GREENVILLE, Pa.—Thiel College is engaging the western Pennsylvania science community and celebrating high school educators by introducing a series of awards that will be presented during upcoming Office of Admission visit days.
Area high school students are invited to take part in the ceremonies and visit days. The recognition of successful alumni and professionals connects prospective students with the opportunities a Thiel College education can create. As part of the recognition events and visit days, high school students and their families can tour the Rhodehouse Science Building to see the $4.5 million in recently completed renovations, the newly dedicated graduate floor wing for the College’s new master’s degree students in speech-language pathology and physician assistant studies as well as the Haer Family Science and Arts Connector, which brings together students in state-of-the-art science, computer and environmental science labs and collaborative spaces. All together the College has invested $11 million on new and modernized science spaces in the last five years.
The first awards and recognitions are part of the Office of Admission’s Science Major Discovery Day on March 25. The second event is the Celebration of Women in STEM Discovery Day on April 8.
“These events are designed to be a celebration of science and serve as a reminder of the profound impact Thiel College graduates and educators have had on the science, technology, mathematics community,” Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Elizabeth Frombgen, Ph.D. said.
The College will be recognizing a western Pennsylvania science educator with the 2022 Patrick C. Hecking, Ph.D. Science Educator of the Year Award and an alumnus with the Simon Chiu, M.D., Ph.D. ’73 Science Professional of the Year.
The Science Educator of the Year award is named for Thiel College Emeritus Professor of Physics Patrick Hecking, Ph.D., who retired in 2021 after 35 years of teaching at Thiel College.
The Science Professional of the Year award is named for Chiu, who is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuropsychiatry at Western University in London, Ontario. He has dual training in neurosciences (Ph.D.) and medicine (M.D.). He has done work related to Alzheimer’s disease, chronic schizophrenia and ways to restore and boost brain health in COVID-19 syndrome. He is board certified with the Canadian Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in psychiatry and the American Board of Neurology and Psychiatry. He has been active in research on neuro-psychopharmacology of CNS disorders, focusing on novel drug targets for neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders.
On April 8, Thiel College will host a Celebration of Women in STEM Discovery Day. An accomplished woman in the science, technology, engineering or mathematics fields will be recognized with an award named in recognition of Thiel College graduate and former Board of Trustees member Sarah Taylor-Rogers, Ph.D. ’69, H’19. Taylor-Rogers was the first woman to head the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and a giant in the field of conservation according to her obituary in the Baltimore Sun. She passed away in June 2021. She was also the acting director of the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, which is overseen by the University of Maryland. She was appointed the secretary of Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources in 1999—the first woman to hold the position—and served until 2001.
About Thiel College
Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.