Dr. Mary Catherine Santos, pediatric surgeon and professor of surgery and pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine, is among an elite group of surgeon educators to be inducted membership into the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators in 2024.

Three Penn Staters were selected as finalists for the prestigious and competitive Rhodes Scholarship. Anshuta Beeram, Nate Carey and Kueyoung Kim will participate in final interviews on Nov. 15 and 16. 

The Eberly Family Special Collections Library at Penn State University Libraries has announced that the application period for 2025-26 research grants is now open. Awards are available to support travel and research expenses while utilizing the Eberly Family Special Collections Library at Penn State’s University Park campus. The application deadline is Dec. 10.

Jennifer Jewell, teaching professor in the physical therapist assistant program at Penn State Shenango; Pamela Pologruto, teaching professor of physical therapist assistant at Penn State Fayette; Laura Cruz, research professor at Penn State's Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence; and faculty members from Penn State Lehigh Valley presented at the 2024 Lilly Conference in Austin, Texas.

Roger Myers, recent graduate of Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, has accepted an internship with Walt Disney World Resort.

Pamela Pologruto has received the F.A. Davis Award for Outstanding Physical Therapist Assistant Educator. The American Physical Therapy Association recognized her achievement with this national award, only given to one recipient annually, at their honors and awards reception ceremony in Kansas City, Missouri.

Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus is dedicating September to raising awareness about suicide prevention through a series of events and activities. This initiative follows the official proclamation by the Fayette County Commissioners, recognizing September as Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month.

As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize 13 Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.   

At seven of Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses, campus gardens and farms help to connect students with nature. Programs aimed at sustainable food practices and mental well-being help to create an environment for growth and joy within the community. 

Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus will host the 52nd annual Shakespeare Festival on Oct. 22-23. This event will feature an 80-minute production of "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" by The Linny Fowler WillPower Tour, followed by a Q&A session with the cast. The festival, free and open to the public, will be held in the Maggie Hardy Magerko Auditorium, located in the Community Center.

At seven of Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses, campus gardens and farms help to connect students with nature. Programs aimed at sustainable food practices and mental well-being help to create an environment for growth and joy within the community. 

Penn State Fayette students are invited to meet Estelle Belko, student aid coordinator, from 9-10 a.m. on Oct. 16 inside the Williams Building Student Success Center.

Eric Wicklund, co-author of "Through a Convict’s Eyes: An Overlooked View of the Criminal Justice System," will visit Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus at 12:15 p.m. on Oct. 29 to discuss his insights on criminal rehabilitation. He will be joined by his co-author, Lavarr McBride, who has worked in the criminal justice field for 39 years and serves as a professor of criminal justice at Penn State Fayette.

Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus will host 24 basketball games inside its Community Center Main Arena between Nov. 5, 2024, and Feb. 11, 2025.

Virtual reality goggles with a choice of soothing environments or guided meditations, a color-changing bubble wall, a prayer area, Zen garden and massage chair: These are all options provided by Penn State Wilkes-Barre’s Counseling Services to help students relax and stay calm.

Students at Penn State Wilkes-Barre are invited to take part in the annual Mental Health Awareness Day, set for 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 18. The event is designed to promote mental health awareness and self-care, reduce stigma, and provide students with an opportunity to engage in self-care activities. 

Penn State Wilkes-Barre is hosting an open house for prospective students and their families from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 19.

They first met in kindergarten, and now they’re in college together. Caleb Balas, Nikolas Kistner and Alexis McGrady were educated at Hanover Area schools throughout elementary, middle and high school. Coming from a graduating class of 111 students, they frequently saw each other throughout school. Since they each made their college choice individually, they didn’t know they would continue to see each other at Penn State Wilkes-Barre — and all three said it’s nice seeing familiar faces.

High school students interested in science, technology, engineering, the arts or mathematics (STEAM) are invited to a day of hands-on STEAM activities at Penn State Wilkes-Barre at no cost. “Exploring STEAM Careers” will be held at the campus on Nov. 6. Sessions will be held in the areas of chemistry, engineering, information technology, mathematics and surveying engineering.

Penn State Wilkes-Barre will host a popular community craft show coordinated by Arts at Hayfield on Nov. 3.

Penn State Wilkes-Barre was selected as “Best College Campus” in a local media group’s annual readers’ choice awards program.

Penn State Wilkes-Barre has received a donation from the Pennsylvania Land Surveyors’ Foundation, enabling the program to purchase additional equipment.

