Temple
Melissa Meade, a Frackville native and Ph.D. student in the Department of Media and Communication at Temple University, Philadelphia, recently received the National Communication Association’s Donald P. Cushman Memorial Award.
Given annually, the award honors the top-ranked student-authored paper from all NCA units. Meade was recognized for her essay “In the Shadow of the Coal Breaker: Place and Landscape in the Anthracite Coal Mining Region.” The essay provides a skillful ethnographic analysis of place and landscape through the use of vivid exemplars that fully capture the intersections of class, trauma and social reproduction in the only U.S. coalfield containing anthracite coal.
Meade said winning the award made clear not only the importance of the anthracite coal region and its people, but a growing academic respect for the research practices in which she engaged: empirically driven, writing-focused ethnography and long-term fieldwork coupled with autoethnography.
Meade continues her work in the region, managing a Facebook page and website that both function as spaces to reflect upon the history, culture and media representations of the area.
Alvernia
Top Alvernia University students received awards for their hard work at the annual Honors Convocation on April 17. Local students who were honored include:
Shaina Dailey, Hamburg, Research Excellence from the psychology department; Shaina Dailey, Hamburg, Academic Excellence from the psychology department; Amanda Chappell, Wiconisco, Elaine Schalck Outstanding Lab Assistant Award; Nina Arant, Schuylkill Haven, ACBSP Student Leadership Award; Kaysi McLaughlin, Tamaqua, Outstanding Undergraduate Education Major; Amanda Chappell, Wiconisco, and Kristen Cunningham, Frackville, both Graduation Award for Excellence in Service; Erika Stone, Auburn, Behavioral Health Academic Excellence Award.
Lebanon Valley
Lebanon Valley College, Annville, inducted 141 students to its Sigma Alpha Pi honor society April 10 as part of Inquiry 2016. Sigma Alpha Pi is the National Honor Society of Leadership and Success.
Local students who were inducted include: Lauren Brennan, Williamstown, a graduate of Williams Valley High School pursuing a doctor of physical therapy; Rebecca Sausser, Schuylkill Haven, a graduate of Schuylkill Haven Area High School pursuing a bachelor’s degree in history and religion. Rebecca was also inducted to Delta Alpha Pi, an academic honor society for students with disabilities in colleges and universities; Amanda Howard, Frackville, a graduate of North Schuylkill High School pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biology; Matthew Smarkanic, Frackville, a graduate of North Schuylkill High School pursuing a bachelor’s degree in health science; Meghan Boran, Pottsville, a graduate of Pottsville Area High School pursuing a bachelor’s degree in health science; Audrey Reiley, Auburn, a graduate of Blue Mountain High School pursuing a bachelor’s degree in art and art history.
Nicholas Muench, Pottsville, a Pottsville Area High School graduate who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in ACS chemistry, was inducted to Gamma Sigma Epsilon, the national chemistry honor society at Lebanon Valley.