Penn State Behrend - School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Congratulations to Graduate Student Amanda Welsbacher on being selected as the recipient of the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School Fox Degree Completion Award for the 2025–26 academic year!

This prestigious honor recognizes graduate students who exemplify exceptional academic achievement, scholarly excellence, leadership, and meaningful progress toward completing their degree. Amanda’s accomplishments reflect a strong commitment to advancing scholarship, research, and the broader mission of graduate education.

Congratulations to Megan LaMotte on receiving a Community-Engaged Research Partnership Development Seed Grant from the Social Science Research Institute!

Her awarded proposal, “Building a Community-Engaged Partnership to Support Youth Well-Being in Erie County Community Schools,” highlights the power of collaboration in strengthening youth well-being across our community. We’re excited to see the positive impact this work will bring to Erie County schools!

Celebrating the success of our Human Factors students as they launch their careers! 🎉

Victoria Cain secured a role before graduating at Mutual Expert, a local Erie software company specializing in insurance solutions.

Matt Meinert has joined Meta in Pittsburgh—an incredible achievement!

In a challenging job market, especially for usability professionals, our students are thriving. Their success reflects their motivation, strong preparation, and hands-on experience in the Meehl Innovation Commons Lab for Usability.

We’re grateful for the opportunity to continue shaping the next generation of usability professionals!

We’re proud to celebrate an incredible week of academic achievement and global experience!

Dr. Sharifffah Sheik Dawood and Dr. Erica Edwards recently took four students, Jillian Mazzarese, Kamryn Gates-Bowersox, Paige Johnson, and Amy Love, to the Association for Psychological Science (APS) Annual Convention in Barcelona, Spain.

Together, they presented two research posters:
Sarcasm Across the Globe Lab: “Who uses sarcasm? Exploring the influence of age, gender, and culture in five countries.”

Perception and Understanding of Non-literal Communication and Humor (PUNCH) Lab: “When is dark humor adaptive? Examining humor as a moderator on the relationship between stress and coping.”

Beyond presenting their work, students strengthened their communication skills, built meaningful professional connections, explored a new culture, and gained valuable career insights.

Penn State faculty from Berks and Behrend recently brought innovation to life for regional K–12 educators through an engaging workshop on AI-powered design thinking.

Led by Dr. Tiffany Petricini and Dr. Ayse Kulturel-Konak, participants explored how empathy mapping, collaborative ideation, and ethical AI use can transform classroom experiences. From hands-on LEGO exercises to developing AI-enabled assignments, educators gained practical tools to foster creativity, responsibility, and intentional AI use among students.

This initiative, supported by Penn State’s OVPCC AI Discovery Initiative, highlights the power of human-centered learning in shaping the future of education.

Penn State students joined peers from Toronto Metropolitan University for a visit to the Ontario Legislative Assembly at Queen’s Park, where they had the opportunity to meet Ontario Minister of Rural Affairs Lisa Thompson. During the session, Minister Thompson recognized the students with a special shoutout in front of the entire Assembly—an exciting and memorable moment that highlighted the value of cross-border collaboration, experiential learning, and student engagement in public policy and leadership.

Students in the Toronto Study Abroad Program captured a group selfie alongside faculty member Dr. Robert Speel, as the city prepares to host World Cup matches next month—an exciting backdrop to an immersive global experience!

Dr. Lena Surzhko-Harned’s latest article, “Russia's pared-down Victory Day parade tells a story: Away from the pomp, war in Ukraine is not going to Putin's plan,” is now published in The Conversation.

The piece examines how changes to this year’s Victory Day parade reflect broader developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine—and what they signal about the realities behind the spectacle.

Read the full article:

Russia’s pared-down Victory Day parade tells a story: Away from the pomp, war in Ukraine is not going to Putin’s plan Moscow’s influence is Eastern Europe has been slipping of late, including with the loss of a stalwart ally in Hungary. The battleground, as ever, remains Ukraine.

Students in COMM 406 – Electronic News Gathering and Editing put their skills into action by live‑streaming the Behrend Concert Band performance in McGarvey Commons. These photos capture behind‑the‑scenes moments as students managed live production and gained hands‑on broadcast experience.

▶️ Watch the full performance on Wintergreen Media’s YouTube page:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkbhAxKEtCk&t=208s