Lackawanna College Culinary Students Open “MISFITS” Lackawanna College is thrilled to announce the return of its holiday pop-up event, Misfits, a festive and inclusive experience set to open in downtown Scranton at 409 on Adams, the College’s student-run restaurant. This event will run from November 13th through December 21st, and invites guests to embrace the holiday spirit in an unconventional way – where everyone is welcome and being different is celebrated. Following the success of last year’s inaugural season, which saw over 7,000 guests, Misfits is set to be bigger and better in 2024. The theme of the event is inspired by the heartwarming story of Charlie, a kindhearted but misunderstood soul who inherits an old boarding house. Inside, the rooms are filled with unique characters and festive tales that bring a fresh perspective to the holiday season. Attendees are encouraged to come, find their tribe, and celebrate the holidays with a twist. “Misfits is about creating a space where everyone can come as they are and be part of something special,” said [Name], [Title] at Lackawanna College. “It’s a unique celebration that brings together our community, our students, and everyone who supports the College and its mission. Last year was a huge success, and we look forward to welcoming even more guests in 2024.” A Meaningful ImpactBeyond being a fun and festive experience, Misfits plays a vital role in supporting the mission of Lackawanna College and empowering its students. All proceeds from the event help fund initiatives that provide tangible support for the College’s diverse student body, including: Loaner Laptops for Students – Providing 130 students with the necessary tools to succeed in their education by loaning out laptops to help bridge the digital divide. Fighting Food Insecurity – Through programs like The Common Kitchen, Lackawanna College combats food insecurity among students by offering nutritious food staples, culinary training, and access to a community-driven food bank. Student Leadership Opportunities – Scholarships and workforce training opportunities are provided to upperclassmen who take on leadership roles within the College, preparing them for real-world success. Nourishing Neighbors – In partnership with the Scranton Counseling Center, Lackawanna College has provided over 2,300 meals to local families in need, supported by over 100 hours of student and faculty volunteer time. “We’re not just celebrating the season – we’re supporting our students and our community,” added [Name]. “By attending Misfits, you are helping to make these programs possible, and together, we can continue to create opportunities for those who need it most.” Become a SponsorLackawanna College is actively seeking sponsors for the 2024 Misfits season. Sponsorships not only provide visibility and recognition within the community but also directly support the College’s mission to empower students and give back to the Scranton area. For more information about becoming a sponsor, or to inquire about event details, please contact [Name] at (570) 504-7945 or via email at deckers@lackawanna.edu.
Hospice of the Sacred Heart to Deliver Meals to Patients for Thanksgiving On Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, November 28th, Hospice of the Sacred Heart will deliver meals to patients and their families. This is the 19th year the hospice will provide this service project. Over 700 meals complete with roasted turkey, all traditional Thanksgiving sides and pumpkin pie will be prepared by Mansour’s Market Café in Scranton, packaged, and delivered by hospice staff members and volunteers. “We so look forward to this day. Many of our hospice staff and volunteers enjoy this beautiful tradition of blessing the meals, the friendship of our colleagues and the delivery of over 700 Thanksgiving meals to our patients and their families. This project demonstrates our gratitude for the blessings in our lives,” said Diane Baldi, CEO, Hospice of the Sacred Heart. Media outlets are invited to photograph the distribution process beginning at 7:50 am at Mansour’s Market Café, 969 Prescott Avenue, Scranton. Deacon Patrick J. Massino will bless the meals at 8 am and deliveries will begin immediately afterwards. Diane Baldi, CEO, will be available for interviews between 8 and 10 am.
Moses Taylor Foundation Hosts Biennial Event, Recognizes Leadership Moses Taylor Foundation Hosts Biennial Event and Honors Teri Ooms with the Douglas G. Allen Leadership Award Moses Taylor Foundation, a private foundation with a mission to improve the health of people in Northeastern Pennsylvania, hosted its biennial meeting on Tuesday, October 1, 2024. Danielle Breslin, President and CEO of Moses Taylor Foundation, shared a strategic update on the Foundation’s four focus areas of Health Care Access and Quality, Older Adult Health, School-Based Health and Nonprofit Effectiveness. Pictured L-R: Douglas G. Allen, Founding Chairman of the Board of Directors of Moses Taylor Foundation; Teri Ooms, President & CEO, The Institute Teri Ooms, President & CEO of The Institute, was recognized as the recipient of the Douglas G. Allen Leadership Award. The award was established in 2019 to honor Doug Allen’s 35 years of leadership as Chair of the Moses Taylor Foundation Board of Directors. It is awarded biennially to a community leader who shares in his commitment to improving the health of people in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Ooms has led The Institute — a non-profit research organization dedicated to identifying opportunities, issues, and challenges unique to the region and finding innovative ways to solve problems — since its inception twenty years ago. Under her leadership, The Institute has become an integral support for regional nonprofits and legislators, providing the unbiased local data necessary to create jobs, programs, and legislative changes. At the event, Allen spoke of Ooms noting, “Teri approaches her work humbly and with a genuine commitment to the betterment of our area. She is always generous with both her time and knowledge, and on behalf of the Board and staff, I am delighted to recognize Teri today.”
