2023-2024 News
August 25, 2023
Dr. Brooks Emerick, Associate Professor of mathematics, was awarded Kutztown University’s 2023 John P. Schellenberg Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. The award was presented during the university's Faculty and Staff Convocation and Celebration Friday, Aug. 25.
Emerick has been a professor of mathematics at KU since 2017. He received both his Ph.D. and master’s in applied mathematics from the University of Delaware and his Bachelor of Science in applied mathematics from Shippensburg University.
Emerick is an innovative professional who seeks to implement different initiatives to make industry connections for his students and allow them to connect what they learn in the classroom to real-world applications. For example, he was awarded a Preparation for Industrial Careers in Mathematical Sciences (PIC) grant to redesign MAT 210 – Mathematical Computing and Typesetting. Through this, Emerick was able to guide his students to work with the Borough of Kutztown on wastewater treatment. Students were taught how to use data analysis and mathematical models to identify leaks in the Kutztown sanitary sewer system and study the efficiency and cost savings of an improved sewer system.
Emerick’s mentorship of his students is admirable. Undergraduate students are continually involved in his research. These collaborations have resulted in publications in the peer-reviewed journal Mathematical Biosciences, students being admitted to prestigious mathematics doctoral programs and one student being awarded the highly prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Fellowship.
In his pursuit to elevate his students, Emerick continually looks to enhance the environment in which he teaches to improve learning outcomes. His ability to recognize problems and solve them with both technology and a personal approach has allowed for a more seamless learning experience and provides students with instant feedback and quick support when struggling. For example, he frequently hosts office hours in a student-friendly location such as the library or a campus coffee shop so that they are viewed as more welcoming to students.
Emerick has published 13 publications and has hosted numerous conference/workshop proceedings.
The John P. Schellenberg Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning was established by John P. Schellenberg, emeriti professor of physical science, faculty alumni and friends to recognize an early career faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding work.
August 25, 2023
Dr. Wing Hong Tony Wong, Professor of Mathematics, has been awarded Kutztown University's 2023 Chambliss Faculty Research Awards for extraordinary research and scholarship endeavors. The award was presented during the university's Faculty and Staff Convocation and Celebration Friday, August 25.
Wong began his career at KU in 2013. His extraordinary research work has brought him, the Department of Mathematics and Kutztown University recognition within the discrete mathematics community.
Since his career at KU began, Wong has received many accolades, including the John P. Schellenberg Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (Kutztown University), 40 Under Forty Award (Reading Eagle), Excellence in Teaching Award (National Society of Leadership and Success), Early Career Teaching Award (Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware Section of the Mathematical Association of America) in addition to serving as Principal Investigator and Senior Personnel for multiple grants totaling more than $1 million.
Wong’s research career proves to be extensively impressive. Over the past five years, he published 21 publications in peer-reviewed research journals in five different fields including combinatorics, blockchain economy, game theory, graph theory and number theory. His most notable research piece is Covering systems with odd moduli as it received Editors’ Choice Award 2023 for being selected as one of the most outstanding papers published in Discrete Mathematics in 2022. Discrete Mathematics is a tier-one journal in combinatorics. Only 16 papers are selected each year out of 400+.
In addition to his outstanding research, Wong is actively involved in the mathematics community. He served as a co-chief organizer for a special session on Graph Theory at the 2018 Fall Eastern Sectional Meeting of the American Mathematical Society (AMS) and co-organized the 2015 PASSHE-Mathematics Association Conference. In addition, Wong has given numerous presentations at the local, national and international level.
The Chambliss Faculty Research Award, inaugurated in 2004 through a gift from Dr. Carlson R. Chambliss, professor emeriti of physical science, is meant to recognize the very highest achievement in research and scholarship and can be awarded only once within a person's career.