The Penn State Berks IST program has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science (TUES) award to enhance information security education by enabling students to practice important skills and to learn together both inside and outside the classroom using a virtual computer laboratory, with a particular focus on distance learning.  

The project, titled “Exploration of a Collaborative Virtual Computer Laboratory (CVCLAB) to Enhance Distance Learning in Information Security” received an award in the amount of $154,151 from NSF.

According to principal investigator Abdullah Konak, Associate Professor of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) at Penn State Berks, although distance learning promises to reach out to learners who may have no access to education, it is challenging to integrate hands-on and collaborative learning strategies into distance learning and even more difficult in the area of information security.

During the course of the project, five Penn State campuses (Berks, Altoona, Beaver, Greater Allegheny, and Harrisburg) will use the Collaborative Virtual Computer Laboratory (CVCLAB), located at Penn State Berks, in several IST and Security and Risk Analysis courses. The project is a unique opportunity to explore the best practices for sharing a remote virtual computer laboratory among multiple institutions.  

The research activities will involve collecting conclusive evidence on the impacts of student-to-student interactions mediated by group work in CVCLAB on student learning, particularly in distance learning, and the project outcomes will provide valuable insights for educators who design distance learning curricula and educational materials.

The project team members include Michael Bartolacci, Associate Professor of IST; Abdullah Konak, Associate Professor of IST; Sadan Kulturel, Associate Professor of Management Information Systems; and Mahdi Nasereddin, Associate Professor of IST from Penn State Berks; Jungwoo Ryoo, Associate Professor of IST from Altoona; Abhijit Dutt, Instructor in IST from Beaver; Galen Grimes, Associate Professor of IST from Greater Allegheny; and Philip Hippensteel, Assistant Professor of Information Systems from Harrisburg.

For more information about this project, contact Abdullah Konak via e-mail at konak@psu.edu.

By Tyler Schueck, Sports Information Director

Senior defenseman Sean Aldinger recorded an assist in the Penn State Berks Blue Lions Ice Hockey teams game against Villanova University on November 20. It might have just seemed like another instance of Aldinger contributing to his squad, but the assist was much more. It was the culmination of four stellar years on the ice as Aldinger joined the prestigious 100-point club.

Over the course of his career, Aldinger has tallied 38 goals and 62 assists. In his freshman season, he was named to the All-NECHL team and helped the Blue Lions reach the ACHA National Championship Tournament with 25 points (12g, 13a). He followed that up with 10 goals and 19 assists during his sophomore campaign. In 2010-11, Aldinger finished with 11 goals and 14 assists to put him just 31 points shy of reaching the coveted milestone.

It took just 16 games into his senior season to reach the distinguished club. Aldinger currently has five goals and his 16 assists has him on pace to break his previous season-high.

The last member to accomplish the remarkable feat was Shane Aldinger, who is Sean’s older brother and currently an assistant coach for the Blue Lions. Shane Aldinger played from 2005-09 and finished his career with 145 points.

The Blue Lions have eight games remaining on their schedule for Aldinger to further etch his name in the team’s history books. The Conshohocken, PA native anticipates graduating in May 2012 with a BS in Marketing.

A new class of more than 100 Penn State Berks students will receive their baccalaureate and associate degrees on Saturday, December 17, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. in the Beaver Community Center when Berks hosts the fall 2011 commencement ceremony.

The keynote speaker will be Gregory F. Flemming ’63, a retired executive from IBM Corporation. Early in his IBM career, Flemming was integrally involved in the development and rollout of Solid State Logic Technology for the System 360, which became the first mass-produced commercial computer.

The next 30 years of his career were spent in various executive positions in manufacturing and product development at IBM in the United States, Europe, and Asia. He is the former manager of manufacturing and engineering for IBM Sweden; director of worldwide operations for the IBM System Products Division, and plant manager and assistant general manager at IBM in Endicott, New York.

In 1979, Flemming was an integral part of the inception of the IBM personal computer. In the early 1980s, he participated in forming the PC company within IBM, which later launched the “computers for the masses” revolution throughout the world. In 1990, he served as IBM’s lead negotiator to spin off the personal printer, typewriter, and supplies–business that formed the now successful Lexmark Corporation. Flemming also helped form the IBM Printer Business Group, where he served as business alliance and business development executive.

Flemming received an ALCOA Foundation Scholarship for Academic Achievement in 1962. In 1984, he received an IBM Outstanding Contribution Award and in 2005, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Central Catholic High School in Reading, Pennsylvania. Flemming is also a 2011 Penn State Alumni Fellow recipient.

