Currently Active External Awards

The faculty and staff of Altoona College seeks a variety of external awards from foundations, agencies, and other sponsors to support their research, teaching, creative activities, and service responsibilities. Listed below are those awards that are currently active, the faculty or staff member responsible, and the source of funding. Please contact responsible faculty or staff for additional information about awards.

Externally Funded Projects

Dr. Thomas Krainer, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, “RUI: Collaborative Research: Elliptic Partial Differential Equations on Singular Manifolds and Applications in Complex Geometry,” National Science Foundation, (tuk14@psu.edu)

Dr. Suzanne Kuhn, Senior Instructor in Nursing, “Accelerated Bachelor of Science Nursing Program (ABS),” Pennsylvania Department of Health and Human Services, (skk6@psu.edu)

Dr. Carolyn Mahan, Associate Professor of Biology, “Developing a Resource Stewardship Strategy for New River Gorge Natural River,” U.S. Department of Interior, (cgm2@psu.edu)

Ms. Rebecca Maguda, Director of Career Services, “Carl Perkins Local Plan, Penn State Altoona and Penn State Berks,” Pennsylvania Department of Education, (rvb5@psu.edu)

Dr. Joy Himmel, Director of Health and Wellness, “Tightening the Safety Net: A Campus-Wide Suicide Prevention Initiative,” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, (jyh1@psu.edu)

Dr. Jungwoo Ryoo, Assistant Professor of IST, “An Immersive Security Education Environment (I-SEE) Using Second Life,” National Science Foundation, (jxr65@psu.edu)

Ms. Donna Bon, Instructor of Entrepreneurship, “Entrepreneurship Program Development,” Altoona Blair County Development Corporation, (djb36@psu.edu)

Dr. Grant Risha, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, “Influence of an Electric Field on the Burning Behavior of Solid Propellants,” Naval Surface Warfare Center, (gar108@psu.edu)

Dr. Margaret Benson, Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, “Characteristics Of Regulated Child Care in Rural Pennsylvania and the Parents Who Utilize,” Lock Haven University, (enz@psu.edu)

Dr. Lauren Jacobson, Instructor in Human Development and Family Studies, “PA Literacy Corps,” Altoona Area School District, (lpj100@psu.edu)

Dr. Joy Himmel, Director of Health and Wellness, “National Depression Partnership,” New York University, (jyh1@psu.edu)

Dr. Carolyn Mahan, Associate Professor of Biology, “Home Range, Habitat Use, and Ecology of the Endangered Northern Flying Squirrel in Northeastern Pennsylvania,” Center for Rural Pennsylvania, (cgm2@psu.edu)

Dr. Peter Shull, Associate Professor of Engineering, “Improved Retention and Recruitment through Academic & Financial Support,” National Science Foundation, (pjs18@psu.edu)

Mandy Reinig, Education Abroad Advisor, “The IFSA Foundation-Study Abroad Scholarships,” The IFSA Foundation, (arr14@psu.edu)

Dr. Marta Maurer, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, “Implementing Educational Innovations Through Inquiry-Based and Collaborative Experiments,” National Science Foundation, (mkm20@psu.edu)

Dr. Andy Vavreck, Interim Director of Business Operations, “Design in Mechanics of Materials Courses for Deeper Learning,” National Science Foundation, (axv2@psu.edu)

Dr. Richard Bell, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, “RUI: Systematic Study of the Rheology and Sedimentation of Microwire-Based Magnetorheological Fluids,” National Science Foundation, (rcb155@psu.edu)

Dr. Suzanne Kuhn, Senior Instructor in Nursing, “Nurse Education Practice and Retention,” Health Resources and Services Administration, (skk6@psu.edu)

Dr. Todd Batzel, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, “Diagnostics/Prognostics for Helicopter Power Systems,” Bell Helicopter, (tdb120@psu.edu)

Dr. Mark Johnson, Associate Professor of Mathematics, “Higher Homotopy Operations and the Cohomology of Diagrams,” United States–Israel Binational Science Foundation (mwj3@psu.edu)

Dr. Thomas Krainer, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, “Spray and Combustion of Gelled Hypergolic Propellants for Future Rocket and Missile Engines,” Department of the Army – Material Command, (tuk14@psu.edu)