The Penn State community is deeply saddened by the recent passing of Bob Light, P.h.D., former Associate Dean for Research and Outreach and Chief Operating Officer. Light was known for his work at Behrend dealing with research and the environment, and also how remarkable he was to work with.

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Light passed away Feb. 13 at the age of 64, deeply impacting the students, faculty, and staff at Behrend and the Erie community. However, Light’s impact on Behrend’s campus has left an incredible impression which will truly be missed.

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Light’s career at Behrend began in 1984 as an Assistant Professor of Biology. Shortly after, he took on several projects, including the development and funding for undergraduate student research. He later launched the Sigma Xi Undergraduate Research and Creative Accomplishment Conference, where students were provided with ample opportunity for undergraduate research.

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Faculty, staff and students strongly felt this impact in the psychology department. Victoria Kazmerski, P.h.D., Associate Professor of Psychology, expressed her gratitude and appreciation for Light’s work.

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“As a champion of undergraduate research, he helped set up the undergraduate research grants,” Kazmarski said. “I’ve worked with students who’ve been able to take advantage of that system.”

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Light helped set up the grant system, student conferences, and travel funding. He made sure it was financially possible for students to attend national conferences abroad by finding grants needed to match teaching grant funds. In return, Kazmerski, along with fifteen students, were able to travel to South Africa and Japan at an affordable price.

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“Here I am, working with my students able to conduct labs,” said Kazmerski. “Psychology is a strong research component to it and he helped make our program possible.”

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In addition, Carol Wilson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology, also had students who benefited from Light’s generosity in undergraduate research.

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“He was always very gracious about supporting what they had to do,” Wilson said in regards to her students, who were given infinite support in the psychology department.

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Nevertheless, Dr. Light’s memorable personality shown through many different ways, particularly in his humorous emails.

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“He would say ‘proceed’ at the bottom of all his emails,” Wilson said. “When I first came here, the first couple times I emailed him, he responded back with one word; proceed. I felt like I had done something wrong, and when I asked fellow colleagues if that is just the way he is, they simply responded, ‘Yupp, that’s just Bob.’”

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“I came in with an understanding that this is a guy who is so proactive and respectful of the psychology department, which isn’t always seen as an appreciated science generally,” Wilson added. “We never had to go into our spiel about justifying why we were even in his office asking for something. He immediately responded with, ‘Ok, what do you need?’”

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The impact of undergraduate research programs spread throughout the School of Science, as Light served as principal investigator on more than $30 million in sponsored projects. His devotion to the environment on and off campus led him to his work with the Pennsylvania Sea Grant, which placed Behrend above other colleges in leading Erie’s environmental and ecological studies. The work of the Sea Grant staff encouraged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to remove Presque Isle Bay as an environmental Area of Concern.

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Ann Quinn, Director of Greener Behrend, began her career at Behrend ten years ago and was an addition to the School of Science and Biology. Light’s impact with the student organization, Greener Behrend, helped shape a greener and more environmentally-friendly campus.

When Quinn first arrived, she noticed that the environmental organization, which started as a task force in 2003, went dormant and needed a revivement. Not knowing what to expect, Quinn made an appointment with Light and told him that the organization needed an improvement. Light asked Quinn to write him a proposal and, “the rest was history,” said Quinn.

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“I began teaching and working with Greener Behrend and, my job, thanks to Bob Light, evolved and changed every semester to incorporate more principles of sustainability on our campus,” said Quinn.

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The organization was then reborn, as Quinn continued to find ways to improve the sustainability on campus, including composting, recycling, changing light bulbs, installing hydration stations, and so on. The campus began to change.

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“And It’s all because of Bob Light,” Quinn added. “It’s because Bob was supportive and found partners. He was a very accessible person. He was always right there for you and always had time for you.”

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The environmental impact Light had on keeping Behrend’s campus eco-friendly was also felt by Mike Naber, Ph.D., Associate Teaching Professor of Geosciences.

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“With getting the Greener Behrend grants, Ann Quinn and I didn’t really have any grant experience going into trying to secure funds to update the trail that we have on campus,” said Naber. “But Bob would always lead us to the right people to talk to, whether it was here or even at University Park.”

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Behrend’s many acres of the Wintergreen Gorge is visited by students, local hikers, and even perspective students and their parents, who are encapsulated by the campus’ natural features which encourage so many to attend. Light will be remembered for his work in making the green campus thrive, according to Naber.

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“Bob was very helpful in connecting us to the right people and making sure the funding would be there and that it would be done correctly,” Naber added.

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Light was no stranger to other departments and projects on campus. He was a sole attribute in leading the development of Knowledge Park, which provides a stable and progressive academic student learning facility for Behrend’s open-lab philosophy. The conference room in Knowledge Park is named in Bob’s honor.

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As a former two-sport athlete, Light left a tremendous mark in the athletic department as a member of two Division II National Championship football teams and was invited to train with the U.S.A. pre-Olympic volleyball team. As a student athlete advocate, his accomplishments were presented in the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame and the Penn State Behrend Athletics Hall of Fame.

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As a former athletic champion, a teacher, a mentor, and supportive friend to faculty, staff and students, Light’s kindness, passions, and impressionable personality continue to shine throughout the many academic departments he impacted as well as the many individuals he helped at Behrend.

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“He was just a remarkable boss. He was a tremendous person to report to because he respected everybody that worked for him or with him,” Quinn said.

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“He made Behrend a very positive place to work.,” Kazmerski added. “He made Behrend a place where I wanted to come to work.”

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Thanks to Light’s work, Behrend has been granted as a place for an outstanding academic experience and immeasurable opportunity.