RealWorldRelevant

YouTube, autos and anthropology lead to Aussie adventure

December Pennsylvania College of Technology graduate Joseph C. Lusk (right) celebrates a second-place finish at Heartland Raceway in Moama, Australia, as part of the Late Model Racing Victoria Series. Lusk spent a month in Australia (early in 2020, before COVID- 19 travel restrictions), racing with the team of Danny Amato and completing an anthropological study. (The Amato car is in the background, at right.)

Like many his age, Pennsylvania College of Technology student Joseph C. Lusk grew up admiring YouTubers, dreaming of becoming a celebrity by posting clips of his video gaming. But combining his YouTube fascination with another passion – racing – gained him his first experience abroad, practicing his favorite activity behind the wheel of a late model race car in Australia.

Well before he started watching YouTube vloggers play video games, Lusk, of Linden, watched NASCAR races on television with his dad on Sundays.

“I was drawn to that, and it was my favorite thing,” said Lusk.

So when he was 3, his parents, Hal and Cathy Lusk, bought him a go-kart for Christmas.

Business, Arts & Sciences Emergency Management & Homeland Security Emergency Medical Services/Paramedic Nursing & Health Sciences Students

Emergency management student thrives outside comfort zone

Brooke M. Strubel, of Strasburg, Lancaster County, seen here at the Willing Hand Hose Co. in Montoursville, where she lived and worked while pursuing a Bachelor of Science in emergency management and homeland security at Pennsylvania College of Technology, also works full time at Ephrata Community Ambulance.

Juggling full-time college classes by day and full-time emergency medical technician work by night, Brooke M. Strubel is earning her Bachelor of Science degree in emergency management and homeland security in just two and a half years. For a young woman who recommends getting out of your comfort zone to achieve your highest potential, this past year, intensified by a global pandemic, has offered an ideal environment in which to enhance her people-centered skills.

“I never thought that I’d be working during a pandemic … but it’s an experience that I won’t forget,” said the soon-to-be Pennsylvania College of Technology graduate from Strasburg. “Challenges get you out of your comfort zone, and that is the area in which you will find yourself, your passions, your strengths and, yes, even your weaknesses. This is the area in which you will thrive and improve. Everything you learn advances your knowledge and leads to personal and professional growth.”

Alumni Automotive Engineering Technologies Events Faculty & Staff Students

Graduating automotive major commissioned as Army officer

Ana Coste pins gold bars onto the uniform of her son, Andrew Placencia, of Reading, during his commissioning as an Army second lieutenant in a Dec. 12 ceremony at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

A Pennsylvania College of Technology senior was commissioned as an Army second lieutenant in an outdoor ceremony held Saturday morning at the college.

Joined in person on the Bush Campus Center patio by family members and online by livestreaming well-wishers, Andrew Placencia, of Reading – a Bald Eagle Battalion ROTC cadet earning a degree in automotive technology management – will be branched into the Army Ordnance Corps.

Engineering Technologies Faculty & Staff Landscape/Horticulture Students

‘Thank you, health care heroes’

... where students gathered Thursday afternoon to prepare them for delivery. From left are Quinn R. Loudy, Williamsport; Marilyn T. Hiller, South Williamsport; Abby J. Ritchey, Roaring Spring; Cyra E. Sterner, South Williamsport; Steven K. Zuziak, Ephrata; and Angel Vicente-Rosario, Berwick. Loudy, Hiller and Sterner are enrolled in landscape/horticulture technology: plant production emphasis; Ritchey in landscape/horticulture technology: plant production emphasis; and Zuziak (a Spring 2020 landscape/horticulture grad) and Vicente-Rosario are applied management majors.

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s horticulture department delivered 450 poinsettia plants to UPMC Susquehanna on Thursday for distribution to health care workers.

The plants are annually grown in the Schneebeli Earth Science Center greenhouse for a holiday sale, but ongoing COVID-19 concerns prompted the traditional event’s cancellation. Instead, senior administration agreed that the poinsettias should be donated to front-line workers in hopes of bringing some seasonal cheer in the midst of their selfless service.

Emergency Medical Services/Paramedic General Information Nursing & Health Sciences Students

Penn College paramedic program to offer hybrid learning option

Beginning in January, Pennsylvania College of Technology’s paramedic education program will offer a hybrid instruction option that combines in-person and online learning. The well-appointed labs used for hands-on learning include a crash car that can rotate to simulate accident scenes.

In January, Pennsylvania College of Technology’s paramedic program will launch a hybrid instruction option that combines in-person and online learning.

Designed to provide flexibility for EMTs who want to complete a paramedic education program while continuing to work, the lecture portion of the paramedic coursework will be both livestreamed and recorded for later viewing by those who use the hybrid instruction model. For students who prefer the traditional experience, lectures will continue to be held in-person.

