Â鶹ÊÓƵ students have a unique opportunity to create innovative and multi-disciplinary projects addressing real-world challenges, thanks to the generosity of Â鶹ÊÓƵ alumni Tim and Deb Cejka.
The Cejkas, 1973 Â鶹ÊÓƵ graduates from Westmoreland County, gifted $265,000 to establish the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Fusion Fellows Program and support it for the next five years.
The gift to establish the Fusion Fellows Program is part of Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Impact 150, the university’s $150 million comprehensive campaign. The largest fundraising campaign in the university’s history, the campaign is named in honor of the university’s sesquicentennial celebration in 2025.
Seated from left are Fusion Fellows student Madilyn House, Deb and Tim Cejka, and Fusion Fellows student Riley Whiskeyman. Standing, from left, are Fusion Fellows Jocelyn McCray; faculty mentors Ben Ford, Erin Conlin, and William Chadwick; Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, Media, and Public Affairs Curt Scheib; Vice President for University Advancement Jennifer DeAngelo; Â鶹ÊÓƵ Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Lara Luetkehans; Â鶹ÊÓƵ Dean of the Kopchick College Steve Hovan; Â鶹ÊÓƵ President Michael Driscoll; faculty mentor Stephanie Keppich; Associate Vice Provost for Libraries and Research Support Services and Fusion Fellowship Program Coordinator Kelly Heider; Fusion Fellows student Serena Aumick; and Â鶹ÊÓƵ Vice Provost for Research and Innovation and Interim Dean of the College of Health Sciences Hilliary Creely.
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ Fusion Fellows Program is designed to foster collaboration between students and faculty from the College of Arts, Humanities, Media, and Public Affairs and the John J. and Char Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The program aims to cultivate innovative projects that integrate diverse disciplines, encouraging students to address complex real-world challenges through multifaceted perspectives.
The inaugural Fusion Fellows, working in teams of two, were selected through a competitive application process held during the fall 2025 semester. The successful teams were introduced at the Fusion Fellowship kickoff event on January 30.
The two teams are Serena Aumick, a biology pre-veterinary concentration major in the Cook Honors College from Tunkhannock, and Riley Whiskeyman, a communications media major from Shillington; and Madilyn House, an applied archaeology master’s student from Orbisonia, and Jocelyn McCray, an applied anthropology major and history minor from Franklin.
“The Fusion Fellows program allows our students to pursue new experiences that are outside the realm of traditional higher education, gaining valuable experience in collaborative, cross-disciplinary work, preparing these students for diverse careers and advanced studies that require integrative thinking and problem-solving skills,” Â鶹ÊÓƵ President Michael Driscoll said.
“The Cejkas’s ongoing generosity and commitment to Â鶹ÊÓƵ truly know no bounds. They have provided support over many years to meet both the immediate needs of our students and university and innovative opportunities like the Fusion Fellows program that our students may never have imagined. We appreciate and value all that they have done, and continue to do, for Â鶹ÊÓƵ and our students.”
The Fusion Fellows program is open to students from the Kopchick College and the College of Arts, Humanities, Media, and Public Affairs who have earned at least a 3.0 grade point average and who are sophomores, juniors, or graduate students.
In addition to completing their proposed projects, Fusion Fellows students will participate in monthly seminars featuring guest speakers, workshops, and discussions on topics at the intersection of arts, humanities, and sciences. They will serve as program ambassadors at student admissions and orientation events.
At the end of the program, Fusion Fellows will present their work at Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Scholar Forum held during the university’s Research Appreciation Week, showcasing the outcomes of their interdisciplinary collaborations.
Funding for the Fusion Fellows Program supports costs associated with research, project execution, and travel and supplies.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ Dean of the Kopchick College Steve Hovan; Â鶹ÊÓƵ Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, Media, and Public Affairs Curt Scheib; and Associate Vice Provost for Libraries and Research Support Services and Fusion Fellowship Program Coordinator Kelly Heider coordinated the application and selection process.
“There was an outstanding pool of candidates for the Fusion Fellowship program, with well-developed and very interesting project proposals,” Dean Hovan said. “It was a very challenging decision, but it resulted in two incredible teams of students and great faculty mentors,” he said.
