Media Coverage of Lafayette, May 30, 2006

The following is a selection of recent media coverage of Lafayette:

Spotlight on Students in Their Hometown Newspapers
Asbury Park Press (N.J.), May 20
Kari Barkley of Millstone, a Phi Beta Kappa student and perennial member of the dean’s list, currently is applying the knowledge she gained through a variety of educational endeavors in a yearlong research project that focuses on a mathematical model for transmission of diseases.

Asbury Park Press (N.J.), May 20
Jillian Gaeta of Middletown, a double major in international affairs and French, recently observed the inner workings of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign office and saw the senator deliver a major address during an externship hosted by her college.

Portsmouth Herald (N.H.), May 17
Caitlin J. Chandler of Durham, a senior at Lafayette, is the recipient of the Vivian B. Noblett Prize in Studio Art, awarded to an art major with preference given to a student with an interest in studio art, who has demonstrated proficiency in painting and drawing and who shows potential for future achievements. She received the award at Lafayette’s Honors Convocation on April 30. Chandler explored digital imaging as an EXCEL Scholar under the direction of Ed Kerns, Clapp Professor of Art and director of the Williams Visual Arts Building.

The Times-Tribune (Pa.), May 17
William R. McNamara, of Scranton, a senior at Lafayette, was the recipient of the J. Hunt Wilson 1905 Prize in analytical chemistry. The prize is awarded annually to the senior chemistry major with the highest ranking in courses and research in analytical chemistry. He received the award at Lafayette’s Honors Convocation on April 30.

The Hartford Courant (Conn.), May 15
Matt Verbyla ’06of Unionville, a senior at Lafayette, has received a Fulbright grant to help rural villages in Honduras improve their water systems. Verbyla, a civil engineering student minoring in Spanish, will work in the Yoro region of the Central American nation. The project will include work at the University of San Pedro Sula where Verbyla plans to take courses in education, communication, culture and politics. He is a co-founder of the Engineers Without Borders chapter at Lafayette. Verbyla is one of 11 Lafayette students to have received Fulbright grants in the past seven years.

Mountain Top Eagle and The Journal Herald (Pa.), May 10 and 11
Trustee Scholar Lori Weaver ’06 of White Haven, was the recipient of two academic awards at the college’s Honors Convocation April 30. She received the Class of 1910 Prize, awarded annually by the department of history to a senior student who has excelled in the study of history and who manifests the greatest promise for responsible civic leadership and public service, and the Minerva and Emil V. Novak Prize in Government and Law, presented annually to a student majoring in government and law based on overall excellence in academic work and citizenship in the campus community. She received the awards at Lafayette’s Honors Convocation April 30. A double major in history and government & law, Weaver researched the breakup of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in a senior honors thesis under the direction of Ilan Peleg, Dana Professor of Social Science.

Press-Enterprise (Pa.), May 7
Mark A. Kokoska ’08of Bloomsburg, was the recipient of the James P. Schwar Prize, awarded annually in honor of James P. Schwar, professor of computer science from 1962-2000, to a deserving computer science student. He received the award at Lafayette’s Honors Convocation April 30. Kokoska researched the evolution of backbones in fish while working with Chun Wai Liew, associate professor of computer science.

Chelmsford Independent (Mass.), May 6
Marquis Scholar Laura E. Hagopian ’06 of Chelmsford was the recipient of the American Institute of Chemists Award, presented by the Philadelphia Chapter of the Pennsylvania Institute of Chemists to a senior chemistry major in recognition of his/her demonstrated record of leadership, character, and scholastic achievement. She received the award at Lafayette’s Honors Convocation April 30. Hagopian presented research she did with Chip Nataro, assistant professor of chemistry, at the 227th national meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Valley Advantage (Pa.), May 5
Scott P. Wisniewski, of Olyphant, a senior Trustee Scholar, was the recipient of the Louise M. Olmsted Prize in Ethics, awarded to a student, who, in the judgment of the members of the department of philosophy, has done outstanding work in theoretical ethics, applied ethics, or a related field. He received the award at Lafayette’s Honors Convocation recently. A double major in government & law and philosophy, Wisniewski probed the question of whether what we can imagine can ever serve as a guide to what is physically possible in an honors thesis guided by Julie Yoo, assistant professor of philosophy.

Press & Sun-Bulletin (N.Y.), April 24
Emily Katz ’06 of Vestal presented her research titled “French Anti-Americanism and Contemporary French Jewish Intellectuals’ Responses and Reactions to French Anti-Americanism” at the 20th annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research held at the University of North Carolina.

Ridgewood News (N.J.), April 21
Taking advantage of the opportunity to conduct her own research, Joanna Vogel ’06 (Ridgewood, N.J.) is studying the current trends of childbirth in the United States for an anthropology and sociology department thesis. Under the guidance of Andrea Smith, assistant professor of anthropology, Vogel examines the changing birth trends in the U.S., from at-home births with midwives to emergency cesarean section hospital births. Because of her interest in psychology (her minor), Vogel also looks at how and why women make decisions regarding childbirth. “Our perception of birth comes from how our culture deals with it, and how our culture and society developed certain ideas about the birth process is a question I want to answer,” says Vogel.

The Vindicator (Ohio), April 15
Kari Mirkin ’06 of Youngstown, a graduate of Liberty High School, is researching modern German perspectives on the end of WWII and has been accepted to present her research at the 20th annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research in April. A double major in German and history, she studied documents in both English and German as part of her honors thesis research into contemporary German perspectives on the conclusion of World War II. This project is a combination of linguistic, cultural and historical studies. She was recently inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, America’s oldest and most distinguished honors organization. She is a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, German Club, Concert Choir and Madrigal Singers. She is the daughter of Alan and Lori Mirkin.

Princeton Packet (N.J.), April 11
Alisandra Carnevale ’06of Princeton is researching the role that folklore has played in shaping the lives of Italian peasantry – specifically, the residents of Pettoranello di Molise, in Isernia, in the 19th and early 20th centuries. She presented her findings Thursday during the National Conference on Undergraduate Research at the University of North Carolina, Asheville.

Other recent media coverage reports:
May 9, 2006
March 24, 2006
March 1, 2006