undergrad work

undergraduate work (2013 - 2017)

COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT AT BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY

editorial and web writing

setting the stage / a lead-in article where I interviewed a recent alumni about their work outside of college and how Bloomsburg impacted their career ( Mirrored Here )
economic speakers share knowledge at bu / an article written on the Bloomsburg university economic speakers series
blogs and web writing:
Web Excerpt Writing
COST Newsletter Stories

*also featured in the spring 2017 cost newsletter

select official press releases

INTERNSHIP AT THE UNITED WAY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY

Newsletter Writing

COURSEWORK & EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

select editorial writing at bunow.com (I was a staff writer and music section editor during my tenure)

do the grammy's have a race problem?/ music / 2017 / a look at race and the grammy's
jaden smith challenges gender norms/ fashion / 2016 / a brief look at gender in fashion
best coast riffs on sexism in the music industry / music / 2016 / a recap on best coast lead bethany costentino's feminist letter

pr coursework campaigns

radio wbuq / spring 2014 / final team project for "pr theory and practice" presented to the client for feedback
mass communications department / fall 2015 / final team project for "publicity and pr" presented to the department

living the “pure life” in costa rica

pura vida, or pure life, means to love life. these wise words are at the heart of costa rican culture. kylie goodling is living this philosophy she learned from her host mother as she spends her winter break studying abroad in heredia, costa rica.

goodling, a senior speech language pathology major and spanish and linguistics minor as well as an esl certification student, is completing her spanish minor through sol. living with her host mom cecilia (or mama tica), she is taking courses on latin american culture and civilization.

besides studying, goodling is fully immersed in the sights and sounds of latin american culture in scenic heredia. visiting the basilica, trying local food and even white water rafting have been a part of goodling’s study abroad experience. goodling’s costa rican journey has been pura vida.

“mama tica is seriously one of the best people i have ever met. she is so full of heart and soul. she is always telling us to love ourselves no matter what anyone else thinks.”

broadening global horizons in poland

for the fifth year, another group bloomsburg university students ventured to poland during winter break to study at jagiellonian university in poland. alexandra miller, senior honors student majoring in asl and spanish, was among 40 students and three faculty members, including michael martin, assistant professor of english, to study in kraków.

while studying at the polish institute of language and culture, students and faculty gather at the university to take two courses for credit. with a course about the history of jews in europe and another on eastern european film, literature and culture, miller and her fellow abroad students gain a unique in-depth insight on eastern european culture and history.

to balance their intensive study, students immersed themselves in kraków’s rich culture and walked through the history of poland with trips to places like the wieliczka salt mine and auschwitz. journeying to several cities in eastern and central europe, this trip is a cultural experience unlike any other as miller, martin and others are pushed to think differently both academically and internationally.

“sharing dinner with students who appreciate another language, having breakfast with our russian fulbright scholar (did you know we had one at bloomsburg right now?) or listening to students who are studying russian are great reminders that the world is much larger than the drive from your home to school and back, or from home to a major city.”

study abroad open house: — thursday, feb. 2, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., kub multipurpose b. let us help you get started. making the memories is up to you!

every day, a new adventure in spain

one day exploring the historic sights of the city like the arabic baths and the la capilla real (the royal chapel). tasting the local mediterranean cuisine at the cafes and restaurants for lunch. another day experiencing the traditions during the holiday season like three kings day. this winter break has been a new adventure every day for racquel kreischer as she is studying abroad in granada, spain.

kreischer, a senior engineering major, is spending her winter break studying spanish through the instituto mediterráneo sol granada. while living with her host family, kreischer is learning the language up close as she is directly immersed in spanish culture. “it was a shock being immersed into spanish with my host family and classes speaking only spanish, but in the span of a week i have caught on quickly! everything is in spanish, tours, conversations with my host family, eating at restaurants, so it is very important to learn quickly.”

becoming fully engaged in the language has allowed kreischer to discover and experience all the warm city of granada has to offer. “there is so much to do in the beautiful city of granada and living with a family makes studying here even more exciting. i know where all the best places to go and things to do here are located.”

study abroad open house: — thursday, feb. 2, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., kub multipurpose b. let us help you get started. making the memories is up to you!

hungry? low on cash?

books, rent, loans, your car, spending money and food. whether you’re taking out loans or paying right from your paychecks for college, sometimes food is your last choice. in some cases, food isn’t even an option and you can’t be the best you when you’re hungry.

many low-income or financially independent students can go days without a meal in order to pay for other larger expenses. the new #feedahusky initiative will help students who are food-insecure have access to food and learn about the resources available to them.

on mondays from 5 to 6 p.m. there will be free bu student nights at the food cupboard. the food cupboard is on 329 center st., which is walking distance from campus. for more information, call 570-389-2222 or visit the hungry huskies portal.

