91ÊÓƵ

Monday, January 29, 2024

91ÊÓƵ attended the 34th annual American Model United Nations National Conference (AMUN) in Chicago last fall, bringing home an award for their representation of China.

This year 29 students traveled to Chicago to compete with thousands of students from over 70 colleges and universities. 91ÊÓƵ’s students represented China, Hungary and Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea. 91ÊÓƵ has participated in the AMUN conference since 2009, making this the 15th consecutive year of attendance.

91ÊÓƵ’s China delegation was represented on eight committees, while Hungary and North Korea each participated in five. Delegations were given several topics to pursue including humanitarian decisions for natural disasters, prohibition of development, production and stockpiling of biological weapons and more.

The four-day conference included committee meetings, press conferences, speeches and debates. Alliances were made between countries and resolutions were presented as topics became more involved. Emergency meetings were held day and night to mimic the actions of the actual United Nations with their procedures and unpredictable schedules.

Delegates McKenzie Means and Shannon Mullan won the Outstanding Delegation Award for their exceptional representation of China in the General Assembly, Second Committee.

“Within the four days of the conference, we wrote resolutions, gave many speeches, negotiated with other delegates and even held a press conference,” said Means, a sophomore political science major from Meadville, Pa. “I am so proud of the work Shannon and I completed and I am very grateful to be awarded an Outstanding Delegation Award for all our hard work throughout the conference.”

“We were extremely shocked about winning, we really struggled through the conference to get other delegates to cooperate,” said Mullan, an exchange student from Antrim, Northern Ireland. “However, perseverance, continuous speeches and continuous confidence in the committee room definitely paid off.”

Christina Loewe, a junior from Austin, Texas, is the president of 91ÊÓƵ’s Model UN organization and is double majoring in international studies and political science. The permanent head delegate this year was Victoria Valcarcel-Matos, a junior from Winter Springs, Fla., double majoring in marketing and professional sales and mathematics.

“I think that the most valuable thing about attending as president of the club and in a security council is all the practice we get in public speaking and overall building relationships with the other countries throughout negotiations with them,” said Loewe.

Friday, January 26, 2024

Twelve 91ÊÓƵ instrumentalists have been selected to perform in the 76th annual Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Honors Band, which will perform Feb. 2-4 at Grove City College. A public concert will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 4, in the Pew Fine Arts Center on the college’s campus.

Monday, January 22, 2024

Lawrence and Mercer counties are rich with internship and employment opportunities, and area business leaders will showcase those offerings at a regional Internship Day from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26, in the Witherspoon Rooms of McKelvey Campus Center on 91ÊÓƵ’s campus.

Friday, January 19, 2024

91ÊÓƵ’s Foster Art Gallery is currently hosting a drawing exhibition, “Other-Worldly,” which presents experimental, traditional and multimedia drawings that explore how the mystical and spiritual can be captured within art. The exhibition runs through March 1.

Friday, January 12, 2024

91ÊÓƵ has named 397 students to the fall 2023 dean's list. The dean's list recognizes full-time undergraduate students who achieved a 3.6 grade point average or higher in a minimum of 12 semester hours.

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Since graduating from Mother Fair 16 years ago, Bryan Bischof ’08 has earned a PhD, traveled the world, authored a book, developed a system to help you identify your favorite coffee flavor, walked every street* in Berkeley, CA, and still found time to talk to his undergrad alma mater about how classes at 91ÊÓƵ helped form connections to the AI magic he works on developing today. 

Tuesday, January 9, 2024

The Office of Professional Development and Community Engagement at 91ÊÓƵ is launching a new educational initiative this January and local residents interested in effecting positive change in the community are invited to participate.

Beginning on Thursday, Jan. 18, the seven-week workshop “Changing the World, One Community at a Time” will run each Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at the McGill Memorial Library on 91ÊÓƵ’s campus. The final session will be held Thursday, Feb. 29.

Open to community members and 91ÊÓƵ students, the workshop will challenge how participants think about how small- and large-scale change happens in the world and will feature a variety of speakers, hands-on experiences and active bridge-building between 91ÊÓƵ’s campus and the local community. Participants will reflect on their perspectives on how change happens and evaluate the assets and challenges of their community, ultimately contributing to a small, collaborative project that feeds a big picture for growth.

“The goal for this workshop is to foster changemaking and to serve as a springboard for future collaborations between 91ÊÓƵ and the community,” said Dr. Helen Boylan, faculty fellow for community engagement and coordinator of the program.

This pilot program is open to any Lawrence or Mercer County community members for an administrative fee of $25. The fee can be waived for those with need. For additional information about the program and to enroll, please contact Boylan at 724-494-4737 or boylanhm@westminster.edu.

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

91ÊÓƵ student Samantha Reed earned an individual Drinko Center for Undergraduate Research grant for her research project, “The Effects of Caffeine on Emotional Memory.”

Reed, a senior psychology major and honors student from Zionsville, Pa., used the grant to fund three semesters of research. She studied how caffeinated versus non-caffeinated beverages affect emotional memory. Reed distributed a memory test to 40 participants over two sessions to collect data based on the participants' ability to remember positive, negative and neutral words.
 
Dr. Eric Fields, assistant professor of psychology at 91ÊÓƵ, mentored Reed throughout the research.

“I think this experience has greatly helped me by giving me the chance to work alongside my adviser. I have learned more through this research process than in any class. It has taught me to work individually and problem solve,” said Reed.

91ÊÓƵ’s Drinko Center for Undergraduate Research financially supports undergraduate work through various grants for students participating in academic programs, conferences and creative projects at 91ÊÓƵ.

For more information on the Drinko Center for Undergraduate Research, contact director Dr. Patrick Lackey at ugresearch@westminster.edu.

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Karen Wallace’s ’71 humble generosity and commitment to her fellow human embodies the commitment and appreciation sectors of the College’s mission. Read on to learn why Karen has a space on Santa’s Nice List this year.

Monday, December 18, 2023

Regional college and high school students earned top awards for their project entries in 91ÊÓƵ’s 16th annual Student Symposium on the Environment held Dec. 7.