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NEWS ABOUT STUDENTS

• Scott Chiavacci Receives George Award
• Kristin Black Receives 2006 Latham Award
• TWS Students Travel to Alaska
• Penn State Woodsmen Team Continues to Grow
• 3rd Annual Cardboard Canoe Race
• Summer and Fall 2006 Commencement

Scott Chiavacci Receives George Award

Scott A. Chiavacci has received the inaugural John L. George Student Conservation Award.
The George Award, which will be available annually, was established to honor an undergraduate student in the Wildlife and Fisheries major at Penn State who embodies the spirit and dedication of Dr. John L. George. George was the driving force behind the establishment of the Wildlife and Fisheries Science program in the School of Forest Resources at Penn State. Family, friends, and colleagues of John George established the award.

In 1963, George was appointed as the first wildlife faculty member of the School, and worked tirelessly for the expansion of the program into a full academic major, a dream that became reality in 1981.

The George Award recognizes a student in good academic standing who has committed himself/herself to public service on behalf of the conservation of natural resources, particularly regarding the necessity of protecting and maintaining healthy habitats for wildlife and plants.

Scott Chiavacci is a Wildlife and Fisheries Science senior and current president of the Penn State student chapter of The Wildlife Society (TWS). He has participated in several TWS meetings at the state and regional level. He was recently inducted into Xi Sigma Pi, the national forestry honor society, and last year served on the college's Ag Student Council as TWS representative.

True to the spirit of the George Award, Chiavacci has been very active in natural resources conservation. This past summer he worked with Penn State doctoral candidate Sarah Pabian on her research study investigating the effects of acid rain on nesting forest birds, and with Dr. Margaret Brittingham, professor of wildlife resources, collecting data on Eastern Bluebird nest boxes at University Park and in the State College area. For the past two years he has volunteered at the 4-H Wildlife Field Day, and last spring, under the supervision of Dr. Sanford Smith, youth extension specialist, he developed activities and educational stations for the younger group of children attending the event. He has also volunteered at Shaver's Creek Environmental Center to remove invasive plant species and to build bat boxes, assisted graduate students on grouse surveys and small mammal brush pile surveys, and volunteered at the Pennsylvania Game Commission bear check station.

Dr. Chris Goguen, Chiavacci's academic adviser and instructor in several courses, describes him as "an exceptional student who has demonstrated a strong aptitude and enthusiasm for the wildlife field . . . we need talented people like him among our future ranks."

Chiavacci expects to complete his B.S. degree in May 2007 and then gather more field research experience via internships and seasonal positions. He plans to pursue advanced degrees in the management and conservation of natural resources.

Kristin Black Receives 2006 Latham Award

Kristin E. Black has received the 2006 Roger M. Latham Memorial Graduate Award, given annually to an outstanding, full-time graduate student advised by Wildlife and Fisheries Science faculty members in the School of Forest Resources.

The Latham Award memorializes Roger Latham, a lifelong conservationist and the outdoor editor of the Pittsburgh Press, and was created by Mr. Latham's friends in 1981.

Black came to Penn State after completing a B.S. in Environmental Science at the University of Massachusetts in 2002. She earned an M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries in 2004 under the direction of Dr. Jay R. Stauffer, Jr. distinguished professor of ichthyology. Her master's thesis focused on a morphological investigation of the hybridization of two cyprinid fishes, Luxilus cornutus and Luxilis chrysocephalus, in Pennsylvania. Black is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Wildlife and Fisheries Science, still working with Dr. Stauffer.

Her doctoral research is an evaluation of the cichlid genus Metriaclima in Lake Malawi in Africa, and her dissertation will include new species descriptions. Black spent four weeks in Africa studying Malawi cichlids in March 2006. In September 2006 she traveled to the British Museum of Natural History in London and spent three weeks collaborating with researchers there on the phylogeny of schistosomes (parasites) in Lake Malawi. She provided samples and information gathered during her time in Africa.

Dr. Stauffer speaks highly of Black's research expertise. "Kristin has a great grasp of the pertinent literature, is adept at formulating hypotheses, designing experimental protocol for testing those hypotheses, statistically analyzing the data, and completing and editing manuscripts. She has a talent for incorporating various technologies into study design in order to approach research questions in a novel way. She is adept at conducting laboratory investigations, and has completed excellent studies in situ on both North American and Lake Malawi freshwater fishes."

African youth express their appreciation for uniforms donated by Penn State.

Black's intelligence, enthusiasm, and curiosity carry over to her education and outreach efforts. While in Malawi, she worked extensively with the children of Chirombo Bay. In order to open up avenues of communication, she arranged for the donation of more than 50 uniforms by the Penn State women's soccer program and other sportswear donated by Penn State's athletic program. Black worked with the children of the village, played soccer with them, and talked to them about the diversity of Malawi cichlids and the importance of snail-eating fishes in controlling schistosomiasis (a debilitating disease affecting many people in developing countries). These snail-eating fishes consume freshwater snails which serve as intermediate hosts for the culprit parasite.

Closer to home, Black helped develop and teach a fish identification course in Erie, Pennsylvania, in the summers of 2005 and 2006. The course was sponsored by the Regional Science Consortium, taught at the Tom Ridge Center, and open to the general public. She has been a teaching assistant for several courses at Penn State and has modified the course outline for Vertebrate Biology Laboratory (WFS 301). She has selected and directly supervised more than ten undergraduate students for various research projects.

Black served as president of the School of Forest Resources Graduate Student Organization in 2003-04. She is a member of Xi Sigma Pi (forestry national honor society), the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, the American Fisheries Society, and the American Academy of Underwater Sciences. She is Science Diver certified through Penn State and also holds several other diving certifications. .

