Dean's Scholars

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean’s Scholars 26 27 College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean’s Scholars Megan O’Neill Major: Biochemistry Minor: Spanish Year: Graduated in Fall 2019 KU BEARS Summer 2019 Her first KU BEARS project involved pesticides and resulted in a regional conference presentation. Because of her outstanding academic standing, Me- gan was encouraged by her professor to complete a second KU BEARS grant in Summer 2019. In her second research project, Megan worked with algae known to filter carbon dioxide from the air. Megan was an active member of the Student Chemistry Club, and she was also an officer for the club during the 2018 – 2019 academic year. “The professors are confident in what they’re teaching. They’re very nice and always willing to help you.” Ana Ozorio Major: Physics - Engineering Year: Junior KU BEARS Summer 2019 Ana is an international student who found her niche at KU in the physics program. Recruited in her first year, she has been working on a solar cell project with Dr. Quinn and other students for more than two years. Ana has presented her research at the Society of Physics Students Conference in Bos- ton, Massachusetts, and she will be presenting her research again in Colorado this year. She is also a supplemental instructor for class. After graduation, Ana hopes to attend an architecture engineering graduate program. “Physics is a hard program, but I found a great professor, which is Dr. Quinn, and he just took me under his wings and he’s kind of been help- ing me through the whole process.” Major: Political Science Minors: Computer Science & Economics Year: Senior Uttam Paudel is an excellent student who has collaborated with Dr. Portada and Dr. Lem in a joint research project to publish a manuscript titled, “The Final Frontier: China and Taiwan in Strategic Competition for Central America.” Uttam has been the Presidential Ambassador for Alumni Relations, a Student Trustee, and a representative for the Bi- as-Response Task Force. Uttam has represented Kutztown University at several confer- ences and has been awarded the Roger S. Whitcomb International Student Scholarship and the Richard B. Close Undergraduate Award in Political Science. After graduation, Uttam plans to pursue a Ph.D. “Above all things, I am extremely grateful to have the opportunity to do research on anything that interested me. When I look back, I am most proud of my works on Chinese investment strategies in Central America and the impact of policy uncertainties on stock market volatility. Forever grateful to the professors who advised me and helped me throughout my time here.” Uttam Paudel Mitchell Oller Mitchell is a creative thinker whose name has appeared on the Dean’s List. He completed an innovative research project using Geographical Information System analysis to compare historical population settle- ments to bodies of water and modern day London. He presented his work at the Middle States Division of the American Association of Geographers Conference in October 2019, where he won second place in the student poster competition. Anna Nissley Major: History - Paralegal Studies Year: Senior “While at KU, I have been able to do what I never imagined I’d do in college: study phenology along the Appalachian Trail, travel to Spain, take several independent studies, and present at various conferences. What I’ve learned the past four years applies to more than my degrees. It applies to where I go from here and to the person I want to be.” Anna is an excellent student whose name has consistently appeared on the Dean’s List. She is a member of the Honors Program, and she was awarded the Outstanding English major award in 2019, an award voted on by the faculty. She is a recipient of the Hershey Scholarship and the APSCUF Scholarship. She has presented at the EAPSU Conference (2019), the KU Composition Conference (2019), the American Educa- tional Studies Conference (2018), and the National Modern Language Undergraduate Student Conference (2019). Anna has participated in the Study Abroad Program at Valladolid, Spain. She volunteers and organizes events at the Multicultural Center. Majors: Spanish & Secondary Education - English Minor: Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies Year: Senior “I have learned that the people that seem to succeed the most at what they do are those that show initiative.” Kha has earned recognition from his professors for his dedication to his stud- ies and his commitment to the larger KU community. He is working with Dr. Newlander to analyze artifacts recovered from Stoddartsville, PA, as part of an ongoing historical archaeological project, and he is also analyzing artifacts from a site on KU’s campus. Kha was accepted to the Middle Atlantic Archae- ological Conference, Spring 2020, and he was inducted into the National An- thropology Honors Society. He is the president of the Anthropology Club and recently taught the Archeology Merit Badge to 50 boy scouts at Merit Badge University. Major: Anthropology Year: Senior Kha Nguyen