Penn State Behrend Grants & Contracts Office

Our next faculty spotlight is George Looney. 1. What is your discipline? Where and when did you receive your degree? I have an MFA in Creative Writing from Bowling Green State University, which I received in 1984. 2. How long have you worked at Behrend? I have taught here in the School of Humanities & Social Sciences for 25 years. 3. What is your current area of research? Poetry and Fiction. In 2023, I published three books, all of which won national prizes. My second collection of stories (fourth collection of fiction), The Visibility of Things Long Submerged, won the BOA Editions Short Fiction Prize. My fourteenth collection of poetry, The acrobatic Company of the Invisible, won the Cider Press Review Editors' Prize. And a chapbook of corresponding poems by myself and the writer Douglas Smith won the Apogee Poetry Chapbook Award from April Gloaming Press. 4. What did your 8-year-old self want to be when you grew up? An artist #behrendresearch

The top photo is from Jordan DeLauer, an undergraduate student at Behrend. His caption reads, "Eastern chipmunks, like this one grabbing lunch on one of Behrend campus' millstones, can be seen everywhere on campus during the fall as they scurry around collecting nuts for the winter. The millstones outside of Behrend's Glenhill Farmhouse are a treasure leftover from when Behrend was once the farm estate of the Behrend Family, donated by Mary Behrend. Penn State's famous oval logo featuring the Nittany Lion is also often referred to as 'The Chipmunk logo' because of Lion's cheeks. One of the reasons I chose Penn State Behrend was because of its gorgeous campus. My goal in capturing photos of the wildlife around campus is to help remind people of our close connection to the animals that we share our campus with. I also like to point out the care and attention our groundskeepers put into keeping our campus beautiful and how this allows for students to get outside more easily between classes." We cannot agree with you more. Our campus is gorgeous, not just in the fall. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photograph. #behrend

Penn State’s total research expenditures reached a record high of $1.337 billion in fiscal year 2023-24, an 8% increase or $99 million jump from the previous year, bringing the research expenditures of external and internal funding to the largest total in the University’s history. For the first time in Penn State’s history, external funding from sponsored grants and contracts surpassed $1 billion — a nearly 11% increase over the last fiscal year. The funding — from federal and state agencies, industry sponsors, private donors, the University, and other sources — enables Penn State faculty, staff, and students to conduct research to meet the world’s most urgent challenges. https://ow.ly/Fqzc50TQIMT

Project RESOLVE will benefit our faculty, staff, students, and region. Our office is proud to support this initiative.

Yesterday, Behrend held its first Faculty Showcase in the Reed Union Building. More than 40 faculty members, including participants from all four schools on campus, presented their research and scholarly activity to students, staff, and peers. Student researchers spotlighted the projects with a poster presentation. Wilson Brown ended the evening by being the keynote speaker. A special shout out to Jay Amicangelo for spearheading this event and to Lani Harmon and Margie Sargent for coordinating all the behind-the-scenes details. Also, thanks to our vice chancellor and associate dean of research, Alicyn Rhoades, for her support. We cannot wait to see what new collaborations and research surface from this event. #behrend #research

An informative article about microplastics in freshwater. #PSU #research

Happy Founder's Day, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College! #behrend #foundersday

Are you curious about what happens in research and scholarly activity around our campus? We have 48 faculty members ready to show you! October 30th is the first annual Behrend Faculty Showcase, a lively exchange of research & scholarly activity presented by Behrend Faculty and their students. Event registration begins in McGarvey Commons at 2 p.m., followed by a kickoff and welcome presentation at 2:15 p.m. After that, presentations will start at 2:45 p.m. in Reed Conference rooms. You are welcome and encouraged to attend any of the 15-minute presentations. At 6:00 p.m., Dr. Wilson Brown will present the Keynote Address, followed by student posters.

The breadth and depth of Penn Staters and their research is inspiring. What will they discover next? #WEARE #PSU #research

We love it when pop culture can share naming with science.