Penn State has launched an integrated effort to remind faculty, staff and students at all campuses and in adjacent communities of the importance of doing their part to limit the spread of COVID-19. “Mask Up or Pack Up” is a research-based campaign that is also launched in State College to create a seamless message for students and other members of the community.
Four awardees have been selected to receive this year’s Penn State DuBois Alumni Society awards. Nicole A. Shaffer, 2006, will receive the Dave Shaffer Outstanding Young Alumni Award; Francie Erickson Spigelmyer, 1983, will receive the Outstanding Alumni Award; Thomas G. Gasbarre, 1975, receives the Distinguished Ambassador Award; and Edward Nasuti, 1974, has been named the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Penn State Commonwealth Campuses Beaver, Brandywine, DuBois, Fayette, Hazleton, Greater Allegheny, Lehigh Valley, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Scranton, Schuylkill, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre and York will follow national movement among small conferences and push pause on play this fall due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Ben Franklin Technology Partners has once again teamed up with the North Central PA LaunchBox and a list of other partners to offer the BIG Idea Contest. Partners are looking for tech innovators or small manufacturers located in Indiana, Jefferson, Clearfield, or Cambria counties in Pennsylvania who are developing new products, processes or software applications. Winning applicants could take home up to $50,000 for their idea.
The Ecology Institute has awarded 11 proposals from across the University as part of its Flower Grant program, including five projects submitted by faculty at Commonwealth Campuses. The funds provided by the Flower Grant aim to support ecology research focused across the institute’s five core themes.
In a continuing effort to offer training relevant to the area workforce needs, Penn State DuBois Continuing and Community Education will offer the Personal Care Home Administrator Training program virtually through Zoom beginning in August. The 100-hour program will prepare graduates to enter a career in administration of long-term personal care facilities.
This summer Penn State DuBois Continuing and Community Education has transitioned its highly successful summer camp programming to remote delivery. Students in grades K-8 can join new classes using the virtual delivery of Zoom. Children will work with teachers and other students remotely as they do hands-on activities. Lists of the supplies needed to participate will be emailed to the parent/guardian’s email after registration and before the class begins. Grade level is determined by the grade the child will be in this fall.
Penn State was awarded 10 grants through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development Manufacturing PA initiative. The initiative awarded $2.8 million, across 43 grants in total, and will bring together government, industry, and higher education in holistic collaboration to spur new technologies and processes in the manufacturing sector.
University students and educators alike are grappling with turbulent times, and Penn State’s course on the “Art and Science of Human Flourishing” is well-positioned to help undergraduates to develop strategies for caring for themselves and others. Robert Roeser, Bennett Pierce Professor of Caring and Compassion, explored ways to adapt the course to current events, along with 23 colleagues from 10 Penn State campuses, University of Virginia and University of Wisconsin-Madison, during the morning of the 2nd Annual Human Flourishing Summer Teaching Institute, held on June 16 and 17 via Zoom.
Penn State DuBois Lecturer in Biology Lola Smith had big plans for her students this past semester, and she didn’t let the COVID-19 crisis take the wind out of her sails. Smith had planned a pirate-themed treasure hunt on campus through which her anatomy and physiology students could earn extra credit.
