Slippery Rock University

Erica Northrop, the mother of two children, had a job and a master's degree. Then she decided to change careers, and in doing so she enrolled at Slippery Rock University because of the opportunities that SRU provides through its safety management program. Northrop, a post-baccalaureate student majoring in safety management from Butler, has many reasons for pursuing a second bachelor's degree. She wants to "delve deeper" into a specialized business and have greater opportunities for higher-paying, satisfying jobs that can offer a work/life balance so she can be available to her family. But what's also available to her are access to internships and employers that prefer to hire SRU graduates.

The first dance concert of the year at Slippery Rock University may have a title fit for a carpenter's tape measure, but "60 x 60 x 60" has a little something for everyone. The SRU Dance Department will present its 60 x 60 x 60 dance concert, 7:30 p.m., Sept. 23, at Swope Music Hall, featuring 60 dance performances to 60 pieces of music that are 60 seconds long. Tickets are $2 and can be purchased at the door on the evening of the concert.

Slippery Rock University offers students a myriad of resources to help them succeed that are delivered by faculty and staff, but sometimes students just need a boost from one of their own. They might want to talk through a problem they're dealing with outside of the classroom, they may need help making friends or they just prefer advice from another student. That's where Boost Peer Educators come in. Boost is a group of certified peer educators from the SRU Student Support Office that focuses on students' personal, social and emotional well-being and development. They present programs, host events and share helpful strategies through social media.

Handwriting analysis is a critical part of forensic investigations. Detecting forgery and the order of signatures on signed contracts are examples. But these issues aren't easily solved by typical visual or microscopic analysis. Researchers at Slippery Rock University are conducting a study that goes deeper, albeit paper thin, but enough to potentially change the way that forensic document examiners look at ink strokes. Andre Braz, an assistant professor of chemistry, and his student, Heather Kane, a senior chemistry major from Butler, are literally taking a different view by cutting the paper and analyzing the physicochemical interaction between two ink lines crossed on paper from a side angle. They are using a technique that requires an instrument called a Raman spectrometer that provides detailed chemical information about the inks.

The simplest images can spark conversation. That's the premise of a noncompetitive game called Rory's Story Cubes, invented by Irish game designer Rory O'Connor, which helps prompt discussions based on images on the sides of dice. Researchers at Slippery Rock University are rolling out their own version of story cubes to spark language learning for children in the classroom.

Commemorating the events of Sept. 11, 2001, is becoming more important, and it's not just because of milestones such as the upcoming 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. What was once an opportunity to mourn and reflect on the tragic events of 9/11 is now also a chance to educate people, and that's why Slippery Rock University is hosting nearly an entire week of 9/11 programming, Sept. 7-11.

More than 1,000 first-year and transfer students moved into residence halls at Slippery Rock University Aug. 19 as part of SRU's Week of Welcome. Assisting the incoming students and their families were nearly 400 returning student volunteers and 100 faculty and staff volunteers who helped ease the college transition and make the new members of The Rock community feel right at home.

Slippery Rock University has made significant progress on a master energy infrastructure feasibility study and other components of its "Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality" program in partnership with Ever-Green Energy. The program to reduce SRU's greenhouse gas emissions and achieve carbon neutrality by 2037 is being supported by a grant from the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund.

There's pent-up excitement for first-year students at Slippery Rock University that is unlike previous cohorts. The SRU Class of 2025 is embarking on a new phase of life after completing the challenging task of choosing a college during a pandemic. But they found their right fit, they are finally here on campus and they are ready to experience all that The Rock has to offer. Although official census data of students enrolled at SRU this year will not be reported for another two weeks, SRU welcomed about 1,400 first-year students and 450 new transfer students as fall semester classes began Aug. 23.

In the last year, Kayle Marsh has gone from counting pills as a pharmacy technician to conducting research that people with Alzheimer's disease are counting on to treat this common cause of dementia. Marsh, a Slippery Rock University senior chemistry major from Kennedy, New York, still works at a local pharmacy a few hours per week, but this summer she is working full time in the biochemistry lab at SRU as part of a grant-funded, faculty-student research project.

