Five faculty members at Penn State Commonwealth Campuses, including Jennifer M. Zosh at Penn State Brandywine, were honored with awards at the end of the spring semester – three given by the University College for research, teaching, and service and two from the Office of the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses in recognition of innovative teaching practices to enhance student learning.
“The University College and the Office of the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses are proud to recognize these outstanding faculty members for their achievements,” said Rick Brazier, dean of University College and senior associate dean for faculty and research. “Each recipient exemplifies excellence, innovation, and dedication, with contributions that enrich our students’ experiences, advance knowledge, and strengthen the communities we serve.”
Professor Zosh, professor of human development and family studies at Penn State Brandywine, received the University College Research Scholar Award.
The award recognizes a significant and sustained contribution of research, scholarship, and/or creative accomplishments accumulated during employment at Penn State, with undergraduate students completed during the three previous academic years, or with a significant impact on the recipient’s academic field of study.
Zosh is the director of the Brandywine Child Development Lab. She studies how infants and young children learn about the world around them.
Her areas of expertise and publication include playful learning, the impact of technology on children, working memory, mathematical cognition, and language acquisition.
In 2015, she was the co-lead author of a publication in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, which explored the use of learning science to design educational apps for children, promoting learning and evaluating an app’s effectiveness.
Other award recipients included:
Pamela Black, professor of criminal justice and social science at Penn State Hazleton, who won a University College Teaching Award.
Kristen Pueschel, associate teaching professor of mathematics at Penn State New Kensington, who won a University College Service Award.
Matthew Rhudy, associate professor of engineering at Penn State Berks, and Autumn Sabo, associate professor of biology at Penn State Beaver, won a Jack P. Royer Active and Collaborative Learning Award.
