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Spring 2020 Edition Volume 3, Issue 2

Dear College of Science & Health Professions Students, Faculty, Staff, and Alumni, Did you ever think we would be in the middle of a pandemic in spring semester 2020 at Edinboro University? These are unprecedented and uncertain times, but perhaps no better time to be part of the disciplines within our college. Of the many, here are a few examples of how our fields of study are vital. Biology and Health Sciences: Biologists and epidemiologists are studying the structure and origins of COVID-19. Chemistry: Chemists are researching vaccines, testing, and treatments. Geosciences: What is the impact of climate change on a pandemic? Physics and Technology: How quickly can we provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) using manufacturing technology, like 3D printers? Math and Computer Science: The compilation of big data will help us to prepare for another pandemic. And what would we do without Zoom? Nursing: They are on the front lines caring for those who have contracted the virus and others in our medical facilities. Communications Sciences and Disorders: Learning about how to conduct telepractice for clients during this health crisis is an essential skill. Psychology: How do the stress and anxiety of these environmental conditions affect us? Social Work: Individuals and families are relying on support systems that require caring professionals to lead them. As we power through this together, I know that you will recognize the role of our university in preparing graduates that will deal with these and other global issues in the future. It is a monumental responsibility, and our alumni are proof that we have the resources to contribute to solutions. Our hope is in the capabilities of all those who have prepared themselves to enter these professions. Stay safe by continuing to practice social distancing, wearing a mask, and listening to the scientific experts who guide us. Believe in Edinboro University and our propensity to strive!

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Inside This Issue…

Covid-19 Vaccine………..………………4

Faculty Honors…………………………..5

Faculty Retirees……..………………..…6

Chemistry Honors……………………….8

Alum Shares EU Experience…..………11

Alum Shares Covid-19 Experience.…..13

Scholar-Athletes………………………..23

Honors Convocation……………..……26

Outstanding Graduates……………….29

Occupational Outlook…………………30

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Dr. Montefiori, Ph.D., is part of a group at Duke University that is developing a COVID-19 vaccine and also trying to understand the disease process, susceptibility and transmissibility.

“I came away from Edinboro being very prepared for what I was going on to do. I was the first one in my family to go to college. My parents didn’t give up on me. I learned how to study and it changed my life.

One of the most important things I learned was how to think deeper. Once I started doing that, college got more interesting and exciting, and it never stopped.

For a few years after I graduated, I would just come back and walk the halls. It has really changed a lot. Just looking at the facilities you have now and how well-equipped you are, we are all very fortunate.”

His work is mostly aimed at testing serum from vaccines to see if they have the right kind of antibodies that are needed for protection – i.e. capable of neutralizing the SARS-CoV-2 virus (his laboratory is a biosafety level that allows his team to work with the virus). More importantly, Montefiori is working with a colleague at Los Alamos National Laboratory who is tracking how the virus is mutating as it continues to adapt to its new human host.

He identifies mutant stains that seem to be spreading in the population. He tests those strains to see whether there are new serotypes that might not be covered by the first generation of vaccines, which are all based on a single strain from early in the pandemic (i.e., Wuhan-1 strain). They are concerned that the virus will change into more than one neutralization serotype, much as seasonal flu strains do, and that a vaccine will need to incorporate each serotype in order to have global coverage. In other words, they are trying to get ahead of the game now so that they have the information needed to update the vaccines quickly if needed.

His work keeps him busy 7 days/week and long hours, although he still makes time for running and biking, but can’t swim for the same reason the rest of us can’t.

Edinboro Grad on the Frontline of COVID-19 Vaccine

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2019-20 Edinboro University Faculty Honors

Faculty Member of the Year

Scholar of the Year

Advisor of the Year

Victoria Hedderick, Ed.D.

Department of Nursing

Wayne Hawley, Ph.D.

Department of Psychology

Peter McLaughlin, Ph.D.

Department of Psychology

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The CSHP Honors our 2020 Faculty Retirees

John Ashley, Ph.D.

Biology & Health Sciences

Patricia Hillman, M.S.

Math & Computer Science

Dale Hunter, Ph.D.

Biology & Health Sciences

William MacKay, Ph.D.

Biology & Health Sciences

Suzanne McDevitt, Ph.D.

Social Work

Martin Mitchell, Ph.D.

