News about Faculty & Staff

Event Provides Free Dental Care to Service Members, Their Families

Providing dental hygiene services are (from left): Allison D. Bailey, a student from West Chester; Samantha J. Diehl, a student from East Berlin; Paige N. Spicher, a registered dental hygienist who graduated from Penn College in 2017; and, in second exam area, Courtney E. Bashwinger, a student from Levittown.

Pennsylvania College of Technology dental hygiene students, joined by local hygienists and dentists who volunteered their time, provided free dental hygiene services to 29 current or veteran members of the armed services and their family members.

The 35 students who provided “Service Saturday” treatments on April 14 are in the Community Dental Health course, taught by Kim A. Speicher, assistant professor of dental hygiene. Each year, the class provides community service to a population in need, Speicher explained.

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K-12 Challenge: Make a Game, Gain New Skills

Seeking a spring challenge for budding student gamers, artists and engineers? Pennsylvania College of Technology and WVIA Public Media – producers of the “Working Class” documentary series – invite K-12 students, teachers and parents to create their own original board games or video games in the Game On! Art Challenge.

The challenge is inspired by “Working Class: Game On! Why Math Matters,” which can be viewed on WVIA On Demand, YouTube and the series website.

A member of the Penn College faculty who appeared in “Game On! Why Math Matters” encourages teachers and parents to view students’ interest in games as a way to connect them with academics and future careers. Making those connections is a theme of the “Working Class” documentaries.

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Record-Setting Crowd Celebrates Commitment to Students

Guests gather in the SASC lobby prior to the start of the ceremony.

Attendees view a video showcasing the success resulting from student scholarships.

With the donor wall as a visually stunning accent, the president welcomes the crowd as Loni N. Kline, vice president for institutional advancement, stands ready to hand out gifts of appreciation.

Representing Novatec Inc., Timothy Noggle accepts his company’s Ambassador's Society recognition.

Unique floral arrangements, using sheet metal and rebar from the welding and aviation labs, were crafted by alumna Karen R. Ruhl.

The largest crowd in the event’s 14-year history shared in Monday night’s recognition of the alumni, corporate partners, friends and colleagues whose cumulative giving – reflected on a Donor Wall in the Student & Administrative Services Center – leaves a lasting impression on the college’s campuses and students.

“This year, we are honored to recognize the individuals and corporate partners whose donations and entrustments place them on the wall for the first time, or in a new membership society,” President Davie Jane Gilmour said. “Together, their collective commitments total nearly $6.5 million. To everyone in the room, your contributions to Penn College are at work ensuring that our students benefit from a vibrant, challenging and supportive learning environment while they pursue their ‘degrees that work.'”

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Welding Students Earn Top Honors in Proficiency Tests

From left are Michael E. Allen, welding instructor and department head; students Bachman, Brown, Cline and Passarelli; Flood, AWS president; and students Carroll and Rosler.

... and joins top prize-winner Bachman (with his plaque and Rebel Welding Machine).

Six Penn College students were among those recognized at a recent American Welding Society banquet as the top winners in a peer-to-peer skills competition held this semester in the Avco-Lycoming Metal Trades Center. The annual event was the culmination of precision tasks performed by advanced welding students and judged by retired faculty and industry experts. Aided by X-ray inspection of the contestants’ test-weld coupons, the judging team assessed the students’ aptitude, selected the highest performers, and showered the winners with plaques and prizes. Awarded first through sixth places, respectively, were Gavin P. Bachman, of Slatington; Leif E. Brown, of Huntingdon; Skyler M. Cline, of Erin, New York; Timothy O. Passarelli, of Purcellville, Virginia; Douglas V. Carroll, of Gouldsboro; and Ethan D. Rosler, of Bloomsburg. Cline and Rosler are enrolled in welding and fabrication engineering technology; the others are all welding technology majors. The featured speaker for the evening, which also celebrated the winners of a related high school competition, was 2018 AWS President Dale Flood, of Tri Tool Inc. in Rancho Cordova, California.
Photos by Rachel A. Eirmann, student photographer

Field House Celebration Kicks Off ‘Pride Week’

A Culture Cakes activity let attendees decorate cupcakes based on the different parts of their identity.

