Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications

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Farm Show activities illustrate Penn College’s hands-on magnetism

Sixth-graders from Fleetwood Area Middle School in Berks County proudly show off their keepsake aircraft, some of the 70 or so built at the college's booth that day.

Penn College’s inspiring majors made their customary splash throughout the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg (Jan. 4-11), as a rotating regiment of subject experts satisfied each day’s crowds – intellectually and nutritionally – at the nation’s largest indoor agricultural expo. In addition to the photo gallery below, the college’s involvement was covered by the Pennsylvania Cable Network and the Williamsport Sun-Gazette, which featured the schools of Nursing & Health Sciences and Business & Hospitality in its editions.

Admissions Alumni Business & Hospitality Construction & Design Technologies Faculty & Staff Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies Nursing & Health Sciences Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications Students Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies

College to help Farm Show patrons ‘imagine’ career possibilities

Assembling a truss bridge at the Pennsylvania College of Technology booth, Bret A. Yetter – a surveying technology major from Liverpool – was among those welcoming visitors to the 2019 Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg. Students and employees will return to the complex from Jan. 4-11 to showcase the variety of careers represented by Penn College’s six academic schools.

A New Year’s tradition – Pennsylvania College of Technology’s eye-opening participation in the nation’s largest indoor agricultural attraction – is about to be renewed.

Knowledgeable students and employees will busily represent the college at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center, 2300 N. Cameron St., Harrisburg, and personify the event’s 2019 theme of “Imagine the Opportunities.”

“We always look forward to showcasing the excitement of our academic programs. This is a great opportunity to introduce Farm Show visitors to the opportunities a Penn College degree provides,” said Carolyn R. Strickland, vice president for enrollment management/associate provost. “With so many visitors from across the commonwealth, we also enjoy connecting with our alumni attending the event.”

Brewing & Fermentation Science Faculty & Staff Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications

Brewing instructor delivers talk at Master Brewers Conference

Timothy L. Yarrington, brewing and fermentation science instructor at Pennsylvania College of Technology, was joined by three academic colleagues in delivering a talk at the recent Master Brewers Conference, held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. From left are Yarrington, Katie Fromuth, fermentation science and technology lab manager, Colorado State University; Kaylyn Kirkpatrick, brewing extension associate, Cornell University; and Peter Johnston-Berresford, brewing instructor, Olds College.

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s brewing and fermentation science instructor joined three other academic colleagues in delivering a talk at the three-day Master Brewers Conference, held recently in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Timothy L. Yarrington presented “Brewing Education and Industry: Evolving Together” along with Katie Fromuth, fermentation science and technology lab manager, Colorado State University; Kaylyn Kirkpatrick, brewing extension associate, Cornell University; and Peter Johnston-Berresford, brewing instructor, Olds College, Alberta.

Alumni Art and Graphic Design Baking, Pastry & Culinary Arts Business & Hospitality Business & Hospitality Management Faculty & Staff Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications Students

Longstanding project, long-lasting legacy

Santaella (left) and Kreitzer stand with the stunning tile wall.

The final touches to the piece: triangle toppings

Over 500 students and more than 500 ceramic tiles in the making, another stunning example of Penn College art is complete and ready for rave reviews and views. Adorning a wall in the north stairwell of the Bush Campus Center, the ceramics sensation was started in Fall 2013 by David A. Stabley, instructor of ceramics and wood sculpture, after he received permission from administration. “It was my idea to have students make something to leave behind as part of a permanent art piece,” Stabley said. “It’s an interesting idea of working on a group project over such a long period of time. And it’s nice to decorate a plain stairwell area to give it some life!” With the help of two Ceramics III students – Amber Kreitzer, of Port Trevorton, and Natascha G. Santaella, of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico – Stabley recently placed the finishing touches on the CC stairwell project: ceramic triangles topping the tile wall. Kreitzer and Santaella earned associate degrees in baking and pastry arts in 2018 and will graduate this month with Bachelor of Science degrees in applied management. Stabley and smaller groups of students have installed the Centennial Mosaic on a wall of the Physician Assistant Center and mosaics in Capitol Eatery. The artist has also crafted solo mosaics in the atrium of the Breuder Advanced Technology & Health Sciences Center and on an exterior wall of the Hager Lifelong Education Center. Stabley’s inspiring artwork can also be found in downtown Williamsport.

