Faculty Expertise | PennStater Magazine

Faculty Expertise

Lonnie Graham's black and white portrait of a Buddhist pilgrim in Zanskar, India

Faculty Expertise

The Power of Polaroid

Photography professor Lonnie Graham has spent 30 years traveling the globe with his instant camera, taking portraits of diverse people for his pet project, “A Conversation With the World.” The result is a visual and oral record of the shared human condition.

Savita Iyer

illustration of a geneticist in a lab coat with microscope, cows, mushrooms, and burger meat, by Nadia Radic

Faculty Expertise

Q&A: Josephine Wee

Josephine Wee combines fungal mycelium and animal muscle cells to produce cell-cultured meat.

Savita Iyer

five colorful electric guitars on stands in front of an amp with a color block wall behind them, courtesy Anthony Robinson

Faculty Expertise

Amateur Axe-Maker

Geography professor Anthony Robinson loves building electric guitars from scratch.

Savita Iyer

Richard Harnish black and white head shot in white circle within blue box, courtesy

Faculty Expertise

Practical Advice: Richard Harnish

Curb your buying impulse with Richard Harnish’s tips.

Savita Iyer

Blue sign that says Cool Class Earth 101 with a white arrow by Nick Sloff '92 A&A

Faculty Expertise

Cool Class: Natural Disasters—Hollywood vs. Reality

In EARTH 101, disaster films are the gateway for conversations about understanding and communicating the science of earthquakes, tornadoes, meteors, and more.

Savita Iyer

illustration of skull and crossbones with rulers as crossbones on red background by Richard Mia

Faculty Expertise

Understanding Toxicity

Toxicologist Gary Perdew explains why it’s difficult to measure the impact of toxic exposure on human health.

Savita Iyer

conceptual illustration of hands holding US currency and Hindu statues by Nadia Radic

Faculty Expertise

Q&A: Elizabeth Kadetsky

Elizabeth Kadetsky is hunting down sculptures stolen from an ancient Hindu temple.

Savita Iyer

grid of four photos of virtual worlds created in Game 180N, courtesy

Faculty Expertise

Cool Class: The Art and Science of Virtual Worlds

Game 180N is focused on getting students to master virtual world planning and design.

Savita Iyer

Photo of Michelle Rodino-Colocino acting, courtesy

Faculty Expertise

Stage Presence

Michelle Rodino-Colocino rediscovered her talent for stand-up comedy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Savita Iyer

Stacey Nowicki black and white head shot on blue background, courtesy

Faculty Expertise

Practical Advice: Stacey Nowicki

Get more from fitness walking with Stacey Nowicki’s tips.

Savita Iyer

illustration of a person pointing to a whiteboard that shows polluted air in front of a background of clean air by Richard Mia

Faculty Expertise

Smoke Signals

Enhanced models can improve air quality predictions during wildfire season, says assistant geography professor Manzhu Yu.

Savita Iyer

conceptual illustration of fashion objects and botanicals by Nadia Radic

Faculty Expertise

Q&A: Aydin Alptekinoglu

Aydin Alptekinoglu is looking for solutions to reduce fashion waste.

Savita Iyer

closeup of a shrimp and rice dish on blue and white plate with green-washed background photo of woods, courtesy

Faculty Expertise

Where the Wild Things Are on the Menu

Doctoral student Sovanneary Huot has created a collection of recipes that highlights the nutritional value of wild plants.

Savita Iyer

illustration of people shielding their eyes against the light from a UFO overhead with Old Main in the background as the Nittany Lion is beamed up, by Jonathan Bartlett

Faculty Expertise

(Out) Of This World

Historian Greg Eghigian is digging into the social phenomenon of UFOs in science, politics, and popular culture—with the understanding that how we think about unidentified flying objects says less about alien visitors than it does about ourselves.

Robyn Rydzy '95 Com

closeup of Asian dish by Nick Sloff '92 A&A

Faculty Expertise

Cool Class: ASIA 403: Food Cultures of Asia

In Suchismita Sen's class, students discover interesting and sometimes surprising facts about their favorite dishes.

Savita Iyer

Dean Lawless working on restoring a piece of furniture, photo by Michelle Bixby

Faculty Expertise

From Dumpster to Drawing Room

College of Education dean Kimberly Lawless inherited a passion for restoring old furniture from her mother.

Savita Iyer