2023-24 Graduate Student Orientation

New Graduate Student Orientation

The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences

August 16-17, 2022

This schedule is tentative and subject to change

Wednesday, August 16

Berg Auditorium ⁠— 100 Life Sciences Building

8:00 – 8:45 a.m.

Breakfast for New Students – 1st Floor Life Science Lobby

8:45 – 9:30 a.m.Introductions of new incoming class
  • Dana Coval-Dinant
9:30-9:45 a.m.Welcome and Opening Remarks
  • Peter Hudson - Former Director, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences; Willaman
    Professor of Biology
9:45 - 10:15 a.m.Huck Graduate Student Advisory Committee (HGSAC)
  • Jessica Walnut
  • Avery Sicher
10:15 – 11:00 a.m.Student health insurance overview
  • Heather Klinger
11:00-11:30 a.m.Focus group discussion to gain perspectives from new graduate students on the best content
to reach graduate student audiences
  • Cole Hons, Huck Director of Communications & Marketing
11:30-12:15 a.m.Sexual Misconduct Prevention & Response
  • Dominique Donaho
12:15- 1:15 p.m.Lunch for New Students and Program Chairs (3rd Floor Bridge)
1:15 – 2:15 p.m.Health Promotion and Wellness
  • Blake Colaianne, Assistant Research Professor, Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention
    Research Center (PRC)
2:30 p.m.Group meetings with IGDP Program Chairs


HGSAC will be providing a refreshment hour in the lobby of the Life Sciences Building directly following the IDGP Program Chair meetings.

Thursday, August 17

Berg Auditorium - 100 Life Sciences Building


9:00 – 9:45 a.m.Faculty Panel Discussion
  • Sonia Cavigelli, Chair, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Neuroscience;
    Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health
  • Melissa Rolls, Chair, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Molecular, Cellular and
    Integrative Biosciences; Co-Director of the Center for Cellular Dynamics; Paul Berg
    Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
  • Andrew Patterson, Professor and Huck Chair of Molecular Toxicology; Faculty
    Oversight, Metabolomics Core Facility
9:45 – 10:45 a.m.T-32 Training Grant Opportunities within Huck

  • Donna Korzick, Director of Graduate Training Initiatives; Chair, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Integrative and Biomedical Physiology; Professor of Physiology and Kinesiology
Training grants being discussed:
  • Physiological Adaptations to Stress (PAS)
  • Integrative Analysis of Metabolic Phenotypes (IAMP)
10:45 -11:15 a.m.Q&A with current grad students
  • Savannah Anez (Plant Biology FA 21)
  • Madeline Luthard (Ecology FA 20)
  • Allison Carothers (Physio FA19)
  • Vyankatesh Zambare (Plant Biology FA 21)
  • Beth Tuschhoff (Ecology FA 20)
  • Praveena Prasad (MCIBS FA 22)
11:15-12:00 p.mGraduate Women in Science (GWIS) - 11:15 – 11:30
  • Aashka Atul Shah
Penn State Science Policy Society - 11:30 – 11:45
  • Hanna Leapaldt
Penn State Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) - 11:45 – 12:00
  • Jillian Kerr
12:00-1:00 PMLunch for New Students and Program Chairs (3rd Floor Bridge)

Group Photo and Individual Headshots
1:00 -1:45 p.mGraduate School's Graduate Life & Well-Being Office
  • Jacqueline Jones
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.Dinner - Lederer Park (1101 Univ Drive, State College)
27-minute walk or 5-minute drive from Huck Life Sciences Building