Support Student Success
And The College of Science and Technology
Letter from Dean Harris
Dear Colleagues, Alumni, and Friends,
It has been an amazing year of student accomplishments in the College of Science and Technology at Millersville University. Our educational mission is to empower students to achieve their academic and career readiness goals through immersive and hands-on education and professional preparation. Having worked as a science educator in the South Central Pennsylvania region for more than two decades, I have observed firsthand how students leverage their high-impact and experiential learning opportunities into substantial next steps. This educational approach and focus on engaged and immersive learning is the hallmark of a Millersville education, as evidenced by the impressive list of select proof points and substantial student outcomes highlighted below.
It is the Faculty’s vision that we support and mentor every student in the College of Science and Technology through a professional and experiential learning experience. For those of you who have participated in faculty-student research, independent projects, internships, co-operatives, study-away learning, service learning, etc., you know how you have leveraged those life-changing experiences into substantial next steps. I routinely hear graduates pointing to these seminal co-curricular experiences as the reason they achieved their dream job, graduate or professional school placement, or elevated up the leadership ranks in their organizations.
To achieve this our College’s bold vision, I need your help in building up resources that can be deployed across the many programs in our College to provide all students with these co-curricular experiential opportunities to amplify and accelerate their readiness for the future of work and to help them achieve their post-graduate goals.
Thanks for your support during this One Day Give campaign in helping my faculty and I prepare the next generation of scientists, mathematicians, practitioners, and technology leaders.
Sincerely,
Marc Harris, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Science & Technology
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN GEOLOGY
Donating to support student research in geology provides vital funding for projects that explore important geological questions. Current student research projects include: a microstructural study of the deformation of the Martic fault; using analog modeling to refine the physics that control fault formation in mountain belts; assessing the temperature, pressure, and fluid flow conditions that occurred during the formation of the Lackawanna syncline, and the impact of natural geologic fractures on subsurface fluid flow in the Appalachian basin. Funds raised will help cover essential costs, such as travel expenses for field mapping and sampling, sample preparation, and analysis at collaborating labs, as well as supplies and materials. Even small donations can make a significant impact by increasing the feasibility and scope of these important student-led projects. Your contribution will directly support the advancement of scientific knowledge in geology while fostering the next generation of researchers.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN METEOROLOGY
A direct donation to MU Meteorology would contribute towards the undergraduate field research that is a prized hallmark of our program. Currently, students have successfully developed the experimental design and crowd-sourced funding for their own tornado research project named TILTTING, and your direct donation during One Day Give would help students embark on their second consecutive year of tornado field research in the Great Plains, as well as support publications and conference presentations resulting from their research. Additional ongoing undergraduate research projects you can also help support involve investigating the local air quality of Lancaster, PA, examining the impact of the Susquehanna River on local severe weather using drones, and supporting larger projects with external collaborators, such as helping to test prototypes of new and innovative meteorological instrumentation and potential larger-scale field experiments. MU Meteorology has new and enthusiastic faculty who are rapidly developing new undergraduate research projects to help provide lifechanging research experiences for all meteorology students, and now is the perfect time to help support this new and exciting chapter of MU Meteorology’s most prominent and enduring legacy.
PROOF POINTS OF STUDENT EXCELLENCE AND HOW THE COLLEGE EDUCATES FOR CAREER READI
Internships: More than 100 students participated in credit bearing internships. Numerous additional students participated in non-credit bearing internships and clinical site experiences.
Research: Over 250 students participated in faculty-mentored experiences with numerous additional undergraduate and graduate students participating in research experiences that were incorporated directly into their courses.
Publications: Over 30 students were listed as co-authors with faculty mentors on 25 peer-reviewed publications
National Conferences: Over 75 Graduate and Undergraduate Students presented papers at national conferences in all 9 disciplines within the College of Science and Technology
External Research: 20 students participated in nationally competitive Summer REUs and in federal and state internship and national appointments
Graduate School Ready: Over 30 students were accepted into top-tier Ph.D. programs
Nationally Competitive: 17 Graduate and Undergraduate Students received nationally competitive grants or fellowships
Educational Philosophy
Millersville University and the College of Science & Technology exist to prepare students to meet the needs of a 21st Century workforce by implementing new and innovative directions in science and technology education and by utilizing emerging technologies and immersive learning strategies to ready students for the future of work.
Educational Promise
Provide students with the depth and breadth of education, and the hands-on learning, needed for success in contemporary fields of science and technology.
How does the College of Science & Technology deliver on this promise:
- We are active scholars and researchers who bring our passion and knowledge into the classroom – scholarship as a teaching tool
- We embed high-impact educational practices into the curriculum and mentor students through experiential and professional learning opportunities to help them develop the skills necessary to be independent, life-long learners, and to achieve their academic and professional goals
- We encourage our students to work TOGETHER to be strong and capable learners – collaborative and cross-functional teams