Experts

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Looking for a speaker for your class on a specific subject? Check out the list of faculty and subject matter that is available. Reach out to the specific professor to arrange a time to discuss your needs. You will work with the professor on time, location, and subject matter—and if the scheduled speaking engagement will be in-person or over zoom.

Experts and subject matter

Biology

Katrina Porter is an associate teaching professor of Biology. She researches Hypothalamic Neurons in the Regulation of Reproduction in Ewes.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topics: Biology; Anatomy; Physiology

Corporate Communication

Melissa Robinson is an assistant teaching professor of Corporate Communication. She researches Health and Mass Communication.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topics: Mass Media and Social Media; Crisis Communication; Employee Communication; Persuasion 

Criminal Justice

LaVarr McBride is an associate teaching professor of Criminal Justice. He has responded to schools throughout the country in the aftermath of a mass shooting and has helped schools understand the precursor behavior of a school shooter and helping schools develop threat management teams.

He also has worked on high profile death penalty and sexual assault cases nationally with crime victims as a consultant. He researches The Impact of Restorative Justice on our Criminal Justice System. He has published two books, “Through the Eyes of a Convict.” And “Standing in the Dark: Hope and struggles for victims of violent crime.”
Contact Information: [email protected]
Phone: 724-430-4240
Topic: Criminal Justice

Engineering

Gerald Angle is an assistant teaching professor of Engineering. His primary areas of interest are Aerodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Machine Design, and more.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topic: A Variety of Engineering Concepts

Nathaniel Bohna is an associate teaching professor of Engineering. His areas of expertise include 3D Modeling, 3D Printing with Additive Manufacturing, Engineering Mechanics (statics, dynamics, strength of materials), more.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topics: 3D Printing; 3D Modeling

Andrzej Gapinski is a professor of Engineering. He researches Information Technology with Computer Networks, System Modeling, and more.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topics: Computer Networks; Cyber-security; Industrial Process Control/Automation

Rasoul Milasi is an assistant professor of Electrical Engineering. He researches Adaptive and Nonlinear Control Systems, High-Frequency Power Electronics, and more.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topic: An Overview of Electrical Engineering

Health and Wellness

Stephen Oberly III is a kinesiology instructor and athletic director at Penn State Fayette. He researches Biomechanics, The Sociological Impact of Health and Wellness, and more
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topic: The Student Athlete Experience

Human Development and Family Studies

Elaine Barry is an associate professor of Human Development and Family Studies. She researches The Development of Explicit and Implicit Memory in Children, Co-Sleeping and Infant Development, and more.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topics: Studying Adolescents; Child Development; Working with People

Jo Ann Jankoski is an associate professor of Human Development and Family Studies. She researches, Diversity, Trauma, Rural Poverty and Homelessness, and more.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topics: Staying Safe in a Digital World; Awareness of Human Trafficking

Humanities

Lindsey Simon-Jones is an associate professor of English. She researches Medieval Literature.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topics: Humanities: The Quest; Shakespeare; Medieval and Tudor Drama; Freshman Writing

Ginett Pineda is an assistant professor of Spanish. She researches Indigenous Epistemologies on the “Mother Earth” and the Cultural Significance of the Andean People’s Affective Relationship to Native Landscapes and Nature.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topics: Humanities; Latin American History

Information Services and Technology

Joseph Friend is an IT specialist at Penn State Fayette. He has experience as an IT Technician and Instructor.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topics: IT; Networking; 3D Printing; Laser Cutting and Engraving

Nursing

Wendy Edgar is an instructor in the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing. She has great experience with Critical Care, Emergency and Urgent Care, with a focus on Pediatric Urgent Care.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topics: Nursing; Healthcare Related Subjects

Melissa Miner is an associate teaching professor of the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing in addition to being the Penn State Fayette Campus Coordinator for Nursing. She researches Adult Medical-Surgical Disorders/Chronic Illnesses, Innovative Curriculum Delivery Techniques, and more.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topics: Nursing; Health; Wellness

Valerie Vanderhoff is an assistant teaching professor of the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing. She researches Effective Communication Techniques, Complimentary Medicine Applications, and more.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topics: Health; Biology

Outreach

Melissa Andrews is the education program coordinator in Penn State Fayette’s Office of Outreach and Continuing Education.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topics: Continuing Education; Non-Credit Classes

Heather Page is the student engagement and outreach librarian in Penn State Fayette’s Library.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topic: Libraries

Physical Therapist Assistant

Pamela Pologruto is an associate teaching professor and the academic coordinator of Clinical Education.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topics: Allied Health Science; Physical Therapy

Stacy Sekely is an associate teaching professor and Physical Therapist Assistant program coordinator.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topics: Healthcare Careers; Exercise Science; Disease Prevention

Physics

Andy Royston is an assistant professor of Physics. He researches Quantum Field Theory, String Theory, and more.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Topic: Undergraduate Research Encounters with Fundamental Physics