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Penn College students earn industry certifications

Pennsylvania College of Technology engineering design students, as well as students from several other majors, distinguished themselves by passing prominent industry certification exams related to computer-aided design during the 2018-19 academic year.

Most of the students became certified SolidWorks associates, while two students added certifications for AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor, respectively.

“Encouraging students to obtain CAD certifications is a standard practice within our department,” said Katherine A. Walker, assistant professor of engineering design technology. “Their performance on the exams validates their skill sets, reflects their hard work in class and reveals their dedication to their future profession. The certifications help them stand out in the job market upon graduation.”

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Alumni Baking, Pastry & Culinary Arts Business & Hospitality Engineering Design Technology Individualized Programs of Study Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications

Three alumni honored at Penn College commencements

Pennsylvania College of Technology presented honors to three alumni during Spring 2019 commencement ceremonies, held May 17-18 at the Community Arts Center, Williamsport.

John Estep, of Troy; Darryl Kehrer, of Fredericksburg, Virginia; and Kristina Wisneski, of Ardmore, were recognized for their exemplary achievements.

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Engineering Design Technology Faculty & Staff Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies President Sports

Tournament-bound archer gets her shot at graduation

Butler receives her diploma from President Gilmour.A graduation ceremony was held Wednesday morning for Rylee A. Butler, a member of the Penn College archery team who is unable to attend commencement exercises due to this weekend’s U.S. National Outdoor Collegiate Championships in Ohio. President Davie Jane Gilmour presented the diploma to Butler, who earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering design technology, during a brief gathering in the Student & Administrative Services Center.  The building’s lobby was filled with family and other well-wishers, including faculty from the School of Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies; as well as representatives of the Athletics Department, Academic Affairs, and the Admissions, Registrar and Financial Aid offices. In addition to her degree, Butler is receiving the Academic Vice President and Provost’s Award and the Engineering Design Technology Faculty Award; she also was recently inducted into the college’s new Chi Alpha Sigma honor society for student-athletes. Spring graduation often coincides with postseason play and, in recent years, the president has taken road trips to present diplomas so Wildcats didn’t have to choose between commencement and competition.

Engineering Design Technology Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies Students

Senior project lends photo finish to Penn College career

Boettcher's camera documents the ATHS, a building perfectly suited for panoramic photography.
Boettcher’s camera documents the ATHS, a building perfectly suited for panoramic photography.
A portrait of the artist as a near-grad, putting his prototype to work
A portrait of the artist as a near-grad, putting his prototype to work
Alongside The Victorian House, another widely appreciated campus scene
Alongside The Victorian House, another widely appreciated campus scene
The photojournalist takes his invention to a hometown haunt: the Old Bridge Township Raceway in Middlesex County, N.J.
The photojournalist takes his invention to a hometown haunt: the Old Bridge Township Raceway in Middlesex County, N.J.

Student photographer J.J. Boettcher, graduating May 18 with a bachelor’s degree in engineering design technology, combined several passions into his capstone project: a panoramic camera built through additive manufacturing.

Boettcher, soon to begin employment with Construction Specialties Inc. in Muncy, said his original plan was more a product of curiosity than a senior project.

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Alumni Engineering Design Technology Faculty & Staff Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies Students

Grad, retiree revisit to inspire CAD students

Co-workers Probst (left) and Wack return to Penn College ...
Co-workers Probst (left) and Wack return to Penn College …
... for presentations on Autodesk Inventor iLogic software.
… for presentations on Autodesk Inventor iLogic software.

A computer aided drafting technology alumnus and a faculty retiree returned to campus this month for multiple presentations to students in the engineering design technology and engineering CAD technology majors.

Bryan A. Wack, who graduated in 2006 and manages the engineering department at JPW Industrial Ovens & Furnaces in Trout Run, and David A. Probst, who retired last year as an assistant professor of engineering design technology and works part time at JPW, spoke to students enrolled in Katherine A. Walker’s CAD Management and Customization course.

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Automated Manufacturing & Machining Engineering Design Technology Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies Students

Student-designed transmission passes test for Baja SAE team

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s entry in Baja SAE Tennessee Tech finished eighth out of 96 cars in the endurance-race portion of the Society of Automotive Engineers’ recent event in Cookeville, Tenn.

