Penn College shares ‘Tech Scholars’ success at STEMATHON

The success of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Tech Scholars initiative was the topic of a presentation delivered at STEMATHON, a celebration of STEM in Pennsylvania, held recently at the Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 Conference and Training Center in Lancaster.

David S. Richards, professor of physics, served as main presenter of the session, “Attracting and Retaining Talented Students in STEM Careers through Penn College’s NSF S-STEM Tech Scholars Grant.” Stacey C. Hampton, assistant dean of industrial, computing and engineering technologies, was the session’s co-presenter.



The three-day STEMATHON attracted STEM education professionals from across the commonwealth and offered compelling sessions and interactive experiences for educators to engage in collaboration, learning and inspiration.

Richards and Hampton’s talk shared how Penn College’s Tech Scholars has successfully attracted and retained Bachelor of Science students in engineering and technology fields through tutoring, mentoring, guest speakers, field trips, advisory committees, workshops and internship opportunities.

Penn College’s Tech Scholars program emphasizes the importance and benefits of a broader educational experience attained through baccalaureate-level studies, in particular, the acquisition of critical thinking, collaborative skills and communication skills necessary for project leadership in the workplace.

In 2014, Penn College received a five-year National Science Foundation grant to increase enrollment, retention, degree completion and career preparation for students in its School of Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies.

Provided through the NSF’s Division of Undergraduate Education’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, the $616,417 grant’s funds have been devoted to scholarships, with 21 students awarded scholarships of up to $10,000 per year for a maximum of four years.

For information about majors offered by Penn College’s School of Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies, call 570-327-4520.

For more about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free at 800-367-9222.