Dear Juniata Community,
Welcome to this edition of Notes from the Provost’s Desk! I am pleased to share with you some of the opportunities and accomplishments of our faculty and students from the fall 2024 semester.
Our commitment to meaningful experiential education continues to distinguish and differentiate us. Students have the opportunity to be involved in mentored research early in their academic careers and many then present the results of their work at academic conferences. In addition to contributing to the body of knowledge, they hone their presentation and communication skills and demonstrate a poise and confidence that will serve them well throughout their lives. Others participate in an Inside Out course taught in a local correctional facility, learning alongside those who are incarcerated.
Many will soon have the opportunity to participate in our Mellon-funded project designed to gather the oral histories of local community members affected by environmental change in recent years. We were awarded $500,000 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for this work after responding to a national call for proposals. Supported by the College's Center for Community Engagement, our students and our faculty are working in partnership with the local community in mutually beneficial ways.
This commitment to experiential education that contributes to strengthening the community makes Juniata a great place to host an academic program. After a year of work preparing to start a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, we welcome our inaugural director and continue to plan for a successful launch pending approval by the state Board of Nursing.
The local community takes advantage of campus events including our artist series and various campus lectures that are profiled in this newsletter. And we celebrate the rich array of professional activities of our faculty that provide the foundation to that student experience as you will see in this newsletter.
Jennifer DellAntonio, D.Ed., MSN, RN, CNE, is Juniata’s inaugural director of nursing, bringing a wealth of experience in nursing education to the role.
DellAntonio served as department chair and BSN (bachelor of science in nursing) director for much of her 19-year tenure at Lock Haven University. She holds a doctorate in education and a master of science in nursing. Her impressive career spans significant achievements in curriculum development, accreditation, and faculty mentorship. She has been instrumental in transforming nursing programs to align with modern competency-based education standards and has successfully enhanced student outcomes, including elevating NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) pass rates and fostering student retention.
Beyond her academic contributions, DellAntonio has cultivated meaningful community partnerships and advanced initiatives that reflect her deep commitment to excellence in nursing education. Her leadership will be critically important as Juniata develops and grows the nursing program.
Juniata’s proposal to establish a bachelor of science in nursing is currently under review by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. Preparations are underway to break ground on a state-of-the-art nursing facility at the corner of 17th and Moore streets. This facility will include space for local health care providers, strengthening the College’s relationships with the local community.
Support for the program and the facility has come from federal, state, local, and private sources, demonstrating broad and enthusiastic support for this initiative.
Jennifer DellAntonio, D.Ed.
Jennifer DellAntonio, D.Ed.
Experiential education is an area of strength at Juniata.
Bridging the gap between theory and practice, students are prepared to make a tangible difference in the world immediately after graduating. Our students are more likely to participate in two or more experiential learning opportunities than those at similar institutions.
A team of Juniata College faculty and student researchers excelled in showcasing their collaborative research at the regional meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, held at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.
Juniata's delegation included Jill Keeney, Charles A. Dana Professor of Biology; Regina Lamendella, George ’75 and Cynthia ’76 Valko Professor of Biological Sciences; Chris Grant, associate professor of biology; and TJ Firneno, assistant professor of biology; Kaitlynn Balmer-Brown ’26; Kavya Chheda ’25; Kelliann Drummond ’25; Sarah Halteman ’25; Khushi Kanani ’25; Donovan McCammon ’27; Brittney McMullen ’22 g ’23; Prevena Ramakrishnan ’26; Ashley Robuck ’26; Ella Tamariz ’25; Evan Thomas ’25; Linh Tong ’25; and Lex Viands ’26.
Thomas and Kanani earned first-place awards for their undergraduate oral presentations. McMullen won first place for her graduate presentation. Drummond, Viands, and Halteman were also recognized for their first-place undergraduate poster presentation.
Mia Thornhill ’28, Katie Wagoner ’28, and Georgios Stylianides, associate professor of exercise science and director of exercise science and kinesiology, attended the 3D Analysis of Human Movement (3DAHM) Symposium, a technical group of the International Society of Biomechanics, held at the Universidad de la República in Montevideo, Uruguay, in December 2024.
The symposium offered opportunities to network with students, professionals, and experts from around the world. It allowed the students to explore cutting-edge research, innovative ideas, and different perspectives in the field of biomechanics. The experience brought together individuals from different backgrounds, enhancing participants’ global perspective and cultural competence.
Keynote speakers were international experts representing five continents: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Student and professional presentations focused on human movement, rehabilitation, sports medicine, and biomechanics.
