Annual Welding Competition Held in Penn College Labs

Feb. 19, 2010 - 3:55 p.m.

Penn College hosted the annual American Welding Society Welding Competition for secondary and postsecondary welding students Friday morning. Five students each from Williamsport Area High School, Columbia Montour Area Vocational-Technical School and SUN Area Technical School competed in the college’s welding labs at Eureka Place during the secondary contest, and 20 Penn College students competed against one another in the postsecondary contest. Local AWS members Jim Fox, a recently retired Penn College faculty member; Niles Oehrli, of Moody International; and Adam Steppe, ’99, of High Steel Industries, judged the students’ work. Winners will be announced during a banquet in April.

Penn College to Host SkillsUSA District Competitions

Jan. 19, 2010 - 11:55 a.m.

Penn College’s SkillsUSA student organization will host six District 6 skills competitions at the college on Jan. 29. SkillsUSA is a national student organization that, in an effort to alleviate skills shortages in the workforce, develops employability, participatory and leadership skills. Competitions for secondary and postsecondary students are held annually at the district, regional, state and national levels. Twenty-two high school students from Central Mountain High School, Columbia-Montour Area Vocational Technical School, Lycoming Career and Technology Center, Northumberland County Career and Technology Center, Schuylkill Technology Center, SUN Area Technical Institute and Williamsport Area High School will participate in the one-day event.

Welding Society's Student Chapter Tours Manufacturing Operation

Oct. 30, 2009 - 1:00 p.m.

The Penn College student chapter of the American Welding Society recently toured the Shady Grove manufacturing facility of Manitowoc Cranes, thanks to company representatives Jacob Sensinger and Sammy Munuswamy. The students were able to see all aspects of the mobile crane manufacturer. The AWS student chapter meets every Tuesday in Room 100 at the Eureka labs, where the college's welding program has been temporarily relocated during construction of new laboratory space on main campus.

Welding Students Create Bench in Memory of Former Classmate

Sept. 2, 2009 - 12:54 p.m.

Members of the American Welding Society student chapter at Penn College designed and fabricated a bench to memorialize Colt W. Jenny, a former classmate who died in a September 2008 automobile accident. “To the whole group, Colt was a good friend who was always in good spirits,” said Kade E. Poorman, a May graduate of the welding and fabrication engineering technology major and an AWS member. “He was always smiling and had a good attitude toward just about anything. Overall, he was just a good friend to all of us, due to having spent so much time with everyone in the (welding) shop.”

Welding Department Moves Off-Campus During MTC Renovation

Aug. 26, 2009 - 3:09 p.m.

Penn College's welding department has taken up residence at 401 Eureka Place, in the eastern side of the city, for 2009-10. The site accommodates laboratory equipment, classrooms and faculty offices while the Avco-Lycoming Metal Trades Center undergoes renovation. The department plans to move back to its renovated space on main campus by Fall 2010. River Valley Transit runs daily round-trip bus service from main campus to the facility (the former Eureka Paper Box Co.); a schedule and driving directions follow:

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Secondary, College Welding Teachers Attend Training Workshop

July 16, 2009 - 2:59 p.m.

A group of high school and college welding teachers from around the nation are on campus for a Weld-Ed “Train the Trainer” workshop offered through the National Center for Welding Education and Training (Weld-Ed) at Lorain County Community College, Lorain, Ohio, and Penn College, a Weld-Ed regional center. Three Penn College faculty members are among participants in the two-week course that runs through July 24. Dave Dickinson, professor emeritus from the Welding Engineering Department at The Ohio State University, is the instructor. The course is an Introduction to Materials Joining and includes such topics as the physics of welding, basic metallurgy concepts, design fundamentals, quality assurance and safety. Weld-Ed’s mission is to improve the training of teachers of welding across the United States and to help ensure a sufficient number of welders are available to meet the needs of the labor market.
Photo by Jessica L. Tobias, student photographer 

Penn College TV Series Receives Top ‘Communicator’ Award

June 4, 2009 - 3:44 p.m.

An episode of Penn College's “degrees that work.” career-awareness television series, a co-production with WVIA-TV, has received the highest honor in the 2009 Communicator Awards, which honors the best creative work in the communications fields. The episode, which profiled careers in welding, won the Award of Excellence, also known as the Gold Communicator Award, in the documentary category. The recognition is given to those "entries whose ability to communicate puts them among the best in the field."

Penn College TV Series Receives Silver Telly Award

May 29, 2009 - 10:45 a.m.

Penn College’s career-awareness television series – “degrees that work.” – has been honored with a Silver Telly (the annual Telly Awards’ highest honor) for an episode on welding. A co-production of the college and WVIA-TV, “degrees that work.” highlights career fields identified by state and federal labor officials as important for future employment growth.

Penn College Presents Honors to Two Alumni

May 16, 2009 - 4:51 p.m.

Penn College presented a Distinguished Alumnus Award to Robert O. Rolley Jr. and an Alumnus Achievement Award to Robert V. Blauser during Spring 2009 Commencement ceremonies held May 15 at the Community Arts Center. Rolley, of Lock Haven, received an associate degree in journalism from Penn College predecessor Williamsport Area Community College in 1983. He is the publisher of The (Lock Haven) Express community newspaper. Blauser, of Lancaster, received a bachelor’s degree in welding and fabrication engineering technology from Penn College in 2000 and an associate degree in welding technology in 1996. He received a Master of Business Administration in general management in 2008 from York College of Pennsylvania. He is employed by Harley-Davison Motor Co., York, as engineering leader.

Three Earn National Scholarships From American Welding Society

May 7, 2009 - 11:41 a.m.

Three Penn College students – Bradley W. Feight, of Breezewood; Stephanie J. Irvine, of Titusville; and Westley A. Smith, of Mifflinburg – were awarded national scholarships for the 2009-10 academic year from the American Welding Society Foundation.