Biology & Health Sciences

Ulf Sorhannus, Ph.D.

Biology & Health Sciences

Amy Weschler, Ed.D.

Nursing

Ellen Zimmer, M.S.

Math & Computer Science

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We are pleased to share the sensational news that junior Wildlife Biology major Kyle Breault (Pittsburgh, PA) has been awarded a prestigious National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) this summer. He will be at Harvard University's Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology (Pierce Lab) for 10 weeks. Kyle is also a 2019 NASA Space Consortium Scholarship Recipient.

EU Student to Attend Harvard Research Program

Honors Convocation Speaker

The student speaker for the recent honors convocation was Shayma Musa (B.S. Health Sciences, B.A. Journalism). Shayma was involved in many organizations and activities during her time at Edinboro, in addition to being an excellent student.

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STUDENT HONORSAngela Mosebarger will be starting at University of Texas: Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, TX in a Neuroscience PhD program.

Shannon Ragen has chosen to attend Pharmacy School at LECOM for her doctoral degree.

Dante McBride was accepted to the University of Charleston School of Pharmacy for his doctoral degree.

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Jolene Choby, a second year graduate student, was the Edinboro recipient of the Student Honors of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association! Congratulations to Jo and the recipients from other regional programs. The future of the profession is in great hands!!

Student Receives Honor

2020 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Abbey Antolic is Edinboro University’s 2020 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She will graduate this year with a B.S. in Speech & Hearing Sciences after playing four years on the women’s basketball team. Abbey will be back in the fall to begin graduate study in speech-language pathology.

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Joshua Steele completed his presentation and poster, Erie’s New Americans. Josh will present his findings at a regional conference.

Student Accomplishment

Green Infrastructure Challenge The 2019 EPA Campus Rainworks Challenge just released their awards. Edinboro's team consisted of students Donna Good (Wildlife Biology), Louis Murphy (Geography), Jeremy Book (Individualized Studies), and Laura Gary (Environmental Studies), and was led by Dr. Karen Eisenhart (Geosciences). Their narrative, design board, and video made the finals and winners included UCLA, Arizona State, and Cal-Berkeley. Check out their video submission here.

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EU Computer Science Alum, Matthew Heinrich, SR.,

Shares ExperienceWhere did you grow up and when did you attend Edinboro University?

I grew up in Freeport, PA which is North-East of Pittsburgh and attended Edinboro my Junior and Senior years from 90-92 after transferring from another school.

Why did you initially choose to attend Edinboro?

I attended another school my Freshman and Sophomore years majoring in Aerospace Engineering, but my passion was computers. Eventually, I made the decision to change majors and began the search for schools. My sister had just been accepted into Edinboro, so decided to start my search there. Turns out, I didn’t do much searching after my initial visit to Edinboro.

Who/what inspired you to study computer science? 

I always tell this story as I find it funny. My freshman year in high-school, the district started offering programming classes in Basic and Pascal. When it came time to schedule classes, I scheduled Basic my first semester and a typing class my second semester. Unfortunately, since these classes were new and I was a Freshman, they priority filled the classes with upper classmen, and I was forced to do the inverse which was to take typing first semester and Basic second semester. Turns out, this was the best thing for me as I fell in love with coding and could now type incredibly fast. I spent the next three years taking multiple introductory and advanced classes in both languages. When it came time to decide my career, I went back to my passion. You don’t work a day if you do what you love!

Describe your undergraduate preparation for the work you have done.

I’m probably aging myself here, but my first job out of college was coding in Cobol. I had taken two Cobol classes at Edinboro among other languages and simply wanted to get my foot in the door doing something I loved, which was coding. Cobol was the first opportunity that came my way and I jumped on it. My undergrad studies, specifically the multiple Cobol classes, absolutely prepared me for this role and I hit the ground running.

How helpful was your internship at Argonne National Lab during your senior year? 

Argonne was a great opportunity, getting to move to the Chicago area and see how a large national laboratory works was incredible. I was asked to transform a large Fortran program into a flavor of Basic while adding the UI, which added another language and work experience to my resume. Internships are more commonplace today with many companies looking to offer full-time positions after completion. It’s a great way to gain experience while possibly getting your foot in the door with a company. I highly recommend doing the right internship.

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Dr. White and our students at Pi Mu Epsilon student conference. Well done, MACS!