A $500,000, three-year grant from The Mellon Foundation will fund a project focused on building connections between faculty, students, and residents of Central Pennsylvania to understand and enrich learning about regional environmental challenges.
Project leads are Susan Prill, professor of religion and chair of religious studies, and Ursula Williams, associate professor of chemistry.
This is the fourth Mellon Foundation grant that Juniata has received since 2014.
The grant work will begin with outreach to communities, which will focus on experiences of residents, artists, advocates, and scholars who have faced economic, social, and health challenges because of mining, drilling, or quarrying industries in their communities. The Huntingdon County Conservation District will serve as one of Juniata College’s partners in facilitating community connections. Students studying literature, history, religion, and philosophy will partner with students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses to document and archive these stories and perspectives for future research.
Global engagement takes many forms at Juniata College. For the fourth consecutive year, Juniata students and faculty had official observer status at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference. This year, two cohorts from the College traveled to COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, one of the world’s largest producers of fossil fuels.
Dennis Plane, professor of politics, Jacob Wallman ’25, and Elijah Weaver ’25, attended week one of the conference; and Uma Ramakrishnan, professor of environmental science and studies, Li Shen, associate professor of marketing, and Amelia Kasdorf ’25, attended week two.
Medina Yessenaliyeva ’27 achieved an extraordinary milestone as part of one of three winning teams in the prestigious NASA Proposal Writing and Evaluation Experience (NPWEE) Academy.
Three Juniata Physics and Engineering Physics students, Aaditya Bhattacharya ’26, Rohit Raj ’25, and Yessenaliyeva, were selected to participate on teams in this competitive program to teach participants how to identify NASA’s needs and develop innovative solutions. Through NPWEE, approximately 30 to 40 teams, each comprised of six to 10 students from different colleges and universities, are selected to compete.
Yessenaliyeva's team proposes a new approach to improve solar sail technology, a type of spacecraft propulsion that uses sunlight to push a sail and move a spacecraft through space. The accompanying image is an example of a solar sail.
The team’s proposal, “ACS3 Thrust Vector Reorientation Via Servo Motor Actuators” (ACS3 = Advanced Composite Solar Sail System),” was one of three accepted by NASA and awarded a $10,000 grant to further develop their proposed technology with NASA engineers and faculty.
Juniata’s Inside Out program brings faculty, campus-based students, and incarcerated students together for a classroom experience in partnership with the State Correctional Institutions at Huntingdon and Smithfield.
The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program® facilitates dialogue and education across profound social differences through courses held inside prison, involving students from a higher education setting and incarcerated students. Juniata College has participated in this nationwide program since 2017. Faculty members have taught six courses to date from various fields including history, sociology, Spanish, and social work.
Coursework is designed to educate and deepen understanding through transformational conversations. This semester, Henry Thurston-Griswold, professor of Spanish, taught the Contemporary Spanish American Novel at SCI Huntingdon, with all students receiving college credit. President James Troha and Provost Lauren Bowen attended the end-of-semester celebration.
To respect the privacy of the inside students, we abide by the policy of the Department of Corrections not to share photographs of those students who are currently incarcerated.
Washington, D.C., will be the site of an experiential education opportunity next week as Dennis Plane, professor of politics, and Charlotte Ridge, assistant professor of politics, lead students in an intense, six-day seminar that examines the American presidency as it transitions from one administration to the next. The group will attend the presidential inauguration, visit museums and historical sites, enjoy cultural programming, network with alumni, observe public events surrounding the inauguration, and take part in discussion sessions with the professors.
Fall Academic Events
Juniata hosts a vibrant calendar of events throughout the year, including musical and theatrical performances, lectures, research presentations, art exhibitions, and more, providing students with a unique opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the college experience.
Guest lecturers included Bennett Rae '10 (shown in photo), creator of the podcast "Cooking with Congress;" Julio César Serrano Morales of the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana of Mexico; and Lyvia Toth '21, digital director for the PA House Democratic Campaign Committee.
Erik Haug, vice-president of Energy Marketing for Apex Clean Energy, presented as the Malloy Distinguished Lecturer; and Henry Olsen, senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., presented as the Reeves Distinguished Lecturer.
Three Book End Lectures to share research were held in the fall semester. Students joined Zia Haque, director of the Baker Institute and assistant professor of peace and conflict studies, and Jim Borgardt, William W. Woolford Professor of Physics, to present in September; Wendy Vasquez Gomez, Fulbright Scholar, gave the October lecture; and Norris Muth, professor of biology, gave the final talk in November.
