Inside our September/October issue
Aside from the global pandemic, the summer of 2020 will be remembered for the nationwide protests against systemic racism and violence against Black Americans. Mindful of that context, we approached our September/October issue as a platform for Black alumni, students, and faculty to share their experiences and perspective.
Our cover story features former Nittany Lion and NFL defensive end Aaron Maybin, now an artist, activist, and teacher in his hometown of Baltimore. Maybin “went viral” in the winter of 2018, when a video he posted from a freezing elementary school classroom sparked outrage over the city’s inability to provide for the basic needs of its children. That moment amplified the local activism he’d been immersed in since the 2015 death of Freddie Gray in police custody, work that remains as relevant as ever. Maybin’s story begins on p. 40.
Also inside: We asked 11 Black alumni from the 1960s to today to share memories of their time on campus. That collection of alumni voices begins on p. 46. And we convened a roundtable discussion with faculty from Penn State’s African American Studies department to discuss the past, present, and future of the civil rights movement, connecting the dots between a fight that most consider a long-ago historical moment, but which these professors explain as an ongoing battle for equality. That feature begins on p. 30.
We’ll also introduce you to Tyla Swinton, the incoming president of the Black Law Student Association (p. 14); hear from Alumni Association president Randy Houston ’91 on the value of allyship and advocacy; and learn from a recent grad what it’s like trying to cover the summer of protest for Time magazine (p. 96). All that and much more in our September/October issue, arriving in mailboxes soon.
B.J. Reyes, associate editor
Heroes Among Us
In a different time, I would’ve hoped to spend a few days shadowing Brett ’03 and Corinne Andria Feldman ’02 as they made their rounds on the streets of Los Angeles. If only we’d found out about them a few months earlier.
Instead, we didn’t learn about the Feldmans until March, right as COVID-19 was beginning to take hold around the country. The alumni couple, who met as undergraduates in the kinesiology department at University Park, work together as physicians assistants and leading practitioners of street medicine—the provision of basic health care and social services to unsheltered homeless populations, delivered on the streets where they live and sleep. After running their own innovative practice in the Lehigh Valley for years, they were drawn in 2018 to Los Angeles, where the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine recruited them to establish the first dedicated street medicine program at a major university. There, they serve the largest unsheltered homeless population in the United States.
Work that was already hugely relevant became even more so with the outbreak of a pandemic, and as we pulled together features for our July/August issue, the Feldmans’ story seemed too timely to ignore — even if the timing did rule out a trip to Los Angeles. Instead, they found time to share their story by phone, and we’re proud to be able to include that in our current issue, and to share it as a PDF here.
Ryan Jones, editor
Inside our July/August issue
Our July/August issue highlights how the Penn State community has been impacted by—and is responding to—the COVID-19 pandemic. Our feature well is focused on stories of Penn Staters on the front lines of the pandemic fight, including a profile of alums Brett and Colleen Feldman, whose groundbreaking street medicine program serves the massive homeless population in Los Angeles. We also highlight the work of nurses and doctors across the country, from local hospitals to the national spotlight. Our “Front Lines” package begins on p. 30.
We also asked our readers to share how you’ve been coping with the pandemic. From stories of recovery after contracting the virus to gaining a new perspective on everyday life and work, we share nearly two dozen of your stories—that feature begins on p. 50.
And we spoke with some of Penn State’s international students who were forced spend the early months of the pandemic at their campuses across Pennsylvania, thousands of miles from home. Their stories begin on p. 60.
Plus: See how some of Penn State’s Olympic hopefuls are spending the time in quarantine (p. 24); meet Alexa Tiemann, a student volunteer firefighter with the Alpha Fire Company who stayed in State College during the shutdown (p. 14); and get Penn State research insights on a potential COVID-19 vaccine (p. 18).
It’s all in our July/August issue, arriving in mailboxes soon.