At Penn State, Flemming is a member of the Penn State Berks Industrial Advisory Board and the Penn State Berks Advisory Council for the Entrepreneurship Minor, and was instrumental in establishing the Learning Factory at Penn State Berks.

He and his wife, Barbara, reside in Fleetwood, Pa. They have two grown daughters, four grandchildren.

The students included the following Communication Arts and Sciences majors: seniors Phil Erdman from Barto, PA; Ashley Gardner from Mohnton, PA; and Turquoise Jackson from Sinking Spring, PA; and juniors Connor Hough from Telford, PA; and Danielle Moser from Mohrsville, PA. Moser works in the Registrar’s Office at Penn State Berks.

The NCA works to enhance research, teaching, and service produced by its members on topics of both intellectual and social significance and is the oldest and largest national organization to promote communication scholarship and education.

For more information, contact Dr. Michele Ramsey, Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences and Women's Studies and Coordinator of the Communication Arts and Sciences degree program at 610-396-6148 or via e-mail at EMR10@psu.edu.   

Four Penn State Berks students received the Most Innovative Solution award in the Milking the Rhino: Innovative Solutions Showcase for their work teaching a skill to the youth of the Children and Youth Empowerment Center (CYEC) in Nyeri, Kenya–how to take the vast amounts of electronic waste in the area and create jewelry that they can sell to support themselves in the future. The Milking the Rhino Showcase was held at Penn State University Park campus on November 16, 2011.

The group of seniors included Linda Camacho, an Information Sciences and Technology major from Reading; and three Business majors with minors in Engineering Entrepreneurship: Ryan Fink from Lehighton, Krysta Kamowski from Lehighton, and Krystle Morales from Reading.
 
It all began when the Penn State Berks “Creative Minds Team,” comprised of Penn State Berks students, along with their professor Dr. Sadan Kulturel-Konak, traveled to Kenya from May 17 to June 2, 2011, to visit the Children and Youth Empowerment Center in Nyeri, Kenya to teach the youth a skill that would help to sustain them: how to create jewelry from electronic waste and benefit from the profit for future educational advancements.

This initiative was coordinated by Dr. Sadan Kulturel-Konak, associate professor of Management Information Systems and coordinator of the Engineering Entrepreneurship minor.  

“The idea of creating jewelry out of electronic waste in Kenya was very innovative in many ways: reducing the waste, creating sustainable solutions for the population of street dwelling young people in Kenya, and contributing to youth education” commented Kulturel-Konak.

The student team is currently working on developing a marketing plan to sell the jewelry and accessories in the Greater Reading area.  At this point, the team is exploring ways the local community can benefit from this project. The project is funded by a Program and Course Development Grant from National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA).
 
Inspired by Milking The Rhino, an award-winning documentary produced by Kartemquin Films that examines environmental conservation from the perspective of people who live with wildlife and offers a complex, intimate portrait of two community-based conservation efforts in Kenya and Namibia, Penn State has created the “Milking the Rhino: Innovative Solutions Showcase” for students from all majors as a venue to foster critical thinking about sustainable community development, developmental entrepreneurship, and the role of technology in enabling new solutions to global inequities.

Student teams from across the world are invited to articulate their understanding of the challenges faced by indigenous communities in Africa with regard to wildlife and natural resource management, conservation, and sustainability. The teams then draw from their academic areas to conceptualize and effectively communicate innovative and sustainable solutions to empower indigenous people and foster development by leveraging local resources. Students prepare three-minute video pitches, which are rated by a five-member interdisciplinary panel of referees.

This year the Milking the Rhino competition had more than 60 entries, and nearly 200 student participants from eight universities, colleges, and high schools from America and Kenya. Each video was viewed by at least seven different referees and judges with expertise including Engineering Design, Social Entrepreneurship, African Studies and more.

The Milking the Rhino: Innovative Solutions Showcase is hosted by the Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship (HESE) Program at Penn State. Sponsors include the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA), Interinstitutional Consortium for Indigenous Knowledge (ICIK), Marjorie Grant Whiting Center for Humanity, Arts and the Environment, Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Office of Student Activities, Center for Global Studies, School of International Affairs & the Dickinson School of Law, and Johnson and Johnson.
 

Dear Penn State Berks Colleagues,

I am forwarding a message from Interim President Erickson which you may have already received, but because of the importance of his message, I am resending it. Along with President Erickson's words, I want to preface his comments with my expression of appreciation to all of you for your continuing support and concern for Penn State and Penn State Berks. 

