Penn College's second annual PA Build My Future event, an interactive academic and industry showcase on Thursday, provided more than 900 high-school students with an opportunity to experience the full range of possibilities in the construction and design field. Scores of current students in the School of Construction & Design Technologies joined faculty and administrators, along with many of the college's commercial benefactors, in guiding visitors toward their potential careers.
– Photos by Tim Wegman, writer/photo editor;
Kimberlee R. Rusczyk, manager of social media/online marketing;
and Joseph F. DiBucci, an applied technology studies student (and alumnus) from Glenshaw
Carl J. Bower Jr., assistant professor of horticulture, coaches a visitor through virtual reality landscape design.
Among the knowledgeable college employees on hand is Franklin D. Gillis, construction/building science instructional specialist at the National Sustainable Structures Center.
Proud, indeed – you can hang your (hard) hat on it!
Guests also got a tour of the expanded welding labs, where instructor Jacob B. Holland demonstrates a ProStar precision cutting table.
Wellsboro Area High School students – led by their instructor, Drew Seeling, grandson of Kenneth E. Carl, the first president of Williamsport Area Community College – are right at home in the lab. Penn College's construction and design majors are headquartered in the Carl Building Technologies Center.
A pink-shirted Joel B. Dunn, a building automation technology student, joins the college mascot in greeting guests.
HVAC alumnus Jeffrey C. Comitz, employed by Thermal Product Solutions in New Columbia, conducts a demo.
Engaging visitors in the HVAC lab are faculty members Stephen D. Manbeck (in blue shirt) and Marc E. Bridgens (in pink).
A welcome from the Wildcat!
... where the view, by all accounts, is outstanding!
Horticulture instructor Justin Shelinski supervises students' travels up a tree ...
Hands-on learning was the order of the day.
Championing construction/design curricula (and answering a variety of questions) are Melinda D. Heckman, coordinator of career programming, and Aaron J. Marsh, a 2015 building construction technology alumnus who returned to Penn College for a concrete science degree.
The spacious welding addition to the Lycoming Engines Metal Trades Center easily handles the inquisitive crowd.
Build My Future attendees talk with Howard W. Troup, instructor of automatied manufacturing/machine tool technology, about the Baja SAE team's competitive adventures.
Peter Kruppenbacher (left), assistant professor of building construction technology, and Philip G. Berry, coordinator of matriculation/academic operations for construction and design technologies, conduct a safety and orientation briefing in Klump Academic Center.
About 75 current Penn College students, eager cheerleaders all, sacrificed part of Fall Break to advocate for their chosen career paths.
Industry vendors brave the blustery conditions, including Mike Spolar, representing Midland Asphalt Materials Inc.
An excavator, provided by the Wayne Township Landfill in McElhattan, tests visitors' focus and dexterity.
Another hands-on activity, courtesy of Anderson Equipment Co.
Komatsu, the event's leading sponsor among a number of generous industry partners ...
... brought along a popular virtual reality display.
Forrester Environmental Inc. enthralls guests with its robotic co-worker.
Doing its part for workplace safety is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
In addition to its informative exhibit, the Williamsport Sanitary Authority provides an appropriately themed diversion.
Gina M. Peluzzo, moving ever closer to her December graduation ...
The Pennsylvania WoodMobile, the state Department of Agriculture's traveling exhibit, touts the commonwealth's forest resources.
Keeping his eye on the ball, a visitor is "bowled over" by the scope of interactive activity.
... was among the learned civil engineering and surveying technology majors sharing their passion.
Students try their hand at "The Tower of Power," a construction management exercise in communication and teamwork, using ropes and a crane hook to stack building blocks.
Daniel E. Durden (right), CEO of the Pennsylvania Builders Association, watches the hotly contested screw gun competition.
... where trowel-wielding high school students practice their finishing technique.
Joseph F. DiBucci, founder and president of the college's ConCreate Design Club, inspires visitors to the concrete lab ...
Building construction technology instructor Glenn R. Luse keeps an eye on a guest's arch construction at the masonry station.
Backpacks and T-shirts greeted each busload of Build My Future participants.