Months of painstaking work resulted in an impressive showing on the international stage for Pennsylvania College of Technology at the recent Society of Automotive Engineers’ event in Cookeville, Tennessee.

Featuring a new, student-designed continuously variable transmission, the college’s single-seat, off-road vehicle finished eighth out of 96 cars in the endurance race at Baja SAE Tennessee Tech. It’s the college’s eighth top 10 finish in the race – considered Baja SAE’s marquee event – since 2011.

“I couldn’t be happier with the way our car performed with the new CVT,” said John G. Upcraft, instructor of manufacturing and machining and adviser to the college’s Baja SAE club. “We were one of the fastest 10 cars. Nobody pulled away from us. We most likely would have finished higher if the race wasn’t shortened. We usually do our best in the last hour of the event.”

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Scholarship luncheon provides firsthand look at donors’ impact

Ferki tells guests, “Scholarships act as a gateway to inspire growth in a student’s academics and passion for his or her industry.” She is the recipient of the SEKISUI SPI Workforce Development Scholarship and the Penn College Foundation Scholarship.

The empowering combination of applied technology education and financial support was celebrated Sunday afternoon, as Pennsylvania College of Technology hosted its second annual Scholarship Luncheon in the campus Field House.

“I am overwhelmed by the collective energies in this room to transform tomorrow,” President Davie Jane Gilmour said, addressing students, families and donors alike. Announcing that the coming academic year will include the largest total amount of scholarships awarded in any one year during the college’s history, she thanked attendees for their significant role in helping students succeed.

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Alumni Automated Manufacturing & Machining Engineering Design Technology Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies Penn College Magazine Penn College Magazine Feature

Locally grown, globally known

Precision-designed parts, meeting the rigorous standards of industry, bear the company’s mark of quality.
Precision-designed parts, meeting the rigorous standards of industry, bear the company’s mark of quality.
E-Tech’s team approach to business begins with the couple that built it: John, '74, and Nanette Estep.
E-Tech’s team approach to business begins with the couple that built it: John, ’74, and Nanette Estep.
Anthony R. Bastion, a 2018 manufacturing engineering alumnus and former intern, is among the Penn College-educated talent to find a home in his Bradford County backyard.
Anthony R. Bastion, a 2018 manufacturing engineering alumnus and former intern, is among the Penn College-educated talent to find a work home in his Bradford County backyard.
Penn College alumni John M. “Max” Brenchley (left), who graduated in December with a degree in engineering design technology, and Aaron C. Smith, who holds degrees in engineering CAD technology (’15) and engineering design technology (’17), discuss their work on a European aerospace project. Brenchley began as an intern while still in college; Smith’s E-Tech connection dates to his Troy High School days, when an 11th-grade CAD class completed projects on-site through one of the area’s first 3D printers.
Penn College alumni John M. “Max” Brenchley (left), who graduated in December with a degree in engineering design technology, and Aaron C. Smith, who holds degrees in engineering CAD technology (’15) and engineering design technology (’17), discuss their work on a European aerospace project. Brenchley began as an intern while still in college; Smith’s E-Tech connection dates to his Troy High School days, when an 11th-grade CAD class completed projects on-site through one of the area’s first 3D printers.

From the Spring 2019 Penn College Magazine: E-Tech Industries founder John Estep, ’74, credits his team – 70 percent of them graduates of Penn College or its predecessor – for his company’s made-in-the-USA success. Read Locally Grown, Globally Known.

Engineering Design Technology Faculty & Staff Industrial Design Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies

Autodesk honors Penn College faculty member

J.D. Mather

Autodesk recognized the contributions of a Pennsylvania College of Technology faculty member to its support network during the recent Expert Elite Global Summit in Las Vegas.

The multinational software corporation honored J.D. Mather, assistant professor of engineering design technology, as 5-Year Top Expert Elite Autodesk Forums contributor for submitting nearly 500 screencast videos to the Autodesk Knowledge Network, a repository of educational content for the Autodesk community.

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Alumni Engineering Design Technology Events Faculty & Staff Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies Students

Student-run event gives robots fighting chance

The theater of battle fills with participants and spectators.
The theater of battle fills with participants and spectators.
Action heats up in the competition cage.
Action heats up in the competition cage.
A steady hand on the controller ... and in capturing the contest on cellphone video.
A steady hand on the controller … and in capturing the contest on cellphone video.
The makings of a winner?
The makings of a winner?

