Campus notes: April 28, 2024
Apr. 28—Katherine Buerke, Reading, was inducted into the Sigma Tau Delta honor society at Lebanon Valley College. Sigma Delta Tau is the international English honor society. Buerke is a creative writing/English major.
Katie Ayala Hernandez, Reading, is being inducted into Sigma Tau Delta at Albright College, where she is majoring in public relations and advertising.
Model UN
Bradford Hoffman, Morgantown, a junior at Cedarville University in Ohio, was part of the school's Model United Nations team that received the Outstanding Delegation honor in an international competition in New York. Cedarville represented Myanmar at the event.
Alumni award
Walter Alsegg, Womelsdorf, received the Albright College Distinguished Alumni Award. He is a member of the Albright's class of 1964.
Alsegg worked for a local specialty paper company and prioritized giving back to the community. He was a Sinking Spring volunteer firefighter for 20 years, rising to the rank of assistant chief. Alsegg and his former wife became involved in the Pennsylvania Junior Miss program. The state finals were held in Reading, and they would host high school senior girls for the week of competition. Alsegg became board president and led efforts to form Pennsylvania's Outstanding Young Woman organization.
Alsegg moved to the New Jersey shore after retirement. After 9/11 he joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary, becoming the flotilla commander for the Ocean City flotilla. Walt also volunteered at Coast Guard Station Atlantic City. He became auxiliary operations officer for the New Jersey Shore area.
Green Grand Prix
Owen L. Junge, Mertztown, an engineering design technology student at Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport, took part in the 2024 Toyota Green Grand Prix in Watkins Glen, N.Y.
The Green Grand Prix is a fuel-efficiency competition for alternate-fueled vehicles, hybrids and traditional gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles. The event is meant to promote innovation in sustainable transportation technologies.
Psychology research
Albright College psychology major Chelsey Nievez, Reading, co-presented original psychology research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Long Beach, Calif. Her preseentation was titled "How Immigration Status and Skin Tone Effects Perceived Leadership.
Research presentations
The following Alvernia University students presented their research at the Higher Education Council of Berks County Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference:
Alettya Zalapa-Alonso, Reading, "Do You Really Agree? Is there Gender Bias in our Romantic Relationships?". Faith Bentz, Shillington; and Amy Lista, Reading, "How Does Running with a Jogging Stroller Affect Ground Reaction Force?" Nhi Hoang, Laureldale, "Behavioral effects of ralfinamide mesylate injection to the optic nerve of the frog." Vismaly Martinez-Sosa, Temple, "DNA Extraction, PCR Analysis and Presumptive Test on Human Blood." Michael McClatchie, Sinking Spring, "Agricultural Pesticide use and the Soil Microbiome." Michael Peirce, Oley, "The Importance of Freshwater Quality with the use of Environmental DNA and Mayfly Sensors." Marisol Alonso-Hernandez, Reading, "Design of A Sustainable Robot Car with Arms for Indoor Applications." Yasmin Hidalgo, Laureldale; Allison McDennis, Sinking Spring; and Erin Mooney, Douglassville, "Virtual Reality in Post-Stroke Rehabilitation." Anita Zakharov, Denver, "The Impact of Primitive Reflex Integration on Children's Academic Performance in School-Based Occupational Therapy." Matthew Knowles, Oley; and Hao Ha, Reading, "Design of A Sustainable Robot Car with Arms for Outdoor Applications." Sara Lentz, Sinking Spring; and Isabel Fries, Exeter Township, "Effect of Cognitive Rehabilitation on Functional Cognition in Neurological Conditions." Jayah Roman, Reading, "The Effects of Oral Contraceptives on Bone Density."
Items are supplied by the colleges involved.
