Keisha Oliver, who is pursuing a dual-title doctoral degree in art education and African American and diaspora studies, was named a fall 2024 artist-in-residence at the Penn State College of Engineering’s Learning Factory.

Faculty, staff and students from across Penn State and especially in the College of Engineering and Materials Research Institute are mourning the loss of Russ Messier, graduate alumnus and professor emeritus of engineering science and mechanics, who died on Oct. 11 at age 80 in Nashua, New Hampshire.

To build the interest of students in pre-K through grade 12 in STEM fields, a team of aerospace engineering undergraduates built a fleet of LEGO models of vertical flight vehicles and demonstrate them at outreach events.

A state court ruled that Virginia must turn over growth data by school and classroom teacher, without redacting the teachers' names.

More than half of the state plans fail to publicly report data on educator equity gaps, the National Council of Teacher Quality found in its analyses.

Marc Tucker discusses a new report on teacher shortages from Linda Darling-Hammond's Learning Policy Institute and gives insights into how the U.S. can produce the high-quality educators it needs.

Marc Tucker responds to Checker Finn's recent critique of the new international teacher quality study from NCEE and Linda Darling-Hammond, Empowered Educators.

Teachers coming from alternative programs leave the profession at higher rates than their traditionally certified peers, and that gap is growing, a study finds.

The hiring pool improved for schools when the recession squeezed teachers, study finds.

As teacher strikes sweep the nation, Marc Tucker compares the trajectory of teaching to that of the nursing profession, one of high standards of entry and rigorous preparation.

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner said that half of Chicago teachers were "illiterate" in a 2011 email, recently released to a city newspaper.

Marc Tucker explores why and how U.S. teacher education is holding our teachers, the profession and our schools back.

Building off of his piece last week, Marc Tucker looks at how the economics of higher education and lacking state governance combine to weaken schools of education.

Marc Tucker explores the critical importance of trust in successful education systems and how trust was lost in U.S. education.

Multimedia lessons for teaching about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks are unveiled.

Public libraries are moving deeper into digital learning, often in partnership with schools and other institutions, to help prepare students for the skills they'll need for college and careers.

Most districts have the technology to support the basic digital textbooks of today, but not the interactive, multimedia-rich ones of the future.

The Newseum in Washington has just launched Decision 2012: Exploring Elections and the Media, an online resource for teaching about the presidential campaign and election.

The California Teachers Association continues its assault on NCLB. To supplement its Web ads, it has turned to YouTube and radio ads. The YouTube video tears at heartstrings and predicts that NCLB will lead to the end of public education as we know it. The radio ad includes standard union criticism

Sandra Gorka, professor of computer information technology at Pennsylvania College of Technology, recently addressed a national conference for IT educators.

A former computer engineer turned motivational speaker will share his dynamic insights on “Bridging the Digital Divide: Unlocking Access and Opportunity in Education” during a Nov. 6 presentation of the Technology & Society Colloquia Series at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Diesel Performance Club has captured another first place in drag race competition. The club's 1959 B-61 Mack drag truck, known as “Accelerated Learning,” won top honors in the “Big Rig Auto” bracket at the October Truck Fest at Island Dragway in Great Meadows, New Jersey. That victory qualified the truck for the “King of the Island” bracket race, where it finished in second place.

The Plastics Innovation & Resource Center at Pennsylvania College of Technology conducted a flurry of workshops in October, delivering training to 25 professionals, representing 14 companies, four states and Canada.

A Pennsylvania College of Technology freshman is one of five students nationwide to receive a BASF Techs for Tomorrow scholarship.

As a kid, Eli R. Rush fell in love with roller coasters. As an adult, he’s turned that passion into a livelihood. The Pennsylvania College of Technology alumnus is a designer for a renowned manufacturer and builder of coasters.

A federal grant that enhanced services for veteran students at Pennsylvania College of Technology recently ended, but its benefits will endure.

Pennsylvania College of Technology has been awarded a $600,000 grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry to develop a new sector apprenticeship in transportation. The apprenticeship will train bus mechanics, addressing the shortage of skilled bus service technicians and ensuring the consistent operation of public transit in urban and rural areas across the commonwealth.

About 15 automotive restoration and collision repair students at Pennsylvania College of Technology recently refurbished an iconic car to award-winning results. For one of those students, the experience was more than satisfying – it was personal. Ty M. Tucker, of Columbia, is the great-great grandson of Preston Tucker, the legendary automotive figure responsible for the 1948 Tucker that the students repaired to win the First Junior Award at the Antique Automobile Club of America’s Eastern Division Fall Meet in Hershey.

Paul Frank Baum, Evan Pugh University Professor of Mathematics at Penn State, has been honored by Penn State with the title of Atherton Professor. The University created the Atherton Professorship to recognize the continuing high level of scholarly or creative activity Evan Pugh Professors may pursue after their retirement.