The following people recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.

A safety management student organization at Slippery Rock University has earned national acclaim. The American Society of Safety Professionals chapter at SRU won the 2020-21 ASSP Outstanding Student Section Award, honoring the section that made the most significant contributions toward advancing safety education and research. The ASSP at SRU received a $5,000 stipend for its recognition that will be applied to the organization's budget for next year. There are more than 134 student members of the ASSP at SRU.

Slippery Rock University features more than 160 registered student clubs and organizations that empower students to explore a wide variety of opportunities for involvement and camaraderie. As it turns out, not even the COVID-19 pandemic could deter students from getting involved, even those who spent the last academic year living at home or off campus while taking online classes. In fact, there were 10 student organizations added in the 2020-21 school year. One such organization is Delight at SRU, a campus chapter of the national faith-based organization Delight Ministries that invites college women into Christian community "that fosters vulnerability and transforms stories."

The transition from high school to college hasn't been easy for Jaclyn Lenhart. She has been in and out of classes and colleges about as frequently as hospitals, with at least 10 stays of up to two weeks since she was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at age 17. Lenhart, a Slippery Rock University junior recreational therapy major from Gibsonia, hasn't let the burden of her illness keep her from lightening the load of others who suffer from Crohn's and ulcerative colitis, collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease.

Slippery Rock University has announced its dean's list for the spring 2021 semester. The dean's list consists of SRU undergraduate students who earned an adjusted semester grade-point average of 3.5 or higher, based on a schedule of at least 12 newly attempted and earned credits.

Many college students must work part-time jobs to make ends meet, but few have inspired their employer to give them a paycheck - in the amount and the literal size - that two Slippery Rock University students received from Taco Bell. Cameron Peachock, a graduate student majoring in physical therapy from Slippery Rock, and Charles Frank, a sophomore environmental geoscience major from McMurray, each received Taco Bell Foundation Live Mas Scholarships, given by the fast-food chain's foundation to employees who are pursuing higher education and "using their passion to ignite change in their communities and beyond."

The building of one small microscope is a giant leap for student researchers at Slippery Rock University, and someday their creation might touch the surface of a planet. Seven SRU students are working this summer on a research project led by Sagar Bhandari, assistant professor of physics and engineering, that is being funded by a $25,000 grant from NASA through the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium. The research team is working on a portable cryogenic atomic force microscope system that is intended to analyze particles on interplanetary surfaces. A portable microscope is needed because it's much more difficult and expensive to have a spacecraft retrieve samples from space to bring back to Earth and analyze under a big microscope. Instead, the SRU researchers are developing a microscope that is small and resilient enough to be sent to interplanetary surfaces such as Mars or the moon.

Residents of a local community are having their recreational needs met because of the work of Slippery Rock University students. Butler Township officials drew on the expertise of students in a Public Relations and Integrated Marketing Communication Capstone course this spring to help them analyze needs and develop plans for a sports complex that is being built in the Pullman Business Park in Butler.

Twenty-six cadets from Slippery Rock University's U.S. Army ROTC program will become commissioned officers, April 30, in the Smith Student Center Ballroom. Because of COVID-19 safety measures to restrict large indoor gatherings, the commissioning will take place in two private ceremonies at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. The event comes one week after SRU's battalion conducted its annual spring awards ceremony via Zoom, recognizing cadets and support staff for their dedication to the program with several awards. The commissioning ceremony is considered the culminating event for cadets that brings a mix of emotions.

Slippery Rock University is stepping outside of its usual routine for commencement ceremonies this year. For the first time since 2008, SRU will confer degrees outdoors as the University will host five individual commencement ceremonies honoring the spring 2021 graduates, April 30-May 1, at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.

Only at a place nicknamed "The Rock" could a family of pet rocks find a home and gain national attention. It all started when a student at Slippery Rock University placed a pet rock with googly eyes on campus and shared it on social media. Then he added another pet rock the next day, and another the day after that, and so on. After a month and several creative iterations of the pet rock, a lot of people started to notice, including a television audience.