Art and Graphic Design Faculty & Staff Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications Students

Students’ wood sculptures on display in downtown Williamsport

Wooden mask sculptures crafted by Pennsylvania College of Technology students are on display at the new office and gallery space of Lycoming Arts in downtown Williamsport.

The artistry of 12 Pennsylvania College of Technology students and a professor is gracing the new office and gallery space of Lycoming Arts, 46 W. Fourth St.

As part of a Wood Sculpture art elective, the class crafted masks, inspired by a study of African masks. Each mask was hand-carved with chisels, mallets and rasps, and the students were encouraged to experiment with shape, color, texture, mixed media additions and other design elements.

Art and Graphic Design Events Faculty & Staff Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications Students

Eyes front! There’s a new exhibit in town

Students and instructor, concealed by their creations

Incorporating barbed wire into his masterpiece, Cole E. Gamber crafted “Angry Bull.” The Elizabethtown resident is enrolled in information technology: network specialist concentration.

Thomas D. Roberts took his inspiration from traditional African tribes’ use of red with black and white triangles. Roberts, of Pittsburgh, is a construction management major.

Basing his work on an African tiger fish, Benjamin L. Reighard took a big bite out of his assignment. The Williamsport resident is a construction management student.

The class proudly (and literally) faces its audience in advance of an end-of-semester exhibit.

The handiwork of 12 Penn College students in a Wood Sculpture (ART142) class will be on display for First Friday, Nov. 1, in downtown Williamsport. The wooden masks will be showcased through early December at the new office and gallery space of Lycoming Arts, 46 W. Fourth St., next to Alabaster Coffee Roaster & Tea Co. The students’ instructor, David A. Stabley, engages his class in an exploration of traditional African masks as part of idea development. This is the second time that such an exhibit has graced the downtown arts scene; last year, the masks were displayed in the Community Arts Center. Lycoming Arts is an organization advocating for the arts in Lycoming County.

Emergency Management Faculty & Staff Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications

College’s emergency management program ‘Wows’ podcast hosts

David E. Bjorkman (right) visits the KEMA podcast booth.

David E. Bjorkman, instructor of emergency management/social science at Penn College, was a recent guest on the Keystone Emergency Management Association’s podcast. Bjorkman serves as secretary for the association, which is holding its second annual Emergency Preparedness Conference through Tuesday at the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona. In a 10-minute interview with co-hosts Paul Falavolito and Amy Amer, the faculty member provided an overview of the college’s four-year emergency management technology degree – career opportunities, the realistic disaster simulations in which students participate, the overwhelming acceptance by veteran first responders to this “new generation” of emergency personnel and the college’s participation with KEMA’s mentorship committee.
Photo provided

Alumni Human Services & Restorative Justice Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications Students

Human services grad recounts roundabout road to job satisfaction

Kate Stepnick, a 2007 graduate in applied human services, talks to a Klump Academic Center audience Wednesday. Photo by Elizabeth E. Winder, assistant professor, human services)

Alumna Kate Stepnick returned to campus Wednesday, sharing her circuitous journey from graduate to a rewarding position as camp director at an area facility for children with special needs.

“I absolutely loved being at Penn College and believe that my education prepared me for every single job that I have had over the last 12 years,” she told faculty prior to her visit. “It took me some time to find my passion, but I know that going into human services was the right career path for me.”

Faculty & Staff Human Services & Restorative Justice Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications Students

Restorative justice focus enhances Penn College academic major

Mirroring trends in the field of human services, Pennsylvania College of Technology has expanded its human services major to include significant emphasis on restorative justice. The major’s new name – human services and restorative justice – took effect this semester.

“This revision reflects changes in the field and represents our commitment to providing the most up-to-date, relevant and marketable degrees for our students,” said Craig A. Miller, department head of social services and humanities and associate professor of history/political science.

Art and Graphic Design Dining Services Events Faculty & Staff Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications Students

Soup lovers ‘Paw It Forward’ at benefit for food pantry

Unique stoneware is arrayed in CC Commons.

Dining Services catering attendant Crystal E. Way (left) serves Hope Miller-Cupp (foreground) and Donna K. Culton, both employed in the college's Human Resources Office. — Dining Services catering attendant Crystal E. Way (left) serves Hope Miller-Cupp (foreground) and Donna K. Culton, both employed in the college’s Human Resources Office.

