Positive Energy
Positive Energy Fund
Use Your Inspiration to Change the World
Millersville University is converting building energy savings into human energy by using dollars from utility rebates and the Lombardo Welcome Center's energy savings to fund faculty-, staff- and student-led projects that contribute positively to local and global communities using the structure of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development.
The purpose of the Positive Energy Fund is to raise awareness of the interconnected economic, social and environmental challenges confronting the world and to accelerate local solutions to those challenges in Lancaster County by Millersville University faculty, staff and students.
Apply Now
Faculty, staff and/or students can apply to receive up to $2,500 for projects that advance the Global Goals.
Applicants must complete an application, which includes a project narrative that describes your project. For additional eligibility requirements, please refer to the Positive Energy Fund Program Guidelines.
Download the project narrative template to assist with writing the project narrative (required as part of the application).
Spring 2025 application deadline - Friday, March 28, 2025.
For additional information contact Kaitlynn Hamaty, Kaitlynn.Hamaty@millersville.edu.
Read the January 2021 publication on the Positive Energy Fund in the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, "Funding community sustainable development using zero energy buildings."
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Positive Energy Committee
*Alphabetical by last name
Ms. Kim Auger, Instructor - Library Department
Dr. Oliver Dreon, Professor - Department of Educational Foundations
Ms. Kaitlynn Hamaty, Sustainability Manager - Facilities, Safety and Sustainability
Mr. Steven Knepp, Associate Director - University Housing and Conference Services
Dr. Kelly Kuhns, Department Chair - The Wehrheim School of Nursing
Dr. Beth Powers-Costello, Associate Professor - Early, Middle and Exceptional Education
Dr. Karen Rice, Department Chair - School of Social Work
Mr. Tom Waltz, Assistant Vice President - Facilities, Safety and Sustainability -
Previous Awardees
2024 Awardees
Dr. Dominique Didier
Growing and Planting Native Perennials for Sustainable LandscapingDr. Len Litowitz
5kw Photovoltaic Installation for Student and Community EducationElizabeth Rickrode
Millersville Nature Tracks: Passive Education within the MU Nature PreserveDr. Christina Williams
Mi Orgullo Latinx (First Gen Focus)
2023 Awardees
Mrs. Tatiana Pashkova-Balkenhol
Excelerating Local Solutions for Justice and Equity in Education at Lancaster CountyDr. Elizabeth Powers-Costello
Photovoice ProjectDr. Christopher Stieha
A Perfect Gift Community Garden InitiativeDr. Jill Craven
Demystifying Dyslexia Conference 2024Dr. Dominique Didier
Partnering with a Local CSA to Address Food InsecurityMr. Maxwell Wallace
Stormwater Advocacy and Mitigation Project (SAMP)Dr. Margaret Mbindyo
Promising Scholars: Refugee and Immigrant Students Transitioning to College
2022 Awardees
Drs. Lesley Colabucci and Deborah Tamakloe
Global Literacy Initiative
2021 Awardees
Meredith Johnson
Eco Fellowship for Sustainable HealthcareSarah Jackson and Deborah Tamakloe
Early, Middle and Exceptional Education Action Research ConferenceDeborah Tamakloe and Karen Rice
Growing Global CitizensDominick Manusos
Precious Plastics ProjectJohn Wallace
Project Wild Workshops for Education Majors and Practicing TeachersMargaret Mbdinyo and Ann Guadino
Promising Scholars: Supporting, Mentoring and Advising Refugee and Immigrant Students Transitioning to CollegeAbby Gabner
Pre-LPP Academy
2020 Awardees
Open Education Workshop: Quality Education in K-12 Using Open Educational Resources.
Dr. Amber Nicole Pfannenstiel and Steph Pennucci
This Open Education Workshop will connect teachers, pre-service teachers, educational administrators, and other instructional educators serving PK-PhD programs to open educational resources, open digital programs, and zero textbook cost materials that can be adopted in classrooms. Beyond connecting educators with websites that support learning, this Open Education Workshop focuses on how open materials and assignments can provide meaningful learning experiences to all students, even with limited digital access.
Accessibility for All: Enhancing the Curriculum with Assistive Technology (AT).
Alisa Landis
This project will be geared towards training Millersville University students to design assistive technology to improve their experiences during field placements. The AT materials will be housed in the University AT lab for MU students to use for years to come. One such field placement where students may benefit from taking these AT toolkits is the IU-13. The IU-13 serves a wide variety of students receiving special education services to address their needs as identified in their individualized education plans (IEPs). In fact, the IU-13 serves Millersville University’s need for student-teacher field placements. The project will enable students with disabilities to gain access to the curriculum through the utilization of mid-tech and low tech AT devices, such as stress balls and adaptive seating created by Millersville students. Students using these AT devices and services will be able to gain functional skills which will help them obtain classroom subject proficiency. This project enhances the experiences of MU teacher candidates, the MU volunteers, and the students in the classrooms where the teacher candidates are placed. There will be an AT Made it Accessible presentation night at Millersville University to raise awareness of the importance of assistive technology.
Alternative Stable States: A case study of fishing practices in coral reef systems.
Robyn Blevins
This project focuses on increasing the resiliency of coral reefs by analyzing the effect of fishing on the transition between coral reefs and algae-dominated systems. The work will use a new mathematical tool for analyzing stability and resilience of coral reef ecosystems. The awardees will present at the International Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research Annual Meeting in Richmond, Virginia in October.
Using Technology to Infuse a Culture of Inclusion within our Lancaster County School Districts and Beyond
Dr. Tiffany Wright
This project provides a variety of resources for aspiring administrators in the educational leadership program that will foster their growth in inclusion, technology implementation, and visionary leadership and promote collaboration among and between Millersville University faculty, school districts, charter schools, and private schools. The resources include a podcast designed and conducted by MU graduate and post-masters’ certification students, a virtual library of resources to support graduate students, and an action research based technological experience for aspiring administrators in the educational leadership program.
The Outdoor Classroom and Learning Gardens Project
Dr. Deborah Tamakloe
This project will support developing a gardens curriculum for an outdoor learning center at the K-Prep learning center in Columbia, PA. K-Prep utilizes Pennsylvania’s Learning Standards for early childhood which has been designed to incorporate learning objectives focusing on scientific inquiry, exploration and discovery. Millersville University sends approximately 12 teacher candidates per semester for field observation. This project supports their participation and the learning center and intends to foster a generation of sustainability stewards by developing curriculum that connects communities and school with a focus on sustainability, equity and access, thus emphasizing a school-food culture that promotes wellnesses.