Riley named biomedical engineering student marshal for 2018 spring commencement
4/20/2018
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Joshua M. Riley will be the student marshal for the biomedical engineering baccalaureate degree program at the College of Engineering’s spring commencement ceremony on May 4. Riley will receive a bachelor of science degree in biomedical engineering.
He has chosen Keefe B. Manning, professor of biomedical engineering, to be his faculty escort.
College of Engineering student marshals are selected for their outstanding academic achievement and contributions to engineering student life.
Riley is the son of Deborah and Thomas Riley of Lancaster and is a 2014 graduate of Lancaster Catholic High School.
A Schreyer Scholar, he completed an undergraduate honors thesis titled “Determining Embolus Trapping Efficiency of an Inferior Vena Cava Filter during Exercise.”
His academic honors included the President’s Freshman Award, the President Sparks Award, and the Evan Pugh Scholar Award (senior). He was the recipient of the Schreyer Academic Excellence Scholarship, the Gerard L. Bayles Memorial Scholarship and the Rodney A. Erickson Discovery Grant (2016 and 2017).
While at Penn State, Riley served as the primary researcher on a project titled “Impact of Shear Rate on von Willebrand Factor Unfolding.” He participated in the Penn State Undergraduate Research Exhibition, receiving an honorable mention in the Information Literacy Award category.
From 2016 through 2018, Riley volunteered in the emergency department at Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College.
His additional extracurricular activities included the Penn State Chapter of Empower Orphans (executive director, 2017; community chair, 2016); Schreyer Honors Orientation (outreach team leader, 2018; hospitality team leader, 2017); THON (dancer relations committee, 2016-2018); and the Penn State Newman Club.
Following graduation, Riley will be attending medical school.