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Alumni Engineering Technologies Plastics & Polymer STEM

Penn College grad ‘shoots for the moon’ with Google

Pennsylvania College of Technology graduate Fletcher Ewing, a native of Selinsgrove, is a senior mechanical engineer for X, The Moonshot Factory in Silicon Valley. Formerly known as Google X, the company’s objective is to build and launch “technologies that aim to improve the lives of millions, even billions of people.” Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ewing is mostly working from his home office for X’s Everyday Robot Project. (Photo provided by Ewing.)

Curiosity drives Fletcher Ewing.

As a kid, it drove him to build and race Soap Box Derby cars. As a college student, it led him to study plastics. As a professional, it inspires him to “shoot for the moon.”

The 1998 Pennsylvania College of Technology graduate and Selinsgrove native is a senior mechanical engineer in Silicon Valley for X, The Moonshot Factory. Formerly known as Google X, the company consists of inventors, engineers and entrepreneurs whose expectations defy gravity. Their objective is to build and launch “technologies that aim to improve the lives of millions, even billions of people.”

Alumni Baking, Pastry & Culinary Arts Business, Arts & Sciences Faculty & Staff Students

Personal chef finds self-satisfaction in cooking for others

Through a solid belief in herself and unwavering encouragement from her support system, Penn College alumna Amy (Lynn) Koral boldly quit a bakery job to become a full-time personal chef and business owner. Koral – who earned an associate degree in baking and pastry arts in 2014 and founded Cherished Meals in Oregon four years later – discusses the rewards of preparing meals and restoring her clients’ valuable time in the process. “It happened very organically, and I’m so happy to be cooking healthy meals for people each week,” she writes in a blog posting. “I love making people’s lives easier and filling their refrigerators with homemade, nourishing meals.”

Alumni Students

Virtual info sessions to focus on welders, dental hygienists

A pair of employers, recruiting from among Penn College students and alumni in welding and dental hygiene, will hold virtual information sessions on Thursday, Sept. 24.

Caterpillar –Microsoft Teams sessions are scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. and 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Children’s Dental Health – in person from 4 to 4:45 p.m. in Penn’s Inn (Bush Campus Center, second floor); also accessible over Zoom

For more, check out the Career Services flyer: Virtual employer information sessions

Alumni Building Construction Engineering Technologies

Successful alums share passion for construction

Two Pennsylvania College of Technology alumni, who have maintained the National Association of Home Builders affiliation that they began in college, discuss their professional paths in 20-minute videos geared toward high school students with potential interest in construction careers. In a partnership between NAHB Student Chapters and Cue Career, current college students interviewed young home builders – including Penn College graduates David J. Foreman and Henry A. Rainey.

Alumni Electronics & Computer Engineering Technology Engineering Technologies Information Technology

Penn College grads ‘deliver’ for Amazon

Matthew A. Bamonte and Jiovanni N. Rosario

One is a bit shy, grew up 20 minutes from campus and studied information technology. The other is outgoing, was raised in Pennsylvania Dutch Country and chose electronics.

Both used Pennsylvania College of Technology as a springboard for rewarding careers with prominent subsidiaries of one of the world’s most innovative and omnipresent corporations.

Their paths didn’t cross while attending Penn College, but Matthew A. Bamonte and Jiovanni N. Rosario are kindred spirits, thanks to their roles within Amazon Inc. Bamonte is a learning experience designer for Amazon Robotics in North Reading, Massachusetts, and Rosario works as a control projects engineer for Amazon Web Services in northern Virginia.

Alumni Career Services Students

PA Army National Guard plans ‘pop-up’ visits

The Pennsylvania Army National Guard will be at Penn College for three days during the coming week, staffing outdoor information tables and conducting interviews in more than 140 career fields of interest to a full range of academic majors.

Tuesday, Sept. 15 – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Hager Lifelong Education Center patio
Wednesday, Sept. 16 – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Schneebeli Earth Science Center patio (near the greenhouse)
Thursday, Sept. 17 – Interviews in Bush Campus Center, Room 202

For more, check out the Career Services flyer: Pennsylvania Army National Guard

Alumni Applied Health Nursing & Health Sciences Radiography Students Surgical Technology

Alumnus, corporate partner deliver new technology to college

Alumnus James R. Fedele joins recent radiography grads Cheyenne M. Higgins (center) and Alexis G. Yon with donated equipment in the lab. (Yon is reenrolled for fall, continuing coursework toward a bachelor's in applied health studies: radiography concentration.)

A Pennsylvania College of Technology alumnus, now senior clinical engineering director for UPMC in the Susquehanna region, collaborated with a DuBois-based provider of pre-owned medical equipment to place highly valued technology into the hands of health science students.

James R. Fedele facilitated the donation of a GE Medical Systems C-Arm and workstation through a partnership with KMA Remarketing Corp. The technology will afford students the opportunity to learn through hands-on, simulated experiences in the instructional setting, which will increase their efficiency in clinical operating rooms.

Alumni Faculty & Staff Workforce Development

Workforce Development prominently featured at symposium

Two members of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Workforce Development department were featured during the ninth annual Workforce Solutions Symposium held Aug. 5-6 by the Virginia-based Manufacturing Skills Institute.

