The Jefferson Chronicle published a Q&A with Brianne Eisenecker ’18, early childhood education and elementary special education, to discuss her service trips to Bali and Cambodia during the past few years. Last summer, she spent three weeks teaching English through her church and the Yayasan Widya Sari in Tianyar, Bali. Previously, Eisenecker had taught English in a Cambodia orphanage.

Dr. Keith Veenhuizen, assistant professor of physics, performed experiments at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee in early January 2018.  These experiments explored the piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of rotating lattice laser-induced crystals in glass.  Dr. Veenhuizen will present these results at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the Glass and Optical Materials Division in San Antonio, Texas in late May through two oral presentations: “Piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of lithium niobate crystals lines laser-written deep inside glass,” and, “Fabrication of rotating lattice lithium niobate single crystal lines within lithium niobosilicate glass via femtosecond laser irradiation.”

The College’s forthcoming Edward and Lynn Breen Center for Graduate Success was covered in a recent Shippensburg News Chronicle post, “$1.5 million gift launches Center for Graduate Success at LVC.” The Breen Center, with programming starting next fall, will offer global networking, internship coordination, professional skill-building, and one-on-one advising for every student, starting in the first year. The center has been established with a $1.5 million gift through the Breen Family Foundation from Edward D. Breen, chief executive officer of DowDuPont Inc. and LVC trustee, and his wife, Lynn.

Scott Drackley ’77, music, choral director at Lancaster High School, recently founded the Penn Square Music Festival, for which he also serves as artistic director.

Jeff Remington, an adjunct with the College’s STEM master’s program and Education Department for more than two decades, was recently named a STEM Ambassador by the National Science Teachers Association and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Ten ambassadors are selected to develop the necessary skills to communicate effectively Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics education to stakeholders. Ambassadors are selected from among teacher leaders who have received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, which Remington was awarded in 2002. He also received LVC’s prestigious Nevelyn J. Knisley Award in 2003.

Donald Raiger ’01, business administration and philosophy, has agreed to serve on board for the Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce. Don is director of advancement services at LVC.

Mary Auker-Endres ’10, religion and philosophy, recently announced that she will run against the incumbent in the next election for the legislative district that covers northwestern Lancaster County. She will run as a Democrat against eight-term seat hold Rep. David Hickernell, a Republican.

J.T. Pursel ’08, English, was named Lehigh Valley Live Girls Volleyball Coach of the Year after guiding the team to 19 wins and a state playoff berth. Pursel, who also teaches in the Easton Area School District, acknowledged the support of LVC’s women’s volleyball coaches, Diana and Wayne Perry, during his coaching career.

Dr. Thomas Dompier, associate professor of athletic training, co-authored “Extremity Musculoskeletal Injury Risk After Concussion Recovery in High School Athletes,” which was published in the Journal of Athletic Training in November. That same month, he provided three guest lectures on “Clinical Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Medicine for Public Health Research Methods”—via WebEx—to students at the University of South Carolina, School of Public Health.

Lynall RC, Mauntel TC, Pohlig RT, Kerr ZY, Dompier TP, Hall EE, Buckley TA. Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Injury Risk After Concussion Recovery in High School Athletes. J Athl Train. 2017 Nov; 52(11):1028-1034. PMID: 29140128

Dr. Sean Droms, assistant professor of mathematics, gave a talk at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in San Diego, Calif., last week. Dr. Droms’ presentation, Reading Mathematics is a Learnable Skill, highlighted how the LVC Mathematical Sciences Department focuses on teaching transferable skills, particularly technical reading and communication.