Latest news with #UPJ
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Researcher from Argentina connects with Johnstown's history, adds to region's culture
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Yamila Audisio is an immigrant from Argentina who has developed a deep appreciation for Johnstown's history. She has studied the Great Flood of 1889 that took the lives of more than 2,200 people. Her exploration of the region's past has led her to the stories of generations of immigrants who came before her. Faces of Immigration logo On a professional level, Audisio contributed to the 'Forging a Nation: Johnstown Iron & Steel' exhibit that was put on permanent display at the Frank & Sylvia Pasquerilla Heritage Discovery Center in 2024. It chronicles the history of the local steel industry from the 1700s through modern times. 'It was wonderful for me to do that research because I was able to connect things that were happening in Johnstown during the 19th century and connect them to the Industrial Revolution,' said Audisio, a Westmont resident who is pursuing a master's degree in history from Slippery Rock University. 'And then, of course, the stories about the flood. Those are impactful. 'This is my nerd in me. What I think about Johnstown historically is it's fascinating how the engineering advancements that happened at that time here were things that allowed the country to expand to the west.' Faces of Immigration | Yamila Audisio Research historian Yamila Audisio, Argentina native, shown here at her home in Johnstown on Monday, March 10, 2025. Audisio lived in Alcira Gigena, a small agricultural town where she and many other residents were descendants of Italian immigrants. So much of the local culture seemed familiar to her when she moved to Cambria County in 2017 with her husband, a Windber resident who spent some time in Argentina. 'I was excited about the adventure of moving elsewhere, and meeting new people and being exposed to different environments and cultures,' Audisio said. 'I was excited. But, at the time, I didn't think about all the other parts that involve moving away to a place that is so, so far away.' UPJ Mountain Cat statue The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Mountain Cat statue sits in an empty courtyard during spring break March 11, 2020, at the campus in Richland Township. Like many local immigrants, education played a role in Audisio's new life in the United States, as she attended the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. 'My experiences were very good at UPJ,' Audisio said. 'UPJ has a faculty and a student community that is very welcoming of immigrants. 'There I was able to meet people from other countries as well, ranging from professors to other students. They were very helpful in navigating the change from one country to the other. I feel like I was sheltered a little bit, and they helped me transition from one place to the other. That was wonderful.' There have been challenges, too, adjusting to the culture. UPJ Book Team Book Team members standing in front of the Jennerstown Mountain Playhouse theater, at left, include (from left) Erin Whyte, Jonathan Van Dermark, Kelsey Chabal, Cameron Carr, Yamila Audisio and Paul Douglas Newman. But she has developed a 'network of support' by being involved in numerous organizations, including The Learning Lamp, Cambria County Library System, the Center for Metal Arts and the former Johnstown Area Heritage Association, now known as Heritage Johnstown. She also has a 'diverse group' of international friends who help each other handle the day-to-day tasks often faced by immigrants. 'Having friends that went through the same process makes a huge difference,' Audisio said. 'I have to say, it was hard to find that group of people. It took many years to connect and be included in these groups. 'Then there is a group of Hispanic people that are my friends. I created a group during the pandemic. Most of them are moms who are here because either their husbands are working here at a school or they're moving around. Some of them don't even speak English, so I think it's very helpful to have people who do speak English and who went through the whole thing.'
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Pitt-Johnstown students showcase research during annual SPACE event
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown students from a variety of disciplines came together Wednesday to share senior projects, creative works, independent study findings and more as part of the annual Symposium for the Promotion of Academic and Creative Enquiry. 'It's like the Super Bowl of research for UPJ,' undergraduate research coordinator Matthew Tracey said. The chemistry professor organizes the annual SPACE event that this year had 80 presentations with between one and five students at each display. The works ranged from food waste solutions and an auto cable wrapper to ways to increase polio vaccinations, a tick repellent, the boundaries of free speech, Pitt-Johnstown's watershed and more. 'This is the culmination of a year of research for some of these students,' Tracey said. That included juniors Sara Bowers and Natalie Lippincott, who presented on their tick repellent BITE (binding to increase tick evasion.) The pair of biology majors, who minor in chemistry, worked with several others to develop and study the concept, including Tracey and associate professor of biology Jill Henning. BITE uses a novel approach to repelling blacklegged ticks – known as deer ticks – by covering the carbon dioxide a person expels through their skin with a hemoglobin agent, Lippincott said. In their tests, the ticks were significantly dispelled using the product, which utilizes aloe vera as a vehicle. 'It's wonderful,' professor Massasati Ahmad Saleh said after talking to the undergraduates. He noted that UPJ has a sizeable amount of wild acreage on campus and students are often not advised to wander in due to tick bite concern. This project could alleviate those worries, he said. Bowers said she's glad to be part of a project that could have an important impact on the local area. Pryce Donovan and his teammates – Ethan Koontz, Spencer Pfarr, Alexzander Toto and Kyle Weiser – were also interested in improving the region with their designs for expanding the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Somerset County. The group of senior civil engineers proposed adding a theater, museum, overlook tower and infinity pool to the Sept. 11, 2001, crash site of United Flight 93. 'It kind of just snowballed after a visit,' Donovan said. The engineering students have worked with the National Park Service to develop their ideas and noted their appreciation for the collaboration on the project. Donovan said the work was well-received at SPACE. Tracey said the symposium isn't solely for students to show off their hard work. It's also a fantastic opportunity to introduce other undergraduates to the program and possibly inspire them to get involved, he said. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual gathering was a sizeable event and is growing again. Tracey said the 80 presentations were nearly too many to fit in Heritage Hall in the Living and Learning Center on campus. His goal for next year is to have 100 displays and move to a larger venue.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pitt-Johnstown plans second Democracy Bowl for regional students to explore democratic process
