Lycoming Engines Donates $40,000 in Materials for Student Use

Published 02.22.2005

News

From left are Ian Walsh, vice president and general manager of Lycoming Engines%3B student Frank G. Simko, Wyalusing%3B and Donald O. Praster, assistant dean of industrial and engineering technologies, in a machining lab at Pennsylvania College of Technology. Simko is among students using some of the %2440,000 worth of raw materials donated by Lycoming Engines to the College.Lycoming Engines recently donated $40,000 worth of materials to be used by students in the School of Industrial and Engineering Technologies at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The donated materials include machining bar stock, castings and forgings. The donation will provide basic raw material for various student projects in the school's Automated Manufacturing/Machining/Toolmaking Department, which includes academic majors for Manufacturing Engineering Technology, Automated Manufacturing Technology, Toolmaking Technology and Machinist General, according to Donald O. Praster, assistant dean of industrial and engineering technologies. The materials will also be used by the Welding Technology and Welding and Fabrication Engineering Technology majors.

"Penn College is grateful for the support received over the years from Lycoming Engines," Praster said. "The students will not only be using these materials in the machining labs, but also in the metrology, metallurgy and welding labs."

Lycoming Engines Vice President and General Manager Ian Walsh visited the College's Avco-Lycoming Metal Trades Center recently, where he saw students using the materials in a machining laboratory.

"I was impressed by the state-of-the-art facilities and the diversity of programs the College offers," Walsh said. "Lycoming is excited to support these excellent 'hands-on' programs, which prepare the students to compete successfully in today's work environment and are perfectly suited for many of the types of jobs we have at Lycoming Engines."

The high-quality alloy-steel bar stock is well-suited for various student projects requiring these types of materials. Students will use the castings and forgings both in manufacturing and in nondestructive testing classes.

Lycoming Engines, based in Williamsport, manufactures piston aircraft engines. It is an operating division of Avco Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc. Lycoming piston engines power more than half of the world's general-aviation fleet.

For more information about the academic programs offered by the School of Industrial and Engineering Technologies at Penn College, call (570) 327-4520, send e-mail or visit online.