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Three students from the Pittsburgh Regional Science & Engineering Fair competed at Intel International Science & Engineering Fair last week. The Intel ISEF, the world’s largest international pre-college science competition, provides an annual forum for more than 1,500 high school students from over 70 countries, regions, and territories to showcase their independent research as they compete for more than $3 million annually. The Intel ISEF is the premier global science competition for students in grades 9–12.

Ryan Maurer, 18, Senior at Frazier High School
Project: Rocket Motor Test System -7000 

Rishi Mirchandani, 16, Sophomore at Fox Chapel Area High School
Project: Superadditivity and Subadditivity in Fair Division

Anishaa Sivakumar,14, Freshman at Franklin Regional High School
Project: Dictyostelium Discoideum- Novel Diagnostic Tool for Lung Cancer using VOCs

From left to right, Anishaa Sivakumar, Rishi Mirchandani, and Ryan Maurer.

Each student won a special award and two placed in their category.  Here are the details:

Anishaa Sivakumar was awarded a Grand Award of $500, an American flag and a framed copy of the first patent granted in the United States of America from the Patent and Trademark Office Society. The PTOS is a membership-based organization for Patent and Trademark professionals and other interested individuals. From its inception in 1917, the Society has been dedicated to the improvement and appreciation of the United States Patent and Trademark Systems through promoting the systems’ growth and well-being, as well as promoting the social and intellectual welfare of the Society members.
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Cedarville University announced the launch of a fully online graduate certificate in bioethics program set to begin this fall.

The graduate certificate provides supplemental training in bioethics to college graduates just starting out or already engaged in professional work or postgraduate training.

At a cost of $536 per credit hour, the certificate program offers busy health care professionals, social workers, counselors and even pastors a more accessible alternative to lengthy and expensive graduate programs. In addition, an academic background in science is not required, making the program feasible for professionals from a variety of industries.

According to Dennis Sullivan, M.D., director of the Cedarville University Center for Bioethics, the program will prepare professionals to navigate a pluralistic marketplace laden with ethical dilemmas.

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La Roche College 50^th Anniversary Gala is tonight at the Wyndham Grand in Downtown  Pittsburgh. The College will establish its Distinguished Alumni Circle with the induction of 50 accomplished alumni who have excelled in their professional and personal lives while living the mission of La Roche College; more than 550 guests will be in attendance.

Below is a partial list of the Distinguished Alumni: (To see the rest, visit www.laroche.edu/gala/recipient.htm)

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Cedarville University’s industrial and innovative design (IID) program will expand its program by increasing learning space, purchasing new equipment, and adding staff for its International Center for Creativity in Columbus. The expansion will begin in May.

When classes finish in May, construction on the ICC will add nearly 1,000 square feet of studio space. The project will also create a dedicated model shop for full scale models of products and structures like retail display systems, home appliances and automobiles. Jim Stevenson, president of the ICC, said the expansion will also provide space for the necessary tools, and students will receive guidance from industry professionals for their projects.

“Many of our pipeline projects will require the ability to do light fabrication work in a 1:1 scale, so when we might be designing a new retail store display system, in-home appliance, or dashboard for a concept vehicle, for example, the shop will give us that room for not only the objects but also for the shop tools we’ll need as well, said Stevenson.”

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New for this fall, the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) is offering a Paramedic program with both certificate and degree options. The program is unique to the region as CCAC is the only institution in Allegheny County offering a Paramedic Associate of Science degree program. The program is one of 25 credit Allied Health programs offered by the college.

Thanks to the generosity of benefactors such as the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the Paramedic program will offer a state-of-the-art science laboratory with equipment for instruction and student hands-on learning—including a new, fully equipped ambulance, simulated interactive human-body models and all of the equipment commonly used by paramedics in the field. The CCAC Paramedic program has received initial accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions.

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Three professional pharmacy students, Jordan Nicholls, Tara Perkins and Ashley Benjamin, were among the 50 students who had the opportunity to represent the seven Ohio pharmacy schools at the Ohio Pharmacists Association’s (OPA) Student Legislative Day. Students were able to learn more about the legislative process and how it impacts pharmacy issues in Ohio through a variety of opportunities at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus.

The students spent the morning with Ernest Boyd, executive director of the OPA, learning about and discussing the legislative process through House Bill 44, a law that would allow pharmacists to dispense medications to individuals during a state of emergency when access to records or prescriptions is difficult or impossible. They also discussed current immunization laws and their impact on underage patients.

With this information base, the three students met Ohio Senate President Keith Faber, and Ohio Representatives Rick Perales and Tim Brown. During the meetings the students shared about their experiences at Cedarville, talked about the new pharmacy program, and the proposed legislation they discussed earlier in the day.

