First Session (Pick one)

Time: 10 a.m.
Name of Topic: Do You Think You Can Predict Weather
Presenter’s Name: Lt. Col Mark Kaster, USAF Ret.,
Presenter’s Title: Lecturer, Earth & Environmental Science/Veterans Counselor

Have you ever wondered:

- Why meteorology?

- What is meteorology?

- What do meteorologists do?

- What tools do meteorologists use?

- Where do meteorologists work?

- The process of weather forecasting?

- Why is your local weather TV personality sometimes wrong?

Weather impacts our lives 24/7/365. The success and failure of nations, businesses, military operations, etc. often hinges on the weather. If you have ever asked these questions or love to learn more about the weather, you owe it to yourself to attend this seminar. Don’t be left out in the cold!

Time: 10 a.m.
Name of Topic: A Conversation with the Leadership of Wilkes

Wilkes University Leaders will speak candidly about the Wilkes experience and what you should expect from campus leadership. Learn about Wilkes’ plans for the future, see all that we have celebrated recently, and find out what it means to Be Colonel in every role at the university.

Time: 10 a.m.
Name of Topic: Oh The Places You’ll Go!
Presenter’s Name: Jacqueline Stewart MSN, RN, CEN, CCRN, FAEN
Presenter’s Title: Assistant Professor of Nursing

Even Dr. Seuss could not have imagined the endless number and variety of opportunities awaiting tomorrow’s baccalaureate graduate nurse. Do you picture yourself working in a large medical center or a small rural clinic?, In the mountains or by the beach? In a hospital or in a helicopter?, Welcoming a new life in the delivery room, or helping save one in the ICU? Nursing isn’t an easy profession, but it is a rewarding one. It’s not too early to start thinking so if you “dare to care”, join us for this discussion. All you need to bring is a desire to make a difference.

Time: 10 a.m.
Name of Topic: Making sense of antisense: genomics research at Wilkes
Presenter’s Name: Dr. William Terzaghi
Presenter’s Title: Professor, Biology

A number of Wilkes undergraduates are conducting research in gene regulation and genomics. One group is studying why so many plant genes are copied in both the sense and antisense directions. In the presentation we will describe some of the ongoing research, and we will also get some hands-on experience at DNA extraction and analysis by gel electrophoresis.

Time: 10 a.m.
Name of topic: Study Abroad & Global Education at Wilkes.
Presenter’s Name: Dr. Godlove Fonjweng
Presenter’s Title: Director of Global Education

As the world becomes increasingly interdependent there is the need for institutions of higher learning to prepare their graduates to handle tasks that are becoming increasingly global in nature (commerce, environmental degradation, spread of disease, climate change, and issues of war & peace). This presentation aims to articulate the value of study abroad to Wilkes’ education mission and to present various study abroad options available to Wilkes students.

Time: 10 a.m.
Name of Topic: How to Fix a Broken Heart
Presenter’s Name: Dr. Judy Kristeller, PharmD, BCPS
Presenter’s Title: Associate Professor, Pharmacy Practice

This talk will cover the basics of how lives are saved before and after heart attacks. Procedures such as balloon angioplasty, cardiac stenting, and coronary-artery bypass grafts (open-heart surgery) will be explained. Lifestyle changes and medications that can prevent a heart attack from occurring will also be discussed.

Time: 10 a.m.
Name Of Topic: The Directing Process
Presenter’s Name: Mr. Joseph Dawson and Ms. Naomi Baker
Presenter’s Title: Chair of the Performing Arts Division and Assistant Professor, Performing Arts

Here's your backstage pass to the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts. The faculty in charge of putting together all of Wilkes University's theatre productions will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the Edward Darling Jr. Theater and the directing process from how to direct an actor to what impact direction has on a production.  

Time: 10 a.m.
Name of Topic: To Vote or Not to Vote…
Presenter’s Name: Dr. Tom Baldino
Presenter’s Title: Professor, Political Science

In this presentation, we will review who votes in US elections and who doesn’t, as well as the reasons people give for their decision to vote or not vote. We will also consider whether voting is a rational act, and the ultimate question: What if we held an election and no one voted?