Ballet Theatre of Scranton Presents The Nutcracker Ballet Theatre of Scranton. under the artistic direction of Joanne Arduino, will kick off the holiday season with its 49th annual performances of The Nutcracker at the Theater at North over Thanksgiving weekend on Friday November 29, Saturday November 30, and Sunday December 1. Please note the new performance times each day: noon and 5:30 pm. This traditional gift to the community has offered free public performances since 1976. Free tickets can be picked up at the box office at the Theater at North on the day of the specific performance, two hours prior to curtain. This year, an inaugural pilot, sensory friendly performance is being offered to an invited audience as well as the traditional educational performances for area school children. Over 100 local dancers from ages 9- adult will perform and will feature Elizabeth Schneider and Laura Durkin as Sugarplum Fairy (each in three performances), Gianna Vachino as Clara, John Roman Vachino as the Nutcracker Prince, Brennan Connor as Snow King, Gabrielle Snyder as Snow Queen, and Valentina Ruiz Giraldo as Dewdrop. Professional guest artists George Sanders (of Twyla Tharp company, NYC) and Sanford Placide (previously of Dance Theater of Harlem, NYC) will perform as Cavalier in 3 performances each. Benefactor seats are available by calling 570-347-2867 before November 1.
Marywood University to Hold Transfer Tuesdays Opportunities Marywood University has set several dates during fall and winter for its Transfer Tuesdays program. These events are for current or former college students, at all stages of their college journey, who are considering transferring to Marywood University. There are three in-person and one virtual option available, with appointments occurring every half hour during the designated time frames, including: In-Person Dates: November 12, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. December 17, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. January 7, 1-5:30 p.m. Virtual Date: December 3, 4-5:30 p.m. At Marywood’s Transfer Tuesdays, students can meet with an admissions counselor, discuss financial aid and scholarship opportunities, and review credits for transfer eligibility. Optional tours are offered at select times. Marywood University’s spring semester begins on Monday, January 13, 2025.
The University of Scranton Professor Awarded Grant The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $1.8 million collaborative grant to Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., associate professor physics and engineering at The University of Scranton, to provide sophisticated atmospheric measuring equipment to a nationwide network of ham radio enthusiast and citizen scientists that he developed. Dr. Frissell will serve as the lead principal investigator of the collaborative grant and will work with colleagues at Case Western Reserve University, the University of Alabama and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., associate professor physics and engineering at The University of Scranton, was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant of $1.8 million to support equipment to further the atmospheric data gathering capabilities of The Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) network he has developed across the U.S. and beyond. The grant will further the collective data gathering capabilities of the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation project led by Dr. Frissell. “The grant will establish the only wide-spread, coordinated high frequency, very low frequency and ground magnetometer measurement network that is distributed primarily across the midlatitude region,” said Dr. Frissell. According to Dr. Frissell, the grant supports the development of a network of 30 standardized receive stations capable of observing high frequency (HF) Doppler shifts, HF amateur radio Weak Signal Propagation Reporter (WSPR, pronounced “whisper”) transmissions, very low frequency (VLF) transmissions and natural radio emissions, and the geomagnetic field. The enhanced capabilities to collect data on the Earth’s ionosphere for this project builds on the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station network of licensed amateur radio operators who have helped measure the effects of weather in the upper levels of Earth’s atmosphere through a $1.3 million NSF funded project previously awarded to Dr. Frissell. According to Dr. Frissell, the new NSF grant will support systems that will be deployed to high-quality, low-noise sites throughout the previously established U.S. personal weather station sites that are most suitable to increasing measurement density and the quality of the current network. “Priority will be given to locations that can simultaneously and effectively operate all three HF, VLF, and magnetometer instruments,” said Dr. Frissell. The grant also supports ten fully-automated, Global Positioning System (GPS) disciplined amateur radio WSPRSonde transmitters to serve as a new source of GPS- stabilized high frequency beacon signals. “These signals will be utilized not only by this project’s personal weather station receivers, but also by the existing global WSPR amateur radio receiver network that provides millions of daily observations,” said Dr. Frissell who explained data collected from all the instruments will be uploaded for HamSCI research. He said the data will also be publicly