News about Construction & Design Technologies

Member of College’s Construction Faculty Attends D.C. Symposium

Levon A. Whitmyer

An instructor of building construction technology was among the participants at a recent Residential Construction Professors Symposium in the nation’s capital, gaining perspective on relevant industry topics and exemplifying the practicality of a Pennsylvania College of Technology education.

Levon A. Whitmyer joined counterparts from Michigan State, LSU, Kennesaw State, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and the University of North Florida – all of which, like Penn College, are recipients of Homebuilding Education Leadership Program grants from the National Association of Home Builders.

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Campers Enjoy the Not-So-Lazy Days of Summer

A summer of refreshing, enlightening exploration

The hunger for knowledge continued for hundreds of young women and men who explored the hands-on world of Penn College’s summer camps mere weeks after their school year ended.

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Last updated June 25, 2018 | Posted in Business & Hospitality, Construction & Design Technologies, Events, Faculty & Staff, Health Sciences, Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies, Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications, Students, Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies | This gallery contains 32 photos. | Tagged as | Leave a comment

Fourteen Incoming Students Chosen as 2018-19 ‘BE Scholars’

Fourteen of this fall’s first-year students in construction and design majors at Pennsylvania College of Technology have been selected as Built Environment Scholars in a program that rewards academic talent in science, technology, engineering and mathematics-related fields.

Scholarship funding up to an annual $10,000 per student is awarded through a $1 million National Science Foundation grant that aims to increase retention, graduation and career readiness for students in six of Penn College’s STEM-focused pursuits.

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Assistant Dean Appointed for Construction, Design Technologies

Naim N. Jabbour

Naim N. Jabbour has been named assistant dean of the School of Construction & Design Technologies at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Jabbour, who is an assistant professor of architectural technology at Penn College, officially begins his duties June 11.

“I’m thrilled that Naim will be joining the leadership team for the School of Construction & Design Technologies,” said Carol A. Lugg, dean of construction and design technologies. “Naim’s combination of solid academic achievements, complemented with industry and classroom experience, will be a valuable contribution. The academic school has a strong legacy of educating students to become leaders in the construction and design industry, and I look forward to the contributions that Naim will bring to this position.”

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Spring Commencement: A Mid-May Extravaganza of Emotion

Eyewear for the day, vision for the future

Pennsylvania College of Technology held three commencement ceremonies May 11-12 for more than 900 students who petitioned to graduate following the Spring 2018 semester. The Friday afternoon proceedings at the Community Arts Center honored students from the School of Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies and the School of Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications. Saturday morning featured The School of Construction & Design Technologies and the School of Health Sciences, while students from the School of Business & Hospitality and the School of Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies graduated during the afternoon session. Student speakers were Hanna Jo Williams, of Marion, New York, awarded a bachelor’s degree in industrial and human factors design and an associate degree in studio arts on Friday; Glendalis Guadarrama, of Avondale, who received a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Saturday morning’s session; and Alexandra M. Lehman, of Williamsport, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration: sport and event management concentration to close out the festive weekend. The college also bestowed three teaching honors – the Veronica M. Muzic Master Teacher Award and two Excellence in Teaching Awards – as well as a pair of alumni awards.

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Last updated May 12, 2018 | Posted in Alumni, Business & Hospitality, Construction & Design Technologies, Events, Faculty & Staff, Health Sciences, Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies, Institutional Advancement, President, Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications, Students, Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies | This gallery contains 32 photos. | Tagged as | Leave a comment

Penn College Presents Distinguished Teaching Awards

Joanna K. Flynn, associate professor of mathematics, was presented with the highest honor accorded to Penn College faculty – the Veronica M. Muzic Master Teacher Award – at Spring 2018 Commencement. She is shown here with Penn College President Davie Jane Gilmour.

Three Pennsylvania College of Technology faculty members were honored during Spring 2018 Commencement ceremonies for their outstanding teaching abilities.

Joanna K. Flynn, associate professor of mathematics, was presented with the highest honor accorded to Penn College faculty: the Veronica M. Muzic Master Teacher Award.

Two other faculty members received Excellence in Teaching Award recognition: Edwin G. Owens, associate professor and department head for mathematics, and Thomas J. Mulfinger, associate professor of building construction technology.

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Two Alumni Honored at Penn College Commencements

Pennsylvania College of Technology presented honors to two alumni during Spring 2018 commencement ceremonies, held May 11-12 at the Community Arts Center, Williamsport.

Andrew S. Wisner, of Cumming, Georgia, formerly of York, received the Alumni Achievement Award on May 11, and Bradley G. Willis, of Harrisburg, formerly of Phillipsburg, New Jersey, was presented with the Volunteer of the Year Award during morning exercises on May 12.

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Students Helping Habitat Families Realize Home-Ownership Dream

Penn College construction students prep the site of a Habitat for Humanity build ...

... installing a layer of foam insulation prior to finishing the concrete work.

Harry W. Hintz Jr.’s Concrete Construction class (BCT 238) has been involved with a Habitat for Humanity project this semester in Williamsport’s West End, spending two entire class periods at the 1608 Scott St. site. “The first day was spent doing prep work, where we used a laser transit to get the stone subgrade to the correct height, then we installed 2-inch foam board as the floor insulation,” said Hintz, an instructor of construction technology. “The following week, we placed and finished 20 yards of concrete that is serving as the first floor” of the two-unit structure. Additional students, representing the Penn College Construction Association, are involved in the project. “The Scott street build is a duplex that will house two families – to be selected this month! – and both Professor Hintz’s students and students of the PCCA have been instrumental in the build thus far,” said Katherine M. McCaslin, program director for Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity (who also provided photos). “We look forward to working with the students again in the fall.”