Time: 10 a.m.
Name of Topic: Stress Makes Me Sick
Presenter’s Name: Dr. Carl Charnetski
Presenter’s Title: Professor, Psychology

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed and uttered the phrase, “I’m sick and tired,” you weren’t kidding. Dr. Charnetski will show you how stress has an adverse effect on your immune system, which can cause you to get sick when you’re under the gun. All you “night owls may have heard Dr. Charnetski’s research featured in two of Jay Leno’s monologues, and “early risers” may have seen him on Good Morning America.

Time: 10 a.m.
Name of Topic: "Behind Television Special Effects"
Presenter’s Name: Dr. Mark Stine
Presenter’s Title: Chairperson and Associate Professor, Communication Studies

This session will examine television special effects through an interactive, participative experience. You will have the opportunity to learn about chroma-key technology and its uses throughout the television, video and film industries. The use of this technology spans from your local news affiliate to major films like "Titanic" and "Forrest Gump." See how our eyes can be fooled into believing in what actually doesn't exist.

Time: 10 a.m.
Name of Topic: Student Panel
Presenters: Campus Leaders

Come and ask questions of current students. What is student life like? Are you happy with the food services? Do you have enough room in the dorms? What are the classes like? These are only a few of the questions that can be answered by our panel.

Time: 10 a.m.
Name of Topic: The Entrepreneurial Process – Creating Tomorrow
Presenter’s Name: Dr. Jeffrey Alves
Presenter’s Title: Dean - Sidhu School of Business and Leadership

Is entrepreneurship just about starting a business, the fuel that feeds our economic growth? Or is it a contagious passion? Join a brief, but hopefully tantalizing discussion on the entrepreneurial process and why it is so relevant and critical to our future.

Time: 10 a.m.
Name of Topic: “So You Want to be an Engineer”
Presenter’s Name: Dr. David Carey
Presenter’s Title: Adjunct Professor, Electrical Engineering

The session will cover what you need to know to be successful in a 4 year engineering program. It will cover the following topics:

• What do you need to know before you come to school?
• How do you talk to your engineering faculty?
• What is expected of you from your faculty?
• What type of computer and software do you need?
• What career opportunities come from an engineering program?
• and much more...
   

Time: 10 a.m.
Name of Topic: Sharks: Maligned, Misunderstood and Magnificent
Presenter’s Name: Dr. Mike Case
Presenter’s Title: Professor, Earth and Environmental Sciences/Biology

Dr. Mike Case of the Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences will explore the current environmental biology of sharks. Sharks are keystone predators in the marine ecosystem. Current fishing and by-catch practices may threaten not only the biodiversity of sharks but also the supply of marine fish for the human population. Join us for a fascinating glimpse at shark reproductive biology and an examination of ways that humans can reduce their impacts on this important group of marine animals.

Time: 10 a.m.
Name of Topic: Toying with Composition: Self-articulation in Play and Writing
Name of Presenter: Dr. Chad Stanley
Presenter's Title: Associate Professor, English

Early on, young women and men practice ways of thinking, moving, and acting in their experiences with toys, games, and play. This session will demonstrate the ways Wilkes University ENG 101: Composition students have critically articulated their views regarding how toys, games, and play shape different identities. Additionally, we will examine a few popular toys during this session, and discuss how they rehearse ways of thinking, moving, and being.

Time: 10 a.m.
Name of Topic: Ready to Enter the Accounting Profession?
Presenter’s Name: Ms. Cynthia Chisarick
Presenter’s Title: Associate Professor of Accounting

In the latest survey of job outlooks for college graduates, accounting is ranked as one of the top degrees in demand. Learn about the diversity of career opportunities and how our accounting students are preparing for their futures.

Time: 10 a.m.
Name of Topic: How Are You Smart?
Presenter’s Names: Dr. Robert S. and Dr. Judith A. Gardner
Presenter’s Titles: Professor of Education and Adjunct Professor of Education

Is intelligence a single factor, are there multiple intelligences, or how about emotional intelligence? In this workshop, the Gardners will guide you through some of the research by Howard Gardner, Daniel Goleman, and others on what it means to be smart or to have a high I.Q.