According to a new study led by Penn State biologists, the composition of beneficial microorganisms within the mouth differs over a range of subsistence strategies — from nomadic hunter gatherers to farmers to industrialized groups. Additionally, lifestyle factors like smoking and diet can shape the oral microbiome.

A new method, developed by Penn State researchers, can test the activity of thousands of RNA enzymes, called ribozymes, in a single experiment.

Lu "Lucy" Bai, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and of physics has been selected as the Verne M. Willaman Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

First and second-year medical students at the Penn State College of Medicine participated in a simulated rope rescue of an injured climber.

Poor sleep is linked to cardiometabolic disease, depression and anxiety, among other concerns. Sleep disturbances can begin in childhood, but insomnia symptoms in children aren’t always taken seriously — and how childhood symptoms develop into a persisting disorder remains elusive. Learn more from Julio Fernandez-Mendoza, professor at the College of Medicine, in the next Virtual Speaker Series from the Penn State Alumni Association from noon to 1 p.m. ET on Oct. 18. 

Penn State announced the recipients of the inaugural Commonwealth Campus Undergraduate Community-Engaged Research Awards, a new program designed for faculty who specifically support undergraduate student participation in research that aims to improve community well-being.

Penn State Hazleton Benefiting THON, the campus’ THON chapter, will host a designer purse and gift card bingo on Sunday, Oct. 20. Doors open at 1 p.m. and games will start at 2 p.m. in the Dr. Thomas M. Caccese Gymnasium in the Physical Education Building. The event is open to the public. 

Flathead catfish — native to the Mississippi River basin — were first detected in the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania in 2002, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. In the two decades since then, the invasive species has spread throughout the river basin. The impact of the large predator on the waterway’s food webs and ecology was unknown, but now a team including researchers from Penn State is beginning to understand what Susquehanna flatheads are eating and how their presence is affecting native aquatic species in the river.

Penn State Hazleton Associate Professor Joseph Ranalli developed a method to identify mislabeled equipment in solar plants by analyzing cloud motion, significantly reducing labor and costs for a large energy provider and enriching the educational experience for his engineering students by demonstrating real-world applications of data analysis. His collaboration with Principal Research Engineer Will Hobbs from Southern Co. has resulted in the publication of two articles and open-source software. 

At the James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center in Altoona, a garden yields fresh produce such as corn, tomatoes, strawberries, zucchini and peppers. It is part of the Seed to Supper program, a Penn State Extension Master Gardener initiative that teaches adults on a limited budget how to grow their own food. For one veteran in hospice care, the garden became a lifeline.

One of the most traditionally time-consuming, labor-intensive processes of apple production is blossom thinning, which involves manually pruning flowers so that remaining blooms can reclaim the plant’s resources to grow better fruit. More recently, the process has shifted to broad chemical spraying, which can have harmful environmental impacts. To assist producers and mitigate environmental harm, the USDA has awarded a three-year, $601,125 grant to a team of Penn State researchers for the development of a robotic precision spraying system.

Jonathan Lynch, distinguished professor of plant nutrition, retired this fall after an innovative and impactful 33-year career in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, focused on conducting research to alleviate world hunger and enhance crop production by subsistence farmers in developing countries.

The effectiveness of national voluntary programs asking companies to pledge to lower their pollution and greenhouse gas emissions depends on pressure from the public, according to a new study led by a Penn State researcher.

A Penn State Extension land-use webinar on Nov. 20 will guide local officials on the ins and outs of implementing “active transportation plans.”
 

Penn State Centre Stage will produce Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” with book and lyrics by Hugh Wheeler, music directed by Anne Van Steenwinkel, Nov. 12–22, at the Playhouse Theatre on the University Park campus.

Longtime School of Music faculty member Daryl Durran and his wife, Lois Durran, a violinist, have made an estate commitment of $750,000 to establish the Daryl and Lois Durran Endowment for the School of Music, which will provide scholarship support to undergraduate and graduate students in the school. Daryl Durran, professor emeritus of pedagogy and performance in bassoon, retired in 2022 after 39 years on the faculty.

The latest episode of "Growing Impact" explores how a research team is using computer modeling and animations to visualize future flood and levee failure scenarios.

Viral country singer-songwriter and former reality-star contestant Sam Barber will bring his “Restless Mind” tour to Happy Valley at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, in Eisenhower Auditorium.

Penn State’s Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research has designated its inaugural cohort of Assessment Champions for 2024-25. This new program recognizes individuals who are deeply committed to enhancing student learning through learning assessment.

Penn State Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT), part of Penn State University Libraries, is accepting proposals for the 2025 TLT Symposium, scheduled for March 22, 2025. Open to Penn State faculty and staff, the event showcases ways technology can enhance teaching and learning in higher education. Attendees will share unique ways they use technology, network with colleagues, and generate new project ideas.

Penn State World Campus is hosting a virtual leadership summit this month and invites students from across the University to attend.