-
Health and Human Development
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
About
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
COVID-19 Response
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Return to Research
Explore
-
Return to Teaching
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
- Creative Approaches to Teaching: Where to Start
- Adapting to Mixed-Mode, Remote, or Web-Based Teaching and Learning
- Assessments and Academic Integrity
- Policy and Safety Updates
- Technology and Library Resources
- Resources to Assist Faculty and Staff Support Student Welfare
- Remote Teaching and Learning
- Contact tracing in the classroom
- Supporting students in quarantine and isolation
-
Additional Resources and References
Explore
- Acknowledgement of Risk
- Travel Guidelines
-
Return to Research
- Environmental Health
- Overview of the College
- Meet the Dean
-
News and Events
Explore
-
Events
Explore
-
Profiles
Explore
-
Diversity and Inclusion
Explore
-
Awards
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
College Awards
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Carol Clark Ford Staff Achievement Award
Explore
-
HHD Faculty Sustainability Award
Explore
-
Joyce Hopson-King Diversity Achievement Award
Explore
-
Ann C. Crouter Early Career Faculty Award
Explore
-
Evelyn R. Saubel Faculty Award
Explore
-
HHD Alumni Society Excellence in Teaching Award
Explore
-
Leadership in Outreach Award
Explore
-
Evan G. and Helen G. Pattishall Outstanding Research Achievement Award
Explore
-
Pauline Schmitt Russell Distinguished Research Career Award
Explore
-
Carol Clark Ford Staff Achievement Award
-
HHD Alumni Society Awards
Explore
-
College Awards
-
Commencement
Explore
- Employers and Industry
- Our Valued Partners
- History
-
Strategic Plans 2014-19
Explore
-
Strategic Plan 2021-25
Explore
- Subscribe, Listen, Learn: College Podcasts
- Donate
- Contact
-
COVID-19 Response
-
Undergraduate
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Getting Started
Explore
-
Majors and Minors
Explore
-
Honors Program
Explore
-
Advising
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Academic Integrity
Explore
- Academic Progress
- Advising Resources
-
Change of Campus
Explore
- Declaring a Major/Minor
-
Enforcement of Recommended Preparation
Explore
- Learning Support
- Petitions to University Policies and Procedures
-
Policies and Procedures
Explore
- Schedule an Appointment with Your Adviser
-
Undergraduate Adviser and Student Handbook
Explore
-
Contact
Explore
- Dean's List
-
Academic Integrity
- Student Organizations
-
Student Profiles
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Biobehavioral Health
Explore
-
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Explore
-
Health Policy and Administration
Explore
-
Hospitality Management
Explore
-
Human Development and Family Studies
Explore
-
Kinesiology
Explore
-
Nutritional Sciences
Explore
-
Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management
Explore
-
Student Research
Explore
-
Biobehavioral Health
-
Study Abroad
Explore
- Take a Professor to Lunch
-
Financial Aid and College Scholarships
Explore
-
Leadership Initiative
Explore
-
Summer Session
Explore
- Dean's Welcome Meeting
- Parents and Family Association
-
Visit and Apply
Explore
-
Contact
Explore
-
Discover HHD
Explore
-
Career and Professional Development
Explore
-
HHD Instagram Ambassadors
Explore
- Undergraduate Research Grants
- Undergraduate Activities and Events
-
Getting Started
-
Graduate
Explore
-
Alumni
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Events
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Alumni Virtual Events
Explore
-
Distinguished Alumni Speaker Series
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
- 2021 - Derrick Campana
- 2019 - Ariel Clatty
- 2018 - James Fitzgerald
- 2018 - Susan Robinson
- 2017 - Janet Rosenzweig
- 2015 - Scott M. Smith
- 2014 - Mark McCamish
- 2013 - Patricia Hillkirk
- 2012 - Jill Jayne
- 2011 - Robert E. Hillman
- 2010 - Joanne Finegan
- 2009 - Mario Lafortune
- 2008 - Mary Ellen Clark
- 2007 - Wendy A. Owen
-
Alumni Virtual Events
-
Biobehavioral Health
Explore
-
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Explore
-
News
Explore
-
Get Involved
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
- Alumni Awards
-
Mentor a Student
Explore
-
Join an Affiliate Program Group
ExploreUp a level (this gets replaced in JS)
-
Biobehavioral Health APG
Explore
-
Communication Sciences and Disorders APG
Explore
-
Health Policy and Administration APG
Explore
-
Human Development and Family Studies APG
Explore
-
Kinesiology APG
Explore
-
Nutrition and Dietetics Alumni Society (NDAS)
Explore
-
Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society (PSHRS)
Explore
-
Recreation Park and Tourism Management APG
Explore
- Get Involved with an Affiliate Program Group
-
Professional Golf Management APG
Explore
-
Biobehavioral Health APG
-
HHD Alumni Society
Explore
-
Health Policy and Administration
Explore
-
Awards
Explore
-
Hospitality Management
Explore
- Kinesiology
-
Alumni Profiles
Explore
- Nutritional Sciences
- Alumni Magazine
- Career Resources for Alumni
- Update Your Contact Information
- Volunteer Leaders
- Donate
- Contact
-
Events
-
Research
Explore
-
Contact
Explore
-
Departments
Explore
-
Outreach
Explore
-
About
- Archived Newsletters
- Scholarship Opportunities
Our Story/Peter Newman
November 2016
As a young child, Peter Newman’s parents took him to a National Park where he met a park ranger who let him try on the trademark ranger cap.