Time: 10 a.m.
Name of Topic: Financial Aid: Questions and Answers

Members of the Financial Aid and Admissions staff will be available for private appointments with families to answer financial aid questions.
 

---

Second Session (Pick one)

Time: 11 a.m.
Name of Topic: “Special Effects: Making Reality after the Shooting is Finished"
Presenter’s Name: Mr. Eric Ruggiero
Presenter’s Title: Associate Professor of Integrative Media, Chair of Integrative Media and Art

This session will explore the post-production phase of the Visual F/X industry. See what happens after the Shooting is done incorporating green-screen/background plates, the technology and techniques. See why the visual f/x blockbuster needs a multi-million dollar budget.

Time: 11 a.m.
Name of Topic: The Evolution of Infectious Disease
Presenter’s Name: Mr. Kenneth Pidcock
Presenter’s Title: Associate Professor, Chair, Biology

You can’t always get what you want, but you always get what you select. Over the past several decades, medical practice, in treating bacterial infectious disease has selected antibacterial drug-resistant lineages. This session introduces the major groups of these so-called “superbugs”, presenting their emergence as an evolutionary process, and discussing management strategies. Lecture and laboratory demonstration.

Time: 11 a.m.
Name of Topic: Academic Make-Over: from Surviving to Thriving!
Presenter’s Name: Ms. Blake Mackesy & Ms. Katy Betnar
Presenter’s Title: Director and Learning Specialist, University College

Do you think you may need an academic make-over? The transition to college-level academic work challenges even the strongest high school student. In order to succeed and thrive, you may need an Academic Make-Over! Come to this session to learn about the academic differences between high school and college and how to improve your study strategies to meet the challenges ahead. Participants will learn about the essential study skills for college success, including time management, organization, taking and using notes effectively, and other “must haves” for success

Time: 11 p.m.
Name of Topic: History, past, present and future: Restoration London as the model for William Penn’s Philadelphia
Presenter’s Name: Dr. John Hepp
Presenter’s Title: Associate Professor, History

How does the past influence the present? How do current concerns affect how we view history? These are two of the questions that frame how John Hepp will explore urban history in this presentation.

William Penn’s Philadelphia has long been recognized as a model of early urban planning in America. Scholars have found elements of the civic plan devised by Penn’s surveyor general

Thomas Holme in cities and towns throughout what is now the United States. Few, however, have considered the roots of this plan in post Great Fire London. How and why these links have largely been forgotten is as fascinating as the initial narrative and both stories will be considered in this presentation.

Time: 11 a.m.
Name of Topic: "The Simpsons, the Three Stooges, and the U.S. Supreme Court"
Presenter’s Name: Dr. Kyle Kreider
Presenter’s Title: Associate Professor of Political Science/ Pre-Law Advisor

Why is it that a majority of Americans can rattle off the names of the three stooges and characters on "The Simpsons" but are unable to even mention one Supreme Court justice? Find out why Americans know little about the Supreme Court, whether we can change this unfortunate fact, and what the lack of knowledge of the Supreme Court means for U.S. democracy.

Time: 11 a.m.
Name of Topic: "Living it up. What's it like to live on campus?"
Presenter’s Name: Ms. Liz Swantek
Presenter’s Title: Director of Residence Life

Wilkes University offers a variety of housing options for our residential student population, ranging from traditional halls to apartments to mansions. What does each type of housing offer? What type of safety features does each hall have? Which type of building is best for you? Come find out the answers to all your housing questions.

Time: 11 a.m.
Name of Topic: Lotions and Potions: The Art of Pharmaceutical Compounding
Presenter’s Name: Dr. Harvey Jacobs
Presenter’s Title: Assistant Dean, School of Pharmacy

Dr. Jacobs’ workshop gives new meaning to the phrase “ hands-on” experience. You’ll learn how some common chemical principles can be applied to make lotions, creams, and ointments. All hands on deck!

Time: 11 a.m.
Name of Topic: Music at Wilkes
Presenter's Name:  Dr. Steven Thomas
Presenter's Title: Associate Professor and Coordinator of Music

An overview of the opportunities for music study and performance that are available to all majors at the University. The session will also feature a performance by the Wilkes University Chamber Singers.

