News about Students

Aspen Dental Management Inc. is partnering with Pennsylvania College of Technology to establish a new scholarship that provides two $1,000 awards annually to students in the dental hygiene associate degree major.

The Aspen Dental Scholarship will provide one award each to a student in the first and second years of the program.

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As they have done so often over the years, Penn College construction students applied their lab instruction to a real-world campus project on Wednesday. Building construction technology instructor Franklin H. Reber Jr. and students in his Concrete Construction class repaired walkways on the west side of the mall, undoing damage done when underground utilities were accessed. Reber was the driving force behind the college’s two-year degree in concrete science technology, initiated in Fall 2018 as the only such program on the East Coast.

The Penn College community passing through the Keystone Dining Room lobby on Monday had the delicious opportunity to sample the innovations of students in the Bakery Operations and Product Development course. In the class, students develop a new product, market-ready for sale. That includes product testing, plus determining marketing and sales requirements.

The culminating project was Monday’s Trade Show, during which students provided inviting displays, product samples, menus, business cards and product pitches for such tasty concepts as: a traditional French macaron shop with less traditional flavors (like cinnamon toast crunch and raspberry pop rock); s’mores, sea salt caramel and gluten-free red velvet brownies; products with plant-based food colorings; gluten-free cakes and cookies; cheesecake in a jar; an Art of Food fine-dining restaurant; blueberry keto cheesecake bites; and many other equally tempting offerings.

Students in two sections of Rob A. Wozniak’s “Sustainability: Building and Living Green” course were visited this week by Keystone Wood Products Association representatives, who talked about the benefits of wood as a renewable construction material.

The classes – comprising students in architecture and sustainable design, architectural technology and other construction-related majors – heard Monday afternoon from Ken Nuttle, KWPA education specialist; and the following morning from Stephanie Phillips-Taggart, marketing coordinator for the association’s 11-county membership area.

“Wood plays an incredible role in our lives on a regular basis,” Tuesday’s guest said, reinforcing her message with videos profiling regional hardwood businesses and the importance of healthy forest management.

With a customary Penn College mix of theory and hands-on experience, aided by machinery donations from such industry leaders as Caterpillar and Allison, tomorrow makers in diesel technology, electric power generation: diesel emphasis, and heavy construction equipment technology (with its technician and Caterpillar emphases) are moving confidently toward career satisfaction. “We have it really good,” says Chris S. Weaver, assistant professor and department head for diesel equipment technology. “We have a lot of new equipment and a lot of backing to teach these students what they need to know before they leave here.” Join Weaver for a virtual tour of the Schneebeli Earth Science Center, about 10 miles south of main campus, home to fully loaded labs for diesel truck, heavy equipment and power generation majors.

Campus friendships again blossomed at the sunbathed scene of their planting, and parents and siblings – some separated from their loved ones since Welcome Weekend (“only” a month ago) – replenished their stockpile of hugs during Penn College’s Homecoming and Parent & Family Weekend (Sept. 24-26). Among the many activities intended to rekindle connections among alumni, students, kith and kin were an Athletics Hall of Fame induction, historic tours of campus and Greater Williamsport; a popular Alumni Golf Outing, a bonfire and live music on the Madigan Library lawn, the Alumni & Friends Tent Party, a wrestling retrospective, breakfast with President Davie Jane Gilmour, a craft brewery get-together, open academic labs, a celebration of plastics, family activities, men’s and women’s soccer matches on UPMC Field, food trucks and games. Oh, never mind, come see for yourselves!

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September’s final On-Campus Recruitment Days, continuing an extravaganza of opportunity conveniently organized throughout the month by Career Services, will give students several more chances to network with business and industry contacts: 11 a.m. -2 p.m. Monday (Sept. 27) on the Schneebeli Earth Science Center front lawn, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday (Sept. 27) on the Bush Campus Center patio, and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday (Sept. 28) on the main campus mall. For each session’s lineup of companies, consult the flyer: Employer Recruitment Days (11-13)

Ciocca Dealerships has established a scholarship at Pennsylvania College of Technology for students in two- and four-year automotive programs.

The Ciocca Dealerships Scholarship will provide two $1,000 awards to students in the automotive technology associate degree programs and two $1,000 awards to students in the automotive technology management baccalaureate degree program.

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PPL Electric Utilities recently offered a Live Line Electrical Safety Exhibit and demonstration for students and first responders at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

PPL, a Corporate Tomorrow Maker partner of the college, takes its mobile electrical safety exhibit across its service territory to teach first responders, contractors, businesses, school students and the public about the dangers of live wires and how to stay safe around them.

The exhibit is a scaled-down 7,200-volt electrical distribution system that features live electrical wires, utility poles and transformers. It was designed in 2016 by representatives from across PPL Electric Utilities’ operations who met in PPL’s Innovation Lab to brainstorm ways to present the information. PPL provides 100 such demonstrations to more than 10,000 people annually.

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How better for students studying global cuisines to learn about cooking with truffles, the “black pearl” of the food world, than from an Italian chef who serves as an ambassador for the product?

Italy is one of the world’s top exporters of truffles. It is also the destination for a new global experience course at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

On Sept. 16, with the help of Audio/Visual Services, students in the Global Cuisine and Connections course connected with Chef Fabrizio Facchini, a brand ambassador for Urbani Truffles. Facchini, executive chef of several properties in New York City, has earned acclaim in both the U.S. and Italy, where his Antico Borgo was recognized in the Michelin Italy Guide.

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A vintage vehicle, winningly refurbished for the Antique Automobile Club of America by three years’ worth of Penn College students a while back, caught the eye of a college employee and her husband as they visited the AACA Museum in Hershey last weekend. “While checking out the exhibitions, we came across a beautiful 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle that was restored by our Penn College students,” said Barbara Adzema after touring the automotive showplace with car buff/spouse Robert (who commented that the work “was meticulously done to perfection,” she reported).
Photos by Barbara A. Adzema, residence life assistant

Whether you’re interested in an associate or bachelor’s degree, or planning to study on main campus or online, a new video provides an overview of the popular programs and options that will prepare you for a rewarding future in accounting. You can even pursue a dual degree, adding a business and finance concentration for even more opportunities. “At Penn College, you’ll hone the communication, teamwork and critical-thinking skills that employers want most,” says lead faculty member Roy A. Fletcher, assistant professor of business administration/banking and finance, your guide through the three-minute rundown. Virtually tour the labs, meet lead faculty, and explore the pathways and possibilities at Penn College – which include assisting taxpayers in preparing and filing their returns, as well as helping to manage an actual investment fund!

Representatives of Penn College’s Wildcat Events Board and Student Government Association began the week at the Veteran’s Fountain, furthering the time-tested lead-in to Homecoming and Parent & Family Weekend – scheduled this year from Friday through Sunday (Sept. 24-26).
Photos by Allison A. Grove, director of student engagement

A weekend Juneteenth celebration, moved to September to allow participation by more students, provided the campus community with a mix of educational and entertaining activities arranged by Penn College’s Black Student Union. The first-year observance, held amid gorgeous late-summer conditions, kicked off Friday morning with a flag-raising ceremony and ended the following evening with a themed outdoor dance.  Other events included informative presentations and discussions, a movie, and a showcase of products and services.

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About 50 Pennsylvania College of Technology engineering and electronics students per year will benefit from a recent addition to their state-of-the-art facilities, courtesy of Elsner Engineering Works Inc.

The third-generation family owned and operated company donated a decommissioned Fanuc M-10iA/12 6-axis robot with an R-30iB PLUS controller for the college’s process control training lab.

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