A Penn State Altoona Professor has been nationally recognized for her efforts in fighting genocide.

Lee Ann De Reus spent three days in Washington, D.C., exchanging ideas and networking with the other 19 Carl Wilkens Fellows.

This is the first time the group got to meet. They are the first to receive the prestigious award.

De Reus travelled to Chad in 2007 to interview 25 women who had escaped from Darfur in a refugee camp.

"My thought was, if I'm going to advocate on behalf of this issue, I have to understand it on some level," De Reus said. "And for me, I had to have some sort of personal interaction with it."

De Reus has started "Save Darfur Central PA". The group meets once a month in Hollidaysburg.

On the national level, De Reus will be working closely with Senators Robert Casey, Jr. (D-PA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA), as well as Rep. Bill Shuster (R-9th).

De Reus is getting ready for a three week trip to the Congo where she will further her fight against genocide in May.