Time: 11 a.m.
Name of Topic: A Leadership Moment
Presenter's Name: Dr. Matthew Sowcik
Presenter's Title: Assistant Professor and Director of Leadership Programs, Sidhu School of Business and Leadership

Leadership development is made up of different moments, in which one can choose to practice leadership or not. This class looks at leadership, leadership development, and the idea of a leadership moment. If you have any interest in leading or were ever thinking about becoming a leader, this class can help you develop skills and competencies that will grow both your personal and professional life.

Time: 11 a.m.
Name of Topic: A Guide to College for First Time Parents
Presenter’s Name: Mr. Michael J. Fox
Presenter’s Title: Associate Director of Admissions

While it’s your child who is entering college this fall, your life is in for big changes, too. This presentation will help YOU during this transition…learn how to navigate your way through Wilkes, what you can find out and what you are not able to find out, who or what FERPA is, and how to help your child be successful in this first step toward their future.

Time: 11 a.m.
Name of Topic: So You Want to be a Nurse?
Presenter’s Name: Dr. Susan Malkemes DNP, CCRN
Presenter’s Title: Associate Professor, Nursing

Being a nurse requires paying attention to many details in order to attain good patient outcomes. Beginning to think like a nurse to “Connect The Dots” in patient care will be discussed.

Time: 11 a.m.
Name of Topic: Seeing is Deceiving: A Look at Eyewitness Memory
Presenter’s Name: Dr. Deborah R. Tindell
Presenter’s Title: Associate Professor , Psychology

Many court cases rest heavily (if not exclusively) on eyewitness memory. It is estimated that thousands of people each year are wrongly convicted based on faulty eyewitness accounts. This lecture will examine eyewitness memory from a cognitive psychology perspective. We will examine how police procedures can influence eyewitness memory, whether confidence is related to accuracy, and other factors that influence a witness' recollection.

Time: 11 a.m.
Name of Topic: Robotics
Presenter’s Name: Dr. Xiaoli Zhang
Presenter’s Title: Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Dr. Zhang will present robotics, controls and simulation using a variety of software packages from MATLAB, LABVIEW and C++. The field of robotics, computer science and engineering come together to create machines that can perform tasks usually reserved for humans. The goal of this design-oriented lab is to introduce students to the variety of mechanical, electrical and modeling issues raised by the design and construction of simple robotic arms giving them a foundation in real-world engineering that will be increasingly important in the highly technical 21st Century. Dr. Zhang will demonstrate some of our students’ engineering designs and projects. ( Battlebots , Robotics arms, Simulation software and more.)

Time: 11 a.m.
Name of Topic: Promoting Health with the Use of Animal-Assisted Therapy Interventions
Presenter’s Name: Dr. Cherie Ann Soprano, MS, RN, PMHNP-BC, LNC
Presenter’s Title: Associate Professor, Nursing

If you love animals and are interested in how animals promote wellness, come and meet Kibbles, my therapy dog. The human-animal bond offers unique opportunities to provide low-risk, cost-effective interventions that meet many of the needs of patients. There is an accumulation of research evidence to illustrate the many health, social, and emotional therapeutic effects provided by animals. Florence Nightingale (1859) understood the value of pets in therapy. She wrote: ‘A small pet is often an excellent companion for the sick.’ Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a goal-directed intervention in which an animal meets specific criteria in an integral part of the treatment process. You will feel better after leaving the session.

Time: 11 a.m.
Name of Topic: Lessons Learned: Successfully Navigating Your College Experience
Presenter’s Name: Dr. Erin McHenry-Sorber and Dr. Kathleen Provinzano
Presenter’s Title: Assistant Professors, Education Department

This session focuses on the transitional issues that most first-year college students experience. Topics include navigating academic challenges, getting involved in the campus community, balancing school, work, and extra-curricular activities, and successfully immersing yourself in the Wilkes experience whether a resident or commuter student.

Time: 11 a.m.
Name of Topic: Financial Aid: Questions and Answers

Members of the Financial Aid and Admissions staff will be available for private appointments with families to answer financial aid questions.
 