Everyone with whom I've spoken has expressed their concern for victims and families, and also for our students and entire community. Our support of one another, and particularly our students, is essential during this difficult time. Again, we are all committed to learning hard lessons from these events and doing everything we can to ensure such things never again occur at Penn State.

Chancellor R. Keith Hillkirk

A Post-Weekend Message from President Rodney Erickson

Nov. 14, 2011 - This past week has tested the character and resilience of the Penn State community in ways we never could have imagined. Many of you shared my shock and surprise as the reports unfolded. Yet, after this past weekend, I just want to take a moment to tell all of you how proud I am. Our students and athletes, in particular, demonstrated the best of what it means to be a Penn Stater.

On Friday night, our students organized a candlelight vigil for the victims of abuse, and thousands came to express their concern and resolve. It was a meaningful and deeply moving way to show support.

At the Penn State-Nebraska football game on Saturday, tens of thousands of fans supported the Blue Out, a solemn moment of silence, as well as many other efforts to raise awareness and money for this very serious issue.

On the field, the football players demonstrated a level of maturity and determination that was an inspiration. The athletes from both teams came together at midfield in unity, respect and prayer for the victims. Then they played their hearts out. It was remarkable in so many ways.

Thank you for coming together as a community.

Today, we are back to class and the business of running this university. I urge you to refocus on your educational goals and remain mindful of the five promises I have made to the Penn State community as we move forward. Collectively, we need to show the nation and world that Penn State cares, and that Penn State is a community of individuals committed to moving forward with a shared sense of purpose.

If you have not yet seen the five promises, I will share them below.

Again, thank you for your support and the kind words I have heard from so many people. It gives me the confidence to know that together we are moving in the right direction.

My Promise to the Penn State Community

1. I will reinforce to the entire Penn State community the moral imperative of doing the right thing – the first time, every time.
   • We will revisit all standards, policies, and programs to ensure they meet not only the law, but Penn State’s standard. To oversee this effort, I will appoint an Ethics Officer who will report directly to me. 
   • I ask for the support of the entire Penn State community to work together to reorient our culture. Never again should anyone at Penn State feel scared to do the right thing. My door will always be open.
2. As I lead by example, I will expect no less of others.
   • I will ensure proper governance and oversight exists across the entire University, including Intercollegiate Athletics.
3. Penn State is committed to transparency to the fullest extent possible given the ongoing investigations.
   • I encourage dialogue with students, faculty, alumni, and other members of the Penn State community.
4. We will be respectful and sensitive to the victims and their families. We will seek appropriate ways to foster healing and raise broader awareness of the issue of sexual abuse.
5. My administration will provide whatever resources, access, and information are needed to support the Special Committee’s investigation. I pledge to take immediate action based on its findings.

Interim President Rodney Erickson

Dr. Susannah Barsom, Associate Director of the Center for Sustainability, and Erik Foley, Director of the Campus Sustainability Office, will present the draft of Penn State's Sustainability Strategic Plan. The goal of this meeting is to get input from students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community partners on the plan.

Penn State already has many sustainability initiatives in teaching, research, operations, and outreach. The Penn State Sustainability Strategic Plan seeks to recognize, support, and expand those efforts.

Earlier this year, a University Sustainability Council was charged by Provost Rodney Erickson to conduct research, draft the plan, and collect input from the Penn State community. Barsom and Foley are traveling to each Penn State campus to meet with constituencies, share the draft of the plan, and hear ideas about how each campus can meet the goals of the plan and what their needs, concerns, and unique contributions might be.

Those who plan to attend the town hall meeting are encouraged to review the strategic plan on the green.psu.edu site.  

Bill Birdsong Miller, an icon of the Native American music community, will share his unique sound with the campus on Thursday, December 1, 2011, at 7:30 p.m. in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public.

Using three elements–his heritage, life experiences, and spiritual path–Miller shares his message of transformation through reconciliation. His list of accolades is lengthy and impressive: He has received six Native American Music Awards, including a 2007 Lifetime Achievement honor, and three Grammy Awards, among them his most recent for “Spirit Wind North,” which was named Best Native American Album in 2010. Well known for his beautiful performances on the flute, Miller was chosen to play flute on “Colors of the Wind” from Disney’s Pocahontas. He is also an accomplished composer, storyteller, and artist whose paintings are exhibited nationwide.

This presentation is part of the Arts and Lecture series. For more information, contact the Office of Student Life at 610-396-6067.

