Global Programs announces award recipients for 2020-21

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Global Programs has announced the 2020-21 recipients of its annual awards that recognize the outstanding contributions of individuals and academic programs at Penn State who have helped to advance the University’s global engagement goals.

Advancing a Global Penn State Awards

The purpose of the Advancing a Global Penn State Awards program is to recognize the outstanding contributions of individuals and academic units across the University, including at the Commonwealth Campuses, who have demonstrated success toward achieving the goals of a Global Penn State. The awards and recipients are as follows:

The Outstanding International Research Award recognizes innovative research projects and initiatives that can be shown to be advancing progress toward one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This year’s recipient is Siela N. Maximova (College of Agricultural Sciences) for her work with the Cacao and Chocolate Research Network.

The Outstanding Leadership in Education Abroad Award recognizes exemplary leadership by a faculty or staff member who has demonstrated leadership, innovation and creativity in developing, implementing or enhancing education abroad opportunities for members of the Penn State community. This year’s recipient is Ketja Lingenfelter, assistant director in the College of Agricultural Sciences’ Office of International Programs, for her work in creating and implementing the Sustainable and Alternative Study Abroad program.

The Outstanding Leadership in International Education Award recognizes exemplary leadership by a faculty or staff member who has demonstrated leadership, innovation and creativity in developing and/or enhancing international education opportunities for students. This year’s recipient is Tiffany MacQuarrie (Penn State Beaver) for her work with the Experiential Digital Global Engagement (EDGE) program.

The Outstanding Achievement Award recognizes one individual who has demonstrated exceptional achievement toward furthering the vision of a Global Penn State. This year’s recipient is Jennifer Elyse Glick (College of the Liberal Arts), director of the Population Research Institute (PRI) at Penn State, for her international collaborations through the PRI and her own research activities.

The Outstanding Program Award was awarded to the Experiential Digital Global Engagement program. The EDGE program's collaborative projects, which are often interdisciplinary in nature, group Penn State students with students from different international universities to work together on a specific project.

Frisbey Awards

The Ardeth and Norman Frisbey International Student Awards recognize international students who have contributed significantly to furthering international understanding through academic, athletic or extracurricular campus activities or community involvement in civic programs or service projects. Global Programs gives out two awards, while two more awards will be announced later this month along with University-wide awards.

The 2020 Undergraduate Student Leadership Award recipient is Naufal Murtadza for his excellent work with Global Programs at Penn State Harrisburg.

The 2020 Graduate Student Leadership Award recipient is Hazel Velasco (College of Agricultural Sciences) for her academic and research excellence, as well as her leadership activities, which include serving as president of the Latin American Graduate Student Association, secretary of the International Agriculture and Development Graduate Student Association (after previously serving as the group's vice president), and vice president of the Rural Sociology Graduate Association.

For more information on the awards, contact Coleen Hynoski at [email protected].