UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) recognized faculty and staff at its annual awards ceremony, held Dec. 14 at the Hintz Family Alumni Center. Honorees were nominated by IST colleagues and selected by a review committee for their excellence in teaching, research and service.  

“It is a privilege to recognize the outstanding contributions of our dedicated faculty and staff,” said Andrea Tapia, interim dean. “I commend these deserving honorees and all who work hard to advance the College of IST.”

The following faculty, staff and teams were recognized:

IST Faculty Awards

Faculty Excellence in Research Award

• Prasenjit Mitra, professor

Junior Faculty Excellence in Research Award

• Fenglong Ma, assistant professor

George J. McMurtry Faculty Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award

• James Wang, distinguished professor 

George J. McMurtry Junior Faculty Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award

• Qingyun Wu, assistant professor

IST Staff Awards

Customer Service Award

• Jeannette Macaluso, human resources consultant

Rising Star Award

• Logan Harvey, instructional designer
• Nathan Mellace, IT support specialist

Team Award

• Office of Undergraduate Academic Advising — Susan Agee, director; Elise Fiorante, academic adviser; Heidi Lewis, academic adviser; Meggan MacDonald, academic adviser; Kali McKeehen, academic adviser; Mary Morrow, academic adviser; Kristy Romaine, assistant director; Laurie Shirey, records specialist; Rebecca Thurman-Irons, academic adviser; Melissa Williams, administrative support assistant

Dean’s Circle of Excellence Award

• Jordan Ford, director, Marketing and Communications

IST Faculty and Staff Awards

Community and Morale Award

• Tyler Estright, student engagement coordinator

Dean’s Honor Award

• Erica Fleming, assistant director of teaching and learning

Service and Sustainability Award

• Jony Rommel, events manager

Susan B. Lucas Diversity and Equity Award

• Lauren DiPerna, undergraduate recruiting coordinator

The College of IST also recognized individuals who reached service milestones in 2023.

25 years of service to Penn State

• Kelly Bryan, graphic designer, Marketing and Communications

20 years of service to the college

• Kelly Bryan, graphic designer, Marketing and Communications
• Jack Carroll, distinguished professor
• Prasenjit Mitra, professor
• Andrea Tapia, interim dean

15 years of service to the college

• Lisa Lenze, director, Teaching, Learning and Assessment
• Don Shemanski, professor of practice
• Anna Squicciarini, Frymoyer Chair in Information Sciences and Technology

10 years of service to the college

• Chris Gamrat, assistant teaching professor
• Vasant Honavar, Huck Chair in Biomedical Data Sciences and Artificial Intelligence

Five years of service to the college

• Jenna Hart, administrative support assistant, Academic Services Operations and Graduate Programs
• Sharon Huang, associate dean for undergraduate studies
• Kenneth Huang, assistant professor
• Johnson Kinyua, associate teaching professor
• Meggan MacDonald, academic adviser, Undergraduate Academic Advising
• Carly Marshall, administrative support assistant, Academic Services Operations and Graduate Programs
• Kali McKeehen, academic adviser, Undergraduate Academic Advising
• Sarah Rajtmajer, assistant professor
• Kristy Romaine, assistant director, Undergraduate Academic Advising
• Laurie Shirey, records specialist, Undergraduate Academic Advising
• Rebecca Thurman-Irons, academic adviser, Undergraduate Academic Advising
• Suhang Wang, assistant professor
• Shomir Wilson, assistant professor
• Aiping Xiong, assistant professor
• Amulya Yadav, assistant professor