Pennsylvania College of Technology alumni are using their skills in a variety of ways to help others during the global pandemic, including a graphic design alumna living and working in England.
Eliza R. Whyman, ’17, a designer at MediaCom in Manchester, designed and illustrated six visually appealing and puzzling brain teasers for Brits to enjoy during shelter-in-place orders.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic is upending the norm in most sectors of society, students and faculty in Pennsylvania College of Technology’s emergency management and homeland security major remain steady, observant and engaged in their education as they watch the historic crisis unfold and their career field move to center stage.
“I do tell students jobs will be aplenty as there will be a lot of money thrust at health care, public health, emergency management, homeland security, other critical infrastructure sectors and private sector consulting for preparedness measures moving forward,” said David E. Bjorkman, instructor of emergency management/social science.
In keeping with other creative adjustments being made during the COVID-19 pandemic, Pennsylvania College of Technology’s annual graphic design student exhibit has moved online for the first time in its 12-year history.
Graphic Design 2020 showcases the portfolio work of 17 seniors: Charles A. Blake, West Chester; Andrew Caccese, Reading; Seifeldien A. Elerman, Dover; Adam Foelker, Myerstown; Kennedy L. Englert, Williamsport; Zoey J. Graybill, McAlisterville; Gavin E. Hain, Myerstown; Emily N. Latshaw, Danville; Meredith A. Long, Trevorton; Anthony M. Niemeyer, Red Lion; Ali D. Petrizzi, Langhorne; Madison P. Shrout, Petersburg; Justine A. Stage, Montoursville; Jessica L. Stanford, Marion Center; Hunter L. Tompkins, Richfield; Shaina T. Vanderveer, Monroeton; and David A. Walker Jr., Waynesboro.
Join Penn College Chef Troy A. Breger and George C. Gerba II, a culinary arts technology major from Williamsport, as they whip up a serving of Bananas Foster. Study the pros at work. This delectable treat is perfectly sautéed. Expertly flambéed. And paired with vanilla ice cream and a hint of mint. What’s not to love?
Creatively adapting to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pennsylvania College of Technology graphic design student chapter of AIGA has launched tutorials on YouTube and are hosting graphic design alumni Zoom talks.
Although initially intended as student-to-student sharing of various design tips and tricks, the short tutorials are also available for public viewing on the AIGA Penn College YouTube channel.
A memorial service will be scheduled for Irwin H. Siegel, 2005 recipient of Penn College’s Master Teacher Award and a retired professor of business administration/business law, who died Sunday, April 12, at age 66. Siegel, a faculty member from 1998 through the 2007-08 academic year, also was honored with an Excellence in Teaching Award in 2001. He received a doctorate in adult education from Penn State University, a master of laws degree from Widener University School of Law, a law degree from Dickinson School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in English from Lebanon Valley College. Prior to joining the faculty, he was engaged in general law practice and as in-house counsel for financial institutions. A full obituary has been published in several newspapers, including The (Harrisburg) Patriot-News and his hometown Lebanon Daily News.
This semester’s Penn College ceramics students missed out on making bowls for Williamsport’s annual Soup and a Bowl event, an important fundraiser for the Central PA Food Bank. The campus community can help those students leave their legacy, however, by filling a virtual empty bowl with an online shopping trip to the food bank by May 8.
Chef Charles R. Niedermyer II, instructor of baking and pastry arts/culinary arts, was interviewed for the cover story in the March/April issue of Bake magazine. A two-time Penn College alumnus and a faculty member since 2005, Niedermyer was among the professionals assessing what the future holds for desserts and pastries. As patrons become increasingly discerning, he said in “Flavor Inspirations,” retail bakers need to adjust. “The key is knowing your customers, the products and services that are most important to them, and staying true to your niche,” said Niedermyer, recognized by the publication in November 2018 as one of the nation’s top 25 industry leaders. “We can’t be all things, to all customers, that walk in our doors.” The article is provided here: Bake magazine
WNEP’s Chris Keating spoke remotely Tuesday with Spyke M. Krepshaw, assistant professor of web and interactive media, about the faculty member’s recent offer of website assistance to businesses engaged in e-commerce during the coronavirus crisis.
Pennsylvania College of Technology students, guided by a quick-thinking faculty mentor in partnership with the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce, are providing a true community service: facilitating online ordering pages for businesses still permitted to operate during the coronavirus pandemic.
Sixteen design projects created by graphic design students at Pennsylvania College of Technology have been honored in the national Flux Student Design Competition.
“This is, by far, the best showing we’ve ever had in this contest,” said Nicholas L. Stephenson, instructor of graphic design at Penn College. “Additionally, we are listed as winners among some of the best design schools in the country.”
It’s rich. It’s creamy. It’s Le Jeune Chef Restaurant’s signature Chocolate Soup. If you’ve visited the casual fine dining restaurant on Penn College’s main campus, you’ve probably tasted this craveable masterpiece. Join Chef Chris Grove and Claudia Walling, a baking and pastry arts student from Williamsport, to learn how easy it is to bring home this crowd favorite.
Set for April 3, Pennsylvania College of Technology’s annual Visiting Chef dinner will feature Chef Fabrizio Facchini, who has gained acclaim in both Italy and the United States.
A brand ambassador for Urbani Truffles and a champion for “slow food,” Facchini’s most recent venture is the highly anticipated opening this spring of Cotto, the restaurant inside the Renaissance New York Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan’s Flower District.
During his three-day stay on campus, Facchini will speak in Penn College hospitality classes and work alongside students to prepare the menu he has developed for an elegant reception and four-course benefit dinner that will culminate his stay. Proceeds from the dinner are used to fund scholarships in the college’s baking and pastry arts and culinary arts majors.
Get an insider’s look at Penn College’s graphic design program through an engaging video created and edited by Luke A. Bierly, a 2019 alumnus of the major.
“A graphic designer isn’t just somebody who’s solid in art, or can draw, or can build websites,” instructor Nicholas L. Stephenson says in the three-minute piece, which has been added to the college YouTube channel. “A graphic designer has to be somebody who understands solving problems and about coming up with ideas.
“I’m enormously proud of what the students have done here,” the faculty member adds. “I’m constantly humbled by the incredible work and the incredible understanding of design, and ability to produce really good graphic design.”
After advancing to the “Grand Finale” of a five-episode “Chopped” championship, Chef Kristina Wisneski, ’13, was eliminated in the finale’s second round, which aired Tuesday on Food Network.