Penn State Wilkes-Barre will host a ceremony on Veterans Day to honor the bravery and dedication of our nation’s service members on Nov. 11 from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. The event will also serve as a rededication for the Daniel S. Walko Memorial, which honors a fallen service member who was a campus alumnus.

Rebecca Mattson, head of faculty and research services and professor of legal research at Penn State Law in University Park, was recently awarded the prestigious 2024 Service Award by the Research Instruction & Patron Services Special Interest Section of the American Association of Law Libraries.

In late 2023, the Penn State Law in University Park Civil Rights Appellate Clinic — along with the Employment Law Group, a Washington, D.C.-based boutique litigation firm — filed merits briefs with the Ninth Circuit to appeal the district court’s dismissal of an ADA case. On the basis of this briefing and subsequent oral argument, the Ninth Circuit reversed the lower court’s ruling and remanded the case for trial.

Penn State researchers explain what election and campaign finance laws say about Kamala Harris becoming the presumed presidential nominee on the Democratic ticket.

Penn State Law welcomed the LL.M. (master of laws) class of 2025 to the University Park campus for orientation on Aug. 20, kicking off another year of one of the largest and most diverse LL.M. programs in the United States. The class of 2025 includes 163 LL.M. and 13 exchange students, coming from 31 countries across the world.

Second and third-year law students enrolled in the Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic at Penn State Law in University Park honed their advocacy skills while assisting five Vietnam veterans and their families, and two other veterans, to win disability and/or survivor claims before the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Penn State Law in University Park welcomed 131 first-year juris doctor students to the Lewis Katz Building on Aug. 21-22 for J.D. Orientation.

The Penn State Law Minority Mentor Program held its 10th annual kickoff reception on Sept. 6 at Toftrees Golf Resort in State College.

Michael Helbing, executive director of the Center for Energy Law and Policy and adjunct professor of law at Penn State, will give the talk, “Flying into the future: sustainable aviation fuel and the policies impacting its development,” at 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 7, in 112 Walker Building at Penn State University Park.

Penn State Dickinson Law and Penn State Law have entered the critical final steps of reunification with the recent submission of Applications for Acquiescence in a Substantive Change of Program or Structure to the Council of the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, the recognized accreditor for law schools.

In August 2024, Pennsylvania resident Max Justice launched Setas Eternal Living. His flagship product, MyCoffin, is a biodegradable coffin made from mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms. Justice has utilized resources provided by Penn State Law's Entrepreneur Assistance and Intellectual Property clinics and Happy Valley LaunchBox to grow his business. 

Faculty and staff in Penn State’s Law, Policy, and Engineering (LPE) initiative were recently tapped by the governor’s office to lead a two-day training program in September in Harrisburg on science and technology policy. The faculty and staff are part of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Science and Technology Policy Program, which is run by LPE and aims to improve public and environmental health, economic and social equity, and public scientific discourse in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The Penn State School of Music will host internationally acclaimed classical guitarist Julia Trintschuk for a two-day residency, Nov. 15-16, featuring a masterclass and recital that are free and open to the public.

Accomplished writer and Penn State alum Jami Nakamura Lin will read from her works at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 14, in Foster Auditorium as part of the 2024-25 Mary E. Rolling Reading Series.

Roebuck will discuss his past and future projects, many of which were filmed in the Lehigh Valley.

The Emily Dickinson Lecture featuring acclaimed poet Ilya Kaminsky will now take place at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, in Paterno Library's Foster Auditorium.  The event — rescheduled from an earlier date — is free and open to the public.

Penn State Military Appreciation Week, the 6th annual Centre Film Festival and "A Night of One-Acts" at the Altoona campus are some of the cultural events taking place across the University this weekend and next week.

Penn State students, staff and faculty are invited to a screening of the award-winning documentary film “This is Not Financial Advice” from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18 in the Westgate Building 2nd Floor West Atrium. 

The Penn State Berks theatre department will present “8 at Eight” — a collection of eight light-hearted, eight-minute plays at 8 p.m. Nov. 13-16 in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium.

The following is a collection of events happening around Penn State Harrisburg next week.

Penn State School of Music announces the inaugural performance of its Opera Workshop, led by new faculty members Dawn Pierce and Parker Konkle. The performance, titled "Seasons of Love," will take place on Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the School of Music’s Recital Hall. This unique presentation will explore a range of lyric repertoire, offering an avant-garde experience that merges music, movement, and storytelling.