End-of-Year Highlights: School of Arts & Sciences Students and Faculty Collaborate and Celebrate to Close Out the Academic Year

Pictured are students with North Side Humane Animal Rescue staff. Photo by Nicole Chynoweth.

Pictured are students in the Animal Behavior and Cognition class at the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh's North Side Shelter, where they completed their final practicum project.

Fascinating research presentations, out-of-the-box final projects and joyful celebrations with faculty and students punctuated the close of the 2024-25 academic year for the School of Arts & Sciences. Check out highlights from some of the activities that kept students from a variety of majors engaged on campus this spring.

Biological Sciences Majors Partner with the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh

The Department of Natural Sciences & Engineering prides itself on providing students with opportunities for practical application of course concepts. In a unique final project, students in the Animal Behavior and Cognition class took a short trip from campus to the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh's (HARP) North Side Shelter, where they trained dogs using operant conditioning and positive reinforcement.

Students spent the semester learning about more than 100 different animal species. They selected animals to research and shared their presentations with their classmates as part of the coursework, covering a vast assortment of animals from glass frogs, cleaner wrasse and great white sharks to beewolves, crocodiles, New Caledonian crows, orangutans and octopus. Students discussed many aspects of animal behavior and cognition, including animal diet, social structure, habitat, health and welfare, conservation, human-animal interaction and more.

Students learned how to train animals using operant conditioning and positive reinforcement in class. The trip to the North Side facility was an opportunity to use what they had learned to help local shelter dogs gain behaviors that would make them more adoptable. Students worked in groups at four stations to practice several behaviors with the dogs — sitting, agility exercises, getting into a crate and touching.

Pictured are students working with a dog at the North Side Humane Animal Rescue. Photo by Nicole Chynoweth. — Students received a profile on each dog at the start of their practicum project at HARP's North Side Shelter.

Electrical Engineering Students Pass Fundamentals of Engineering Exam

Congratulations are in order for electrical engineering seniors Joseph Deray, James Rosvanis, Moritz Sarfert and Jannik Windelband, as they all passed the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, a rigorous test and the next step in becoming in a licensed Professional Engineer.

Learn more about how Point Park prepares its engineering students for success in our Q&A stories with civil engineering alumna Maria Brucker Collins '19 and mechanical engineering alumnus Abdullahi Mada '25.

Future Intelligence Officers Dinner

The Department of Criminal Justice & Intelligence Studies hosted its annual Future Intelligence Officers Dinner, a formal event for students and faculty to celebrate and reflect on the year.

"Being able to get together with students, faculty and administration is exciting and shows how much Point Park is dedicated to bringing success to its students," Julia Goetz '25, an intelligence and national security major, accounting minor and president of the Society for Intelligence & National Security (SINS) and Criminal Justice Club. "Our keynote speaker, Christina Brussalis, was excellent and brought unique insight into the intelligence community through her many years of experience in the field."

Goetz said her involvement in SINS has enhanced her college experience by creating connections with alumni and industry experts through meetings and other events.

"SINS was an amazing opportunity for me to become a leader on campus and provided fun alternatives to growing my education in intelligence and national security," she said.

Pictured are students, faculty and staff at the Future Intelligence Officers dinner. Photo by Ethan Stoner. — The Future Intelligence Officers Dinner is a long-standing tradition in the Department of Criminal Justice & Intelligence Studies. Photo by Ethan Stoner '25.

Ethan Stoner '25, an intelligence and national security major, echoed Goetz' sentiments about SINS.

"Learning from alumni and hearing what they do has been eye-opening, in addition to learning about different careers and traveling to Washington, D.C.," he said.

The Department of Criminal Justice & Intelligence Studies faculty helped Goetz become career-ready through their consistent assistance in resume building, networking and internship discovery.

"Their dedication to student success is unwavering and goes above and beyond classroom instruction," she said.

Stoner added that Point Park's distinctive location is a key benefit.

"The downtown environment is something not all schools have," he said. "We are within walking distance of Fortune 500 companies, restaurants, entertainment, scenery and great education that will make sure you are ready for your career."

CSI House Gets Another Student-Led Refresh

Some students in the Department of Criminal Justice & Intelligence Studies capped off the end of the semester with a hands-on final project that challenged their investigative skills and imagination.

Professor Christine Secilia challenged students in her Professional Report Writing class to design and analyze multiple crime scene scenarios in the CSI House, Point Park's innovative classroom for creating and solving mock crime scenarios.

Aurora Coy, a sophomore criminal justice major and psychology minor, said the project provided a useful perspective on real-life scenarios.

"It gave us a more in-depth look at what to expect in the field," she said.

Pictured are students in the CSI House. Photo by Angelina Caceres. — Students worked together to analyze each other's mock crime scenes as part of Professor Christine Secilia's Professional Report Writing course. Photo by Angelina Caceres '28.