“Â鶹ÊÓƵ believes deeply in interdisciplinary collaboration and in providing unique opportunities for our students,” Dean Scheib said. “The Cejkas’s commitment to Â鶹ÊÓƵ and to our students offers an opportunity to bring both colleges together and to meet the program’s goal of blending arts, sciences, and imagination, along with enhancing students’ research, communication, and leadership skills and contributing to community engagement and public understanding of interdisciplinary work,” Scheib said.
“We are deeply grateful to the Cejkas for their generous support of the Fusion Fellows Program,” Heider said. “Their gift makes it possible for students and faculty to come together across disciplines, explore bold ideas, and engage meaningfully with the community. The impact of this program will be felt not only in the innovative work our Fellows produce, but in the lasting skills, confidence, and collaborative mindset they carry forward.”
About the Inaugural Fusion Fellows
Team Aumick and Whiskeyman: From left, faculty mentor Stephanie Keppich, communications media; Serena Aumick, a biology pre-veterinary concentration major in the Cook Honors College from Tunkhannock; Tim and Deb Cejka; Riley Whiskeyman, a communications media major from Shillington. Not pictured: faculty mentor Josiah Townsend, biology.
Serena Aumick received the 2024 Sushak Undergraduate Biology Fund for Excellence Award. She is part of the Biology Undergraduate Research Experience, is a member of Phi Eta Sigma honor society, received the John J. and Char Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Unique Scholar Award, is the founder and president of the Pre-Veterinary Club, is president of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Sailing Club, is vice president of the Terrarium Club, is a member of Andale (Spanish club), and volunteers at the Indiana County Humane Society and Four-Footed Friends. She is the daughter of Rachel Aumick and a graduate of Tunkhannock High School.
She was selected for the 2025 Undergraduate Summer Opportunities for Applying Research (U-SOAR) program, researching “The Phylogeographical of the Sceloporus malachiticus Species Complex from Honduras and Nicaragua,” working with Josiah Townsend as her faculty mentor.
Her project began the necessary work to delimitate the species complex by displaying the genetic drift of several populations based on their geography.
Starting during her first year at Â鶹ÊÓƵ, Aumick worked in biology professor Sarah Emel’s research laboratory, totaling about 150 hours of time in the laboratory, performing DNA extractions of lagomorph fecal samples, polymerase chain reaction on the refined DNA, and aiding in various procedures for genomic library preparation. She also analyzed chromatograms on MEGA11, utilized GenBank to determine the species based on sequenced DNA data, and aided in general data entry.
As a sophomore, she began work with Townsend, working in the Townsend Lab on campus and participating in his study abroad programs in Honduras. The summer 2025 trip revolved around conservation efforts of the Utila spiny-tailed iguana, Ctenosaura bakeri.
“I am ecstatic to have been selected as one of the inaugural Fusion Fellows,” Aumick said. “I am excited to delve into my project, highlighting the various conservation efforts that are being made on the Bay Islands of Honduras through a documentary and sharing that information with our local, and international, community.”
Riley Whiskeyman, daughter of Peg Merkel of Shillington and Todd Whiskeyman of Ephrata, is a 2024 graduate of Governor Mifflin High School. She is a dean’s list student and a member of the Obsidian Dance Troupe and works with , the university’s student radio station, with Sports Talk Live.
“Being chosen for this fellowship was very exciting news to receive, and it will be an important experience to have under my belt,” Whiskeyman said. “I chose this project because it will provide valuable lessons to me and others while combining my interests in production and animals.”
Team House and McCray: Seated, from left, Jocelyn McCray, an applied anthropology major and history minor from Franklin; Deb and Tim Cejka; Madilyn House, an applied archaeology master’s student from Orbisonia. Standing, from left, faculty mentors Ben Ford and Bill Chadwick, both from the Department of Anthropology, Geospatial and Earth Sciences; and Erin Conlin, Department of History, Philosophy, Political Science, and Religious Studies.
House is a graduate of Southern Huntingdon County High School and the daughter of Kristy Dick of Duncansville and Ryan House of Orbisonia.
“Being selected as an Â鶹ÊÓƵ Fusion Fellow is an honor,” House said. “Brown’s Farm, recognized as one of Pennsylvania’s early racially integrated settlements, has rich cultural and historical significance. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from this site and to share that knowledge in collaboration with those closely connected to it.”
McCray, a dean’s list student, has been vice president and is currently president of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Anime Club. She is the daughter of Lisa McCray and Scott McCray and is a 2022 graduate of Freedom High School in Virginia.