Dr. Randall Newnham, Professor of Political Science, will join faculty members from the four other colleges and universities in Berks County for a panel discussion titled “The Digital Agora: Debate in the Age of Facebook” on Monday, November 14, 2011, from 6–8 p.m. at Reading Area Community College’s Schmidt Training and Technology Center. This event is free and open to the public.

According to the web site, “The much prized democratic deliberation that contributes to the West’s sense of self has ancient roots in a concept familiar to twenty-first century minds: the marketplace of ideas. Our culture's political and academic institutions emerged from the agora, the communal space of ancient Greece that melded political and commercial activity. Therein goods—both physical and mental—were exchanged. Though this marketplace endures as a critical cultural concept, the medium of that civic discourse has changed radically, especially in the last five years. Today’s ideas are exchanged on mobile devices via social media with a speed and democratic equality unimaginable for the minds meeting in the ancient agora… the medieval tavern . . . the eighteenth-century coffee house.”

This event is sponsored by the Higher Education Council of Berks County (HECBC), a consortium of the five Berks County colleges and universities: Albright College, Alvernia University, Kutztown University, Penn State Berks, and Reading Area Community College. These institutions of higher education are committed to working together for educational, financial, and community interests.

The episode will feature three professionals from the local community who are involved with initiatives in response to sex trafficking in Berks County: Bob Morrison, founder of Freedom and Restoration for Everyone Enslaved (FREE), which he established in response to the emerging sex trafficking problem in Berks County; Jen Spry, a member of FREE who has spoken in numerous venues about human trafficking; and David Hershey, campus minister for the Christian Student Fellowship at Penn State Berks.

"Get Some" is a show about health with a human sexuality emphasis. Alice Holland, Penn State Berks Nurse Practitioner Supervisor serves as host.  The show includes an interactive audience that features both college students and professionals as guests.

"The culmination of my past employment experiences at Blue Mountain Health System Family Planning Clinic, Lehighton Area School District, and Lehigh Valley Hospital, along with my present employment at Penn State, has prepared me with the assessment, interpersonal, and communication skills needed to host the show," explained Holland about her credentials.

In addition to her position as Health Services Supervisor at Penn State Berks, Holland also teaches courses in human sexuality, two of which have culminated with an experiential approach in Kenya.  She holds master’s degrees in both Nursing and Human Sexuality, and is presently a Human Sexuality Doctoral student, as well as a member of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT), American College Health Association (ACHA), and American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).

“Get Some” is filmed the last Monday of each month. Recent episodes can be viewed at www.youtube.com/psugetsome. For more information, contact Alice Holland at arh16@psu.edu.

The new building will house the college’s Business; Engineering; Information Sciences and Technology; Security and Risk Analysis; and Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management degree programs. Academic program coordinators for these degree programs and others will be present to showcase the features of the new building and to discuss the degree programs.

The building includes more than 60,000 square feet, making it the largest academic facility at Penn State Berks. Inside, the Gaige Building will offer not only the quantity but also the quality of space that the college’s evolving academic programs require:

• Nine new classrooms, equipped with state-of-the-art communications technologies, will enable the college to offer new ccourses and enhance existing ones.
• Dedicated laboratory space will allow more sustained and sophisticated investigations.
• Fifty new faculty offices will make it possible for dedicated educators to spend more time working one-on-one with students and with each other.
• A café with 36 seats indoors and another 36 seats on the adjoining patio, and kitchen area that will also serve as laboratory space for the Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management degree program.

In addition, a lecture hall, conference rooms, a design studio, student study areas, and a cafe also will also be housed in the building.

Above all, the Gaige Building will make it possible for Penn State Berks to deepen partnerships with businesses and communities throughout the region. By providing space for three extraordinary initiatives—the Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement, the Learning Factory, and the Emerging Technologies and Business Intelligence Laboratory—the facility will help to make the campus an even more important leader for growth and innovation.

Jabali Afrika, a dynamic musical group from Kenya, will bring its unique musical sound to Penn State Berks on Wednesday, November 16, 2011, at 7:30 p.m. in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public.
 
Decribed as truly multifaceted with its own original blend of fusion and African rhythms, Jabali Afrika’s original compositions and traditional African melodies come alive on a wide variety of instruments, accompanied by vocal harmonies that combine modern rock, jazz, gospel, blues, and other musical styles. With talented dancing and choreography, and stunning African tribal costumes, Jabali Afrika presents a multicultural experience that will leave the audience enriched, educated, and entertained.