---

 Third Session (Pick one)

Time: 12 p.m.
Name of Topic: Chemical contaminants in food: Is anything safe to eat anymore?
Presenter’s Name: Dr. William Biggers
Presenter’s Title: Associate Professor, Biology

Chemical pollutants seem to be appearing in almost everything these days, such as: the degreaser trichloroethylene that has been found in suburban wells, flame retardants, and plasticizers that have been found in almost everyone's blood, and mercury and PCBs that have shown up in salmon and tuna. In recent research Dr. Biggers has detected the presence of chemical antioxidants used in the rubber and petroleum industry in the blood of lobsters. These chemicals are bioactive and are endocrine disruptors.

Time: 12 p.m.
Name of Topic: Air Force ROTC Opportunities and Benefits
Presenter’s Name: Lt. Marc Honrath
Presenter’s Title: Unit Admissions Officer, Air Force ROTC Det 752

Wilkes University hosts a program that may give you money for college and a guaranteed job after graduation. Interested? Lt. Honrath will give a presentation explaining the many career opportunities and benefits available to you in the Air Force. He’ll also outline scholarship programs, stipends, and practical leadership training that the ROTC program at Wilkes offers you.

Time: 12 p.m.
Name of Topic: Changing Your Life by Changing Your Mind
Presenter’s Name: Dr. Edward Schicatano
Presenter’s Title: Associate Professor, Psychology

What is the difference that makes a difference in people’s lives? Why are some people happier or more successful than others? The answer is often in how one controls their mindset and emotions. The strategies necessary to produce these changes are simpler than most people realize. In this talk, Dr. Schicatano will give you tools and techniques for improving your life.

Time: 12 p.m.
Name of Topic: Is Wall Street a dead-end street?
Presenter’s Name: Mr. Ted Engel
Presenter’s Title: Associate Professor/Chair, Sidhu School of Business and Leadership

An examination of recent trends and events in the finance industry that are dramatically changing the way Wall Street functions. An analysis of the major trends and events in the investment industry relating to such topics as (1) scandals and mismanagement, (2) automation, (3) consolidation, (4) internationalization, and (5) regulation. Focus will be upon the real estate bubble and resultant market crash, as well as recent and proposed bailout plans.

Time: 12 p.m.
Name of Topic: Laboratory: Introduction to Digital Logic
Presenter’s Name: Dr. John Gilmer
Presenter’s Title: Professor, Electrical Engineering

This session will introduce students to digital logic by seeing logic "gates" operate in the laboratory. Students will connect the gates that perform "invert," "and," and "or" functions to logical "0" or "1" and will see what they do. We will then connect two inverters to form a simple one bit memory cell, capable of storing a single "0" or "1."

Millions to billions of such cells form a computer's memory. Three inverters form an "oscillator" with zeros and ones chasing each other to give a waveform of pulses. These are the basic building blocks on which digital technology rests. More complex functions such as arithmetic, coding messages, and computation are made up of these basic functions.

Time: 12 p.m.
Name of Topic: “Getting Rid of that Pipe”
Presenter’s Name: Dr. Marleen Troy
Presenter’s Title: Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences

Waste materials (liquid, solid, and/or gaseous) are typically generated during the manufacturing of any product. In addition to environmental problems, these wastes represent significant losses of valuable materials and energy from the production process and require a substantial investment in pollution control. Traditionally, pollution control focused on "end-of-the-pipe" technologies. This presentation will present an overview of an important current application of environmental engineering, sustainability, and will discuss current strategies and techniques to “get rid of that pipe.”

Time: 12 p.m.
Name of Topic: Over-the-Counter Drugs; From Aspirin to Zinc
Presenter’s Name: Dr. Arthur Kibbe
Presenter’s Title: Chair/Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences

Has this ever happened to you? You’re sick. You want the headache, stuffiness, aches and pains to go away. You run to the store for something to make you feel better, only to find that once you get there, you’re faced with a sea of confusing choices. He’ll tell you what most commonly used over-the-counter medications and topical creams are best to treat certain symptoms and what ones might not be good for you.

Time: 12 p.m.
Name of Topic: Mass Media and Everyday Life
Presenter’s Name: Dr. Evene Estwick
Presenter’s Title: Associate Professor, Communication Studies

Today’s adults spend more than half their waking lives with the media – more time than they spend sleeping. Books, newspapers, magazines, radio, television, music and the internet are everywhere you are, and influence the way you eat, talk, work, study and relax. This discussion will facilitate a clearer understanding of the relationship between people’s everyday activities, traditional and new media and communication technologies.