Alumni Faculty & Staff

Penn College celebrates exemplary employees

Pennsylvania College of Technology recently honored noteworthy staff, a part-time instructor, outstanding faculty in advisement and assessment of students, longtime employees, and those who retired during the 2019-20 academic year.

Historically included in an all-college ceremony to end the spring semester, the honors were delayed this year and announced virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alumni Automated Manufacturing & Machining Electronics & Computer Engineering Technology Engineering Design Technology Engineering Technologies Students

Intern trio provides vital service for Penn College renovations

Three Pennsylvania College of Technology automation engineering technology students interned for the college this semester, helping to revamp a machining facility and equip a new electronics lab. From left are Levi E. Pomeroy, of Dillsburg; Brian J. Daniels, of Lake City; and Conner J. Nickerson, of Bethlehem.

For a few worrisome weeks, three Pennsylvania College of Technology students thought they would join the ranks of countless others whose summer internships were casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the college “engineered” a solution, a favor the students more than returned.

Brian J. Daniels, Lake City; Conner J. Nickerson, Bethlehem; and Levi E. Pomeroy, Dillsburg; spent the summer helping faculty and staff revamp the college’s machining facility and equip a new electronics lab, benefiting their future and the hands-on education of the next generation of “tomorrow makers” at the college.

“I don’t think a lot of work in those labs could have happened without them,” said Stacey C. Hampton, assistant dean of industrial and computer technologies. Hampton devised the internship with Howard W. Troup, instructor of automated manufacturing and machining, and Ken J. Kinley, assistant professor of electronics and computer engineering technology.

Alumni Art & Graphic Design Business, Arts & Sciences

Penn College grad gets a ‘kick’ out of her job, despite pandemic

Jessica L. Tobias, a 2013 graduate of Pennsylvania College of Technology, has a clear “picture” of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted professional sports, thanks to her role as creative manager and photographer for FC Dallas, one of 26 teams that comprise Major League Soccer.

From creating “bubbles” to coping with empty stadiums, professional sports leagues have faced a gantlet of challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. A Pennsylvania College of Technology alumna has a clear “picture” of the predicament, thanks to her role with a team that has resumed its season.

And Jessica L. Tobias is still smiling.

The 2013 graduate is the creative manager and photographer for FC Dallas, one of 26 teams that comprise Major League Soccer. On Aug. 12, Dallas hosted the first match of the league’s regular-season revival, a 1-0 loss to Nashville SC at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The contest was the first for both teams since the league suspended operations on March 12 when all clubs had played just two games.

Alumni

Roster of Summer 2020 graduates compiled

The Registrar’s Office has released Pennsylvania College of Technology’s lineup of Summer 2020 graduates.

Commencement ceremonies were held Aug. 7-9 on campus to celebrate Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 grads.

Alumni

Introducing Penn College’s Class of ’20, spring edition

The Registrar’s Office has released Pennsylvania College of Technology’s roster of Spring 2020 graduates.

Commencement ceremonies were held Aug. 7-9 on campus to celebrate Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 grads.

Alumni Business, Arts & Sciences Engineering Technologies Faculty & Staff Landscape/Horticulture Mathematics Nursing & Health Sciences Physician Assistant

Three faculty members honored for ‘Excellence in Teaching’

Three faculty members at Pennsylvania College of Technology were presented with Excellence in Teaching Awards at the start of the 2020-21 academic year.

As part of the Distinguished Teaching Awards program at Penn College, President Davie Jane Gilmour presented Excellence in Teaching Awards to Carl J. Bower Jr., assistant professor of horticulture; Barbara F. Di Marco, assistant professor of mathematics; and Heather S. Dorman, instructor of physician assistant.

Distinguished Teaching Awards are presented to full-time faculty at Penn College who have been nominated by their students and colleagues for excellence in instructional performance. There have been 115 recipients since the program began in 1982: 33 Master Teacher Awards and 82 Excellence in Teaching Awards.

“From day one, teaching has been at the core of who we are,” Gilmour said. “As is obvious through comments from their students and colleagues alike, Carl, Barb and Heather are among the very best at putting that mission into practice.”

Alumni Electronics & Computer Engineering Technology Engineering Technologies Faculty & Staff

Penn College grad helps ‘power’ New Jersey

Lester Wrobel graduated from Pennsylvania College of Technology in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in electronics and computer engineering technology. Today, he is a principal technology engineer for Public Service Enterprise Group, the largest gas and electric service provider in New Jersey.

The parental warning is etched in Lester Wrobel’s memory. In the midst of dropping him off at Pennsylvania College of Technology, his parents delivered a stark message before returning to their New Jersey home: “If you fail, head west, because we won’t be opening the door for you.”

During the next few years, there were moments when Wrobel seemed destined for a westward journey. Lack of focus and subpar grades blocked the on-ramp to Interstate 80 east. But with supportive Penn College faculty and his fortitude, Wrobel persevered to earn more than an invitation home. He helps power his parents’ house, along with 2.3 million other electric customers throughout New Jersey.

“I would compare it to the fundamentals of electricity,” Wrobel said, pointing to the irony. “There always needs to be a return path in an electrical circuit for the light to be on.”

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