confocal microscope unveiled

having the ability to generate high-resolution micrographs of samples is an important aspect in scientific research. with the acquisition of a state-of-the-art laser scanning confocal microscope at bloomsburg university, researchers like jennifer venditti and angela hess, associate professors of biological and allied health sciences, have innovative technology to advance their research.

the zeiss lsm 800 laser scanning confocal microscope utilizes lasers to sequentially scan samples labeled with different types of probes and generate high-resolution images. applications for this microscope include fixed cell as well as live cell imaging.

with this microscope, researchers have the ability to acquire highresolution images using zeiss’s patented airyscan technology. “it can be used to image anything from individual cells to sections of tissue,” says hess.

researchers can optically section through their samples and create z-stacks. these image slices are then reassembled and can be rotated to provide 3d views. this technology allows researchers to more accurately visualize the location of structures within a cell.

the proposal for the microscope was coauthored by venditti and hess and approved by provost ira blake.

venditti is currently using the microscope to investigate the localization and function of synapsin proteins in human sperm. additionally, venditti’s laboratory is interested in how synapsin proteins in sperm interact with f-actin. hess’ research focuses on the localization of two proteins –epha2 and ve-cadherin- in human and mouse melanoma cells. previous research conducted by hess has demonstrated these proteins co-localize in human melanoma. her current research is to demonstrate the same interaction in mouse melanoma such that a mouse model for melanoma can be adopted to study melanoma tumor cell plasticity and how it contributes to a metastatic phenotype.

additionally, the confocal microscope will be available to support faculty and student research initiatives across campus. courses in the biological and allied health sciences department will use this technology in their curriculum; with the goal of designing a new course focused on confocal technology. faculty will also use the microscope to enhance their lab manuals. additionally, venditti and hess plan to offer community outreach programs to local high school students and teachers.

a tree lover’s guide to rickett’s glenn

on a walk through ricketts glen state park, a hiker would have little information about the variety of natural wonders from waterfalls, endless trees, and plants they would come across.

to give hiker’s more appreciation of the park, george chamuris, ph.d., chair of biological and allied health sciences, wrote his hiker’s guide to the trees, shrubs, and woody vines of ricketts glen state park.

his work serves as an identification guide to the woody plants of ricketts glen. in the first few pages, the novice hiker learns about the structures of trees, shrubs, and leaves. from there, chamuris’ guide includes 80 species of trees, shrubs, and vines to identify in the state park. the book is available free at the park’s office or from chamuris by request. the fifth paper edition will be available for the 2017 season.

chamuris began compiling his research for the guide after receiving a faculty grant in 1998-1999 from the pennsylvania state system of higher education. the pennsylvania department of conservation and natural resources published the first edition guide in 1999.

in 2005, chamuris created a website to host an online version of the guide. while the print version is black and white, the web site provides a colorful scene of rickett’s glen’s plant life. the website serves as a complete supplement to the guide and features the many colors of bark, leaves, flowers, fruits, and associated insects and diseases.

the website is the exclusive host of the 5th edition and like the paper guide, begins with a basic identification guide, branching out to a full dendrological guide with colorful photos. in the next several years, chamuris hopes to have a companion guide commercially published. he has begun to assemble the information on the wildflowers, ferns and fern allies of ricketts glen giving hikers a greater understanding of the flora of the park.

the guide is available here: http://departments.bloomu.edu/biology/ricketts/

bas-tl offered on campus

bloomsburg’s bachelor of applied science in technical leadership (bas-tl) program, begun five years ago at lehigh county community college, is now available to students on bloomsburg’s campus.

the program is also available through reading area community college, harrisburg area community college, northampton community college and the community college of philadelphia. through the community college partners, the bas-tl allows students who have earned an associate’s degree to complete a bachelor’s degree through bloomsburg. on bloomsburg’s campus, the program is similar to other majors.

“this [program] can apply to a lot of areas on campus,” said helmut doll, chairperson of the department of instructional technology, which houses the program. “building upon the knowledge from a specific area of study, from chemistry to psychology to welding, the program takes the preexisting skills of a student and strengthens them to become a leader in that field.”

with courses that tackle modern leadership issues, students participate in 45 credits worth of classes from various departments across campus. from business communications to leading virtual teams to accounting for supervisors, students prepare for their career through courses, an internship and a capstone course where they present to real companies and receive feedback.

“technical leadership offers a multitude of options and accommodations for nontraditional students,” said angela ciucci, clerk typist for the cost dean’s office and student in the bas-tl program. ciucci, who juggles full-time and volunteer work, utilizes the flexibility of the program through the online course offerings. “i chose the program because as a single mom, working a full time job for the bu cost dean’s office, and working part time at geisinger henry hood center for research, it is hard to find time to dedicate going back to school,” said ciucci.

“you have a specialized skills set in one area and you get the leadership skills to enhance it in our program,” said doll. whether someone studied welding or biology, the bas-tl program builds upon foundational skills to prepare students to become leaders.