Penn State Alumni Association Virtual Speaker Sessions
- Dates: Every Tuesday through 5/19/2020
- Time: 11:00am - 11:45am
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Event: |
PSAA Virtual Speaker Session featuring Dr. Jason Whitney: The Role of Collegiate Recovery Programs in Addressing Addictions |
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Date: |
Tuesday, April 28, 2020 |
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Time: |
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM (CT) |
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Event Description: |
In this talk, Jason Whitney will discuss the role of Collegiate Recovery Programs in addressing addictions to alcohol and other substances. He will show how the Penn State Collegiate Recovery Community is making a major difference in the lives of students. The CRC provides a tight-knit community where students gather daily at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center for peer-support seminars. About half the students live in ROAR House — the Penn State’s CRC’s dedicated recovery housing. When properly supported, these students achieve high rates of success in remaining abstinent from alcohol and other drugs (over 90%), and they achieve higher GPAs and graduate at higher rates than is typical at University Park. 150 such programs exist at colleges across the country, and their numbers are growing fast; this movement has the potential to change the entire paradigm of how we address addiction in emerging adult populations. |
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Registration Link: |
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Location: |
Zoom |
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Registration Fee: |
Free |
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Event: |
PSAA Virtual Speaker Session featuring Dr. Nita Bharti: Lighting the Way to Stronger Global Health Systems |
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Date: |
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 |
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Time: |
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM (CT) |
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Event Description: |
Human movement is an important factor in the transmission and prevention of infectious diseases. That’s one of the reasons behavioral interventions are so effective against emerging pathogens, like this novel coronavirus. Different kinds of movement impact pathogen spread and are regulated differently during outbreaks. These movements are also drivers of the transmission dynamics we observe across a number of endemic infectious diseases in the world today. |
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Registration Link: |
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Location: |
Zoom |
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Registration Fee: |
Free |
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Event: |
PSAA Virtual Speaker Session featuring Dr. Vijaykrishnan Narayanan: Third Eye: Assisting the Visually Impaired, Ensuring Social Distance |
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Date: |
Tuesday, May 12, 2020 |
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Time: |
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM (CT) |
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Event Description: |
While our day-to-day lives have changed significantly due to the pandemic, there are some for whom the social distancing practices are even more challenging. Imagine needing the assistance of a store service assistant at a grocery store to guide you to a product. The quality of service varies even in normal times but is really challenging now. My research team has been developing assistive technologies that embed intelligent object recognition and detection to help navigate a person with visual impairment in a grocery store. This talk will highlight the technology being developed as well as how the student researchers continue to push ahead in their effort to assist those in need, in spite of all the social distancing challenges. |
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Registration Link: |
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Location: |
Zoom |
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Registration Fee: |
Free |
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Event: |
PSAA Virtual Speaker Session featuring Dr. Christina Grozinger: Pollinators in Pennsylvania: Our Legacy and Future |
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Date: |
Tuesday, May 19, 2020 |
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Time: |
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM (CT) |
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Event Description: |
Pennsylvania's uniquely diverse cropping system depends on both managed and wild pollinators. Christina Grozinger will discuss the importance of pollinators to our agricultural and natural systems, the surprising diversity of pollinators in Pennsylvania, current threats to pollinator populations, and what we can do to preserve and expand our pollinators for future generations. She will highlight the research, education, extension and outreach programs of Penn State's Center for Pollinator Research, and how these can help you support pollinators in your own backyards. |
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Registration Link: |
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Location: |
Zoom |
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Registration Fee: |
Free |