Black plans to graduate in December 2007 and hopes to continue her research and teaching in academia.

TWS Students Travel to Alaska

Five members of the Penn State Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society attended the 2006 national convention in Alaska.

Five members of the Penn State Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society-Rachel Cleaver, Laura Franzen, Adam Jacobs, Andy Meyer, and Joshua Ream-traveled to Alaska in September 2006. Cleaver, who serves as secretary of the chapter, wrote the following summary of their excursion:

"The National Wildlife Society Annual Conference in Anchorage, Alaska, was an amazing experience for me and four of my fellow Penn State wildlifers. We arrived in Anchorage at 8 p.m. on Friday, September 21, which was midnight for us Pennsylvania folks. Nonetheless met up with friends and enjoyed pizza at The Moose's Tooth. Saturday morning we decided to go sightseeing south of Anchorage towards Girdwood and Mt. Alyeska. We were astounded by the scenery. The city, the mountains, the water. . .we loved it all! Sunday was our first day at the conference. We were excited about the Student Quiz Bowl that night, and when the time came we were clad in our Blue and White. Our first round was a win over Wisconsin, Stevens Point. We suffered a loss in round two against Humboldt, multi-year champs. Congratulations to Texas A&M, winners of the 2006 competition!

"Monday, with a friend as our tour guide, we traveled towards Wasilla where we climbed two peaks in Hatcher Pass. The view was breathtaking! We saw a moose while walking in Kincaid Park Tuesday night; it was a lone cow that didn't seem to be bothered by our presence. Wednesday was our last day in Alaska. We shopped for souvenirs during our conference breaks and attended the Farewell BBQ dinner at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. The occasion was complete with live music, open bar, and Native Alaskan performers. We were sad to leave, but knew one week of class work to make up was enough!

"We thank the director of the School of Forest Resources, Dr. Chuck Strauss, The Pennsylvania Chapter of The Wildlife Society, and Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences for helping fund our trip. I think I speak for the others in saying this will not be our last journey to the Northern Frontier."

This fall the Penn State Woodsmen Team started its schedule of competitions on October 7 with the Crab Festival in West Point, Virginia. This is the second year in a row that the team has attended this competition, and the second year in a row that the team has taken first place overall. Competitors included West Virginia University, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina State.

The very next weekend the team participated in the Fall Festival at Reeds Gap State Park, demonstrating some of the skills needed by lumberjacks before the age of mechanized equipment.

The team made the long trip to Lindsay, Ontario, the first weekend in November. The competition was stiff, and the five inches of snow on the ground did not make things any easier. The men's team placed 14th and the Jack & Jill team placed 25th out of 28 teams.

The team is also proud to announce the launch of a Penn State Woodsmen Team Web site, http://www.clubs.psu.edu/up/woodsmenteam/. The site includes news about the team, events, pictures, videos, calendar, and contact information. If you would like more information about the team, please visit the Web site or contact team adviser Mike Powell at mjp175@psu.edu or 814-863-1113.

Photos from the Penn State Woodsmen Team in Canada: log decking (left) and crosscut (right)

3rd Annual Cardboard Canoe Race

Two of the cardboard canoes try to stay afloat while a lifegaurd in the rowboat on the right looks on.

The 3rd annual Cardboard Canoe Race was held Sunday, September 10, 2006 at Stone Valley Recreation Area. This third-in-the-series event was the largest ever, with many participants-20 students and 7 faculty members-and many spectators. Ms. Jamie Murphy raced with Dr. Harry Wiant, while Dr. Margot Kaye and Dr. Judd Michael each raced in canoes they crafted with their sons. Drs. Paul Smith, Eric Zenner, and Nicole Brown provided logistical assistance. As usual, contest rules required the canoes to be fashioned from nothing more than sheets of corrugated cardboard and duct tape. This year's grand prize was a $50 dinner certificate to Outback Steak House. Canoes were built on site, within a two-hour time limit.

The event began with a cookout, then moved to boat construction, racing, and a brief awards ceremony. It was sponsored by the Student Chapter of the Forest Products Society, the School of Forest Resources, and Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation. The participants also gratefully acknowledge the support provided by the Stone Valley Recreation Area staff.

Summer and Fall 2006 Commencement

Summer 2006
UNDERGRADUATES

Forest Science
Charles Coup

Wildlife and Fisheries Science
Matthew Slebrich

GRADUATES
Forest Resources
Lindsey Donaldson, M.S.; Timothy Gruver, M.S.; James Leary, M.F.R.; Lei Lin, M.S.; Sarah Macdougall, M.S.; Alexander Metcalf, M.S.; Joseph Petroski, M.S.; Matt Scholl, Ph.D.; Tyler Stevenson, M.S.

Wildlife and Fisheries Science
Richard Fritsky, M.S.; Jeremy Harper, M.S.;

Fall 2006
UNDERGRADUATES
Forest Science
Aaron Cook, Zachary De Voge, Shaun Doran, Benjamin Gamble, Brent Haines, Justin Hamaker, Lance Jovenitti, Jonathan McGrath, Scott Smith

Wildlife and Fisheries Science
John Buzzar, Debra DeFlorio, Jeremy Flinn, Scott Koser, Geoffrey Shellington, Michael Swartz, Daniel Young

Wood Products
Kristina Baldwin, Scott Lyon

GRADUATES
Forest Resources
Vijay Wadhwa, M.S.;

Wildlife and Fisheries Science
Sarah Pabian, M.S.; Kevin Wentworth, Ph.D.; Amanda Yeager, M.F.R.;

Ecology
Matthew Lisy, Ph.D.

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