MILESTONES

MILESTONES

Degree

Earned a doctorate

Patrick H. Pisciuneri, son of Henry and Patricia Pisciuneri of Boardman, recently earned his doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh.

Pisciuneri is a 2002 Boardman High School graduate. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Youngstown State University in 2006, where he participated in the University Scholars Program. He went on to earn his master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh in 2008.

Pisciuneri lives in Pittsburgh and has accepted a position as a research faculty member in the Center for Simulation and Modeling at the University of Pittsburgh.

HONORS

Farm wins award

Blue Heron Farm, a site owned, operated and managed by Duane Miller and Cynthia Koonce of Lisbon, received the 2013 Environmental Stewardship Award at the Ohio Livestock Coalition’s 16th annual meeting and symposium earlier this month in Columbus.

The annual award recognizes the accomplishments made by family farmers to protect Ohio’s land, air and water quality and conserve the state’s natural resources.

The sheep farm has taken a number of actions to make their operation more environmentally friendly.

Some of these projects include using a solar-powered water-well system, properly managing and applying manure to the land, using minimum tillage practices to protect soil, and controlling weeds by selective timed mowing and active rotational grazing.

Through the years, the farm has given tours to neighbors and media representatives, and has hosted events, including Ohio Sheep Day.

The OLC, formed in 1997, is a statewide trade organization consisting of diverse agriculture organizations and individual farmers committed to advancing environmentally friendly, socially responsible and economically viable livestock farming practices.

Milestones is a regular Sunday feature in The Vindicator. Articles must be submitted within 30 days of the Milestone event. Include a stamped, self-addressed envelope if you want a picture returned. Pictures also may be picked up at the paper’s Front Street facility at the security guard station. Send items to: Milestones, c/o The Vindicator, P.O. Box 780, Youngstown 44501.