By Steve Harmic, Penn State DuBois
UNIVERSITY PARK — Former Penn State DuBois student Rebecca Edwards earned the honor of serving as student marshal for the College of Engineering at Penn State’s fall commencement ceremony on Dec. 22. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering with a minor in watersheds and water resources.
College of Engineering student marshals are selected for their outstanding academic achievement and contributions to engineering student life.
Edwards began her undergraduate work at Penn State DuBois, where she collaborated on research projects and co-authored several published abstracts and a paper with faculty members. She worked as a researcher in glaciology with Penn State DuBois Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Geosciences Byron Parizek during the summers of 2010, 2011 and 2012, and presented her work at both local and international conferences.
“She has never wavered in her focus or commitment to the glacier-modeling projects in which she has been involved,” Parizek recalled of Edwards. “She was an outstanding student in my classes. She quickly set herself apart with her attention to detail, work ethic, and desire to truly understand the techniques and processes that were covered in class. In the summer of 2010, she embarked on NSF and NASA-funded research with me. That experience continued through the summer of 2012. After three years of sharing classroom, research, and travel experiences, it is clear to me that Ms. Edwards possesses those characteristics that are essential for a successful post-graduate career in Environmental Engineering.”
Edwards received numerous awards and scholarships during her undergraduate career, including the Excellence in Water Resources Engineering Award, the Excellence in Mathematics Award, the Helen Fiedler Heckert Scholarship, the Helen Wood Morris Scholarship, the Joseph R. and Mary Reed Scholarship and the Gary and Ralphine Gentzler Trustee Scholarship. She was named to the dean’s list every semester.
Edwards’ extracurricular activities included participation in Engineers Without Borders and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
She is the daughter of Laura and James Edwards of Glen Campbell.
Edwards now plans to pursue a Master’s degree in environmental engineering at Penn State.
