We're living through a moment that will be written about in history books. Personal journals, blogs and oral histories could help shape the narrative, according to historians at Penn State Behrend.

Many of Penn State Behrend's student clubs and organizations have moved online due to COVID-19 restrictions. One benefit of the new model: It's easier to bring in guest speakers.

Each spring, the Athletics department at Penn State Behrend honors the college’s best student-athletes for their performances on and off the field. This year, because of the transition to the remote-learning environment, the awards were announced on video by Senior Director of Athletics Brian Streeter.

The winning writers of Penn State University Libraries Short Stories’ “April Showers” spring 2020 contest have been announced. Representing six Penn State campuses, the latest writing contest challenged Penn State students, faculty and staff across the commonwealth to unleash their best original short stories or poetry on the theme of weather.

Jason Williams, an assistant teaching professor of engineering at Penn State Behrend, helped develop a plastic face shield for use in COVID-19 environments. More than 50,000 of his shields have been shipped to health-care providers in three states.

Penn State Behrend’s Black School of Business inducted 30 students into the Beta Gamma Sigma international business honor society on April 17. The students are enrolled in the college’s residential programs and in Penn State World Campus majors that are offered by the Black School.

Penn State professors are bringing creativity into remote learning environments: from unique virtual backgrounds to costumes and props, they are finding novel ways to engage with their students. Their efforts, welcomed by students, are an attempt to connect on a human level while providing laughter and compassion.

Penn State Behrend faculty member Michael Campbell has been named distinguished professor of biology. Campbell, who joined the college in 1994, also directs the Lake Erie Regional Grape Research and Extension Center.

Penn State Behrend graduate Abraham Berhane lived in a refugee camp after fleeing his home in Eritrea. “When we came to Erie, we started our life from zero,” he said.

Penn State’s Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) team reached new heights earlier this month when they participated in the regional finals of the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition for the first time.

The experiences that Chris Eggerman, a 2017 graduate, had while at Penn State gave him a glimpse of the challenges and rewards he would enjoy in a career, and, paired with his education in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, equipped him with the skills he uses in his current profession as a security adviser at Liberty Mutual.

Seed funding provided by the Huck Institute of the Life Sciences and the Institute for Computational and Data Science is supporting two research teams from the College of Information Sciences and Technology in their efforts to provide faster and more efficient search results to COVID-19 research queries.

The College of Information Sciences and Technology will honor two graduates as student marshals at spring 2020 commencement. Genesis DuBon (information sciences and technology, security and risk analysis) will represent the college as student marshal, and Brett Sigoda (information sciences and technology) will serve as ROTC student marshal during the virtual commencement ceremony on May 9.

Thaddeus Lorenz, senior in information science and technology, wasn’t always sure what his academic path would be. After starting at Penn State in the Division of Undergraduate Studies, he took some classes centered on one of his passions: coding. Then, he decided to make it more than just a passion.

Anna Squicciarini, associate professor of information sciences and technology, has received a Fulbright Cyber Security Award to conduct research in London in summer 2021.

As a student in Penn State's College of Information Sciences and Technology, Steve Ney learned critical skills, from coding to data design and architecture. Today, he applies that foundation in his "dream job" as a healthcare data analyst for Geisinger Health, where he uses those skills to help produce visual outputs for doctors and staff to utilize in caring for patients.

Bridget O’Donnell, assistant director of student engagement at Penn State Brandywine, has been recognized as Advisor of the Year by the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities.

Penn State Brandywine’s Sustainovation Team has partnered with Tyler Arboretum to host an online discussion club for podcasts, offering a creative solution for the local community to stay connected during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Meaghan Paige, a women’s fashion brand started by a Penn State Brandywine alumna, is supporting the local community by offering free, handmade cloth face masks during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Penn State Brandywine is offering a complimentary virtual seminar on Practical Social Media Tactics for the Busy Entrepreneur from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May 18, through Zoom video conferencing.

Whether you're a first-year student looking to get a head start on your college career, a current student looking to get ahead or catch up, or a student at another college or university looking to earn credits over the summer, Penn State Brandywine offers numerous summer learning opportunities. Registration remains open for summer classes.

Penn State Brandywine’s spring graduates will celebrate their milestone achievement on Saturday, May 9 with a University-wide virtual commencement ceremony and video conferencing with campus faculty and staff.

Penn State Brandywine has recognized students who have earned academic honors. Their accomplishments were celebrated through a virtual academic recognition website, which included a video message of congratulations from Chancellor Marilyn J. Wells. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the annual ceremony that is usually held on campus was held in a virtual format.

Penn State Brandywine students who have impacted the campus through their leadership and service have been honored with student leadership awards. The annual awards program highlights the achievements of students involved with clubs, student government and campus programs

Fifty students of Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus have generated $71,063.48 in donations for the annual Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON), held Feb. 22 to 23 in the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park.

William J. Doan, the 2019-20 Penn State Laureate, presented “The Anxiety Project: An Artist’s Look at Mental Health and Wellness” at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus on March 3.

The Laurel Highlands boys basketball team will be honored at the USCAA Men’s Division II Basketball National Championship Game on Wednesday, March 11, at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus.

Juan Roberto Meléndez-Colón was exonerated, in 2002, after nearly 18 years on death row for a crime he did not commit. He visited Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus to share his story on March 5.

Faculty from six campuses were awarded a grant from Penn State’s Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence to seek a multi-campus approval as a Certified Family Life Educator program.

Elaine Barry, associate professor of human development and family studies at Penn State Fayette, the Eberly Campus, and Janet Spearly, director of academic advising in the Smeal College of Business, have been selected to receive the 2020 Penn State Excellence in Advising Award.

Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus has introduced a new phone-based resource for area veterans.

The Early College Program at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus offers high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to complete college credits at a fifty percent tuition adjustment and earn scholarships. A virtual information session will be offered on Thursday, April 30 at 6:00 p.m. for interested students and families.

Kaylee Aaron has been awarded the 2020 Student Excellence Award by Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, for her undergraduate research, “Need for Status: An Evolutionary Explanation for Mental Health Issues from Social Media Use.”

The Salt Path

WHEN Tamsin Calidas stepped aboard a ferry bound for the Hebridean island that would become her new home, it was with hope for a fresh beginning, one far from the tumultuous events and near-death experience she had faced in the city streets being left behind.

The Unremembered Places

Payback

The Infinite

Chef and food writer Letitia Clark talks Ella Walker through her debut cookbook, Bitter Honey - an ode to the cooking of Sardinia.

The Ratline: Love, Lies and Justice on the Trail of a Nazi Fugitive

The exercise yard lies just below my window. Every day I pace around it 12 times before returning to solitary confinement. The King George V park in Bearsden, of course, does not resemble the interior of any jail and the restrictions on my liberty are minor in comparison to those who have been imprisoned down the ages.

NATURE BOOK

CARO RAMSAY, AUTHOR

Six accomplished seniors will celebrate the culmination of their collegiate involvement and success by representing the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications as student marshals for the Class of 2020.