—B.J. Reyes, associate editor
Remembering Milt Feldman
Our May/June issue features a profile of Milt Feldman ’47, a World War II veteran who survived both the Battle of the Bulge and—particularly daunting given his Jewish heritage—a Nazi POW camp. Milt died in March at age 95, just as we were wrapping up the issue, so he never got to see our piece, but he did tell his story in a book, Captured, Frozen, Starved—and Lucky. Milt was adamant the rest of his life how lucky he was to have survived the war. As a small nod to so many others who never came home, we’re proud to share Milt’s story here.
Ryan Jones, editor
Inside our May/June issue
We don’t operate in a vacuum, and for that reason, while much of the Penn Stater that will be arriving in members’ mailboxes in the coming days is the issue we had mapped out before the campus closures and self-quarantine orders, the final product does reflect our current reality: insight from Penn State President Eric Barron, a look at university researchers’ response to COVID-19, first-person perspective from graduating senior and lacrosse standout Brittany Dolan, and a look at how the pandemic tabled promising seasons for basketball star Lamar Stevens and other Nittany Lion athletes.
You’ll also learn about the service and sacrifice of WWII veteran Milt Feldman ’47, a Jewish-American soldier who survived both the Battle of the Bulge and a Nazi prison camp. Feldman’s reflections on war and his prayers for peace are detailed in a recently published book, Captured, Frozen, Starved, and Lucky: How One Jewish American GI Survived a Nazi Stalag, excerpts of which appear beginning on p. 44.
Plus, you’ll meet Jess Weiner ’95, a consultant who has made a career out of helping women and brands see the value in inclusiveness and female empowerment. Her story begins on p. 34. And see how Rob Roeser, Penn State’s first professor of caring and compassion, combines mindfulness with modern neuroscience to help students be calmer, focused, and more engaged. His story begins on p. 28.
Also inside: a feature spread taking you inside the Penn State Bakery and how it manages to fulfill orders for baked goods, in particular its signature chocolate chip cookie (p. 42); a look at how World Campus is helping one Brandywine student finish her degree 40 years after she started (p. 14); and an appreciation on the legacy of retiring editor and industry legend Tina Hay ’83, whose vision and storytelling prowess shaped this magazine into one of the nation’s best (p.56).
Finally, we want to hear how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting you. We’re asking readers to share stories of how you’re adapting to this new shared reality, and how it’s impacted your family, your work, your studies, and your community. We plan to incorporate your stories in our expanded coverage of the virus in our July/August issue. Email your stories, 250 words or less, to heypennstater@psu.edu. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity.
It’s all in our May/June issue, arriving in mailboxes soon.
—B.J. Reyes, associate editor
Inside our March/April issue
Who knew a magnified image of T cells attacking a cancer cell could double as art? (Image by Madhuri Dey)
When materials science researchers dive deep into the substances they study, the resulting images are often surprisingly artistic, especially when colored to display the researchers’ creative sides. The annual Materials Visualization Competition encourages these researchers to be creative with some of their findings, with the elemental particles of the materials resembling everything from a child’s toy xylophone to scoops of ice cream. The cover story of our March/April issue features some of the most compelling images from the competition in a photo feature beginning on p. 28.
We also take a look at science from another angle: In an era of dizzying, sometimes unchecked, scientific progress, how much is too much? Renowned biochemist Paul Berg, Penn State’s sole Nobel Prize winner and a giant in his field, might ultimately be remembered for sounding the alarm and urging restraint on such progress. Our profile of Berg begins on p. 38. And a new book by Penn State historian A.K. Sandoval-Strausz showcases how Latinx immigrants helped prop up America’s cities during the postwar period, and how that influence continues today. A Q&A with Sandoval-Strausz begins on p. 44.
Plus: Learn how the “Living Filter” at University Park converts wastewater to groundwater for irrigating fields and farmland (p. 36); get up-to-date on research behind a potential new fast-charging battery for electric cars (p. 19); and meet the unlikely running duo of Tom Sciabica and Gregory Fleck (p. 24).
—B.J Reyes, associate editor
