Students Articles

Six Pennsylvania College of Technology students and an information technology instructor attended NAViGATE 2023, held earlier this semester in Virginia. The annual event is organized by COMMON, the world’s largest association of IT professionals focused on IBM and related technologies.

In what could unsurprisingly become quite a popular event as Finals Week anxiety ramps up each semester, the ConCreate Design Club held its first "Smash House and Grill Out" just off the Carl Building Technologies Center parking lot from noon-5 p.m. Thursday. For a $5 donation, patrons could get a hot dog and one minute to smash the concrete-lab leftovers of their choosing. Among those yearend items were steps that could be smashed for prizes if wire mesh, rebar or a hammer were uncovered within.

Through expansion of a state program announced on Nov. 20, Pennsylvania College of Technology will receive more than $1.4 million from Coterra Energy for renovation and expansion of labs and instructional spaces in its electrical and architecture & sustainable design programs. The funding will also generate scholarships for veterans and first responders from Camp Freedom.

In this season of Thanksgiving, the Pennsylvania College of Technology community is reminded of those in need – including students whose food insecurity is mitigated by The Cupboard, a food pantry housed in the Bush Campus Center. The pantry’s reach has been bolstered through the generosity of Frank G. Pellegrino, who contributed funds for six stand-alone “mini-cupboards” – each with a refrigerator and shelving for non-perishables – strategically situated across the college’s campuses.

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.

Pennsylvania College of Technology faculty and students recently lent their knowledge as presenters and assistants at the Retail Confectioners Association of Philadelphia’s fall event. In addition, a Penn College instructor was presented the association’s 2023 “Candy Hook Award,” and the association announced its intent to establish an annual scholarship for the college’s students.

First-Generation College Student Week was celebrated Nov. 5-11 at Penn College, appropriate for a campus where nearly half the enrollment – not to mention a significant number of faculty and staff, including the institution's president – meet that definition. The week was selected because Nov. 8 marks the anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which created federal financial aid programs that reduce barriers to first-generation students' success.

IBM and Penn College partnered to sponsor a half-day Attack Surface Management Summit on campus Wednesday, assembling a top-notch lineup of cybersecurity speakers who shared their expertise on a number of relevant topics. Among the highlights was a discussion of ASM – the continuous process of identifying, monitoring and managing internet-connected devices for potential attacks and exposure – that involved a Penn College administrator and a graduate.

Twenty Pennsylvania College of Technology retirees recently joined the College Relations staff for the inaugural Retirees' Luncheon in the Thompson Professional Development Center. The retirees were greeted by Kimberly R. Cassel, college relations director, setting the tone for a very energetic morning filled with student presentations and updates on campus happenings. Loni N. Kline, senior vice president for college relations, warmly welcomed attendees back to campus.

A $1 million grant from the Gene Haas Foundation sparked extensive renovations to Pennsylvania College of Technology’s automated manufacturing lab while expanding scholarship offerings and enabling the college to promote manufacturing careers more broadly to K-12 students. The Gene Haas Center for Innovative Manufacturing was formally dedicated on Nov. 6.