Matthew Heinrich, SR. (continued)

What were some of the highlights in your career so far?

As I mentioned above, my passion has always been coding. I spent a little over 15 years as a developer and architect and then made the move to management. These first 15 years provided me with a wealth of knowledge and a great foundation which has, and currently serves me well in my management roles. As a developer, I was always the one learning something new and finding innovative ways to solve business problems. Each new language or technology always seemed to enable my next role and the process restarted. After 15 years, I had worked in a number of languages, technologies and roles. After moving into management, I utilized my foundation and moved into more strategic and delivery roles setting myself up for my current role as an Officer at Nationwide. Along the way, I have had the pleasure of being recognized internally at Nationwide in addition to gaining industry exposure as keynote speakers and presenters in countless national conferences.

What kind of work are you doing for Nationwide Insurance?

Nationwide is a very large enterprise and can be viewed as a holding company of a number of smaller companies. I work in a shared services organization that supports all of these smaller companies from a capability and software delivery perspective. We partner with the smaller companies to build and deliver software with a focus on Agile, Lean, DevOps, Quality, etc. In my role, I faceoff to one of the CIOs that runs a group of these smaller companies and have a team of over 100 associates and contractors that partner with other associates, creating agile teams, to deliver software for our customers.

What have you enjoyed the most about your work?

Every day, I get to learn something new. Whether it be learning a new technology, methodology, or simply learning from my peers or leaders. One of my top strengths is learning, so my work feels very rewarding.

What advice do you have for Edinboro students pursuing a career in computer science?

Find an internship or two with a company you could see yourself working for after graduation. Do your homework and be selective. After graduation, utilize each role as an opportunity to learn something new, making it a stepping stone to something bigger. All the while, you are gaining great experiences and advancing your career.

What are your fondest memories of your time at Edinboro University?

Simply meeting new people and hanging with friends.

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Courtney Weber, R.N., on the Front Lines of COVID-19

“I am a Registered nurse at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood Florida. I work on a unit called IMCU where we take care of critical patients that are intermediate status. Nurse to patient ratio is 3:1. A lot of our patients come in with DKA, HTN emergency/ HTN urgency, GI bleeds, bowel obstructions, CVAs and respiratory distress. We manage insulin drops, heparin drips, Cardizem drips, nitroglycerin drips, etc. We also take care of long term ventilator patients.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, our unit was transitioned into a negative pressure unit where we can receive all the positive COVID-19 cases. Working as a nurse now on this type of unit is so much different than what we are used to. We have to really cluster our care and try to limit our time in the rooms as well. At first our nurse to patient ratio was one to one but with the increased number of positive cases- it is now 2 patients to one nurse. I have seen patients get progressively better but also progressively worse. In times like these, it makes my heart hurt when families call me crying because they can’t be with their loves ones. It’s scary not only for the family members but the patients themselves. As a nurse I feel like I am the hope that holds everything together during this pandemic.”

Courtney Weber ’19 is currently working in a COVID-19 unit at her hospital. “She was a dynamo in our nursing department, serving as our Student Nurses of Edinboro president along with many other roles while maintaining her outstanding work in her studies,” said Elizabeth Farbotnik MSN, CRNP, FNP-C and Assistant Professor of EU’s Department of Nursing. Courtney tells her experience in her own words:

Farbotnik shared,“We are tremendously proud of Courtney and those like her who are serving on the frontlines of this pandemic. Florence Nightingale said ‘How very little can be done under the spirit of fear.’ Our graduates embody this, bravely serving their patients and families in this time of need.”

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Susan C. Maloney, PhD., MSN, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC applied for a Visiting Scholar application to NYU's SARET (Substance Abuse Research Education Training) visiting mentor program and was notified that she has been chosen as their applicant for the summer 2020 program.

Dr. Maloney said, “This will involve working with their faculty (medicine and nursing faculty and researchers) at NYU to learn about how they implement their substance use disorders curriculum for faculty and students that can be transferred to working with patients and with all interdisciplinary fields. I'm super excited and if the event is cancelled due to COVID-19, I will still take part in the mentoring program online.

I'm also working with Agent Alan McGill from the Attorney General's office of public engagement on educating the public about COVID-19 and the impact it has had on patients with substance use disorders obtaining their medication assisted treatments. We've hosted and published two national podcasts on podbean and the National Association of State Controlled Authorities (NASCSA).”

