunity to work alongside and witness administrators interacting with multiple University constituencies and learning more about the processes they undertake to guide their decision-making are among the reasons that Carrie Jackson, Penn State professor of German and linguistics, decided to apply for Penn State’s Administrative Fellows Program.

Events to examine the future of political parties and direct democracy On Oct 20, 2021 Desmond Meade, executive director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, will give the 2021 Brown Democracy Medal lecture at 4 p.m. Nov. 11. On Nov. 16, the Institute will host a virtual event about the future of the two-party system with former presidential and New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang and former U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent.

New book analyzes the intersection of ethics and policing On Oct 19, 2021 A new book edited by Penn State professors Ben Jones, assistant director of the Rock Ethics Institute (REI), and Eduardo Mendieta, professor of philosophy and REI affiliate faculty, provides important insight into the ethical challenges facing the police and the criminal justice system.

Small-scale foragers left more than footprints on the landscape On Oct 19, 2021 Archaeological sites like the Great Wall of China and the pyramids can be seen from space, but for ancient societies that did not build, their traces on the landscape are more difficult to find. Now Penn State researchers have used satellite data to identify areas in coastal southwest Madagascar where indigenous foragers altered their surroundings.

Penn State receives grant to study factors promoting early childhood development On Oct 18, 2021 Penn State was recently awarded a five-year, $5.8 million grant and selected as part of a longitudinal NIH-funded consortium called the HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study to study the effects of genetics, home environment, and prenatal substance use on child health and brain development.

Paterno Fellow advocates for sustainable, accessible menstrual health products On Oct 15, 2021 As the vice president of advocacy for Days for Girls at Penn State, Emma Cihanowyz, a junior majoring in international politics and French, is tackling the issue of period poverty on campus and around the world.

Call for Rock Ethics Institute Faculty Fellowship applications On Oct 15, 2021 The Rock Ethics Institute is now accepting applications for its 2022-23 Faculty Fellowship program, which provides up to $10,000 for a two-course release from teaching to support ethics-related projects.

Labor and employment relations alumna publishes historical novel On Oct 15, 2021 Tammy Pasterick, an alumna of the School of Labor and Employment Relations, used her academic background to aid in the research of her debut novel, "Beneath the Veil of Smoke and Ash," published by She Writes Press in September. The novel follows an immigrant family through the steel mills and coal mines of Western Pennsylvania in the early 1900s during the “golden age of steel.”

New podcast tracks the evolution of diverse human traits On Oct 15, 2021 Tracking Traits, a new podcast launched by the Center for Human Evolution and Diversity, explores the current work of researchers who are forging new pathways to understanding the evolution of human diversity, featuring interviews conducted by undergraduate students.

Alumni couple's gift creates eastern hub for Human Rights Education Initiative On Oct 15, 2021 Penn State alumni Victor and Dena Hammel have committed $450,000 to support the University’s Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Education Initiative.

Labor and Employment Relations' Outstanding Alumni Lecture set for Oct. 28 On Oct 12, 2021 Beth Albright, a 1989 graduate of the School of Labor and Employment Relations, will give the school’s 22nd annual Outstanding Alumni Lecture on Oct. 28.