A tasty, inexpensive way to fight hunger

Angie E. Myers (center), director of annual giving, encourages Soup for the Soul participants to "Paw It Forward." — Angie E. Myers (center), director of annual giving, encourages Soup for the Soul participants to “Paw It Forward.”

Paw prints, bearing the names of Penn College donors to The Cupboard, are destined for public display on campus.

Thursday’s Soup for the Soul event, at which 90 people were warmly served chicken tortilla or cheddar broccoli soup in handcrafted bowls (created and donated by students in David A. and Deborah L. Stabley’s ceramic classes, as well as General Services’ Gary T. Pandolfi), benefited the Penn College’s food pantry. The $8 donation on behalf of The Cupboard, located near the CC Commons site of the fundraising lunch, also included roll, dessert and a beverage. During the meal, Institutional Advancement kicked off its “Paw It Forward” campaign to aid The Cupboard. Donations during the next month will be recognized with paw prints to be displayed in the Keystone Dining Room.
Photos by Amy S. Lingg, Dining Services’ marketing assistant

Alumni Art and Graphic Design Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications Students

National honors bestowed on graphic design alumni

Brandon M. Wolff poses with his award-winning “Trailblaze Chocolate Co. Packaging” designs. Wolff, a 2019 graphic design graduate from Pennsylvania College of Technology, won a National Gold Award from the American Advertising Federation.

National gold and silver awards have been bestowed on two graphic design alumni for work they created as students at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The American Advertising Federation awarded a National Student Gold Award to Brandon M. Wolff for his “Trailblaze Chocolate Co. Packaging” and a National Student Silver Award to Jared D. Kosko for his “Rue Morgue Brewing Co. Packaging.” In the design industry, the awards are referred to as ADDYs.

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High-schoolers preview not-so-distant future at Career Day

Chef Craig A. Cian, associate professor of hospitality management/culinary arts, helps a student from the Lycoming Career & Technology Center to form pizza dough.

Career Day brought hundreds of ninth-12th graders to campus on Thursday to explore more than 30 activities offered by employees and students to help high-schoolers learn about the wide variety of career options available to them. The event is coordinated by the College Transitions and First Year Initiatives Office.

Faculty & Staff Human Services & Restorative Justice Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications Students

Students’ human services fieldwork includes equine exercise

Students brainstorm in a unique outdoor classroom ... — Students brainstorm in a unique outdoor classroom …

... and join their problem-solving lab partners at photo time. — … and join their problem-solving lab partners at photo time.

An involved instructor shares the sunlight with a new colleague.

Human services students traveled to High Flight Farm, along Route 973 in Cogan Station, on Tuesday to experience the benefits of equine therapy. Applied human services major Corianne A. Wilson, of Edgewater, Maryland, led a group session that included having students identify a life struggle. Instructor Sarah S. Moore said the students, charged with having their horse perform certain tasks, applied what they needed to do – hard work, change of plans, lots of effort, groupthink, etc. – to overcome their identified challenge. The students are enrolled in Serving and Surviving Human Services (HSJ 275), in which they must develop personal plans of action for surviving in the field as ethical, self-caring practitioners.
Photos provided

Alumni Building Construction Communication & Literature Construction & Design Technologies Faculty & Staff Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications

Penn College grants emeritus status to two retired faculty

Two recently retired faculty members at Pennsylvania College of Technology have been granted “faculty emeritus” status by the institution.

The emeritus recommendations for Sandra Lakey, associate professor of speech communication-composition, and Thomas J. Mulfinger, associate professor of building construction technology, both were approved by the Penn College Board of Directors on Oct. 3.

Brewing & Fermentation Science Faculty & Staff Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications Students

Brewing major profiled in Mountain Home magazine

Yarrington talks with students during a brewery visit.

Penn College’s 2-year-old brewing and fermentation major is featured in the October issue of Mountain Home, an award-winning monthly publication focused on Pennsylvania and New York’s Finger Lakes. “One thing about Penn College, among others, is that they’re really focused on industry trends,” instructor Timothy L. Yarrington says in the article by Melissa Farenish. “Consumers are starting to expect and demand consistent quality. So, brewers need education and the understanding of the science of brewing to maintain this quality. The curriculum is designed so that students not only get hands-on experience, but also the science education background that goes into understanding how to maintain quality in the brews.”

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