“I feel deeply honored to be one of the first four outstanding students to be awarded this opportunity to participate in the Fusion Fellows program,” McCray said. “One of my professors reached out to me about this opportunity, and I was thrilled to have had the chance to experience the process of applying, to be chosen to work with amazing partner Madilyn House and three brilliant and wonderful professors,” McCray said.
About the Projects
Aumick and Whiskeyman’s project is “The Bay Islands of Honduras.” Their faculty mentors are Stephanie Keppich, communications media, and Josiah Townsend, biology.
The project will highlight the vital role of communications media in conservation biology by producing a documentary focused on the Bay Islands of Honduras and the contributions of Â鶹ÊÓƵ students and faculty to local conservation efforts.
House and McCray’s project is “Geophysics and Oral History,” and their faculty mentors are Bill Chadwick and Distinguished University Professor Ben Ford, both from the Department of Anthropology, Geospatial and Earth Sciences; and Erin Conlin, Department of History, Philosophy, Political Science, and Religious Studies.
This interdisciplinary project aims to document, interpret, and share the history of Brown’s Farm—an early free African American community in the Laurel Highlands—by combining geophysical surveying and oral history research.
Jocelyn McCray and Madilyn House, who are teaming up for “Geophysics and Oral History.”
Riley Whiskeyman and Serena Aumick, who are teaming up for “The Bay Islands of Honduras.”
During the spring semester, Aumick and Whiskeyman will acquire equipment, learn filming and editing techniques, and plan the field season with faculty mentors. During the summer, they will conduct fieldwork across Guanaja, Utila, and Roatán, gathering video, photos, and interviews with local scientists and members of the Townsend Laboratory at Â鶹ÊÓƵ, which is directed by Townsend.
In the fall, they will edit the collected footage and implement a robust community engagement plan that includes partnering with Â鶹ÊÓƵ Marketing and Communications, distributing the documentary across multiple media channels, issuing press releases, hosting workshops, presenting at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Scholars Forum, and screening the film both in Honduras and in Indiana.
House and McCray will collaborate with anthropology and history students and faculty to locate building foundations using ground-penetrating radar while also conducting interviews and archival research to capture community memories and historical context.
Through this work, students will strengthen skills in research methods, project management, communication, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The project will culminate in a public seminar and written report, created in partnership with local stakeholders to enhance community understanding of the site’s significance and to demonstrate how scientific and humanistic approaches together offer a more complete view of the past.
About the Cejkas
Tim Cejka, a member of Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Council of Trustees since 2018, is a 2006 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient and retired president of ExxonMobil Exploration Company.
Together, the Cejkas have served in key volunteer leadership roles, including as members of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ National Campaign Cabinet and as chairs of the campaign effort benefiting the John J. and Char Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
The Cejkas are also lead advocates and supporters of Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine, donating $2 million to the project in July 2024.
In recognition of their ongoing generosity, the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Council of Trustees honored the couple in May 2018 with a resolution naming the Â鶹ÊÓƵ planetarium and atrium in Kopchick Hall. In 2019, they received Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s inaugural Award of Excellence in Volunteer Leadership. The Cejkas have been instrumental in supporting the Crimson Scholars Circle, a specialized cohort program that provides comprehensive financial, social, and academic support to high-achieving Â鶹ÊÓƵ students from diverse backgrounds.
In 2025, the couple was honored with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Keepers of the Flame Award, which recognizes individuals from each of the 14 State System university campuses for their contributions to creating and promoting diverse and inclusive environments that cultivate a sense of belonging.
The Cejkas, 1973 Â鶹ÊÓƵ graduates from Westmoreland County, gifted $265,000 to establish the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Fusion Fellows Program and support it for the next five years. Fusion Fellows were introduced during a kickoff event on January 30. From left, Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, Media, and Public Affairs Curt Scheib; Tim Cejka; Deb Cejka; and Fusion Fellows Riley Whiskeyman and Jocelyn McCray.
About Impact 150
Impact 150 centers around raising funds for healthy students, including supporting students academically and personally; a healthy university, including maintaining Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s commitment to excellence and innovation; and healthy communities, including Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s work to establish a college of osteopathic medicine.
The campaign’s total is nearing $98 million raised, including $48 million specifically for Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine. The campaign launched in August 2025 with $81,236,852—54 percent of the campaign goal—from 11,673 donors.
Since its founding in 1875, Â鶹ÊÓƵ has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As Â鶹ÊÓƵ celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.