Sixteen years ago, the members of Jabali Afrika would meet to plan and dream about their musical future. Today their award-winning, innovative mélange of traditional spirituals and rock-reggae arrangements is a pillar of world music festivals and concerts worldwide.

This presentation is part of the Arts and Lecture series. For more information, contact the Office of Student Life at 610-396-6067.

The distinguished panel speakers include local entrepreneurs Brad Hall, President of UGI Energy Services, Inc.; Jim Kurtz, President of Reading Electric Renewables, LLC.; and Sally Miksiewicz, CEO of East Penn Manufacturing Co., Inc. They will discuss what their companies are doing in alternate energy from concept to practice and career opportunities for students.

Each semester, the Engineering Entrepreneurship program, whose mission is to provide a cross-disciplinary minor that fosters entrepreneurial creativity and leadership throughout Penn State Berks and its service area, hosts a Speaker Series featuring panel discussions and invited guests.

For more information, contact Dr. Sadan Kulturel-Konak, Coordinator of the Entrepreneurship Minor and Associate Professor of Management Information Systems, at 610-396-6137 or via e-mail at sadan@psu.edu.

King’s latest novel, Everybody Sees the Ants is a Junior Library Guild selection, has received several starred reviews, and has been called "a subtly written, profoundly honest novel" by Booklist. Her 2010 novel, Please Ignore Vera Dietz was a Michael L. Printz Honor Book, an Edgar Award Nominee, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book for Teens 2010, a Junior Library Guild selection, and a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults pick. Her first novel, The Dust of 100 Dogs, was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, an Indie Next Pick, and a Cybil award finalist. Her short fiction for adults has been widely published and was nominated for Best New American Voices 2010.

In addition to being an author, King has lived in Ireland, taught adult literacy, and been a rare poultry breeder, photographer, master printer, contractor, summer camp counselor, and pizza delivery driver. She is a graduate of Exeter High School who now lives in Robesonia with her husband and children.

This event is sponsored by the Penn State Berks Professional Writing baccalaureate degree program. For more information on the event, contact Rosemary Hauseman at 610-779-0738.

Students from Penn State Berks are conducting community-based undergraduate research and service learning simultaneously with Old Order German communities in Berks County, while gaining valuable insights into a world that many view as quaintly old-fashioned and rigidly closed, as well as about themselves, in the process. 

The participating students are enrolled the college’s research and service course titled "Old Order German Communities in Berks County.” They include Collin Haas, a junior majoring in Global Studies; Samantha Kerling, senior, Global Studies; Michal Komemi, junior, American Studies; Owen Reitenauer, senior, Global Studies; Jennifer Screvane, senior, Global Studies; Michael Siaway, senior, Global Studies; and Erin Wade, senior, Global Studies. 

In early October, Dr. Randall Fegley, Associate Professor of History and Politics at Penn State Berks, accompanied six Berks students, as well as fifteen members of the Amish community and three members of the Mennonite community, on a bus tour of Berks County. In the course of conducting research, the group discovered a single grave from a paved-over cemetery in Shillington and a 431-year-old family bible in Mohrsville.

Fegley states that he is hoping that the research will result in a published book by both students and community members, which will include topics such as: the European origins of Berks Old Order German communities, relations between Native Americans and Berks Old Order German communities, Berks Old Order German communities during the Revolutionary War and the two World Wars, and what happened to the Amish population of Berks County, as well as specific sections on modernization, quilts, and farmers' markets.

 In addition to research, the course involves service learning at the Stoltzfus House on Tulpehocken Road. Students removed a tree, dug a ditch to lay conduit, and cleaned up the site. The first permanent building on Tulpehocken Creek, this house has become a center for Old Order Germans in Berks and beyond. Earlier this year, a Swiss-style bank barn was raised on the site to house a caretaker/curator and museum exhibits. 

Two more Saturday workdays are planned. This project, which is also affiliated with the college’s Laboratory for Public Scholarship and Democracy, will continue through the end of the semester.

 For more information, contact Fegley at 610-396-6092 or via e-mail at RAF8@psu.edu.

The flyer can be found on the Berks Chemical Society web site: http://www.clubs.psu.edu/bk/chemsociety

For more information, contact club president Heather Young via e-mail at HMY5009@psu.edu or BCS Adviser Greglynn Gibbs at 610-396-6363 or via e-mail at GDW104@psu.edu.