Pride flags and balloons suitably add color to the festivities.

Participants take brushes in hand for a painting activity hosted by PC Alliance.

A table full of "Pride Swag" offers buttons, bracelets and other giveaways.

Sunday’s rainbow-rich “Celebration of Color” ushered in the fourth annual Pride Week at Penn College, setting the stage for a full week of themed programming. The family-friendly event filled the Field House with a fun mix of music, zumba, crafts and other activities that will echo through the coming days. Also on tap are a Diversi-tea Dialogue about the college’s LGBTQ community, at 5 p.m. Monday in the Bush Campus Center lobby; a scheduled painting of “The Rock” from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday; and an adults-only Drag Show at 8:30 p.m. Thursday in the Thompson Professional Development Center. There will also be opportunities on Wednesday for employee and student training on gender and sexual diversity issues.
Photos by James J. “J.J.” Boettcher, student photographer

Two-Day Blood Drive Nets Life-Saving Donations to Red Cross

American Red CrossMembers of the Penn College community contributed 135 pints for the American Red Cross during a two-day collection for the American Red Cross during the past week. “The blood drive goal was 68,” noted Carl L. Shaner, College Health Services director. “Wednesday, we collected 64, and Thursday, we collected 71. Numbers are down, but every donor can save up to three lives” Online appointments are available for the next Red Cross visit to campus, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 5 in Penn’s Inn (Bush Campus Center, second floor).

Graphic Design Faculty Member’s Art Accepted at Poland Museum

David M. Moyer

Two works of art created by David M. Moyer, assistant professor of graphic design at Pennsylvania College of Technology, are featured in the 14th Gielniak Graphic Arts Competition at the Muzeum Karkonoskie, Jelenia Góra, Poland.

Moyer’s woodcuts “Utopia I” and “Utopia II” were selected for the prestigious exhibition.

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Happy Returns of the Day

Time stands still in this Penn's Inn group photo of reunion attendees, representing the college's historic and formative early years.

About 50 alumni of Williamsport Technical Institute returned to campus on Friday for an annual reunion of graduates from the institution that laid the foundation for today’s Pennsylvania College of Technology. Established by the Williamsport School District, WTI developed many innovations in hands-on adult education before becoming the third community college in the state in 1965 and later Penn College. In addition to reminiscing, the alumni – whose graduation years ranged from 1945 to 1966 – heard from current students about the latest advancements in the college’s welding, occupational therapy assistant and mechatronics academic programs. After a morning of nostalgia and student presentations, the group gathered for lunch and toured the college’s art gallery and veterans’ resource center.

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Last updated April 13, 2018 | Posted in Alumni, Events, Faculty & Staff, Gallery, Students | This gallery contains 20 photos. | Tagged as | 5 Comments

Penn College Home to State’s First ‘Gold Star’ Academic Library

Madigan Library: a golden campus asset

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Madigan Library has reached the Gold Star plateau in the PA Forward Star Library program, the first academic library in the commonwealth to be so recognized.

The initiative was launched in January 2017 to showcase Pennsylvania’s libraries and the myriad ways they serve their constituents, and Penn College quickly moved through the bronze and silver benchmarks in the intervening 15 months.

At each level, specific objectives were seamlessly reflected in displays, events and activities – ranging from Open House and Hispanic Heritage Month to suicide prevention and (in a nod to the college’s automotive restoration major) attention-grabbing displays of vintage vehicles.

“We’re proud of being a participant in the PA Forward Stars program, which has helped us spotlight the important role libraries play in the lives of our community members,” said Tracey Amey, Madigan Library director. “As part of the program, we’ve provided not just books and information, but promoted therapy dogs, art exhibits and stay-healthy giveaways.”

