Penn State Abington Assistant Professor Mikhail Kagan prefers to focus on his students. But the self-described passionate physics professor has had to adjust being in the spotlight recently.
Last month, Kagan was presented with the 2013 George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching by University President Rodney Erickson.
Each year, Penn State honors several members of its faculty and staff for the highest levels of academic excellence, outstanding leadership and meritorious service. The 2013 Faculty/Staff Award recipients reach across campuses, colleges and administrative units and exemplify best practices and achievements among Penn Staters reflecting the University's mission of teaching, research and service. The honorees will receive their awards at a ceremony at noon Monday, March 25, at the Nittany Lion Inn.
Most Americans learn about the military reaction to disasters like Hurricane Katrina, Sept. 11 and The Deepwater Horizon oil spill from websites and media outlets. But P.J. Capelotti experienced them first-hand. Capelotti, associate professor of anthropology at Penn State Abington, stood on the unsteady decks of U.S. Coast Guard vessels in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Mexico and painstakingly recorded the experiences of these first responders to be shared with future generations.
Karen Weaver, director of athletics at Penn State Abington, has been honored with the Penn Graduate School of Education (GSE) Recent Alumni/Early Career Award of Merit. This award recognizes a Penn GSE graduate who has shown outstanding service to the University of Pennsylvania and Graduate School of Education prior to their 10th reunion year and is setting an inspirational example for future alumni of Penn GSE.
Several professors at Penn State Abington have been in the spotlight lately, releasing and re-releasing books, and earning awards and recognition in their fields of study.
Sean Patrick Griffin, associate professor of criminal justice at Penn State Abington and critically acclaimed author, soon will be busy with book signings and interviews as his much-anticipated book, "Gaming the Game," is released later this week. A nonfiction true-crime work, "Gaming the Game" tells the story of the recent NBA betting scandal and the Philadelphia-area professional gambler -- Jimmy Battista -- who made it happen. To watch Griffin in an interview about the book that aired on Fox 29 in Philadelphia, visit http://bit.ly/hvZZkW online.
