Engineering Technologies Articles

Sen. Tracy Pennycuick, chair of the state Senate Communications & Technology Committee, was among those visiting on Wednesday, impressed by a variety of instructional areas alongside Penn College administrators, state Sen. Gene Yaw and legislative colleagues.

WNEP's Chris Keating visited Penn College's Parkes Automotive Technology Center on Tuesday afternoon, interviewing an instructor and student about the automotive program's expanded EV curriculum. The ABC affiliate's Central Pennsylvania Bureau reporter talked with Charles F. Probst, the faculty member teaching the college's new Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology course, and Sheldon C. Fleming, of Allensville, an automotive technology student who just completed its first session this semester.

For 25 years, a vintage Mack road tractor – appropriately nicknamed “Accelerated Learning" – has served as a rolling lab that continually reflects the latest industry technology available to diesel students at the Schneebeli Earth Science Center. And while there have been periods of highs and lows in enthusiasm during that quarter-century of transforming the vehicle into a drag truck, the current level of excitement and activity is off the charts.

An associate professor of HVAC technology at Penn College has contributed to the HVAC Classes blog, sharing his expertise on meeting the demand for a well-educated workforce. “The HVAC industry will continue to advance in response to environmental concerns, technological advancements and changing customer expectations, providing opportunities for those who are prepared to change and grow with it,” department head Jason W. Killinger says in "How to Expand & Support the HVAC Workforce."

Pennsylvania College of Technology students posted a one-two finish in the Project MFG Maritime Welding Competition held Wednesday at the Philadelphia Shipyard. Patrick C. Evanko, of Columbus, New Jersey, placed first, and Nikolas J. Harnish, of Newmanstown, earned second-place honors after competing against 18 other welding students from other institutions.

Instructor Joseph F. DiBucci's Concrete Construction class converged Thursday on The Victorian House, itself a student undertaking more than a quarter-century ago, for a sidewalk improvement project. Aided by Penn College General Services, the crew poured concrete that will be stenciled and colored to look like brickwork.

As the automotive industry moves away from the internal combustion engine and toward the era of electric vehicles, Pennsylvania College of Technology has adapted its already-visionary curriculum and empowered faculty members to deliver that instruction.

Students in Matthew A. Francis' Construction Hand & Power Tools course are in the midst of replacing the circular benches around four Zelkova trees in front of the Klump Academic Center. "The years have taken their toll on the wood seating areas, and safety was a concern," said General Services' Chad L. Karstetter, horticulturist/grounds and motorpool manager. "We reached out to Matt and his BTC103 classes with an idea, and they accepted the challenge to revive that area. They are doing an awesome job."

Carl J. Bower Jr., assistant professor of horticulture, and 17 of his students traveled to Longwood Gardens on Wednesday, a trip that included a visit with alumna Lauren S. Hoderny-Hill. The manager of domestic and international studies at the botanical showcase in Kennett Square, she is a 2005 graduate in floral design/interior plantscape.

Career Services held its final major-specific Recruitment Day of the semester on Wednesday, as more than a dozen companies filled the Breuder Advanced Technology & Health Services Center atrium to talk with students and alumni about career opportunities in the plastics and polymer field. Penn College's Recruitment Days are narrowly tailored to particular programs, with smaller numbers of vendors – but with no less enthusiasm about discussing internships and full-and part-time jobs.