Fall 2017
Math Matters
If students don’t like math or aren’t grasping the concept, it’s the responsibility of educators to help them understand before they move on, Nolan Bushnell contends.
Well-Rounded
Hanna Williams’ farming childhood established her work ethic; tragedy inspired her to make the most of her student experience.
Life’s Work
Physics faculty member Joseph E. LeBlanc lived in three other nations before making his home at Penn College, where he finds creative ways to make physics meaningful to students.
Visiting Chef Series Celebrates 25th Anniversary
The Visiting Chef Series was established to inspire students by working alongside the nation’s best chefs. A quarter-century and more than 50 chefs later, renowned culinarians continue to bring the vision to life.
Healthy Dose of Data
Health information management alumni help patients without ever gowning up or touching a drop of blood.
Culture Exchange
A group of 25 engineers from China, all military officers, became part of the city’s fabric when they studied aviation at Williamsport Technical Institute and Aviation Corp. in 1945.
Niche Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Lab
The realistic layout of the HVAC laboratory appealed to Cory L. Hoyt, of Shickshinny, building automation technology: heating, ventilation and air conditioning technology concentration. “I like hands-on,” he says. He takes that philosophy on the road on weekends, participating with his father, Kris, in a longtime family activity: Super Pro Stock tractor pulls.
Instructor Kenneth E. Welker Jr. talks with students Brant V. Dornisch, left, of Saint Mary’s, and Cole M. Robinson, of Howard, as they install a functioning high-efficiency natural gas boiler and hydronic water system. Dornisch was enrolled elsewhere for welding when a friend of his father said that if Dornisch studied HVAC, he’d hire him and eventually sell him his well-established business. “I never really gave any thought to going to school for HVAC/plumbing, but after he offered a for-sure job, I looked into it and realized what a good option HVAC really was.” Robinson concurs. “I want my career to always be changing, and I find that in HVAC. I love everything about it.”
Brett M. Hughes, of Tunkhannock, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning technology major, threads a pipe while he works with fellow second-semester students to install hydronic finned-tube heat transfer units. The units are strategically placed on exterior walls to replace heat lost in homes. Hughes’ mother, Diane, a 1991 graduate in surgical technology, encouraged him to look at Penn College. “So I came with my dad and fell in love with the place and the overall atmosphere of the HVAC labs.”
Zachary F. Britner, of Carmichaels, graduated in May in heating, ventilation and air conditioning technology, but months before commencement, he had a job lined up in application engineering controls with a building automation company. He was led to the company by one of its suppliers, who Britner met at the college’s Career Fair. Outside of class, he’s proud of the electrical longboard he built; it goes 25 mph.
Carl Building Technologies Center, Room 137
The heating, ventilation and air conditioning laboratory simulates a typical home or light-commercial building north of the Mason-Dixon Line. (Southern construction is largely slab-on-grade, with nothing below ground.) “The first floor of the lab is set up like the basement of a structure, where the boiler, steam-heat furnace or other mechanical equipment is installed,” says Marc E. Bridgens, the dean of construction and design technologies. “The second floor replicates the location of the heating units themselves, what you would expect to find in the living space of a home.” Photo by Larry D. Kauffman.
Printed issue
On the cover: At the college’s Spring Food Show, R. Colby Janowitz, a culinary arts and systems student from Westminster, Md., received first place for his white chocolate cake with raspberry sauce, chocolate tuile, mint gelee, fresh raspberries, mint leaves and brown butter solids. Janowitz, a May graduate who helped with Visiting Chef dinners throughout his four-year Penn College experience, accepted a position with Canlis, a fine-dining restaurant in Seattle. Cover photo by Larry D. Kauffman.
Penn College Magazine, Fall 2017
Inside front cover: Graphic design student Lindsey Martin helps to transform a room formerly used to teach CPR courses. The classroom – Room 107 in Bardo Gymnasium – is now equipped for a hybrid Group Cycling and TRX Training class. Martin’s mural is faced by cyclists on stationary bikes, so she was directed to design a scene that included a path. “I wanted it to be very vibrant,” she said, so her tree-lined trail leads to a bright sunset over purple mountains.
Inside back cover: Resident Assistant Kelsey L McKenrick gingerly catches a water balloon during the annual Wildcat Wars. The event pits residence hall teams against one another as they try to “Conquer the Campus” in events that include dodgeball, kickball, relay events and more. Photo by Tia G. La.
Homecoming and Parent & Family Weekend, October 6-8
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