Engineering & Industrial Design Technology Articles

Two Pennsylvania College of Technology students brought home medals from the 2024 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, while all of the college’s competitors finished in the top 10 in their categories. SkillsUSA’s National Leadership & Skills Conference involved 6,450 collegiate and high school competitors in 115 career competitions.

Students from Pennsylvania College of Technology’s School of Engineering Technologies top the list of scholarship recipients from a national foundation devoted to skilled manufacturing careers. Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs, the charitable foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, awarded the scholarships – each worth up to $2,000 – to full-time undergraduate students enrolled in a certificate or degree program leading to a manufacturing career.

Thirty high school students discovered career possibilities connected to science, technology, engineering and math during the recent hands-on Tinker Camp at Pennsylvania College of Technology. Supported by grants from Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs, the Gene Haas Foundation and EQT Corp., the three-day camp introduced students to engineering design, manufacturing, polymer engineering, 3D printing and welding.

Throughout its 19-year history, Pennsylvania College of Technology’s team has crisscrossed the country to compete at Baja SAE. This year, they only must travel a dozen miles from campus to test their skills, a reality that should aid last-minute preparations for the international event. Penn College is hosting Baja SAE for the first time, May 16-19, at its Heavy Equipment Operations Site in Brady Township.

Lycoming Engines recently employed the talents of Penn College students for a project that will have lasting benefits for the renowned company. As part of a class project, welding students fabricated an access platform designed by Tyler J. Gustafson, majoring in engineering design technology. The aluminum structure will span between two new Okuma LU-45 twin-turret lathes, intended to help expand Lycoming’s internal cylinder barrel manufacturing capacity.

Gear up for a great conversation when Marshall Fowler, engineering design technology student and Penn College Baja SAE Club president, sits down to share his team's dynamic drive in the latest episode of the Tomorrow Makers podcast, "Baja SAE Williamsport." As the college prepares to host the international Baja SAE competition, May 16-19, this podcast episode highlights the high excitement and unwavering dedication of Penn College Baja SAE Club members.

Aidan J. Turner, a 2021 graduate of Pennsylvania College of Technology's industrial design major, returned to his roots recently and witnessed students reaping the benefits of his past generosity.

Likened to "a campfire conversation among friends," the latest episode of Penn College's Tomorrow Makers podcast gamely explores the creative process in all of its glorious manifestations: art, poetry, design, music, storytelling. Industrial design professor Thomas E. Ask and one of his students – Nick A. Flores, of Alexandria, Virginia – talk about making something from nothing, individually and collaboratively, and dare to confront the AI elephant in the room.

Two sections of the Technical Drawing-Related Disciplines class, consisting of 23 students, recently toured High Steel Structures LLC in Williamsport. The company is one of the largest steel fabricators in North America.

The Engineering & Industrial Design Department recently held its annual SolidWorks Pumpkin Carving Contest, a fall favorite in which first-year students "carve" virtual jack-o'-lanterns with computer software and unbridled imagination. Three winners were selected in each of two sections of Technical Drawing I taught by Katherine A. Walker and Craig A. Miller, assistant professors of engineering design technology.