available. Collaborators for the project include: Majid Mokhtari, senior laboratory engineer for the Physics and Engineering Department, The University of Scranton; Christian Zorman, Ph.D., associate dean for research, and professor of electrical, computer and systems engineering, Case Western Reserve University; Kristina Collins, Ph.D., research scientist, Space Science Institute; Travis Atkison, Ph.D., associate professor of computer science, University of Alabama; William Engelke, chief architect and engineer of the Personal Space Weather Station (PSWS) project, University of Alabama; Hyomin Kim, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics, New Jersey Institute of Technology; and Gareth Perry, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics New Jersey Institute of Technology; in addition to HamSCI volunteers and collaborators. A space physicist, Dr. Frissell’s research focuses on the ionosphere, which is an atmospheric region that extends from about 50 to 600 miles above the earth’s surface. According to Dr. Frissell, changes in the ionosphere alter the behavior of radio wave propagation and greatly affect the radio communications and global navigation satellite systems. Understanding ionospheric structures and processes will lead to an increased understanding and prediction of these effects. Through numerous grants he has received in the past five years from the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, the Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) foundation and other organizations, Dr. Frissell, physics and engineering faculty and students, as well as community volunteers, have been involved in numerous research projects, including one of just five projects selected by NASA’s Citizen Science Investigations to study the effects of the total solar eclipse on the earth’s ionosphere. Grants have also supported the development of state-of-the-art amateur radio station W3USR on the fifth floor of the Loyola Science Center on campus. Dr. Frissell joined the faculty at Scranton in 2019. He received his bachelor’s degree from Montclair State University, and his master’s degree and doctorate from Virginia Tech.
The University of Scranton’s Library Named Library of the Year The University of Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Library received the 2024 Library of the Year Award from the Pennsylvania Library Association. The Pennsylvania Library Association presented The University of Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Library with the 2024 Library of the Year Award at a virtual ceremony on Oct. 15. The annual award recognizes an individual library in Pennsylvania that has, in the previous 18-month period, exhibited excellence in: service to public or academic community; advancing staff development; innovation in a special project, partnership, or solution to a challenge; and leadership in and support of the PA Library Association activities. “It’s an incredible honor for us to be selected for this award, especially considering the many outstanding libraries across Pennsylvania, from colleges and universities to public libraries in large cities and small communities,” said George Aulisio, Ph.D., dean of the University’s Weinberg Memorial Library. “This recognition is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our library’s staff and faculty. We’re committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive environment while meeting the needs of our entire community—students, faculty, staff, and area residents who utilize our library’s public resources.” The Pennsylvania Library Association presented The University of Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Library with the 2024 Library of the Year Award. Seated from left are Weinberg Memorial Library staff and faculty members: Kevin Kocur, Rose Merritt, Sheli Pratt-McHugh, George Aulisio, Ph.D., Donna Witek, Kate Cummings and Jean Lenville. Standing: Melisa Gallo, Eric Pencek, Margaretta Gilhooley, David Hunisch, Mary Kovalcin, Rebecca Dzikowski, Sharon Finnerty, Tiffany Ash, Mary Fran Galat, Michael Knies, Ian O’Hara, Kym Fetsko, Colleen Farry, Marleen Cloutier, Bridget Conlogue, Jennifer Galas, Sylvia Orner, Mary Beth Roche and Sam Davis. In presenting the award, the Pennsylvania Library Association noted the vision of the University’s Weinberg Memorial Library to promote “an accessible, inclusive, supportive, and welcoming environment where everyone can learn and grow creatively, intellectually, and spiritually.” The association said that the Weinberg Library’s “staff embodies this vision in their day-to-day operations, and prides themselves on service to the community, professional development and service to the Pennsylvania Library Association.” Dean Aulisio said that the Weinberg Library’s success “is rooted in the University’s Jesuit identity and its longstanding investment in its library.” “We are guided by the principle of magis—striving to do more and be greater. This drives our commitment to the professional development of our staff and faculty, ensuring that our team remains at the forefront of best practices in librarianship. We are also deeply committed to advancing social justice by ensuring our library meets the needs of all who come through our doors, adapting to the unique learning styles and needs of each member of our community. This award reflects our dedication to inclusivity and excellence,” said Dean