LEWISBURG, Pa. — These are Bucknell University story ideas that may interest you in November.
SUSTAINABLE MOVE OUT — Bucknell’s annual sustainable move out initiative will continue through Wednesday, May 15, as departing students can donate gently used furniture, winter clothing and non-perishable food items to assist charities in the area. “Every item donated not only helps those in need but also contributes to a more sustainable environment by reducing waste,” says Lynn Pierson. director, Office of Civic Engagement. Last year, this event successfully collected over 6,415 pounds of furniture and 450 pounds of food, while also gathering over 40 bags of clothing — resulting in 944 cubic feet of items reclaimed — along with countless bedding, blankets, towels, kitchen utensils, and other household goods. With the continued support of students and the wider community, Pierson is optimistic this year’s move out will exceed those totals. This year, the drive will benefit the DIG Furniture Bank in Milton, Pa., the Union Snyder Action Agency Food Hub, and the Religious and Spiritual Life organization. The DIG Furniture truck and crew will be at South Campus Apartments in the afternoon on Monday, May 13 and all day Tuesday, May 14, sorting through donations and loading them into the truck. The collection drive is a collaborative effort co-sponsored by various groups including Bucknell Student Government’s Sustainability and Diversity Committees, Religious & Spiritual Life, Civic Engagement, Residential Education and Facilities. CONTACT: Pierson, 570-577-1292, lcp008@bucknell.edu; Gabby Herman, operations director, DIG Furniture, gabby@digfb.org
AN OFFICER AND A GRADUATE — Deputy Director of Public Safety & Lieutenant Colbey Russell ’24 will become the first Bucknell Public Safety officer to graduate from the University during Sunday’s Commencement. Russell, who has completed degrees in education and psychology, began working at Bucknell in 2014. He had always envisioned himself becoming a secondary education teacher in physics and mathematics. “After high school, I attended two semesters of college before life took me in a different direction,” he says. “I wanted to have a positive role in my community, which led me to Bucknell’s Department of Public Safety.” Working on a college campus reignited his interest in education. But the idea of being an adult learner with a full-time job and family responsibilities was daunting. “It took me years to muster up the courage to finally fill out the application,” he says. As a student, Russell was able to bring a unique perspective to classroom discussions. The father of two also says his coursework helped him develop a greater sense of purpose in his work. In 2020, Russell developed an equitable and student-centered campus safety model that has since been adopted at Bucknell. The model was informed by conversations Russell had with students, and Russell’s related research has been published in two national journals. “I hope to push that to every university possible in the United States to help create equitable, inclusive safety measures,” he says. As a Bucknell alumnus, Russell will continue his role as deputy director of Public Safety, a leadership position in which he works to build community rapport and trust between officers and students. CONTACT: Russell, 570-577-2230, colbey.russell@bucknell.edu
POPULATION PEAK — In newly published research, a mathematician and a demographer have calculated that the human population is likely to peak before the end of the century. “Our methodology allows us to isolate key underlying factors that influence the timing of peak population,” says Bucknell Professor Tom Cassidy, mathematics, associate provost for academic affairs and co-author of the study. While he doesn’t think the human population is in any danger of dying out, he notes that “as the population starts declining, you inherently have a higher portion of older people and less of younger people.” Building on research that shows when fertility declines steadily, births reach their maximum before fertility reaches replacement level, meaning a decline in population size doesn’t occur until decades later, the researchers considered longevity increases, net immigration and a slowing rate of fertility decline to predict that the lag time between replacement-level fertility and peak population is about 35 to 40 years. The study, “The Formal Demography of Peak Population,” is published in Demography. CONTACT: Cassidy, 570-577-3655, thomas.cassidy@bucknell.edu
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CONTACT: Mike Ferlazzo, 570-577-3212, 570-238-6266 (c), mike.ferlazzo@bucknell.edu