Time: 12 p.m.
Name of Topic: Engineering in the Professional World: Creativity with Constraints!
Presenter’s Name: Mr. Robert R. Taylor
Presenter’s Title: Instructor of Physics & Engineering

You are about to enter the world of “Engineering” You probably have the “knack” to understand how things work, to fix things that do not, to create things that do not exist. The next few years will offer opportunities to learn engineering design and analysis techniques. After all the sleepless nights in college solving seemingly unsolvable problems---and there will be a few---, an engineering student will look to enter the technical workplace. What should you as a new graduate engineer to find? What are those enterprises like and what are they looking for? How will you fit in? And most importantly, what can you expect to be doing? This lecture offers a view of the engineering world from the vantage point of a hiring engineering director. A description of notional enterprises with careers from design to invention and working environments from “free-lance” to constrained is presented. After all, where else can one be a part of the excitement of creating products and processes and have fun with equipment that someone else is paying for!.

Time: 12 p.m.
Topic: How to do better research to impress faculty and get better grades
Presenter: Mr. John Stachacz
Presenter’s Title: Dean of Library Services

Dean of Library Services John Stachacz will show you ways to find the type of information that College and University faculty expect you to use when writing research papers. He will demonstrate a variety of resources, beyond Google, for you to use that will impress the faculty and enable you to achieve better grades.

Time: 12 p.m.
Name of Topic: Fitness & Wellness: More than the Basics
Presenter’s Name: Mr. Keith Klahold
Presenter’s Title: Coordinator, Fitness Center/Athletics

Are you training properly? Most students wouldn’t study advanced calculus for their philosophy mid term, so why would you train to run 5 miles for a stop and go sport? The answer: you weren’t taught to train properly. This discussion will elaborate on how fiber types, energy systems, stretching and nutrition affect performance.

Time: 12 p.m.
Name of Topic: S.O.S. Study. Organize. Succeed (& Survive)!
Presenter’s Name: Dr. Mary I. Kropiewnicki
Presenter’s Title: Associate Professor of Education

This session will focus on what it takes to succeed and survive in your transition to college academic life. Study tips, campus resources, and strategies to manage time and organize your course assignments will be discussed--including how to use online and electronic resources available at your fingertips! This session will be interactive so you can ask questions and share ideas with other future Wilkes students.

Time: 12 p.m.
Name of Topic: “The Application of Markov Chain”.
Presenter’s Name: Dr. D. Fanhui Kong
Presenter’s Title: Associate Professor of Mathematics

The sudden-death overtime rule in football games is that the first team to score in overtime wins the game. The first-to-six rule is that the first team to score six points in overtime wins the game. Markov Chain is applied to compare the two rules in football games: the sudden-death overtime rule and the first–to-six rule.

Time: 12 p.m.
Name of Topic: “Major Decision Time--Choosing & Thriving in a Major”
Presenter’s Name: Ms. Carol Bosack
Presenter’s Title: Director, Career Services

Explore how your values, interests and skills relate to choosing an appropriate major and your career decision-making.

Time: 12 p.m.
Name of Topic: Financial Aid: Questions and Answers

Members of the Financial Aid and Admissions staff will be available for private appointments with families to answer financial aid questions.
 

---

Time: 1:30 p.m.
Name of Topic: Biology/Health Science Presentation

Learn about research being done at Wilkes from students and professors.

---

Time: 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Lunch and Information Fair

• Advising and Academic Support
• Athletics
• Bookstore
• Center for Global Education and Diversity
• Cooperative Education/Internships
• Community Service
• Dining Services
• Intramurals
• Leadership Programs
• Public Safety
• Residence Life
• ROTC (Air Force and Army)
• Student Organization
   

---

(Remember - VIP Day is for ACCEPTED seniors only!)

---

• LODGING INFORMATION:
  For V.I.P Day lodging information, click here.
  
• Local Hotel Information
  
• Directions to Wilkes University
• Campus Map

---