Aulisio. The PA Library Association noted the Weinberg Library’s DEI efforts and the collaborative programming offered with campus groups that included host a series of films to celebrate Black History, Arab American Heritage, and Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander months for both students and the Scranton community at large. The association also noted the new research guides for gender and sexuality and accessibility developed by Weinberg Library staff, and an Accessibility/Sensory Map to highlight the spaces and features with general accessibility, types of lighting, and noise level of the University’s library. “Service is also a cornerstone of a Jesuit education, and we lead by example. Many of our staff and faculty volunteer in the community, on campus, and with professional organizations such as the Pennsylvania Library Association,” said Dean Aulisio. “This allows us to support the library profession and continue learning about successful innovations in library practices.” Multiple members of the Weinberg Memorial Library staff and faculty have been actively involved with the PA Library Association. Sylvia Orner, assistant professor and the University’s collections and resource management librarian, served as the conference chair in 2020 and is currently president. Kate Cummings, assistant professor and the University’s research and instruction librarian for business, was previously treasurer on the statewide board of directors and is now serving as chair of its Intellectual Freedom Committee. Rebecca Dzikowski, cataloging assistant at the University, is the current chair of the Mentorship Subcommittee. Ian O’Hara, associate professor and the University’s research and instruction librarian for health sciences, serves as the College and Research Division grant funds manager and is on the EDI Committee. Sheli Pratt-McHugh, associate professor, department chair, learning commons coordinator and research and instruction librarian for technology and outreach at the University, was third vice-president, Membership Committee chair, and is currently on the Conference Committee and EDI Committee. Marleen Cloutier, associate professor and the University’s cataloging and metadata librarian, was the 2023 Conference chair for technical arrangements and is now the vice-chair elect for the Technical Services Round Table. Melisa Gallo, the University’s interlibrary loan and collections assistant, is the treasurer for the Northeast Chapter. The Pennsylvania Library Association is the state’s oldest professional library organization, representing more than 1,200 personal, institutional and commercial members affiliated with public, academic, special, and school libraries throughout the Commonwealth.
Electric City Trolley Museum to Observe 25th Anniversary Lackawanna County’s Electric City Trolley Museum, which opened on Oct. 30, 1999, will observe its 25th anniversary with a month-long series of events in November. The museum preserves and celebrates the rich history of trolleys, chronicles the extensive trolley network that once connected wide swaths of Northeast Pennsylvania, and commemorates Scranton’s role as the first U.S. city to have electric trolley service – the genesis of its “Electric City” nickname. “We are immensely proud to have reached this milestone,” said Commissioner Bill Gaughan. “Our goal has always been to preserve the history of the trolley era and share its importance with the community. This 25th-anniversary celebration is a chance for us to reflect on the past and look forward to the next 25 years of education, preservation, and community engagement.” Joe Corcoran, who was a county commissioner when the museum was founded, is chairman of the 25th anniversary committee. He announced that on Nov. 2, to kick off the celebratory month, admission to the Trolley Museum will be what it was on opening day in 1999 — $3 for adults or $6 with a trolley ride, and $2 for children or $4 with trolley ride. Special prices will be offered to the following groups on specific weekends. Nov. 2 and 3 – General public at anniversary rates, members of Electric City Trolley Museum Association, free.Nov. 9 and 10 – Veterans and their families at anniversary rates.Nov. 16 and 17 – First Responders and their families, anniversary ratesNov. 23 and 24 – County employees and their families, anniversary rates.Reservations, which are required for trolley rides, may be made at 570-963-6590. To kick off the celebration Nov. 2, there will be a cake cutting ceremony at 3 p.m. at the museum, 300 Cliff St., Scranton, adjacent to the Steamtown National Historic Site. There will be activities for children throughout the day, and limited-edition 25th Anniversary merchandise, commemorative coins and museum-branded apparel will be available at the gift shop.
Next Weekend! Rhythms & Brews: Live Tributes & Craft Beers Rhythm and Brews presented by Revello’s Pizza is back at Montage Mountain on Saturday, November 9th with an amazing lineup of great live music! Enjoy tributes to Fleetwood Mac by The Seven Wonders, the Foo Fighters by award winning tribute the Fooz Fighters, and headlining this year’s event…Bon Poison – A Tribute to Bon Jovi and Poison! Don’t forget, included with your ticket, sample all the latest and greatest craft brews, seltzers, and ciders! It all goes down at Montage Mountain from 1pm-7pm, Saturday November 9th, tickets start at just $39, we’ll see ya there!
