Tenure Awarded to Five Women Faculty Members at Bucknell University

Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, has announced the awarding of tenure to 16 faculty members. Five of the faculty members granted tenure are women.

M. Laura Beninati is an associate professor of mechanical engineering. Dr. Beninati’s area of expertise is marine renewable energy. She and her students are working on ways to design and improve underwater turbines. Dr. Beninati holds two bachelor’s degrees and two master’s degrees from Drexel University in Philadelphia. She earned a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Iowa.

Sharon Garthwaite is an associate professor of mathematics. She is a number theorist and explains that her teaching “involves problem solving, proof, and, at its most advanced level – patterns.” She is an outdoor enthusiast and loves running and hiking.

Julie Ann Gates is an associate professor of biology. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Utah. The focus of Gates’ research is on how cells move and change shape as tissues and organs are formed during very early stages of development.

Sarah MacKenzie-Dawson is an associate professor of education. Dr. McKenzie-Dawson holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of New Hampshire and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Pennsylvania State University. She joined the Bucknell faculty in 2006.

Leocadia Paliulis is an associate professor of biology. Her research is focused on cell division and how chromosomes communicate where they are in a cell. Much of her laboratory research is done on butterflies, moths, and spiders.