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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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Artist Immerses Audience in Depths of Creative Inspiration

The speaker is backed by visuals of a brooch she gave to former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who used pins as her diplomatic signature.

Two stories of audience engagement in the ACC Auditorium

Strzelec answers an audience member’s question as the evening’s moderator, Craig A. Miller, instructor of engineering design, looks on.

At the conclusion of the talk, students and community members explore some of the artist’s jewelry designs.

A former Penn State Laureate, Strzelec takes pride in her campus and community (which she pointed out to the audience is “home of the Slinky” – an excellent example of toy design).

College and community members were taken on an exploration of personal and professional layers Tuesday evening in a talk delivered by 3-D printing artist Rebecca Strzelec, as part of Penn College’s Technology & Society Colloquia Series. About 150 people gathered in the Klump Academic Center Auditorium for “Art + Engineering = Creative Problem Solving.” Strzelec, professor of visual arts and program coordinator of visual arts studies at Penn State Altoona, served as the Penn State Laureate in 2016-17. She shared artistic projects crafted in her digital studio and discussed a range of inspirations and collaborations. Earlier in the day, Strzelec visited an industrial design model-building class in College Avenue Labs and dined in Le Jeune Chef Restaurant with graphic design and industrial design students and professors. Her evening conversation featured an engaging question-and-answer session, including discussion related to The Dr. Welch Workshop: A Makerspace at Penn College, expected to open in Fall 2018. The event concluded with a reception in Wrapture. The next presentation of the Technology & Society Colloquia Series is titled “The Great War and the Forgotten Realm” and set for Nov. 8, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the ending of World War I on Nov. 11, 1918. Presented in collaboration with the Notre Dame Club of Greater Williamsport, the talk will be delivered by John Deak, associate professor of history at Notre Dame University, as part of Notre Dame’s Hesburgh Lecture Series.

Brewing: Seriously Sciency

Students like Eric Tuller begin their scientific experiments by preparing a hop tea.

From the Spring 2018 Penn College Magazine: Nationally recognized brewing expert Tim Yarrington teaches the modern science of an age-old craft in the college’s brewing and fermentation science major. Read “Brewing: Seriously Sciency.”

USA Science Festival: Where ‘D.C.’ Stands for ‘Definitely Cool’

Interactive inspiration for tomorrow's innovators

A national leader in applied technology education returned to the nation’s capital this past weekend, serving up a second helping of “A Taste of Technology” at the USA Science & Engineering Festival. Students again led the presentations of a popular program subtitled, “Sweet and Savory Science,” joined by Penn College faculty members Chef Frank M. Suchwala, associate professor of hospitality management/culinary arts; Chef Mary G. Trometter, assistant professor of food and hospitality management/culinary arts; Chef Todd M. Keeley, instructor of baking and pastry arts/culinary arts; and Brian M. McKeon Sr., assistant professor of physician assistant. The college’s 400-square-foot exhibit featured three stations, enlisting the public’s hands-on help (and rewarding their taste buds on the other side of the demos).

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Students’ Fitness Assessments Carry Shared Benefits

Among assessments available is a resting metabolic rate measurement using the exercise science program’s CardioCoach equipment.

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Exercise Science Club has developed a unique fundraiser that allows students to gain further hands-on experience while providing employees of Penn College and other local schools with information they can use to achieve their fitness goals.

The proceeds will help club members to pay for the National Strength Conditioning Association Personal Trainer certification exam.

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College Names Director of Workforce Development at Wellsboro

Jason P. Zielewicz

Workforce Development & Continuing Education at Pennsylvania College of Technology has appointed Jason P. Zielewicz as director, workforce development at Wellsboro.

Zielewicz served for the past three years as a client development specialist for WDCE. He will oversee continued expansion of programming offered in the Northern Tier and Wellsboro.

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