Advisory Committee Honors Construction Management Students

Scholarship recipients and members of Penn College's Construction Management Advisory Committee mark the occasion with a group photo. Back row (from left): Brandon Miller, area manager, Henkels & McCoy; Kevin M. Snoke, president/chief operating officer, Wagman Construction Inc.; James P. Craft, project manager, James Craft & Son Inc.; S. Curtis Wargo, project manager, Allan Myers; students Jacob R. Stouffer, of Chambersburg, and Calen B. Heeter, of Emlenton; and Matthew R. Sarver, CMAC secretary and project executive, Gilbane Building Co. Front row (from left): Student Lauren S. Herr, of Lititz; Brian J. Fish, general superintendent, Hensel Phelps Construction Co.; students Elias S. Brallier, of Hopewell, Nowell H. Covington, of Benton, and Derek S. Smith, of Port Matilda; Angie Moore, assistant project manager, Wickersham Construction; and Stephanie L. Schmidt, CMAC vice chair and president, Poole Anderson Construction. (Photo provided)

Seven Pennsylvania College of Technology students were recently designated by the college’s Construction Management Advisory Committee to receive scholarship awards.

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HVAC Students Explore Green Side of Blue-White World

Members of the college's ACCA student chapter cap their Penn State field trip with a visit to Beaver Stadium.Penn College’s Air Conditioning Contractors of America student chapter visited Penn State’s main campus Friday and toured several mechanical rooms that showcase green technology being used in today’s refrigeration industry to help reduce energy usage. The day started with a tour of Pegula Ice Arena’s mechanical room, which is used to freeze and maintain ice at the hockey rink, then moved to the Erickson Food Science Building production chillers that serve the university’s popular Berkey Creamery. Both systems use ammonia, a natural refrigerant, to aid in the process. After lunch, the tour continued at the North Chiller Plant, one of three used to circulate more than 1.5 million gallons of chilled water beneath campus to maintain human comfort throughout its buildings. The visit concluded at Beaver Stadium’s air-cooled chiller area and packaged rooftop units above the skyboxes. The tour, facilitated by HVAC technology instructor and club adviser Jason W. Killinger, allowed ACCA members to see emerging technologies used in real-world applications and develop networking opportunities within the industry.
Photo provided

Student Surveyors’ Club Aids National GPS Data Collection

Glenn C. Johnson, a first-year surveying technology major from Sweet Valley, sets up a GPS receiver on an NGS benchmark along Route 15 south of Williamsport. (Photo provided)

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors student chapter recently took part in a service project involving the National Geodetic Survey, collecting data to correct insufficient and inaccurate Global Positioning System information.

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SkillsUSA Competitors Strike Gold; 21 Students Headed to Nationals

SkillsUSA Pennsylvania

Nearly all 27 members of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s SkillsUSA team – 21 of them advancing to the 54th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference in Louisville, Kentucky – earned medals during recent state competition.

The competitors represent majors across four of Penn College’s academic schools, and the theme for the April 18-20 Pennsylvania Leadership and Skills Conference in Hershey couldn’t have been more fitting for students gaining career-making skills in hands-on fashion: “Champions at Work: Job-Ready, Day One.”

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Last updated April 24, 2018 | Posted in Architectural Technology, Automated Manufacturing & Machining, Aviation, Baking, Pastry & Culinary Arts, Building Construction, Business & Hospitality, Construction & Design Technologies, Electrical, Engineering Design Technology, Faculty & Staff, Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning, Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies, Information Technology, Plastics & Polymer, Students, Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies, Welding | Leave a comment

Rebuilding Nepal

A helicopter lands in a Himalayan village to transport Daniel J. LaSota, ’09, to his next assignment. LaSota is a project manager for Steadfast Nepal, helping to replace homes destroyed by 2015 earthquakes.

From the Spring 2018 Penn College Magazine: Residential construction technology and management graduate Daniel J. LaSota, ’09, builds sustainable, earthquake-resistant homes in remote Himalayan villages. Read “Rebuilding Nepal.”

Today’s Students Mentor Tomorrow’s ‘Women in Construction’

Teamwork in the lab

Girls in ninth through 12 grades visited Pennsylvania College of Technology on Friday for a hands-on exploration of careers in construction and design.

The daylong “Framing Your Future” event introduced 42 participants to the industry’s vast career opportunities; included a networking lunch with guest speaker Angie (Martinozzi) Moore, a May 2015 construction management alumna and an assistant project manager at Wickersham Construction & Engineering Inc. in Lancaster; and provided a dialogue with current college students.

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Soon-to-Be Grad Honored by State Surveyors’ Group

From left are JoAnn Dobeck; Bradley A. Zeigler; and Penn College student Mark A. Valchar, of Petersburg, recipient of the 2018 Ed Dobeck Award.

The Susquehanna Chapter of the Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors hosted its annual Ed Dobeck Memorial Award dinner meeting at Pennsylvania College of Technology on April 5, enabling regional land surveyors to welcome surveying technology students into the profession.

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Pennsylvania College of Technology is a special mission affiliate of The Pennsylvania State University