The Penn State Berks Bookstore will hold a book signing for Dr. Kira Baker-Doyle, Assistant Professor of Education at Penn State Berks, and her new book, The Networked Teacher: How New Teachers Build Social Networks for Professional Supports on Monday, October 17, 2011, from 1–3 p.m.

Recent research shows that urban teachers have less than a 50 percent chance of surviving the first three years on the job. Those who make it often do so by reaching out to others for resources and support through their social networks, both face-to-face and online.

In today’s network society how do these new “millennial” teachers build social networks for professional support, and what networks work best? Baker-Doyle answers these questions in her book, published by Teachers College Press.

The Networked Teacher explains the research behind social networks and offers practical advice to new teachers, mentors, and school administrators. Baker-Doyle tells the stories of four beginning urban teachers as they traverse the ups and downs of their first year in search of support. There is Michael, the struggling teacher, whose avoidance of collaboration leads to his needs being largely ignored by the school faculty and administration. Also, Susan, the creative teacher, who was initially stifled by the school atmosphere, but found inspiration through her work with students and a community organization. Each teacher’s unique story shows the importance of the teachers’ social support network in their work; social networks are the underlying force shaping their everyday teaching.

The Networked Teacher also provides realistic strategies that new teachers can use to consciously build social networks for professional support. In a unique twist on popular conversations about teacher professional development, Baker-Doyle advocates networking with students, families, and community organizations, in addition to other teachers and school administrators.

Susan Fuhrman, President of Teachers College at Columbia University and the National Academy of Education praised the book, “Dr. Baker-Doyle's book adds an interesting and timely facet–the role of social networks–to the always important discussions about how new teachers can excel in their work. Her research will be of value to those who do professional development with educators and to practitioners alike."

The Networked Teacher comes with a companion website, www.thenetworkedteacher.com, where readers and book club members can use software to visualize their social networks, learn about workshops and upcoming talks, and read discussions by a range of authors on teaching and urban schools. The book also has a Facebook page, which can be found at http://facebook.com/TheNetworkedTeacher.

• Nine new classrooms, equipped with state-of-the-art communications technologies, will enable the college to offer new courses and enhance existing ones.

• Dedicated laboratory space will allow more sustained and sophisticated investigations.

• Fifty new faculty offices will make it possible for dedicated educators to spend more time working one-on-one with students and with each other.

• A café with 36 seats indoors and another 36 seats on the adjoining patio, and kitchen area that will also serve as laboratory space for the Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management degree program.

Taylor Mali, one of the most well-known poets to have emerged from the poetry slam movement, will perform at Penn State Berks on Tuesday, October 25, 2011, at#7:30 p.m. in the#Perkins Student Center Multipurpose Room. This event is free and open to the public.

A native of New York City and vocal advocate of teachers and the nobility of teaching, Mali himself spent nine years in the classroom teaching everything from English and History to Math and S.A.T. preparation. He has performed and lectured for teachers all over the world, and his New Teacher Project has a goal of creating 1,000 new teachers through “poetry, persuasion, and perseverance.”  Mali has led six teams to national poetry slam finals, winning four; and was one of the original poets to appear on the HBO original series Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry.

This presentation is part of the college's Arts and Lecture series. For more information, contact the Office of Campus Life at 610-396-6076.

All proceeds will go towards the Latino Unity Club annual award, which will be given to a Reading High School Student attending Penn State Berks the following school year. Applicants for the award are required to have a 3.0 GPA, be active in school and their community, and also complete an essay on how they can give back to the community. Each application is reviewed by all members of the club.

The flyer can be found on the Latino Unity Club’s Facebook page, or by contacting club members Amanda Gonzalez-Ortiz at alg5397@psu.edu or Nicol Varona at ntv106@psu.edu.

Recent research shows that urban teachers have less than a 50 percent chance of surviving the first three years on the job. Those who make it often do so by reaching out to others for resources and support through their social networks, both face-to-face and online.

In today’s network society how do these new “millennial” teachers build social networks for professional support, and what networks work best? Dr. Kira Baker-Doyle, Assistant Professor of Education at Penn State Berks, answers these questions in her new book, The Networked Teacher: How New Teachers Build Social Networks for Professional Supports, published by Teachers College Press.  

The Networked Teacher explains the research behind social networks and offers practical advice to new teachers, mentors, and school administrators. Baker-Doyle tells the stories of four beginning urban teachers as they traverse the ups and downs of their first year in search of support. There is Michael, the struggling teacher, whose avoidance of collaboration leads to his needs being largely ignored by the school faculty and administration. