News about Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications

Eight Penn College Students Medal in National Competition

SkillsUSA

Eight students from the widest variety of academic majors ever to represent Pennsylvania College of Technology at the National Leadership and Skills Conference returned home with medals – including first-time successes in three competitive areas.

The contingent took one of three top places in five categories, and this year marked the first time that Penn College entrants medaled in Computer Programming, TeamWorks and Welding Sculpture.

“This really goes to show how well-prepared the students are from their respective fields and how great our instructors are here at the college. This is, by far, the most diverse group of students I’ve had go to the national competition,” said SkillsUSA adviser James N. Colton II, an assistant professor of welding. “The national skills competition gives us a chance to showcase our technical skills and show everyone why we’re a leader in applied technology.”

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Penn College Degree Leads to Philadelphia Eagles Front Office

Penn College web and interactive media alumnus Christopher C. Rutledge is employed by the Philadelphia Eagles as digital project coordinator.

Pennsylvania College of Technology graduate Christopher C. Rutledge, a collegiate soccer player and all-around sports enthusiast, chose his degree without imagining that it would lead to work that so closely relates to his lifelong pastime, let alone that his first full-time job would be with his favorite NFL team.

“Ever since I was 6 years of age, I have been in love with sports, and to this day, I still get myself involved with many activities, whether it is football, soccer, softball, etc.,” the 2016 graduate said.

Rutledge, a four-year member of the Penn College men’s soccer team, received a bachelor’s degree in web and interactive media. Last summer, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles’ front office as digital project coordinator.

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Students Follow Nature’s Way to Trust, Triumph

Pairs of students climb pole ladders with a goal of walking across the log at the top (and crossing each other “mid-span”). Students on the ground control the belay (safety) ropes for the climbers.

Also at CLIMBucknell, students use aluminum beams and tree stumps to cross an imaginary “lava field” without leaving a team member behind or falling into “the lava” …

... and transcend a more “vertical” challenge: a multi-story high-climbing tower.

The therapeutic value of quiet, mindfulness, meditation and focus are found on a hike at Rider Park.

On the Penn College campus, HSR330 students learn to trust and communicate through alternate means as they work in pairs, wordlessly guiding a blindfolded partner through a course covering different obstacles.

Nature as therapy was the lesson learned recently by students enrolled in Outdoor Recreation as a Therapeutic Tool (HSR 330). The students also learned firsthand how to facilitate individual and team-based outdoor activities. One day, the group visited Bucknell University’s CLIMBucknell Challenge Course, an outdoor educational facility in Cowan. “Under the guidance of the Bucknell facilitators, the Penn College students learned how to solve mental and physical challenges as a team,” said D. Robert Cooley, associate professor of anthropology/environmental science (who also provided the photos). “After the problem-solving games concluded, we moved to the ropes course where we all were able to push past our individual comfort zones on some breathtakingly high ropes elements, an enormous climbing wall, and finally, an impossibly long zip line. A great day was had by all!” Other outdoor educational venues folded into the students’ coursework during the summer “minimester” included Rider Park north of Williamsport and a beautiful location a little closer to “home” – the Penn College campus.

Stunning Tilework Masterfully Adds to ATHS’ Attractive Entranceway

Southern exposure: The artist stands over a striking addition to the ATHS.

Stabley's original sketch lies atop plastic containers of mosaic tile.

The mosaic’s angles mimic the atrium’s skylight.

Stabley works on taping prior to grouting the piece.

Thousands of artistic pieces, set to inspire

Penn College’s main campus is home to yet another magnificent mosaic, designed and crafted by David A. Stabley, instructor of ceramics and wood sculpture. On Friday, Stabley put the finishing touches on the piece, gracing the atrium of the Breuder Advanced Technology & Health Sciences Center. The atrium’s walls recently received a fresh coat of green paint, and the mosaic’s green and brown hues complement the surroundings. The artwork took Stabley less than two weeks to install. He was assisted by Roza Breneisen. Stabley hopes to add mosaic enhancements to the atrium’s second-floor walkway “walls” that bookend the current piece. A number of other Stabley-created mosaic installations can be found around campus, including the Capitol Eatery, and on the walls of the Hager Lifelong Education Center and the Physician Assistant Center.

Faculty Member to Exhibit Chain-Mail Jewelry at June’s ‘First Friday’

Faculty member among First Friday artists

Joseph E. LeBlanc, an assistant professor of physics at Penn College, will be among the local artisans displaying their craft during First Friday (June 2) in downtown Williamsport. LeBlanc, who uses classic weave patterns in his creations, has been making chain mail since 2013. His work can be seen at Gustonian Gifts, 357 Pine St.

Adjunct Faculty Member Coaching Finals-Bound OM Team

Denise A. Southard (standing in back) and her husband, Bret, pose with some of their Odyssey of the Mind mentees.

After capturing first in both regional and state competitions, the Curtin crew heads to OM World Finals.

A Penn College adjunct math faculty member and her team of fourth- and fifth-graders from Curtin Intermediate School are headed to the 2017 Odyssey of the Mind World Finals at Michigan State University this week. Denise A. Southard and her husband, Bret, coach the team of Williamsport youngsters that captured first place in Division I regional and state competitions with their problem, “A Superhero Cliffhanger.” “While there isn’t a direct connection to math, the students are required to build their props,” Denise said. “Their main prop is a storybook made from wood. They had to measure and cut all the wood in the construction of the book. The finished prop is a 5-foot-high book with seven ‘pages.’” The Southards started coaching OM when their daughters were in elementary school. (Their oldest daughter made it to the World Finals once, and their youngest achieved the honor twice.) Although their girls are older and no longer in OM, the couple continues to love being active in the program. “Ultimately, we both love the confidence it gives the students,” Denise said. “We have seen students, who were so shy they could barely talk to other team members, become stars on the stage! They learn how to think ‘outside the box,’ problem-solve and use power tools!” (EDITOR’S NOTE: The team finished 22nd in its division at “Worlds.”)
Photos provided

Two Alumni Honored at Penn College Spring Commencement

Pennsylvania College of Technology presented honors to two alumni during Spring 2017 commencement ceremonies, held May 12-13 at the Community Arts Center.

Thomas J. Giannattasio, of Bethesda, Maryland, received the Alumni Achievement Award on May 12, and June Kilgus Zimmerman, of Williamsport, was presented the Distinguished Alumni Award on May 13.

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Penn College’s ‘Working Class’ TV Series Earns Second Telly Award

"Working Class" earns second Telly Award“Working Class: Build & Grow Green,” produced by Pennsylvania College of Technology and WVIA Public Media, has earned a 2017 Bronze Telly Award.

It is the second episode produced for the “Working Class” public television series and the second to win a Bronze Telly. “Working Class: Dream & Do” earned the award in 2016.

Acknowledged as a premier award for film and video productions, the Telly Award honors outstanding local, regional and cable programming. The 37th annual competition in 2017 considered more than 12,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents.

“As a national leader in applied technology education, Penn College has earned a reputation for combining academics with practical, hands-on education that prepares students to enter and advance in the world of work,” said Davie Jane Gilmour, president of the college. “The award-winning ‘Working Class’ series allows us to share our mission and passion for inspired learning with a public television audience.”

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Advertising Art Faculty Member’s Work Featured in Exhibits

John M. McKaig’s “Blind Crown” is a color pencil drawing measuring 36 inches by 72 inches.

Artwork created by John M. McKaig, an adjunct faculty member in advertising art at Pennsylvania College of Technology, is being showcased in a number of exhibits.

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Penn College Students Bat a Thousand in SkillsUSA Competition

SkillsUSA-Pennsylvania

All 25 members of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s SkillsUSA team, including more than half moving on to national competition June 19-23 in Louisville, Kentucky, were medalists during the Pennsylvania Leadership and Skills Conference held late last month in Hershey.

Fifteen team members advanced to nationals with first-place finishes, seven placed second, and three placed third in their respective categories.

“I feel great about the students’ performance at the state competition. It goes to show how well prepared the students are from their respective fields and how great our instructors are here at the college,” said James N. Colton II, assistant professor of welding and the college’s SkillsUSA adviser. “I’m excited for the students going to the national competition in Louisville. I have every confidence they will put their best performance forward.”

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Last updated May 9, 2017 | Posted in Alumni, Architectural Technology, Art, Web Design & Interactive Media, Automated Manufacturing & Machining, Building Construction, Business & Hospitality, Business & Hospitality Management, Collision Repair & Restoration, Construction & Design Technologies, Electrical, Engineering Design Technology, Faculty & Staff, Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning, Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies, Information Technology, Students, Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies, Welding | Leave a comment

Professor’s Wood Engravings Book Purchased by MIT Library

David M. Moyer

An artist’s book crafted by David M. Moyer, assistant professor of graphic design at Pennsylvania College of Technology, has been purchased by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Moyer’s creation, titled “Speculative Motion,” was sold by the Abecedarian Gallery, Denver, to MIT’s Rotch Library, home to a growing collection of contemporary artists’ books. The Rotch collection focuses on artists’ books published from the 20th century to the present and explores a range of techniques and technologies employed by the books’ creators.

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Brewing/Fermentation Major Spotlighted in Media Reports

Eyewitness News Cody Butler interviews brewmaster Timothy A. Yarrington ...

... and Michael J. Reed during his campus assignment.

Penn College’s new brewing and fermentation science degree has attracted the interest of a number of media outlets. WBRE’s Cody Butler visited the lab in the Hager Lifelong Education Center on Monday, interviewing brewmaster Timothy L. Yarrington – instructor for the two-year major that begins this fall – and Michael J. Reed, dean of sciences, humanities and visual communications. Butler’s report, pre-empted by storm coverage earlier this week, aired Thursday night. Another story, joining several that have cropped up recently in regional newspapers, was published this week by WITF, which provides public television and radio programming for 17 counties in central Pennsylvania.

Penn College Physics Professor Writes Laboratory Manual

Joseph E. LeBlanc

A physics professor’s quest to create inspiring and practical lab exercises for his students has resulted in the publication of a physics laboratory manual published by Kendall Hunt Publishing Co.

“Physics Laboratory Manual: Physics with Technological Applications” is written by Joseph E. LeBlanc, professor of physics at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The manual is the result of more than 10 years of work for LeBlanc, who began compiling his own physics lab exercises out of a desire to create stronger relevance for his students in applied technology majors.

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Students’ Design Work Met With Adulation in Annual Exhibit

The pencil points the way to designs aplenty.

Book jackets (on the display stand) and skateboard branding and illustrations (on the wall) by Todd R. Surkovich offer intricate details.

Guests listen to a brief introduction by Thomas C. Heffner, assistant dean of sciences, humanities and visual communications.

The 17 celebrated graphic designers pose for a group photo in the gallery.

Around 200 people joined in the artistic celebration of “Design: 2017” at its opening reception Friday. Seventeen graphic design seniors presented their portfolios to appreciative family, friends, the college community and other admirers who filled The Gallery at Penn College. The annual exhibition gives students a chance to present their work in marketing, branding and design. The works will be on display through May 12. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. (The gallery will be closed May 7, as well as Saturdays and Mondays.)

Minority Student Scholarship Established at Penn College

Current, former students establish minority scholarship fund.

Current and former Pennsylvania College of Technology students who were members of the student organization Minorities Lending Knowledge have established The Start to Finish Minority Student Scholarship at the college.

The students are: Kacie L. Weaver, of Harrisburg, a 2016 alumna who earned a bachelor’s degree in applied human services; Kyani L. Lawrence, a former applied human services student from 2013-16 who transferred to a college in her hometown of New Rochelle, New York; and Wilmer I. Clase, of Lancaster, a building science and sustainable design: architectural technology concentration student who is set to graduate with a bachelor’s degree this month.

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