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Students from around the region will explore the history and founding ideals of the United States April 3 at the second Democracy Bowl hosted by the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. Mark Conlon, UPJ professor and event organizer, said America 250 – the 250th anniversary of the nation – is this year's theme for the event that will further educate and expose students to the democratic process. 'I'm so excited to see the students,' he said. 'The best thing was to see the students excited last year. You could see them grasp the civic and American history knowledge and celebrate their understanding of those concepts.' Roughly 100 students from eight districts in Bedford, Cambria, Somerset and Indiana counties are expected to attend, along with representatives from Fair Districts Pennsylvania; the Bill of Rights Institute; Classrooms Without Borders; the Pennsylvania Council of Social Studies; the Pennsylvania Bar Association; and the Rotary Club. Students will participate in civics trivia competitions in a sixth- through eighth-grade category and a ninth- through 12th-grade category; display America 250-themed civics projects; explore a vendor section; and take campus tours. Additionally, guests will hear opening remarks from Conlon; UPJ professor and Vice President of Academic Affairs Raymond Wrabley; and Pitt-Johnstown President Jem Spectar. This year's keynote speaker is Drew Crompton, a public finance attorney with Harrisburg firm McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC. Conlon said Crompton, who served the state Senate for decades and was a Commonwealth Court judge, is an active speaker whom he expects will be engaging for the students to hear from. The purpose of the bowl is to better engage local youths with the democratic process by providing them an interactive and well-resourced environment to learn in, Conlon said. 'Democracy only continues when the citizenry is active and knowledgeable,' he said. 'It's all hands on deck to help maintain our democratic institutions and to make sure our citizenry and our leaders are making rational decisions in keeping this experiment going.' That's why it's important to organize this type of event, the professor said, because if students are exposed to these ideas and information, the hope is they are motivated to spread that throughout their communities. Greater Johnstown High School civics teacher Christian Wrabley described the bowl as 'a powerful display of democracy in action' and 'proof that the next generation is paying attention and ready to lead.' 'The Democracy Bowl is everything civics education should be,' he said. 'It's engaging, challenging and deeply connected to real-world impact.' Wrabley helped organize the student summit and plans to bring dozens of students to campus for the day – four middle school teams of three, four high school teams of three and about 12 others for the civics fair. 'People often say young people are apathetic and disengaged,' he said. 'Events like the Democracy Bowl provide an opportunity to prove otherwise.' UPJ, Greater Johnstown School District, the Bill of Rights Institute and The Tribune-Democrat sponsor the bowl, which is organized through the university's American Civic Education and Literacy Initiative.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Labor of love': Podcast promotes Pitt-Johnstown alumni and preserves their stories
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The Tuck Shop Podcast is archiving the stories of University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown alumni as a way to share their successes and connect generations, host Matthew Sernell said. "Out of every UPJ alum, every single person has a story," the Pitt-Johnstown instructor said. The idea for a university-based podcast came from Sernell's involvement in Pitt-Johnstown events at which he was exposed to interesting stories of alumni across generations. That got him thinking about preserving tales of campus experiences, internships and jobs after graduation. Sernell is a proud Pitt-Johnstown alumnus who serves as co-president of the university's Alumni Association Board and is passionate about giving back to the campus that shaped him, he said. He said the podcast isn't a marketing initiative or a university product, but a way for him to "give back time and talent" to his alma mater. He said that the endeavor is "a labor of love." "It's legitimately an alumni who said, 'I want to do something to promote my alma mater,'" Sernell said. "This is a way I can ... tell cool stories, find neat people and kind of promote that out." David Janusek, Pitt-Johnstown's director of alumni engagement and giving, described the show as a "powerful tool in engagement in this day and age." He assists Sernell from time to time with recommendations for guests and sometimes co-hosts the podcast. "It's really helping to draw that spotlight back to our alum to say, 'Look at what this alum has accomplished,' " Janusek said. To date, The Tuck Shop Podcast – named for a student gathering spot that connects multiple classes – has premiered 46 episodes, starting in October 2023, and has reached 17 countries, 27 states and Washington, D.C. The episodes are released every Wednesday during the academic year, and they run anywhere from 20 minutes to 35 minutes in length. They feature graduates who worked on the Apollo program, professors, certified public accountants, administrators and live shows at school events. One memorable episode featured the late Pat Pecora, Pitt-Johnstown's legendary wrestling coach, talking about his early days on campus and about recruiting team members at the cafeteria because there wasn't a budget for that work at the time. Janusek noted the importance of preserving these type of stories to share with past, current and future students. That's highlighted by the Pecora interview since Pecora's death in September, he noted. "A podcast is a living first-person narrative," he said. "We are a society of storytelling." There's also a new chance for alumni to connect with each other after listening to The Tuck Shop. Janusek views that as a key benefit for the show, which he describes as continuing the bond of Pitt-Johnstown graduates. Since the launch, Sernell said the podcast has been embraced by the Pitt-Johnstown community – a fact he said "is really cool." The Tuck Shop Podcast can be found on Podbean and a variety of other platforms. For more information, visit