Dr. Susan Maloney, Visiting Scholar to NYU Research Program

May 2020 Graduate, Holly Brennen, on DNP Project

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Doctor of Nursing Practice Students Awarded Grant

Deborah Pora, MSN, FNP-BC and Bonnie Nye, MSN, recently received a grant from the Hamot Foundation. They had the following to say about this honor:

Heart failure (HF) affects more than 5 million patients in the United States and by 2030, over 8 million people in this country (1 in every 33) will be diagnosed with HF. HF is associated with a high level of disability, healthcare costs and mortality. Patient compliance to the HF treatment plan, medication regimen, and physical activity recommendations has been shown to improve HF outcomes. Regular communications with their heart failure provider or cardiologist have also been shown to positively impact outcomes. Despite the benefits, HF patients are notoriously non-compliant.

Their lack of adherence to the plan of care is often due to lack of the understanding or resources necessary to comply. To address these gaps in care and positively impact outcomes, a grant totaling $37, 000 from the Hamot Foundation has been approved and received. The purpose of Hamot Foundation Grant Program is to positively impact the health of people who live in the communities we serve, so their mission aligns very nicely with ours.

Their generous grant will allow us to assemble and distribute components of a comprehensive discharge plan to our HF patients in need. The full discharge plan kit will include: a self-care toolkit (bathroom weight scale, blood pressure cuff, educational binder, weight log and medication box), transitional 3-7-day follow-up appointment made prior to discharge (with cardiology or primary care provider), self-referral process to heart failure clinic, discharge checklist with daily heart failure team huddle, home health referral, enhanced medication and heart failure education with videos and teach-back, post-discharge phone call, and new medication delivered to bedside by pharmacy. This HF survival kit focuses on self-management, wellness and prevention, and direct health care services, and patients can be given any or all components of the kit depending on their needs.

Our commitment to improving the health and well-being of Erie County includes helping people take better care of themselves before and/or after needing a hospitalization for heart failure. This is accomplished by providing education, health management tools and easier access to local programs for the people who need them most.

Deborah Pora, MSN, FNP-BC (left) and Bonnie Nye, MSN

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Christine Varner DNP(c), MSN, RN, CSN

I chose the DNP program because of its value not only in the clinical setting but also in the world of academia. It allows nurse clinicians and others to expand their expertise in the practice environment to the doctoral level. This program has established a higher level of credibility for me as a nurse educator and as a practicing clinical nurse to translate evidence-based care into practice, improve systems of care, and measure outcomes of groups of patients and communities.

I have a German Shepherd named Axel, whom I have also referred to as my “dissertation dog” because he usually is laying on my feet while I’m at my computer doing school work. My hobbies include boating, flower gardening, and anything that

has to do with swimming, as I serve as a volunteer swim coach at my local high school. As a mom of two teenagers, the structure of this program made it reasonable while still being rigorous and allowing me to obtain my goals.

I am currently an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Mansfield University as well as an adjunct professor at Utica College. I have continued to work per diem as an emergency department staff nurse in a critical access hospital in my community for over the last 16 years. I have been practicing and teaching critical care and community nursing for over 20 years. My experience in nursing includes holding various positions as an intensive care staff nurse, critical care educator, adjunct faculty instructor, family-based mental health counselor, seminar speaker, and school nurse. I was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI)-The Honor Society of Nursing-Mu Xi Chapter. I am also a member of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN), The Pennsylvania Association of School Nurses and Practitioners (PASNAP), and the National League for Nursing (NLN).

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Christine Varner DNP(c), MSN, RN, CSN (continued)

One of my research interests was concerned with prevention strategies and collaboration with healthcare clinicians in the management of adolescent addiction services in rural communities. Substance use is a pervasive problem in healthcare and witnessed in many areas of nursing practice. With expanding responsibility, I was well aware of the expectation of school nurses to develop adequate knowledge to screen and care for students who are suspected of using substances. Based on a review of the literature, there is a nationwide epidemic related to substance use in the United States, which does not discriminate regarding the vulnerable adolescent population. The purpose of my study, School Nurses Lived Experience with the Identification of Substance Use in the Adolescent School Population, was to explore and develop an understanding of the lived experiences of school nurses in rural Pennsylvania school districts. A qualitative phenomenological research method was used and included semi-structured individual interviews with school nurses working in rural school districts.

