
Biography
I am a faculty member for the online Bachelor of Arts in Energy and Sustainability Policy, instructing EGEE 495: Internship Experience, EGEE 299: Foreign Studies, and EMSC 302: Orientation to Energy and Sustainability Policy. Previously, I worked as a licensing coordinator assisting hydroelectric utilities to navigate the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's cooperative licensing agreement process. I helped foster stakeholder involvement, a critical component for successful license submission and approval, and supported habitat and water quality study efforts. I also recently served as the Southern Alleghenies Regional Energy Coordinator, completing energy audits and educating municipalities on energy reduction and savings opportunities.
I received my master's degree in project management from the Penn State Black School of Business, and my undergraduate degree from Juniata College, where my program of emphasis was environmental practice and policy.
Although I have lived elsewhere on the east coast, I have always called central Pennsylvania home. In my free time, I like to travel. My love for experiencing other cultures is the result of a semester spent in Kerala, India during my undergraduate days. While there, I completed 18 credits of coursework, including Indian environmental law and Bharatanatyam dance. Since then I have been fortunate enough to visit many places, but I still have a lot of destinations on my bucket list! In the meantime, I have been hiking and backpacking as much as possible in the United States. I also kayak, ski, hunt, fish, and love to cook whenever I can find the time.
Courses
Course Programs
Keywords/Topics
- analytical skills
- assessment of engagement
- climate change
- communication
- complex interdependence
- cover letter
- development
- energy
- energy and sustainability policy
- energy industry
- energy policy
- environmental
- ethical decision making
- experiential learning
- extracurricular experiences
- field experience
- foreign studies
- global citizenship
- global perspective
- growth areas
- guided analysis
- inquiry-based learning
- internship
- internships
- interview skills
- journal prompts
- journaling
- mock interview
- out of classroom learning
- policies
- policy
- professional environment
- professional strengths
- real-world experiences
- reflection
- reflection of learning
- renewable energy
- resume
- skill sets
- student engagement
- study abroad
- sustainability
- sustainability ethics
- sustainability policy
- sustainable development
- swot analysis
- triple bottom line
- water
- workbook
- writing sample
Course Spotlight
Cartography and Visualization (GEOG 486) covers design principles and techniques for creating maps with contemporary mapping tools. Students will be introduced to future-focused application topics such as augmented and virtual reality, mapping with multivariate glyphs, the visual depiction of uncertainty, interactive geovisualization, and (geo)visual analytics, and decision-making with maps and mapping products. Visit the course.
Faculty Spotlight
Maria Scalzi Wherley (she, her) is a Learning Designer and Writer-in-Residence with the John A. Dutton e-Education Institute at Penn State. She has more than 20 years of teaching experience. Learn more about Maria to see what she has to say about online education.