UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Camila Van Oost has been named the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences’ student marshal, the top graduate overall, and Catherine Kohlman has been named the college’s science honor marshal, the top graduate in a non-engineering discipline. They will be recognized during the college’s spring 2022 commencement ceremony, scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 7, in the Pegula Ice Arena on Penn State's University Park campus.
Camila Van Oost: Student Marshal
Van Oost will earn her bachelor’s degree in environmental systems engineering. She graduates summa cum laude with a 4.0 cumulative grade-point average. Van Oost also will earn minors in watershed and water resources, and global and international studies.
“I cannot explain how lucky I am to be surrounded by a community that makes such a big effort in recognizing and celebrating the hard work that I have put into my education all these years,” said Van Oost. “Being named as the student marshal inspires me to continue to do my very best wherever life places me, and I could not be more grateful.”
She selected Ljubisa Radovic, professor of energy and mineral engineering in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, as her faculty marshal.
“I am forever grateful for Dr. Radovic’s guidance and help through my time at Penn State,” said Van Oost. “I took his thermodynamics class my first semester. I was struggling with the changes happening all around me and he helped me during office hours to better understand engineering concepts in English, as well as becoming familiarized with the Penn State environment. It was an honor being his student.”
Van Oost was named a College of Earth and Mineral Sciences Academy for Global Experience, or EMSAGE, Laureate during the spring 2022 semester. The EMSAGE program is the college’s signature undergraduate program for fostering experiential and global competence and promoting a spirit of integrity, service and leadership and only the top students are selected as EMSAGE Laureates.
“I think one of my biggest highlights from my Penn State experience was the Spring 2022 EMSAGE ceremony, where I was recognized as an EMSAGE Laureate,” said Van Oost. “It was special to me because it allowed me to connect with students with whom I share similar experiences and vision. As an international transfer student, it is sometimes hard for me to relate to peers, but in that ceremony, I was able to see what other students have been experiencing, and that allowed me to realize that, at the end of the day, we are more similar than we would think.”
During her undergraduate career, Van Oost was involved in many research projects. She was involved in research projects investigating duckweed growth and assessing its feasibility as a human protein alternative, quantifying the impact of freshwater salinity and climate change on water supplies in the Chesapeake Bay, finding a less energy intensive way to treat wastewater, and using anaerobic digestion to extract biofuel derived from lignocellulosic feedstocks.
Van Oost also served as the sustainability officer for Penn State’s Society of Environmental Systems Engineers, sustainability chair for the college’s undergraduate student council and membership chair for Penn State’s student chapter of the American Water Works Association. She is a member of the Society of Women Engineers, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Phi Kappa Phi honor society and Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society.
After graduation, Van Oost’s plans to attend graduate school next fall to pursue a master’s degree and to ultimately obtain a doctorate in environmental sciences or engineering.
Van Oost’s mother, Maribel Chalas, from Yaguate, Dominican Republic, and father, Willem Van Oost, from Wemmel, Belgium, will be attending the commencement ceremony.
Van Oost said she is grateful that her major is in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.
“Earth and Mineral Sciences is the perfect combination of having the resources of a big school, with the individual attention and cohesiveness of a small college,” said Van Oost. “It truly feels like an academic family, and everyone wants to help you succeed. My one advice for incoming students would be that the resources are there; you just have to reach out and meet them halfway.”
Catherine Kohlman: Science Honor Marshal
Kohlman will earn her bachelor’s degree in meteorology and atmospheric science. She graduates summa cum laude with a 3.99 cumulative grade-point average. Kohlman also will earn a minor in marine science.
“When I found out that I was selected to represent my college as the science honor marshal, I was completely overwhelmed with honor and pride,” said Kohlman. “So many outstanding and well-qualified students make up the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, and I couldn’t be more honored to be selected out of all of my amazing peers to represent my college. My sister, who was the journalism marshal in 2018, has always inspired me and has shown me that hard work pays off. I am beginning to see the hard work paying off, and I am grateful to represent the college.”
Kohlman, a Schreyer Honors Scholar and EMSAGE Laureate, selected Ray Najjar, professor of oceanography in the Department Meteorology and Atmospheric Science, as her faculty marshal.
“Dr. Najjar is my honors adviser and has supported me all throughout my time here at Penn State,” said Kohlman. “He always encouraged me to take difficult, yet exciting, courses related to my interests, and he has also given me great advice about my possibilities in the future.”
Kohlman received numerous awards including the President’s Freshman Award, and Provost’s Award. She also was the recipient of many scholarships including NOAA’s Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship, the American Meteorological Society’s Jay Fein Scholarship and the National Weather Association’s Arthur C. Pike Scholarship. She also received the college’s Tholan P. Stuart and Marilyn Scholarship, Strickler Honors Scholarship and Matthew J. Wilson Honors Scholarship.
Kohlman was involved in many research projects, including performing a surface energy analysis of northeastern Pacific marine heatwaves to investigate how marine heatwaves are forced atmospherically and forcing a dynamical core of a global circulation model to test theories of tropical energy forcing. She also collaborated with NOAA scientists using observational data from the Ocean Station Papa climate station to understand the impacts of marine heatwaves on whales. She also worked with geoscientists in the college to perform geomorphology research investigating grain size distributions before and after major typhoon events in the Taiwan central range.
Kohman served as a College of Earth and Mineral Sciences Ambassador and tutor with the University’s Intensive English Communication Program and Morgan Academic Center. She is a member of the Phi Eta Sigma national honor society, Chi Epsilon Pi meteorological honors society and Nittany Divers Club.
After graduation, Kohlman will be pursuing a doctorate in physical oceanography in the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington.
Her parents, Thomas and Linda Kolman, from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, will be attending the commencement ceremony.
Kohlman’s advice to potential students is, “To anyone considering choosing a major in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, I can promise that you won’t find a more welcoming and supportive community. Throughout my years, I have witnessed how both students and faculty really support each other and grow together.”
Department Marshals
The five students listed below were selected represent their respective departments during commencement:
- Mohammed Essa S. ALNoaimi
Energy and Mineral Engineering - Jacqueline McKeon
Geography - Edward Joseph Spagnuolo
Geosciences - Luke Sepich
Materials Science and Engineering - Alex Alvin Cheung
Meteorology and Atmospheric Science