MILESTONES

MILESTONES

HONORS

YSU students win design competition

A team of civil-engineering students at Youngstown State University won the 2019 Student Design Competition of the Northeast Section of the Ohio Water Environment Association.

The team of Christopher Metzinger, Spencer Desalvo, Tyler Stratton and Walter Wasil bested teams from six other schools and qualified to compete in the Water Environment Federation’s Student Design Competition at the WEF Technical Exhibition and Conference in September in Chicago.

The purpose of the competition is to promote real-world design experience for students interested in pursuing an education and/or career in water and environment science and engineering.

Wins leadership award

Pamela Brockway, Early Literacy Team Leader at the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County since 2018, recently won the 2019 Diana Vescelius Emerging Leader Award of the Ohio Library Council, which recognizes rising library leaders who have made significant contributions to the profession and the communities they serve.

Award winners will be recognized during a special library council ceremony and luncheon Sept. 25 during the 2019 Convention and Expo at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati.

Brockway has been at the library system for four years and has expanded library programming in the areas of early literacy and kindergarten readiness. Brockway was nominated by Erin Phemester, library programming and youth services director.

This collaboration led to a number of new programs, including the library’s Kindergarten Readiness Stations. The stations change each month and always align with Ohio’s Early Learning Standards. In addition, Brockway, who lives in North Lima, has been instrumental in providing new STEM programming to area children by reaching out to community partners such as Youngstown State University.

PH.D.

Doctorate in genetics

Loryn Leilani Holokai of Boardman has earned her Ph.D. in molecular genetics, microbiology and biochemistry from the University of Cincinnati.

After only 18 months into gastrointestinal cancer research, Holokai procured independent funding from the federal government through a grant, thereby releasing UC to fund another Ph.D. candidate.

She was the lead investigator in an article in PLoS Pathogens, one of six peer-reviewed publications she has co-authored. As a member of the Zavros Lab, she explored the realms of organoid development and pancreatic cancer research, earning her the Graduate Excellence in Research Award in molecular genetics, microbiology and biochemistry from UC’s College of Medicine.

Holokai is a 2012 graduate/valedictorian of Boardman High School and a 2016 graduate of Denison University. She has signed with Merck Pharmaceuticals and has accepted a two-year postdoctoral fellowship, where this month she will resume her gastrointestinal cancer research at Merck’s new facility in San Francisco.

She is the daughter of Walter and Deborah Holokai of Boardman.