Austyn Carte, a freshman criminal justice major and forensic science minor, appreciated how the project helped him flex his information gathering, critical thinking and analytical skills.

"This class, as a whole, has definitely helped prepare me for the field," said Aylah Hildebrand, a freshman intelligence and national security major. "We focused a lot on writing, which I'll need in any field I pursue."

The department also collaborated with the Conservatory of Performing Arts last year to create new scenes in the space. This summer, the faculty will host its CSI Camp for high school students in the CSI House.

"I recommend Point Park because of the professors," said Hailey Garibay, a freshman criminal justice major. "They are all very experienced and bring that into the classroom. Professor Secilia shared real-world examples of everything we talked about, which made it more engaging."

Pictured are students with Professor Christine Secilia. Photo by Angelina Caceres. — Pictured are Aylah Hildebrand, Hailey Garibay, Professor Christine Secilia, Aurora Coy and Austyn Carte. Photo by Angelina Caceres '28.

Literature, Culture & Society Career & Internship Summit

The Department of Literature, Culture & Society teamed up with the Professional Career-Readiness Center again for its annual Career & Internship Summit, which brings students and alumni together to share their experiences and career insights. Panelists included:

Cloe Loosz, senior creative writing major
AJ de la Cruz, junior creative writing major with minors in women and gender studies and psychology
Riley Mahon, sophomore political science major
Bob Kuntz, political science alumnus

Students spoke candidly about the challenges they've encountered and the successes they've enjoyed throughout their college and professional careers, and provided tips on networking, finding internships and the value of campus involvement, such as getting involved with the Political Science Club and PPU Writers Club.

Pictured are students at the Literature, Culture and Society Career and Internship Summit. Photo by Nicole Chynoweth. — Kenneth Anderson, coordinator of employer recruitment and student engagement at the Professional Career-Readiness Center, facilitated the panel with students and alumni.

Arts & Activism: Literature, Culture & Society and Honors Program Symposium

The Department of Literature, Culture & Society also collaborated with the Honors Program again to host its spring symposium, which celebrates undergraduate research and creative work. Students displayed project posters throughout the Professional Career-Readiness Center and gave presentations in West Penn Hall classrooms. Cameron David '28, a dance major with a minor in economics and finance, shared a research project on Chat GPT. He noted that nearly all of Point Park's schools were represented at the symposium.

"The faculty at Point Park University are one of a kind," he said. "They are kind, intelligent and here to help us grow."

Pictured are students and faculty at the spring symposium in the Professional Career-Readiness Center. Photo by Angelina Caceres. — Students shared their research posters with classmates, staff and faculty in the Professional Career-Readiness Center. Photo by Angelina Caceres '28.

Honoring Honors

The Honors Program, which is led by Professor Jessica McCort, Ph.D., hosted its end-of-year celebration, Honoring Honors, during which students were recognized for their academic achievements and contributions to the program. Seniors, honors mentors, board members and students who presented at the Northeast Regional Honors Council Conference received certificates for their accomplishments. August Stephens '25, a digital journalism major, received the Honors Student of the Year Award. Maegen Steiner '25, a biological sciences major, received the Honors MVP Award for her service to the program.

Pictured are the 2025 Honors Program seniors. Photo by Chloe Humway. — Pictured are the 2025 Honors Certificate graduates. Photo by Chloe Humway '28.

2025 Finkelhor Lecture

Department of Psychology Professor Brent Dean Robbins, Ph.D., presented this year's Finkelhor Lecture, a Point Park tradition that upholds the highest standards of excellence in the University's core scholarly and teaching mission. Robbins presented his compelling and inspiring keynote address, “Facing Death: Existential Theory Applied to Clinical Work with the Terminally Ill," to a packed auditorium.

Psychology Students Present Research Projects

The Department of Psychology's Confluence Psychology Alliance Student Group hosted its 16th annual Qualitative Research Symposium, during which dozens of senior psychology and behavioral sciences majors presented research posters to faculty, classmates and their families in the Lawrence Hall lounge. Additionally, Dr. Robbins teamed with Professor Robert McInerney, Ph.D., to present a poignant discussion on teaching.

Vivian Kinter just graduated from Point Park's psychology program and is starting the Psy.D. program this fall. She presented her research, "A Discourse Analysis of Inpatient Psychiatric Nursing: Subjugation and the Subject Position."

"Our focus on what it means to be a person and existentialism has made me really want to be a better, happier person," she said. "It's changed me a lot in a very positive way."

Pictured is Vivian Kinter and her family at the Psychology Qualitative Research Symposium. Photo by Nicole Chynoweth. — Pictured are Vivian Kinter and her parents at the Qualitative Research Symposium.

Outstanding Student Awards

School of Arts & Sciences students received numerous accolades at the University's Outstanding Student Awards ceremony. See the winners on the ceremony's 2025 webpage.