Mont Alto announces fall schedule for Evening Talks and Star Parties

MONT ALTO, Pa. — During Penn State Mont Alto’s Fall Evening Talks Series, two current faculty members and three past Penn State Mont Alto students will share some of their personal interests and experiences. The talks will be offered both in person for campus and local community members and via Zoom for anyone who is interested.

7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 28: “Adventures in World Cultures,” presented by Anne Devney, assistant teaching professor of nursing.

Are you curious about cultural differences between our local area and countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe? Anne Devney will share stories of brief encounters with cultures from some of the 24 countries she has personally experienced via travel, possibly including, but not limited to, Japan, India, Russia, and Finland.

7:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 13 double-header: “Changing the Law, One Crime at a Time: Pick your Poison” presented by Alyssa Clever and Sammi Deibel, and “Tips to Make the Most out of an Internship” presented by Rainmar Leguarda.

From nightshade and arsenic to polonium-210, pick your poison! Join Alyssa Clever and Sammi Deibel as they discuss cases related to the history of poisonings and how some cases changed the law. Clever and Deibel attended Penn State Mont Alto from 2015 to 2017 and graduated from Penn State in May 2019. Deibel majored in forensic science and minored in chemistry and is now attending graduate school at Arcadia University for her Master of Science in forensic science. Clever majored in criminology and is currently working at a Magisterial District Court and looking into attending graduate school for forensic psychology.

Rainmar Leguarda, who oversaw Siemens Energy interns this past summer, will be sharing information on the importance of internships, tips for an intern’s first week, the value of shadowing different roles, and recommendations on how to end an internship with a great impression. Leguarda attended Penn State Mont Alto from 2016 to 2018 and graduated from Penn State in May 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering. He is currently a lead engineer at the Dresser-Rand A Siemens Company.

7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 2: “‘At the End of the Day’: The Rhetorical Power of ‘Truth Markers'” presented by David Seitz, associate professor of communications.

Drawing upon basic rhetorical theory, this presentation will showcase common “truth markers” people use for persuasive purposes in everyday discourse.

Post-Evening Talk Star Parties

Weather permitting, Kim Herrmann, associate professor of physics and astronomy, will lead a Star Party after each presentation in the field between Orchard Road and the Mont Alto campus’ General Studies Building parking lot from 8:45 to 10 p.m. Telescope viewing and night sky tours with green laser pointers will be part of the activities.

Multiple telescopes may be available, courtesy of the TriState Astronomers, a local amateur astronomy club. In the event of cold weather, patrons should wear layers of clothing and bring jackets, hats and gloves. Precipitation or cloud cover may cause any Star Party to be canceled.

Evening Talks and Star Parties are free and open to the public and advanced registration for both events is required.

Additionally, local participants can attend Evening Talks in person at the General Studies Auditorium. Penn State strongly recommends face masks be worn indoors on campuses in counties designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to have high COVID-19 Community Levels. Even on campuses in counties with low or medium COVID-19 Community Levels, the University encourages anyone who wishes to wear a mask indoors on these campuses to continue to do so.
 

To register to attend one or more of the Evening Talks in person, please complete this form.

To register to attend one or more of the Star Parties, please complete this form.

Anyone interested in attending the Evening Talks virtually can register using the Zoom links below.

Sept. 28 Evening Talk Zoom link

Oct. 13 Evening Talk Zoom link

Nov 2 Evening Talk Zoom link

Virtual planetarium events

In addition to the Star Parties, Herrmann (or perhaps a special guest presenter) will offer two virtual planetarium events via Zoom this fall. The events are free and open to the public and participants should register in advance to attend.

Fall 2022 virtual planetarium registration links:

Oct. 3 Virtual Planetarium Zoom link

Nov. 14 Virtual Planetarium Zoom link

For more information about Penn State Mont Alto’s Evening Talks and Planetarium events, contact Kim Herrmann, associate professor of physics and astronomy, at ka****@ps*.edu” rel=”noopener”>ka****@ps*.edu.