The Anthropology, Geospatial and Earth Sciences Department had 56 students who presented at the twentieth annual IUP Scholars Forum on April 9, 2025. They gave both oral and poster presentations, and two applied archaeology graduate students participated in the Three-Minute Thesis Competition.
We commend all our students for the hard work they put in on their projects that were presented this spring. They represented the department well in the work they did and how they presented the material. The full program is available, and more information can be found on the IUP Scholars Forum website.
Congratulations to the following students for also bringing home awards from the event.
Three-Minute Thesis Judges Award (sponsored by IUP Research and Innovation)
- Dakota Dickerson, Fetal pig decomposition in Western Pennsylvania: Characterization of burial environment and decomposition processes in a Western Pennsylvania non-human outdoor decomposition facility
Mentor: Andrea Palmiotto
Kopchick College Undergraduate Outstanding Podium Presentation (tie)
- Seth Koch, Roots in the wild: A student’s journey with nature
Mentor: Abigail Adams -
Steven Simonetti, Effects of transit on traffic: A case study of the Metro A bus rapid transit line in Minneapolis, MN
Mentor: Sudeshna Gosh
Kopchick College Graduate Dean’s Award (tie)
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Elena Frye, Reconstructing urban geography: Spatial analysis of Homestead, PA from 1891 to 1901
Mentor: John Benhart -
Emma Kinsinger, From Quarry to village: Lithic resource exploitation in Monongahela cultural tradition Johnston phase sites
Mentor: Lara Homsey-Messer
Kopchick College Graduate Outstanding Poster
- Dakota Dickerson, Fetal pig decomposition in Western PA: Characterization of burial environment and decomposition processes in Western Pennsylvania non-human outdoor decomposition facility
Mentor: Andrea Palmiotto
Women in STEM Undergraduate Poster Award (sponsored by Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics)
- Danica Stroup and Matthew Gaul, Imagery intelligence to track development of Gaza refugee camps
Mentor: Christopher Schaney
Women in STEM Undergraduate Podium Presentation Award (sponsored by Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics)
- Abigail Trimble, Learning from the land: The role of gendered recreation in environmental stewardship and gas well monitoring in Appalachia
Mentor: Amanda Poole