News about Faculty & Staff

Stormwater-response projects signal students’ time to shine

Campus RainWorks 2018Four teams of students from Rob A. Wozniak’s Architectural Design Studio II (ACH261) class, one of which has officially entered its project in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s seventh annual Campus RainWorks competition, this week presented inventive and attractive proposals for green infrastructure to better manage stormwater.

All of the students are enrolled in architectural technology or building science and sustainable design: architectural technology concentration. Each group gave a 20-minute presentation of its project, followed by Q&A from an impromptu panel of judges.

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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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Warm holiday happenings take the chill off

Student artistry extended beyond the cards – well beyond, in fact – as automotive restoration and metal fabrication majors created a jaw-dropping 12-foot toy soldier.

A pair of campus holiday traditions dovetailed near dusk Wednesday: the fifth annual decorating of the Veterans Tree outside Madigan Library and the lighting of the oversized greeting cards on the mall. Chet Beaver, coordinator of veteran and military services, mustered a hardy troop of helpers to hang 399 stars fabricated in the School of Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies to represent Penn College’s veterans and active-duty servicemen and women. As a blustery day gave way to a briskly brutal evening, the card-lighting ceremony took place at the Breuder Advanced Technology & Health Sciences Center. In the office/department category, Dining Services placed first, Financial Aid was second and General Services finished in third place. Among student organizations, Cru topped the vote-getters, Women in Construction was second and the Veterans Club placed third.

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Both Penn College teams place in regional student competition

The second-place Design-Build Team that represented Penn College is (from left) David H. Guarriello, Bethlehem; Adam Z. Hutchinson, Greensburg; Chekota J. Newhart, Troy; Lauren S. Herr, Litiz; Rachel E. White, Doylestown; and Derick S. Gower, Sunbury.

Two teams of Pennsylvania College of Technology students finished strongly among the 22 institutions in the 29th annual Associated Schools of Construction Region 1 Student Competition held Nov. 8-10 in Albany, New York.

The college’s Design-Build Team, charged with developing and constructing a STEM expansion at one of New England’s premier boarding schools, placed second. Its Commercial Team, challenged to provide a new Development Center on the Providence College campus, placed third in the competition.

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Students work alongside celebrity chefs at Breeders’ Cup

Pennsylvania College of Technology was part of the culinary team at the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Championships at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. From left, baking and pastry arts student Amanda M. Brandt, of Etters, York County; Chef Takao Iinuma, of Genji Sushi; and Penn College’s Chef Charles R. Niedermyer, instructor of baking and pastry arts/culinary arts, work alongside Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto during a demonstration in “The Mansion” at Churchill Downs.

Pennsylvania College of Technology hospitality students worked alongside some of the nation’s top chefs as part of the culinary team preparing food for guests of the 2018 Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

The annual November event is the unofficial culmination of the thoroughbred horse racing season. The two-day extravaganza attracts the best horses, trainers and owners from across the globe, along with its share of celebrity fans.

This year, the event was held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Sixteen Penn College students made the trip to the Bluegrass State to spend three days in the kitchens that serve the Downs’ most high-end venues.

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United Way campaign extended to Thursday

The Wildcat and members of the Penn College United Way Campaign committee don T-shirts to share their "Live United" message with the campus community. From left are electrical faculty member Art L. Counterman, president of the Penn College Education Association; Heather L. Allison, workforce development consultant; and Katie L. Mackey, director of campus and community engagement.

The 2019 Penn College United Way Campaign, an opportunity to improve the lives of those who call this community “home,” has been extended to Thursday. Employees wishing to contribute can visit the Diversity & Community Engagement page on the myPCT portal – where pledge paperwork is supplemented by “What a Dollar Buys” and other documented impact – or fill out the form and send to DIF #44 or by email to Katie L. Mackey, director of campus and community engagement, and campaign co-chair: Lycoming County United Way 2018-19 Pledge Form

Penn College Fall Commencement set for Dec. 22 at Arts Center

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Fall 2018 Commencement ceremony will be held Dec. 22 at the Community Arts Center in Williamsport.

A commencement ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 22, for the nearly 320 Pennsylvania College of Technology students who have petitioned to graduate following the Fall 2018 semester.

The ceremony will start at 11 a.m. in the Community Arts Center, 220 W. Fourth St., Williamsport, with 235 students expected to march.

The student speaker will be Katherine Lynne Mertes, of Williamsport, who will be awarded a bachelor’s degree in residential construction technology and management: building construction technology concentration.

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Ford Thunderbird donated to college’s restoration major

Students and instructor Roy H. Klinger (second from left at rear) surround the Thunderbird in Penn College’s automotive restoration lab.

A 1956 Ford Thunderbird convertible has been given to Pennsylvania College of Technology by a Monroe County man who owned it for nearly 50 years.

Paul Hoffman, of Saylorsburg, donated the vintage vehicle – in its original Peacock Blue – for use by automotive restoration technology students.

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Student-run event gives robots fighting chance

The theater of battle fills with participants and spectators.

Action heats up in the competition cage.

A steady hand on the controller ... and in capturing the contest on cellphone video.