This program has been an outstanding experience for me. All of the faculty were experts in their areas of practice, unpretentious, and made every effort to ensure student success.

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Physics and Technology Department Faculty Photograph Swan Nebula Using Cutting-Edge Telescope

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Swan Nebula (continued)

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Student Presents at Conference

Senior Psychology Major Shelby Roshoe, with her faculty research advisor Dr. Ron Craig, presented her project titled  “A Possible Model for Other SRO Programs: A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of a Local SRO” at the 2020 American Psychology and Law Conference.  Shelby will be going to Spalding University in fall 2020 to pursue a Doctorate of Psychology with an emphasis in forensics.

2020 Dr. Joseph Laythe Award Recipient

Congratulations to senior Psychology major Zeila Hobson, who received the 2020 Dr. Joseph Laythe Award for her service to others, at yesterday's Dr. Martin Luther King Awards Luncheon. The award is named after the former Edinboro History professor who passed away in 2016, but not before sharing valuable life lessons to countless students and staff. Zeila was introduced by Dr. Laythe's daughter, Lydia.

Honors Convocation Award Recipient

Paige Nicklas (B.S. Psychology), is Edinboro University’s nominee for the 2020 PASSHE-wide Syed Ali-Zaidi Award. Paige was involved with many organizations and activities during her time at Edinboro, in addition to excelling as a student.

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Charles LaBarre MSW Candidate

Faculty ExcellenceSocial Work Department faculty members Dr. Christine Rine, Professor Natalie Montero, and Dr. Elaine Rinfrette have been accepted to present a paper titled ‘Grand challenges: Student readiness to engage in efforts to reduce racial and economic inequality’ at the biennial 2020 National Association of Social Workers National Conference.

Dr. Christine Rine and Graduate Assistant Mr. Charles LaBarre have been working on a series of editorials for Health & Social Work Journal that outline the profession’s role in addressing the Grand Challenges for Social Work which tasks the profession to confront complex and widespread societal issues across all levels of research, practice, and policy. Thus far, three of these articles have been published and another is currently in press. 

Charles was recently accepted to the University at Buffalo’s Ph.D. in social work program and endowed a university presidential fellowship. His passion for research and practice was ignited by the social work faculty’s dedication to student learning and the trauma-informed perspective the program uses as a foundation of learning. Charles was also inspired to pursue a Ph.D. through his graduate assistant experiences during both years of his program. Through his assistantship work, Charles was given many opportunities to get firsthand experience in the research world through the creation of publications and guidance through research-based tasks. He ultimately hopes to become a researcher studying the relationship between trauma, addiction, and mental health diagnoses and to develop improved interventions for vulnerable populations. Charles is incredibly grateful for all the wonderful opportunities the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania has afforded him throughout time in the MSW program.

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Edinboro University Joins PA Higher Education in Prison Consortium

On Friday, January 31st, Dr. Kevin Courtright (Criminal Justice) and Dr. David Pugh (Social Work) represented Edinboro University and the Grants Office by participating in a workshop of the “Pennsylvania Higher Education in Prison Consortium.” This event, held at, and organized by, Penn State University and the VERA Institute of Justice, created a consortium of universities across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who are interested in developing educational relationships with their local correctional institutions. Many ideas were exchanged and collaborative relationships were

formed. Future meetings of the consortium are already planned for the spring term as additional funding and opportunities for these kinds of efforts is expected in the near future by state and federal government agencies.

Dr. Stephanie Diez Receives Substance Abuse Research Award

Dr. Diez’s application for the SARET (Substance Abuse Research Education and Training) Visiting Mentor faculty program with NYU was granted. The award as a visiting mentor faculty will consist of observation of the SARET summer students’ didactic seminars or breakout sessions with fellow visiting mentor faculty from NYU and other universities to cover topics ranging from SUD (substance use disorder) research curriculum integration to the educational grant submission process. The program will also provide her with access to the SUD curriculum for graduate students, developed by interdisciplinary teams of health profession faculty at NYU, which she can share and offer to EU students. Dr. Diez will receive ongoing mentoring from NIDA funded faculty at NYU for conducting SUD research with MSW students at EU and to develop an interdisciplinary health professionals SUD research team between faculty and students at EU. All costs of her training, programming, and cost of travel will be covered by this grant. 

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