Electronics & Computer Engineering Technology Engineering Technologies Faculty & Staff STEM Students Workforce Development

New majors ‘power’ electronics lab at Penn College

Electronics students at Pennsylvania College of Technology finish installing a conveyer unit in a new lab at the college’s Center for Business & Workforce Development. The addition of two automation engineering technology baccalaureate degrees prompted the creation of the electronics lab. Besides the conveyer system, the space features 16 programmable logic controller stations and four Kuka industrial robots. About 60 students per semester are using the lab.

The addition of two automation degrees is powering a new electronics lab at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Located in the Center for Business & Workforce Development, the 906-square-foot space is accommodating about 60 students per semester who are seeking an automation engineering technology baccalaureate degree in either mechatronics or robotics.

“Industry was telling us that they liked what our students were doing, but they were looking for more because of the growth of automation in industry,” said Stacey C. Hampton, assistant dean of industrial and computer technologies. “We looked at what we already had and how we could expand on that. When we expanded the program, we needed to expand the space. Now that we put stuff in there, I don’t know if it’s big enough!”

Alumni Building Construction Business & Hospitality Management Business, Arts & Sciences Engineering Technologies

Grad’s ‘wild journey’ takes award-winning turn

Way holds an Excellence in Construction Award presented by last month by ABC's Metro Washington and Virginia chapters.

A Pennsylvania College of Technology graduate helped to lead a high-profile metro Washington construction project that recently received honors from Associated Builders and Contractors.

Jordan Way, ‘16, was the assistant project manager for Belfast Valley Contractors Inc. as the company completed concrete work on the seven-story Hyatt Place luxury hotel on the waterfront in National Harbor, Maryland. Way holds an associate degree in building construction technology: masonry emphasis, and a bachelor’s degree in applied management.

Building Construction Engineering Technologies Faculty & Staff Students

Students’ service project brings ‘bit of joy’ to isolated residents

Landes saws wood pieces for one of four bases.

Carhartts and coffee were among the blustery-day necessities as a group of Pennsylvania College of Technology construction students, accompanied by faculty and cheered by representatives of a Williamsport nonprofit, erected a pavilion for grateful residents of a personal care home.

Taking part in the off-campus outreach at West House Inc., 616 W. Edwin St., were students Jake B. Campbell, of Scranton; Dane T. Landes, of Ottsville; Stephen K. Lee, of Bethlehem; Will E. Marconi, of Chadds Ford; and Zach Spearly, of Bellefonte. Marconi is a building construction technology major; Lee is enrolled in residential construction technology and management; and Campbell, Landes and Spearly are in the residential construction technology and management: building construction technology concentration.

They were joined in the project by Levon A. Whitmyer, instructor of building construction technology, and D. Robert Cooley, associate professor of anthropology/environmental science – the initial liaison between West House and the college.

Automated Manufacturing & Machining College Relations Engineering Technologies Faculty & Staff STEM Students

College partners with Sodick for new instructional equipment

Students and faculty in the machine tool technology, automated manufacturing technology and manufacturing engineering technology majors at Pennsylvania College of Technology will benefit from high-tech EDM (electrical discharge machine) units acquired through a partnership with Sodick, a global EDM manufacturing leader.

A partnership with Sodick, a global EDM manufacturing leader, is supporting Pennsylvania College of Technology’s acquisition of innovative electrical discharge machines for instructional purposes.

Through the collaboration, Sodick, a Japanese company with North American headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois, is providing four VL400Q High Performance Linear Motor Drive Wire Cut EDM units for use in the college’s Larry A. Ward Machining Technologies Center.

Penn College students and faculty in the machine tool technology, automated manufacturing technology and manufacturing engineering technology majors will benefit from the new high-tech equipment.

General Information

Who will lead the workforce of tomorrow? 2018-19 Impact Report

Read the 2018-19 Impact Report www.pct.edu/impactreport

In 2018, a record number of employers indicated that finding qualified employees is the single most important issue affecting their companies. Addressing skills gaps is in Penn College’s DNA. “The workforce needs Penn College,” says President Davie Jane Gilmour. “And we deliver.” Learn how Penn College and its partners are preparing tomorrow’s workforce leaders – and fostering economic growth and innovation – in the 2018-19 Impact Report.

Business & Hospitality Business & Hospitality Management Students

Student’s internship work funds fight against pediatric cancer

Pennsylvania College of Technology student Stevie A. Petrison, of Landenberg, Chester County, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration: sport and event management concentration, helped the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation organize its fourth annual Farmapalooza, a music festival in Oxford honoring McDonough, who battled leukemia, septic shock and other complications for nearly six months before dying in July 2007 at the age of 14.

