Wilkes University

Six Wilkes University students gave a presentation at the Third International Problem-Based Learning Symposium in Singapore on March 8. The Wilkes team presented Fostering Global Connections: An American University's Student Teaching Program in Malaysia, a presentation focusing on the recently formed link between the Teacher Education Program at Wilkes and Sri Utama International Schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The students completed part of their student teaching placements in Malaysia this spring, and they were accompanied at the conference by their student teaching supervisor, Gina Zanolini Morrison, associate professor of education. Among the six students were:

Students from Wilkes University had the opportunity to visit the United States Supreme Court on April 16-17. The trip gave students a firsthand look at the Supreme Court and its operations, as well as the honor of speaking with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Local students that attended the trip were:

Eight Wilkes University students were named 2011 Sidhu Scholar by the Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership at Wilkes University. Sidhu Scholars are selected by faculty and staff out of the top students in each class year. The scholars are funded by the Outstanding Leaders Scholarship Program, created to help identify and educate the leaders of tomorrow. All Sidhu Scholars receive a $2500 scholarship, leadership training, an international trip, a yearly field trip, dinner at the dean's house, and a yearly banquet. This year's recipients were also privileged to meet Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas Friedman, keynote speaker for Wilkes University's Outstanding Leadership Forum on Nov. 16, 2011.

Sixteen students from Wilkes University's chemistry, biochemistry, and pharmacy programs were selected to have lunch with renowned scientist Paul Wender, Wilkes University class of 1969. Wender, of the department of chemistry and the department of chemical and systems biology at Stanford University, gave the inaugural Catherine H. Bone Lecture at Wilkes on Oct. 27. He spoke on "Molecular Frontiers and Future Transformative Therapies for AIDS, Alzheimer's, and Resistant Cancer."

Students were recognized for their photo submissions in the Colonels Abroad Photo Contest at Wilkes University. The contest featured 60 photos taken by students and faculty that highlighted their study abroad experiences in Costa Rica, Africa, Spain, France, Wales, Italy, England and more. The photos were displayed in the Colonels Abroad Extravaganza Exhibit at Wilkes University on Oct. 11, 2011.

Wilkes University students are completing internships for the fall 2011 semester. Student interns from your area include:

Eight Wilkes University education majors are completing student teaching assignments for the fall 2011 semester. These student teachers are working in high schools and elementary schools in districts throughout northeast Pennsylvania. Their areas of specialization range from secondary English and history to early childhood and special education.

Area students are assisting Wilkes University professor of biology William Terzaghi with his research this summer.

Area students are assisting Wilkes University associate professor of biology Lisa Kadlec with her research this summer.

Area students are assisting Wilkes University assistant professor of biology Linda Gutierrez with her research this summer.

Area students are assisting Wilkes University assistant professor of biology Jeffrey Stratford with his research this summer.

Eleven Wilkes University students from assistant English professor Marcia Farrell's class, English 397/497 E: Salman Rushdie and his Contemporaries, met with internationally acclaimed author Sir Salman Rushdie for dinner and discussion prior to his lecture at Wilkes on April 19. Students who met Rushdie include:

Twelve Wilkes University doctor of pharmacy graduates will represent Wilkes across the country in post-graduate residency training. Only a select number of graduates are awarded a residency or other post-graduate position, adding to the honor and value of the opportunity. Wilkes pharmacy graduates who received residency opportunities include:

Seven Wilkes University students were selected to present their communication studies research papers at the Eastern Communication Association Convention in Arlington, Va., on April 15-16, 2011. The students who attended the convention were accompanied by Mark Stine, a Wilkes University associate professor of communication studies. Participants from your area include:

Thirty-six Wilkes University education majors are completing student teaching assignments for the spring 2011 semester. These student teachers are working in high schools and elementary schools in districts throughout northeast Pennsylvania. Their areas of specialization range from secondary English and history to early childhood and special education.

More than 80 Wilkes University students are completing internships for the spring 2011 semester.

This summer five Wilkes University students presented their scientific research at the American and Canadian Societies of Plant Biologists meeting in Montreal, Canada. The students were accompanied by Dr. William Terzaghi, a Wilkes University professor of biology. The society's annual meeting is attended by nearly 2,000 scientists from around the world. The students presented two posters describing their research work. The participating students were: James Bird, a biology major from Scranton, Pa. Nisarg Joshi, a biology major with minors in neuroscience and chemistry from Orefield, Pa. Thomas Mike, a biology major from Shavertown, Pa. Michelle Wakeley, a biology major from Endicott, N.Y. Lorinette Williams, a pre-med biology major from Swiftwater, Pa. The first poster, presented by Bird and Mike, was on antisense transcripts of light-regulated genes in rice. The second, presented by Joshi, Wakeley, and Williams, dealt with hybrid vigor in rice as it relates to the parent genes. The information was offered in a special session for undergraduates and also in two general sessions for all scientists. Following the meeting, the students stayed an extra day to visit Montreal.

Twenty-two Wilkes University students are completing internships for the fall 2010 semester.

Wilkes University is sending out 18 new student teachers for the fall 2010 semester. These student teachers will be working in high schools and elementary schools in more than 10 districts. Their areas of expertise range from secondary English and history to early childhood and special education.