News about Engineering Design Technology

More than 40 Pennsylvania College of Technology students obtained valuable industry certifications related to engineering design in 2021-22, including one student who became the first in school history to earn certified SolidWorks expert status.

Benson P. Weaver, an engineering design technology major from Lititz, passed four advanced topic tests (sheet metal, drawing tools, surfacing and weldments) before successfully completing the most challenging SolidWorks exam: Certified SolidWorks Expert in Mechanical Design.

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For a decade, Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Baja SAE team has placed among the nation’s elite in grueling endurance races. After Baja SAE Tennessee Tech, the team reigns supreme.

Penn College topped a 72-car field in Cookeville, Tennessee, on Sunday to win the endurance race for the first time, besting the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Cornell, Rochester Institute of Technology, Case Western Reserve, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Auburn and Texas A&M. The four-hour race, consisting of rugged terrain and tight turns, is Baja SAE’s marquee event.

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Pennsylvania College of Technology’s “Women’s Wednesday” series continued this week with Stacey C. Hampton, assistant dean of industrial and computer technologies, engaging students during a late-afternoon social in College Avenue Labs.

With a background in elementary and early childhood education, as well as experience in 4-H and literacy programs, Hampton joined the college staff in 2006 as a matriculation and retention coordinator. Among the acknowledged keys to her success, both in personal development and institutional outreach, are the connections that she’s made.

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As a child, Dillon J. DeWitt spent countless hours playing with Legos, reveling in the design and assembly challenges and possibilities. As a Pennsylvania College of Technology student, he’s traded those miniature plastic bricks for components of renowned luxury vehicles.

DeWitt, of Oakland, Maryland, is a product engineering intern for BMW Manufacturing Co. at its 7-million-square-foot facility near Spartanburg, South Carolina. The junior is juggling the full-time paid internship with online courses so he can graduate with a bachelor’s degree in engineering design technology in May 2023.

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Members of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Baja SAE team hope their performance at the recent Baja Butler Bash is a preview of what’s to come in full-scale competitions next spring.

The college’s two cars dominated the four-hour endurance race at the one-day event hosted by Grove City College. Its car from last spring’s race in Louisville finished 15 laps ahead of the second-place entry – the college’s reassembled car from 2016-18.

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About 25 students in the Technical Drawing-Related Disciplines class (CCD237) recently took an online tour of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s District 3 office in Montoursville, where a variety of presenters shared on-the-job examples of road and bridge design, along with firsthand application of cutting-edge technology. “Although the pandemic has prevented an on-site visit, we are grateful for the opportunity to tour virtually,” said Katherine A. Walker, assistant professor of engineering design technology. “It is very beneficial for students to connect their classroom experience to real-world applications.” The tour – coordinated by PennDOT’s Ronald A. Newcomer – directly relates to the course, which is required for students in the School of Engineering Technologies’ two-year engineering CAD technology and four-year engineering design technology majors. Newcomer is an alumnus in welding (1983) and computer aided drafting technology  (1998).
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The Engineering and Industrial Design Department held its annual SolidWorks Pumpkin Carving Contest on Thursday, choosing the top three winners in each of two first-year Technical Drawing I and Detailing I classes.

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Gemini KB Systems has established an annual scholarship at Pennsylvania College of Technology for students enrolled in a range of manufacturing-related programs.

The Philadelphia-based company is a Corporate Tomorrow Maker partner of Penn College.

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Lycoming Engines, a decades-long partner of Pennsylvania College of Technology, is once again offering financial support to a student organization competing in a prestigious off-road racing venue. The company also served as a sponsor for the Penn College Spring 2021 Car Show.

Students in Penn College’s Baja SAE club have registered 10 top 10 endurance race finishes since 2011 in the Society of Automotive Engineers annual marquee event. The most recent competition represented the best overall performance in the team’s 16-year history.

The college has excelled in the Baja SAE competitions, for which students design and build a single-seat, off-road vehicle to survive a battery of performance tests, including a four-hour endurance race over rough terrain. Approximately 100 colleges and universities from around the world compete.

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When told that he would be moving from Vietnam to the United States, Long H. Nguyen embraced the adventure as a second chance at life. More than 13 years later, it’s obvious the Pennsylvania College of Technology graduate has taken full advantage of that precious opportunity.

Nguyen recently earned his second Penn College degree and received a promotion at his employer of five years – the Andritz Group, an international technology company. The honors graduate is a design engineer at Andritz’s global foundry and manufacturing facility for Durametal refiner plates in Muncy.

“Why try to follow the path that everyone else follows? You’ve got to make your path,” Nguyen said.

His path was 8,700 miles away in the United States.

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For two years, Lauryn A. Stauffer has seen only male faces in her electronics classes at Pennsylvania College of Technology. This fall, she’ll at least see multiple women leaders within the School of Engineering Technologies.

The school devoted to careers rooted in science, technology, engineering and math boasts three female assistant deans.

Kathleen D. Chesmel and Ellyn A. Lester were hired in late spring to head the Materials Science and Engineering Technologies Division and the Construction and Architectural Technologies Division, respectively. They join longtime college employee Stacey C. Hampton, who is assistant dean of industrial and computer technologies.

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Pennsylvania College of Technology student Trey L. White practices the tools of innovation even in his down time.

That’s how the Jersey Shore area resident came up with the Chillin’ Chair Challenge, a product that he dreamed up in February and is already available for purchase.

The Chillin’ Chair Challenge is a compact, lightweight tossing game that attaches to the back of a camping chair – or any other chair.

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A foundation that promotes skilled manufacturing careers has awarded more than a third of its scholarships for the Fall 2021 semester to Pennsylvania College of Technology students.

Eleven students from Penn College’s School of Engineering Technologies were among the 31 nationwide recipients of $1,500-$2,500 scholarships from Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs, the foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International. Full-time students enrolled in an engineering or manufacturing-related course of study were eligible.

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More than a half-dozen Pre-College Programs attracted a knowledge-hungry host of teenagers to Penn College’s campuses in recent days, the season opener for high schoolers’ exposure to next-level academics. Campers were engaged and enlightened among the week’s bountiful offerings: Architecture Odyssey, Automotive, Aviation, Engineering, Future Restaurateurs, Health Careers and Information Technology. A second week – inviting more students to test the waters of collegiate opportunity through hands-on learning – will begin July 18.

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Growing up, Christopher M. Hile often shadowed his father into the family’s woodshop above their three-car garage. He watched and assisted his dad, an accomplished woodworker, restore countless pieces of furniture and build requested items, like deli racks for grocery stores.

That introduction to design and production optimization served as a window to his future – a future shaped by a hands-on Pennsylvania College of Technology education and dedicated to designing life-affirming products.

Hile, a Boyertown native, is a mechanical designer for MPR Associates Inc., a multidiscipline, specialty engineering services and consulting firm based in Alexandria, Virginia. MPR boasts clients in fields ranging from power and energy to health and life sciences.

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