School of STEAM

For the second year in a row, students at Saint Francis University trained and conditioned dogs from the Central PA Humane Society and found them loving families and forever homes. Three different dogs, one goal This year, Saint Francis University welcomed three dogs—Neeko, Jango and Akira—to campus through the help of Central PA Humane Society member and trainer Megan Sanchez. Akira was the youngest, shyest of the three. A puppy with a lot of love to give, Akira was a six-month-old female dog. Neeko was a fun-loving, full-of-energy, three-year-old female dog, and Jango was a very relaxed and

The Environmental Engineering Department at Saint Francis University is pleased to thank Gwin Dobson & Foreman Consulting Engineers of Altoona, Pennsylvania for their generous donation of an Armfield hydraulic flume. The flume is 2.5 meters long (center) and comes with a large hydraulic workbench with pump (right). This flume will be of great teaching and research value in the department. It will provide a tool for courses such as Hydraulics & Hydrology and Fluid Mechanics in addition to student research and real class projects. Standing with the flume are nine of our thirteen Environmental

Graduating with the class of 2015 were two unordinary “students:” Maizie and JoJo. These “students” came to Saint Francis University from the Central PA Humane Society where they had been given up by previous owners. As part of a psychology course on animal behavior, a group of students guided by Dr. Stephen Gilmour, now professor emeritus of psychology, applied classroom theory in training these “hard-to-adopt” dogs. The end goal was simple: prepare both dogs to find a loving, forever home. Work hard, train hard. Four students—Ann Beliles ‘15, Anna Fielding, Nathan Herdman and Meghan Studds

Originally published in the Saint Francis University Magazine, Fall/Winter 2015. Have you ever had bread, cheese, yogurt, sauerkraut, chocolate, pickles, beer or wine? If the answer is yes, then you have tasted fermented foods and beverages. But how much do you know about the person and the process behind the flavor and texture of these types of foods and beverages? Since the beginning of time, humans have harnessed the power of fermentation to produce alcohol as well as preserve and enhance the flavor of food. Nearly one-third of all foods consumed world-wide have been fermented. As a result

Ms. Leah (Christ) Trout Biology Major , Class of 2010 Johnstown, PA Leah's Story Taking care of animals was something that always appealed to Leah (Christ) Trout. Growing up on her parents’ farm the menagerie that surrounded her included goats, cats, cows, pigs, and sheep. She enjoyed caring for all of them. Trout particularly remembers a set of kittens on the farm. They had an eye infection, so Trout would diligently medicate and wipe their infected eyes. She knew her attentiveness was helping the kittens get better. Watching the kittens get well solidified that she wanted to make her life’s

The “Real Housewives of the American Civil War” Meet Harry Olafsen, a history major at Saint Francis University. Harry first developed an interest in the Civil War through childhood trips to the Gettysburg battlefield. Combining his passions for studying war and gender studies, Harry investigated individual women’s lives during the American Civil War in order to make arguments about the “domestic war” within homes. In the antebellum period, the cult of domesticity emerged as an ideology encouraging women to be spiritually pious, domestic, submissive to male authority, and morally pure

Teaching the Second World War Meet Garrett Lucas ’15, a recent Saint Francis University history program alumnus. Garrett knew he wanted to design some kind of senior capstone project that would help him be the best high school history teacher he could be. Having a life-long interest in World War II, he realized that teaching about local community members’ involvement in that war would be a good way to help students connect to the past. For his project, Garrett visited the Cambria County Historical Society in Ebensburg (near Saint Francis University) to learn about and take pictures of guns

The Question of Religious Tolerance Meet Nick Astle, a 2015 graduate of the history program at Saint Francis University. Nick was interested in religious history, and in particular in the question of religious tolerance. Nick’s interest came from his personal commitment to his own faith, as well as current events which include many Americans questioning the tolerance of one particular faith -- Islam. Nick decided to study religious conflict and accommodation in early modern India. He chose this particular history because India was ruled by Muslims for almost a thousand years, but with a

Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering faculty members, Dr. Wang Guochang (front) and Dr. Alireza Shahkarami, demonstrate the new industry software package that is being incorporated into the curriculum. Students in the new Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering program at Saint Francis University are using a well-known industry software package thanks to a generous donation from Schlumberger , the world’s leading supplier of technology solutions in the oil and gas industry. The donation includes a three-year use and maintenance contract totaling more than $58 million in value for 15 licenses of

Fulfilling dreams in politics Meet Andrew Collier, a 2011 graduate of the history and political science programs at Saint Francis University. Andrew studied both history and political science while at Saint Francis and was quite the go-getter. Andrew was the Executive Vice President of the Student Government Association, a Psi Upsilon Fraternity brother, and Best Buddies Midnight Madness Director of Recruitment and Relations. In addition, Andrew completed two internships in Washington, DC, through the Washington Internship Institute. He interned for the National Federation of Federal Employees