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La Roche College invites prospective students and their families to attend an open house in the Kerr Fitness & Sports Center at the College’s main campus on Saturday, March 23 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Attendees will have the chance to explore the College’s 50 majors, meet with La Roche faculty and learn more about scholarships and financial aid. The open house also will include campus tours and an inside look at the College’s residence halls and apartment-style suites.  A complimentary continental breakfast and lunch are included.

“The open house is the perfect opportunity for anyone who is interested in La Roche to see what the College has to offer in person,” said William H. Firman, vice president for enrollment management and marketing. “La Roche admissions counselors will assist students and their families in making the critical decision of choosing a college by answering questions about our academic and financial aid options.”

To register, visit laroche.edu or call 412-536-1272. For more information, contact admissions@laroche.edu.

Four Trustees Appointed to the Board

Cedarville University has appointed four new members to join its board of trustees. The University now has 27 members on its Board, including the Rev. Don Lough, Warren Jenkins, the Rev. Eric Mounts and the Rev. Mark Vrogop.

Lough currently serves as the executive director of Word of Life Fellowship. He graduated from Cedarville University in 1987 and also has a degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. Lough and his wife, Darla, reside in Schroon Lake, N.Y. They have four children.

Jenkins is an experienced business owner and a 1972 graduate of Cedarville University. He officially joined the Board at the Trustees’ January meeting. He and his wife, Ellie, reside in Purcellville, Va.

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Bethany Sibbitt, a graduate pharmacy student from Danbury, CT, will be traveling to Los Angeles to compete in the national level of the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists’s (APhA-ASP) Patient Counseling Competition, held at the APhA’s annual national meeting. The competition begins March 1.

The road to the national level began with a local competition amongst several Cedarville graduate students. Before the event, students were given the profiles of several potential medications so they could familiarize themselves with important counseling points and prepare for possible patient questions.

On the day of the competition, the contestants received a patient case study and were told which of the medications they were to use in their session. After five minutes of preparation, students were to counsel the patient, answer any questions the patient had about the medication and do so in a professional manner. Counseling sessions were filmed and competitors were graded based on their professional competency as well as their ability to communicate clearly and effectively with the patient.

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Kenneth J. Smith, MD, MS

A new study published online today in the American Journal of Managed Care found that in Medicare Part D, generic drug coverage was cost-saving compared to no coverage in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, while also improving health outcomes.  Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the Pitt Graduate School of Public Health, and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC note that policymakers and insurers should consider generic-only coverage, rather than no gap coverage, to both conserve healthcare resources and improve health.

Medicare Part D offers prescription drug coverage for Medicare beneficiaries and since the program’s inception in 2006, many enrollees have benefitted from improved drug coverage and increased medication use.  However, a major concern is the large coverage gap in the standard Part D design, where beneficiaries pay 100 percent of medication costs out-of-pocket.  About one-third of all Medicare beneficiaries enter this coverage gap each year, and once there, they often reduce medication use, which may lead to increases in hospitalization and medical spending.

“This coverage gap is an even larger concern for Medicare beneficiaries with severe mental disorders such as bipolar and schizophrenia,” said Kenneth J. Smith, M.D., M.S., associate professor of medicine and clinical and translational science at the University of Pittsburgh, and lead author of the study.  “Our cost-effectiveness analysis of Part D plans is an unconventional yet instructive way to inform managed care decision-making.”

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Messiah College has expanded its graduate program offerings to include a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), nurse educator track. This 39-credit, online master’s program can be completed in three to six years depending on whether the student chooses to study full- or part-time. Classes begin in July. There are three options within Messiah’s MSN program.

Degree option, MSN, nurse educator track: Designed for nursing graduates who hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and are seeking to earn a MSN degree to prepare for a nurse educator career.

RN-MSN degree option, nurse educator track: Designed for registered nurses who have earned an associate degree or nursing diploma and wish to earn a Master of Science in Nursing to prepare for a career in nursing education.

Non-degree option, Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Nursing Education: launching in fall 2014, this is a non-degree, 15-credit certificate option designed for registered nurses who already hold an advanced degree in nursing and want to advance their careers as a nurse educator.

More information about each of these MSN options can be found at messiah.edu/MSN.

Messiah College, a private Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences, enrolls over 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Established in 1909, the primary campus is located in Grantham, Pa., near the state capital of Harrisburg. A satellite campus affiliated with Temple University is located in Philadelphia.

Erie County Executive Barry Grossman joins students to promote awareness of the need to take medications properly.

Pharmacy and medical students from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine will be reaching out to the Erie community to promote awareness and understanding of medication adherence.  They are embarking on the Script Your Future Student Pharmacist Adherence Challenge hoping to repeat their 2012 achievement when they ranked among the top five pharmacy schools in the national challenge.

Erie County (Pa.) Executive Barry Grossman presented a proclamation recognizing the important role that student pharmacists play in health care and, most importantly, how the Script Your Future Challenge will demonstrate the significance of diligently following prescription instructions and completing dosages.

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