Audiences raved over two Juniata Presents performances this fall. Nobuntu, a female a cappella quartet from Zimbabwe, and Soles of Duende, an inter-cultural dance ensemble, took the stage in Rosenberger Auditorium in October and November.
The Juniata College Museum of Art hosted "Antique Mexican Masks and Figures: The Althouse Collection," along with a reception and gallery talk with remarks by the collector, Stephen Althouse.
Student performances included the annual instrumental and choir concerts as well as a performance of Ugolino, a student-written and produced original play which tells the tragic story of a ruler who falls to his deepest and darkest desires.
Sabbaticals
Sabbatical leaves are designed to encourage the professional development of faculty members, which will advance the educational objectives of the institution. Sabbaticals may take a variety of forms, including writing, research, artistic production, study at another institution, and travel related to the faculty member's proposed sabbatical project. Juniata is pleased to welcome back Jill Keeney, Charles A. Dana Professor of Biology; George Merovich, professor of environmental science and studies; Bob Miller, Rosenberger Professor of Christian & Religious Studies; and Territa Poole, associate professor of psychology, from their sabbaticals.
Jill Keeney
Professor Keeney drafted the final report for Juniata College’s $964,900 NSF S-STEM grant, JC-SOURCE, and finalized work on the One Health tick grant in its third year. Her sabbatical focused on habitat restoration at the Baker-Henry Nature Preserve.
George Merovich
Professor Merovich focused on the development and testing of eDNA techniques for monitoring aquatic ecosystems and prioritizing watershed restoration, advancing research and providing long-term student opportunities.
Bob Miller
Professor Miller dedicated his sabbatical to writing. With time to revisit and prioritize earlier works, the sabbatical offered a rare chance to complete pieces, revise earlier publications, and expand past lectures into articles.
Territa Poole
Professor Poole completed post-master’s education and training in counseling, further strengthening her expertise in the field. Her sabbatical focused on analyzing data and advancing publication efforts for Project CAUSE, a Critical Participatory Action Research initiative.
Recently approved sabbaticals for the fall 2025 semester are Matt Powell, professor of geology, and Li Shen, associate professor of marketing. Sabbaticals for the 2025-2026 academic year are Gina Lamendella, Valko Professor of Biological Sciences; Jamie White, William I & Zella B Book Professor of Physics; and Sarah Worley, professor of communication. The spring 2026 semester sabbaticals are John Bukowski, professor of mathematics; Will Dickey, associate professor of English; Phil Dunwoody, professor of psychology; and Uma Ramakrishnan, professor of environmental science and studies.
Faculty Achievements
Kushal Adhikari, assistant professor of environmental engineering, has been selected for 2025 SCIP Fellow for the SciComm Identities Project (SCIP) Fellowship.
Will Ames, associate professor of chemistry, is part of the organizing committee of the American Chemical Society's (ACS) Project SEED Program, which provides STEM research, learning, and growth opportunities for high school students with diverse identities and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Peter Baran, professor of chemistry, was awarded a silver medal, the highest faculty award, by the dean of the Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology of the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (Slovakia) in June, in recognition of his significant contribution to pedagogical and scientific cooperation with Slovak scientific institutions dealing with coordination chemistry.
Dr. Baran also presented “Back to My N-oxide Roots” as a plenary lecture at the XXIX International Conference on Coordination and Bioinorganic Chemistry in Smolenice (Slovakia). The presentation featured research accomplishments of eight Juniata students, Molly Hunter ’22, Adam Kensinger ’20, Caleb Taylor ’19, Yvon Wojciechowski ’16, Nick Morgan ’14, Duc Vu ’15, Joey Woodrow ’25, and Frank Dorman ’25. At the same conference, Peter also coauthored two other oral presentations, one by Zuzana Baranová ’08, assistant professor of chemistry at the Xavier University of Louisiana, and the second by Jindra Valentová, associate professor of pharmaceutical chemistry at the Comenius University in Bratislava (Slovakia).
Dr. Baran presented “First Example of Copper(II) Compounds Demonstrating Diamagnetic Behavior at and above Room Temperature” as a section talk at the 45th International Conference on Coordination Chemistry in Fort Collins, CO, in August with eight Juniata students and one alum as co-authors, Hunter, Kensinger, Taylor, Wojciechowski, Morgan, Vu, Woodrow, Dorman, and Baranová. Peter also coauthored an oral presentation “A New Type of Pyridine N-oxide Schiff-Base Ligands and Their Transition Metal Complexes” by Baranová at the same conference.