Penn College hosted battles of ingenuity during SWORD Fall Fights 2018 in the Field House. Approximately 45 combat robots, designed and built by Penn College students and members of the public, “fought” in the double-elimination tournament on Nov. 17. About 130 people attended the daylong event, which featured 1- and 3-pound weight classes. “In an event like this, students get to see engineering in action,” said Craig A. Miller, instructor of engineering design technology and adviser to the Student Wildcats of Robotic Design Club, which sponsored the event.  “They design, build and test their robots against other builders.  They see what works and what does not and make design improvements in an effort to make their robots more competitive.”

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Engineering Design Technology Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies Students

Carving out their niche

Nichols' intricate entry took the blue ribbon among students in the afternoon class.

About 45 students in Penn College’s School of Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies employed their skills to “spooky” effect during the fifth annual Virtual Pumpkin Carving Contest. The competition required the engineering design students to use software to create virtual jack-o’-lanterns. No cleanup was required as winners were declared for morning and afternoon versions of the fun activity. Morning session winners were: first place, Sidney S. Alpaugh, an engineering CAD technology major from Muncy; second place, Evan L. McElhenny, an engineering design technology major from Bainbridge; and dean’s choice, Justin B. Jay, an engineering design technology major from Milanville. Winners in their respective afternoon sessions were: first place Calum A. Nichols, of Coudersport, engineering CAD technology, and Ruan Visser of Austin, Texas, engineering design technology; second place, Morgan R. Bagenstose, of Reading, and Hugo A. Prieto, of Coatesville, both engineering design technology; and third place, Cheyenne A. Miller, of Bellefonte, and Brendan J. Madeira, of Lebanon, each enrolled in engineering CAD technology.

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Engineering Design Technology Events Faculty & Staff Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies Students

Penn College hosting ‘SWORD’ fights

Combat robots compete at Penn College’s Field House in a Fall 2017 event. The competition, sponsored by Student Wildcats of Robotic Design Club, returns Nov. 17 as SWORD Fall Fights 2018.

Pennsylvania College of Technology will feature battles of ingenuity later this month when it hosts SWORD Fall Fights 2018.

Approximately 50 combat robots will “fight” in the double-elimination tournament that is open to the public. Trophies and gift certificates will be awarded to the top three finishers in the 1- and 3-pound weight classes.

The event is scheduled for the college’s Field House on Nov. 17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Engineering Design Technology Faculty & Staff Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies Students

High Steel opens plant to engineering design students

Tomassacci accompanies students on a recent visit to High Steel Structures Inc.
Tomassacci accompanies students on a recent visit to High Steel Structures Inc.
Walker (second from right) and engineering design students benefit from the college's proximity to one of the nation's biggest steel fabricators.
Walker (second from right) and engineering design students benefit from the college’s proximity to one of the nation’s biggest steel fabricators.

Penn College engineering design technology students enrolled in the Technical Drawing-Related Disciplines course experienced examples of structural fabrication and design, thanks to a recent field trip to High Steel Structures Inc. in Williamsport. Located along Fourth Street, west of campus, High Steel is one of the largest structural steel fabricators in the country. The company has fabricated more than 1 million tons of structural steel during the past 20 years. Katherine A. Walker, assistant professor of engineering design technology, and Kendra N. Tomassacci, instructor of engineering design technology, accompanied 33 of their students. “It was an awesome trip,” Walker said. “We are very fortunate that our local employers provide opportunities to visit their facilities. It is very beneficial for students to connect their classroom experience to real-world applications.”
Photos provided

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Child’s Dream Matches Penn College’s Mission

A school assignment required 9-year-old Trevin Allen to write about his dream. Rather than being a famous athlete, musician or movie star, the youngster expressed a desire to work as a computer designer in the plastics industry for SEKISUI SPI, which employs his father, Lucas L., a 2001 Penn College graduate in building construction technology. Trevin’s “essay” sparked a visit to main campus, where he experienced CAD, the new makerspace and various plastics labs. Trevin’s wish for applied technology education – offered by the likes of Penn College – matches the needs of the workforce, which is grappling with a shortage of skilled professionals. Many Penn College students, especially plastics majors, have jobs lined up well before graduation. The college has a 96 percent graduate placement rate. Trevin’s word to describe his visit? “Cool!”