A Pennsylvania College of Technology student recently wrapped up an internship that helped to inform the community about a hardworking nonprofit organization and to raise funds for its work.

Stevie A. Petrison, a business administration: sport and event management student from Landenberg, helped the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation to organize the group’s fourth annual Farmapalooza, a music festival in Oxford.

The foundation honors the life of McDonough, who battled leukemia, septic shock and other complications for nearly six months before he died on July 14, 2007, at the age of 14. His B+ blood type became a motto for his family and friends: always be positive. The organization, headed by his father, Joe, provides financial and emotional support nationwide to families of children with cancer, and it funds childhood-cancer research.

Admissions Automated Manufacturing & Machining Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies President Scholarships

Partnership extends scholarship support to ‘YES’ program grads

A partnership between Pennsylvania College of Technology and the Northeast PA Manufacturers & Employers Council is creating a scholarship opportunity for YES (Your Employability Skills) Northeast Program graduates who enroll at the college. Administered by the council, YES is a year-round elective course addressing the shortfall of basic skills that employers say are lacking in many job applicants. Celebrating the partnership recently are (from left) Carolyn R. Strickland, vice president for enrollment management/associate provost at Penn College; Courtney L. Fasnacht, executive director of the Northeast PA Manufacturers & Employers Council; NEPA MAEC President Darlene J. Robbins; Penn College President Davie Jane Gilmour; Matt Shuey, communications and program director for the council; and Audriana L. Empet, the college’s director of admissions.

The Northeast PA Manufacturers & Employers Council and Pennsylvania College of Technology have announced a partnership and a scholarship opportunity for YES (Your Employability Skills) Northeast Program graduates.

YES, which is administered by the council, is a 120-hour, one-credit, year-round elective course that addresses the shortfall of basic skills that employers say are lacking in many job applicants. The course covers 38 modules in all, including communication, team building, interview/resume/cover letter writing, completing a job application, personal finance, conflict resolution, and time management.

Alumni Automated Manufacturing & Machining Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies

Penn College grad preserves history at the Smithsonian

Pennsylvania College of Technology graduate Daniel J. Ravizza has combined his technical skills and lifelong love of history in serving as an objects conservator at the Smithsonian Institution’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, the annex of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Standing 6-foot-5 and dressed in a dark blue lab coat accessorized by purple latex gloves and safety glasses, the Pennsylvania College of Technology graduate resembles a bookish superhero rather than a federal contractor.

Daniel J. Ravizza’s appearance is appropriate for his domain. All sorts of aircraft representing various eras of aviation extend from the ceiling of the hangar-like facility. An old Eastern Airlines plane is stationed behind him. A short walk from his lab counter reveals the Space Shuttle Discovery in all its glory.

His duties reflect the unique environment. One day, Ravizza moves Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit. The next, he examines clothing belonging to famed aviator Charles Lindbergh. Later, he handles unopened cans of space food, once belonging to cosmonauts.

Dental Hygiene General Information Nursing & Health Sciences

Students serve 2,000-plus patients in Dental Hygiene Clinic

The Dental Hygiene Clinic at Pennsylvania College of Technology provides low-cost preventive dental care to the community and a remarkable, real-world learning environment for students.

Pennsylvania College of Technology students provided dental care to more than 2,000 patients in the college’s Dental Hygiene Clinic during the 2018-19 academic year.

The college’s state-of-the-art Dental Hygiene Clinic is open to the public and provides low-cost services that include cleanings, exams, X-rays and sealants.

Since many patients require more than one visit, the students provided a total of 4,138 patient appointments.

Collision Repair & Restoration Students Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies

First-year students trained on repair equipment in CAL

Maloney, a member of the college's Collision Repair Advisory Committee, gets up close and professional in his demo ... — Maloney, a member of the college’s Collision Repair Advisory Committee, gets up close and professional in his demo …

... before letting automotive restoration technology student Jim A. McCormick, of Pittsburgh, try his hand with the dent-repair equipment. — … before letting automotive restoration technology student Jim A. McCormick, of Pittsburgh, try his hand with the dent-repair equipment.

The sales rep also demonstrated a shop-friendly welding unit being considered for purchase.

Students in instructor Shaun D. Hack’s Introduction to Non-Structural Collision Repair Applications class got a hands-on visit Thursday from Daniel L. Maloney Jr., national sales manager for Dent Fix Equipment. The industry guest showed freshman collision repair/automobile restoration majors how to use the Aluspot Deluxe DF-900DX aluminum dent-repair station donated last year and a new EZ Nitrogen Plastic Welder DF-EZN1 under consideration for College Avenue Labs.
Photos by alumna Vanessa Mathurin, toolroom attendant for collision repair

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