"Physically, it was the most demanding thing I've ever done in my life," said Austin Reep, a Slippery Rock University senior philosophy major from Butler. That's saying a lot coming from the cadet battalion commander of SRU's U.S. Army ROTC program, a group that wakes up every day up at dawn for intense personal training sessions. Reep and 11 other cadets from SRU and Clarion University were part of a Ranger Challenge team that, for the first time in program history, qualified for the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. SRU's battalion was one of only 16 ROTC programs in the country to compete in Sandhurst, April 16-17, joining 25 USMA teams and three U.S. service academies who took part in a rigorous 36-hour course "to test warrior spirit, team cohesion and dedication to mission accomplishment."

The use of face masks can be a point of contention, or at least confusion, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Are they really effective? Are surgical masks better than cloth masks? Do they protect you or prevent you from spreading the virus? Although several studies have taken place around the country, a group of Slippery Rock University students decided to investigate for themselves by putting masks to the test as part of a safety management research project.

Slippery Rock University's Office for Student Engagement and Leadership recently announced its 2020-21 Rising Star awards, sponsored by AVI Fresh, SRU's contract food vendor, and the Slippery Rock Student Government Association. The awards, announced during the Rising Star award ceremony, conducted virtually April 21, recognized students, faculty, staff and organizations for their impact on the campus community.

Among Slippery Rock University's 8,100 students, no two are just alike. Along those same lines, it is probably a safe bet to assume that there is no typical day for any of them, particularly in the age of COVID. But that does beg the question, "What is life like for an SRU student during the pandemic?" One student who is currently living on campus and enrolled in a major that presents unique challenges -- for in-person safety and for online collaboration -- was invited to share their day at SRU to provide a glimpse of what on-campus life has been like for them during the pandemic.

Slippery Rock University conducted its 2021 Celebration of Achievement awards ceremony, April 19, via Zoom. The annual event recognized faculty and students for their outstanding contributions in the areas of academics, research, scholarship, creative activities and more. The highlight each year is the announcement of SRU's finalist for the Syed R. Ali-Zaidi Award for Academic Excellence, which is given to a graduating senior in Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education who exemplifies academic excellence and involvement. SRU's 2021 finalist is Morgan McIntyre, a senior petroleum and natural gas engineering major from Templeton.

By hosting its Breaker Barriers event, the Slippery Rock University President's Commission for Disability Issues celebrates people who create opportunities for individuals with disabilities at SRU. This year, the Breaking Barriers event will be conducted virtually, 5:30-6:30 p.m., April 22, via Zoom. The event is open to the public. The PCDI will recognize an SRU student and employees with its annual Breaking Barriers Awards. Also, a keynote address will be delivered by Calahan Young, a 2017 SRU graduate with a degree in recreational therapy, who is co-captain of the U.S. men's national goalball team that will compete in the Paralympic Games this summer in Tokyo.

Slippery Rock University's Dance Department will host its BFA Senior Dance concert, "Against All Odds," at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., April 17 via a livestream on the department's YouTube channel. Each concert will feature different performances. "Against All Odds," as the title implies, is meant to represent the perseverance - in the age of COVID - of the dancers who will be featured and the diverse ways in which they express themselves through dance, styles including modern, contemporary, hip-hop and cultural dance.

Computer science students at Slippery Rock University are now adding Pepper to their resumes. But we're not talking about the condiment they would put on their food. Rather, they are becoming "seasoned" programmers by working with Pepper, which is the name of a semi-humanoid, emotional robot manufactured by SoftBank Robotics. SRU's College of Health, Engineering and Science acquired Pepper for use in the Computer Science Department's Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

The ways in which Slippery Rock University students are sharing their scholarly work continues to expand. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2019 was the last year SRU's Symposium for Student Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities was an in-person event. This showcase event will once again be live this year, April 13, but in a new, virtual format that offers opportunities to reach wider audiences and enable greater creativity and interaction. More than 80 submissions of SRU students' scholarly work from across all academic disciplines will be presented virtually in some form for this year's symposium. The event will feature 41 poster presentations, 26 live oral presentations and 13 recorded oral presentations, performances and exhibits.