Newman’s entire childhood was filled with outdoor experiences, from camping to backpacking to skiing. For vacations, his family and neighbors lived on the edge with experiences such as staying at a ski cabin in Vermont with no heat in the middle of winter.
“My passion for the outdoors came from my parents,” Newman said. “Growing up, there was a theme of adventure.”
Newman spent his summers at camp, including one in Maine where his father served as director. In seventh grade, Newman biked with a group along the coast of Maine, camping overnight along the way. As a teenager, he completed a 30-day Outward Bound course on a sailboat off the coast of Maine. He also worked as a camp counselor.
From a young age, spending time outdoors through vacations and seasonal jobs was a natural part of life.
In college, Newman studied political science and prepared for a career as a public affairs journalist. During a study abroad semester in London, he got a taste of that life. He covered press conferences, wrote articles for Moneywise Magazine, and wore a suit and tie everyday. The fast-paced experience was exciting and memorable.
The very next semester, Newman took a 180-degree turn and started a second study abroad program in Ecuador where he assisted with research on rain forest ecology and the El Nino-Southern Oscillation.
“We looked at the intersection of people and the environment, and how a weather event can shift an ecosystem and economy,” Newman said.
Next, Newman completed an internship at Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho. There, the awe he had as a child while trying on a ranger’s cap came rushing back.
“I was hooked. I wanted to be a ranger,” Newman said.
While Newman did earn his undergraduate degree in political science, he let go of his plan to pursue journalism.
Instead, Newman worked as an instructor for the Yosemite Institute and led backpacking trips through Yosemite National Park, which introduced him to the complex challenges within National Parks, such as preservation and overcrowding. The first year Newman worked at Yosemite, the park saw nearly four million visitors.
“It opened my eyes to the issues of visitor use in national parks and the difficulty of balancing use and preservation,” Newman said.
Newman then achieved his goal and became a seasonal park ranger and worked in wilderness restoration for several summers. Along the way he completed his master’s degree.
One summer, while out on the trails, Newman bumped into Robert Manning, who studied national parks as a professor at the University of Vermont. The pair discussed the challenges of meeting visitors’ needs while also preserving wilderness. The shared passion led Newman to enroll at the University of Vermont where he earned his doctoral degree under the mentorship of Manning.
As Newman completed his education and spent more time at Yosemite, he developed a specific appreciation for natural sounds.
“As a park ranger, I loved the nights that I was out in the back country and getting ready to fall asleep. It was one of the most magical things – lying in a bivy sack on a cool night while looking up at the unbelievable sky and hearing the amazing sounds of the coyotes,” Newman said. “That’s where I experienced some of the best nights of sleep in my life.”
As head of the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management at Penn State, Newman and fellow researchers study national park assets and challenges, including soundscapes.
A focus on soundscapes developed for Newman through other national park studies. Survey respondents would write in their open-ended responses that the purpose of their visit was to experience “peace and quiet,” and sometimes that expectation went unmet. Seeing a problem, Newman’s focus shifted to how natural sounds improve recreational experiences for visitors as well as support physical and mental health, and how manmade noise can impact national parks for both wildlife and visitors.
Additionally, Newman, Manning and fellow researchers co-authored the book, Sustainable Transportation in the National Parks: From Acadia to Zion, which focuses on transportation in national parks and appropriate visitor capacity while taking into account ecological sensitivity.
Today, national park managers use Newman and colleagues’ research as a guide as they develop strategic plans to protect these special places.
“I love the research because it allows me to continue my relationship with national parks and park managers by helping them to fulfill the Organic Act, a federal law that established the National Park Service and outlines the original mission of the parks: to protect the ecological resources and experiential values of these places,” Newman said.
Simultaneously, Newman and fellow faculty members prepare Penn State students for careers in park management, tourism management, recreation management, and golf management.
“Parks, outdoor recreation, leisure, golf – people dream about these positive experiences for their weekends, vacations, and retirement, and we are stewards of that. Our students become stewards of all of these wonderful things that people dream about and I think that’s an amazing thing,” Newman said.