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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Counting blessings, countering need

Service with a smile: Gayle M. Kielwein, student activities accounting assistant, delivers comfort food to thankful guests.

A free family-style Thanksgiving dinner was served to 620 students Monday night − the equivalent of three full seatings in the Keystone Dining Room! − and an earlier “Soup for the Soul” benefit helped ensure that such bounty could be shared by those struggling with food insecurity. Sponsored by the Student Engagement Task Force and served by a cross-section of campus employees, the traditional dinner with all the fixin’s was delayed from Thursday due to last week’s storm. CC Commons was the site for the Nov. 14 event, at which the first 50 registrants received a meal of chicken tortilla or cheddar broccoli soup served in handcrafted bowls made by Penn College ceramic students. Part of the college’s Homelessness and Hunger Awareness Week, both activities featured donations of cash and canned goods to The Cupboard, the college’s food pantry. Institutional Advancement added to the week of gratitude with its “Thank a Donor” and “One Tray at a Time” initiatives.

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Too big to mail, but ‘just right’ in sentiment

Phi Mu Delta

Large-scale greeting cards created by student groups and campus offices, sending year-end greetings to their Penn College family in trademark hands-on fashion, were installed Tuesday on the Breuder Advanced Technology & Health Sciences Center lawn. The 43 cards will be lighted − and winners announced in both categories − at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28. (The first 35 entries pictured are from student organizations, followed by eight from college departments.) Students and employees can vote for their favorites through the myPCT portal.

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Student leaders impressively complete six-week ‘boot camp’

Three aviation students, who didn’t realize each other had signed up for the leadership series until their first boot camp class, enjoy the final festivities. From left: Brent H. Thomson, Kate M. Ruggiero and Kerelos M. Bekhit.

Moore delivers an inspiring talk on the initiative and persistence involved in being a leader.

Amanda J. Confer (left) receives her certificate from Bressler.

A graduation ceremony was held Monday evening for Pennsylvania College of Technology’s latest participants in Leadership Boot Camp, a six-week series designed to provide students with a set of skills that will enable them to assume leadership positions in the near future.

Twenty-seven students engaged in the optional offering for the Fall 2018 semester, covering a range of topics from effective communication to civility.

The event’s keynote speaker, Shelley L. Moore, director of career services, led students through a leadership discussion and challenged each participant to continue to identify tangible ways to build on the program’s foundation. Leadership Boot Camp facilitator, Allison A. Bressler, associate director of student activities for new student program leadership, congratulated her students for their initiative and presented each with a certificate and a professional portfolio.

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Penn College faculty present findings at IT conference

Jacob R. Miller and Sandra Gorka, associate professors of computer science at Pennsylvania College of Technology, reported on the college’s implementation of a National Science Foundation grant at the 19th Annual Conference on Information Technology Education in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Pennsylvania College of Technology faculty shared their experiences implementing a National Science Foundation grant at the 19th Annual Conference on Information Technology Education in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Jacob R. Miller and Sandra Gorka, associate professors of computer science, presented a “lightning talk” and poster session on an NSF-funded grant aiming to extend the cybersecurity student pipeline to high schools.

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Penn College shares ‘Tech Scholars’ success at STEMATHON

STEMATHONThe success of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Tech Scholars initiative was the topic of a presentation delivered at STEMATHON, a celebration of STEM in Pennsylvania, held recently at the Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 Conference and Training Center in Lancaster.

David S. Richards, professor of physics, served as main presenter of the session, “Attracting and Retaining Talented Students in STEM Careers through Penn College’s NSF S-STEM Tech Scholars Grant.” Stacey C. Hampton, assistant dean of industrial, computing and engineering technologies, was the session’s co-presenter.

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Home(made) for the holidays

Exhibiting the team-oriented play that is their organization's hallmark, members of the Wildcat Online Gaming Association work together with singular purpose.

Aided by a youthful band of helping hands, nursing instructor Sherry L. Hyland (in red); clinical director Tanae A. Traister (kneeling) and Jessica L. Bower, simulation laboratory coordinator, show off their work.

Participants gather in the spacious General Services for Wednesday's card-decorating party, among Penn College's familial holiday events.

Cru unveils its finished entry. Kneeling (from left) are Kimberly R. Masullo, of Effort, and Amber L. Way, of Port Matilda. Standing (from left) are Zachary L. Alexander, of Liberty; Natali J. Fargus, of Lock Haven; Kyrsten-Lee Baker, of Milton; and Nathaniel H. Lyon, of Fredericksburg.

Representatives of the Physician Assistant Club assemble their gingerbread-flavored treat. From left are Dhwani J. Patel, of Williamsport; Timothy A. Bradley, of Williamsport; Christine Szarko, of Manheim; Jordan E. Linder, of Pittsburgh; and Tia G. La, of Williamsport.

The General Services warehouse was awhirl with holiday cheer on the eve of the season’s first snowfall, as Penn College student organizations and college offices/departments crafted large-scale greeting cards to be installed this week on main campus. The traditional display of creativity will be lighted in a ceremony at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, at the entrance to the Breuder Advanced Technology & Health Sciences Center.
Photos by Rachel A. Eirmann, student photographer

Penn College is a special mission affiliate of Penn State