Will Blades, assistant professor of physics and engineering physics, published “High-throughput aqueous passivation behavior of thin-film vs. bulk multi-principal element alloys in sulfuric acid” in Corrosion Science, Volume 236, August 2024, and “Tuning chemical short-range order for stainless behavior at reduced chromium concentrations in multi-principal element alloys” in Acta Materialia, Volume 277, 2024.
Dr. Blades also obtained a National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant through NSF-supported PARADIM facility with Virginia Tech and Johns Hopkins.
Jim Borgardt, William W. Woolford Professor of Physics, gave an invited talk in June at the International Technical Working Group on Nuclear Forensics Annual Meeting in Manchester, UK, on the role of national nuclear forensics libraries in supporting a nuclear smuggling investigation.
Robert Boryk, Instructor of Studio Art, exhibited his art at the 32nd Annual Strictly Functions Pottery National at the Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA, in September 2024; the 2024 KC Clay Guild Teabowl National at Arts at the KC Gallery, Kansas City, MO, in October 2024; and Cup: The Intimate Object XX at the Charlie Cummings Gallery in the fall of 2024.
John Bukowski, professor of mathematics and conductor of the Juniata Concert Choir, was one of 14 conductors who participated in the Choral Conducting Symposium at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory in late May.
Jonathan Burns, instructor of History and Art History, offered a lecture entitled “The Archaeology of George Washington’s ‘Friendly Fire Incident’, November 12, 1758,” and presented forensic isotope data in collaboration with Ryan Mathur ’96, professor of geology, at the Braddock Road Preservation Association’s annual seminar in Ligonier, PA.
John Crum, assistant professor of criminal justice, published an invited book review on “The politics of innocence: How wrongful convictions shape public opinion” in Criminal Justice Review/Sage Journals on August 1, 2024.
Lee Ann Deshong-Cook, assistant professor of social work, accompanied Juniata students at the NASW-PA conference in October. McKenzie Kapuschinsky ’26, Ben Allen ’26, and Talbot Reed-Jaquay ’26 competed in a research poster competition, with Kapuschinsky and Allen tying for first place.
Phil Dunwoody, professor of psychology, was recently named co-editor of the Council for Independent Colleges’ Digest of Recent Research.
Amber Helsel-Ickes, assistant professor of chemistry, received a $10,000 grant from the Pittsburgh Conference Memorial National College Grants Program to purchase two Thermo Scientific Genesys 50 UV-VIS Spectrophotometers.
Katie Hildebrand, assistant professor of education, presented “Building an Effective Online Special Education Graduate Program: Lessons Learned” at the Pennsylvania Association for Colleges and Teacher Educators (PAC-TE) in Harrisburg, PA, in October.
Elliot Hirshon, ESL instructor and EAP program coordinator, was invited to serve a second term on the National Association of International Educators subcommittee for the Internationalizing Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum (ITLC).
Dave Hsiung, professor of history, served on the Program Committee for the 4th World Congress of Environmental History, which met in Oulu, Finland, in August. Dave presented “Energy, Geography, and Geology in the Saratoga Campaign, 1777,” at the Fort Ticonderoga Seminar on the American Revolution, in Ticonderoga, NY, in September. He presented “Dropping a Rock into a Pond: Some Thoughts on the Environment and the Age of Revolutions,” at the annual meeting of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic, in Philadelphia in July. Dave was invited to present “Environmental Legacies: How the War of Independence Affected the Natural World in Predictable and Surprising Ways” at the Fraunces Tavern Museum Lecture Series in New York City in July.
Jill Keeney, Charles A. Dana Professor of Biology, published “The yeast gene ECM9 regulates cell wall maintenance and cell division in stress conditions” with Prevena Ramakrishnan ’26 in microPublication Biology Oct. 1, 2024.
Gina Lamendella, George '75 and Cynthia '76 Valko Professor of Biological Sciences, and Jill Keeney, Charles A. Dana Professor of Biology, along with 12 research students, traveled to the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg to present their research at the regional American Society for Microbiology meeting. The students are co-mentored by Lamendella, Keeney, Chris Grant, assistant professor of biology, and TJ Firneno, assistant professor of biology. Gina published “Application of a metatranscriptomics technology, CSI-Dx, for the detection of pathogens associated with prosthetic joint infections” in Nature Scientific Reports with co-authors, including six Juniata students and alums.
Jim Latten, professor of music, was re-elected for a second two-year term as board president of the Nittany Performing Arts Centre (NPAC), an umbrella group representing many State College-area community amateur and professional arts organizations. In July, Latten served as featured speaker for the Flair Drum Major Academy, an online training camp for high school drum majors across the nation.
Monika Malewska, professor of art, participated in Nature of the Mind, a three-artist exhibition at Gallery Bessaud in Paris, France, in October. The gallery, which exhibits international and French artists, showcased six new paintings from two different bodies of work, along with the work of artists Daniell Winger and Julien Colombier.
Kara Pytko, assistant professor of biochemistry, co-authored the publication, “Replication protein A dynamically re-organizes on primer/template junctions to permit DNA polymerase δ holoenzyme assembly and initiation of DNA synthesis,” in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, Volume 52, Issue 13, 22 July 2024.
Kim Roth, professor of mathematics and statistics, presented “Calculus Co-requisite Models” in collaboration with John Bukowski, associate professor of mathematics; Kristin Camenga, associate professor of mathematics; Henry Escuadro, professor of mathematics; and Jerry Kruse, Dale Professor of IT, Computer Science & Math, at the Teaching and Learning of Calculus Contributed Paper Session at Mathfest in Indianapolis in August. Mathemalchemy, a mathematical art installation to which Kim contributed, was exhibited at the Museum of Mathematics in New York in October.
Li Shen, associate professor of marketing, presented "The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence: Empirical Evidence from China and the US” at the Academy of International Business US Northeast Chapter Conference in October.
Georgios Stylianides, director of exercise science and kinesiology and associate professor of exercise science, published "A protocol for obtaining upper and lower extremity joints range of motion in children using three-dimensional motion analysis system” with Mohamed Afifi, Muhammad Uba Abdulazeez, Kamiar Aminian, and Kassim Abdulrahman Abdullah in Frontiers in Physiology 2024 August 21.
Henry Thurston-Griswold, professor of Spanish, published “Chronicle of Terrorism Foretold: Miguel Ángel Asturias’s ‘¡Americanos todos!’ and 9/11” in A Contracorriente, a journal of Latin American Studies, Vol. 22, Núm. 1(Fall 2024).
Neal Utterback, professor of theatre arts, and Phil Dunwoody, professor of psychology, have launched Thrivology Lab, a weekly podcast exploring the science, philosophy, and practice of thriving.
Kathryn Westcott, Charles A. Dana Professor of Psychology, presented "Understanding access and barriers to mental health services in a rural community" at the American Psychological Association meeting in Seattle in August. Hannah Dees ’23 and Mark McKellop, also a professor of psychology, co-authored the presentation.
Ursula Williams, associate professor of chemistry, presented "Impact of ligand substitution on the properties of iron(III) amine triphenolate complexes" at the Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society in June. The presentation featured Juniata student research by Rachel Sabatino ’24 and Isabella Stranick ’24. In addition to presenting, Ursula also organized and presided over the session, "Inorganic Coordination Chemistry and Catalysis."
Upcoming Faculty Events
Phil Dunwoody, professor of psychology, and head of the social sciences division, will be giving an invited talk, "Authoritarianism, Threat, and Illiberal Political Judgments," at the University of California-Irvine, Center for Neuropolitics, from noon to 1:15 p.m. (PST) Friday, January 31, 2025. this event is online, free, and open to the public.
In Memoriam
Donna S. Weimer, professor emerita of communication, passed away on January 8, 2025. Dr. Weimer served as a faculty member for 33 years, joining the faculty in 1990 and retiring in 2023. In 2000, she was named the Thornbury Professor of Communication. She was recognized for her excellence in teaching by Juniata in 1993 and she received the Beachley Award for Distinguished Academic Service in 2003. And she was honored three times by the Pennsylvania Communication Association with the Robert T. Oliver Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017 and the Carroll Arnold Service Award in both 2002 and 2019, the only person to receive that recognition twice. You can read more about Donna’s extraordinary legacy here:
Donna was a faculty and campus leader in both formal and informal ways throughout her tenure given her dedication and devotion to Juniata. She was a talented rhetorician, an unabashed enthusiast for the liberal arts, a dogged advocate for faculty colleagues, and she was fiercely loyal to the dedicated staff who serve Juniata. Yet her greatest passion was the teaching, mentoring, and advising that she provided to scores of students over the years. In creating the Donna Weimer award in 2023 on the occasion of her retirement, these criteria were established:
To honor her passion for the field of communication and for her students, members of the department will give the Donna S. Weimer Award to one or more outstanding junior and/or senior students who offer creative and positive contributions to the field of communication through their curricular and cocurricular activities, embody a love of ideas and spirit of generosity, as well as a willingness to ask and explore challenging questions.
This award is a most fitting tribute to Donna's life and career. She will be missed.
Built with Shorthand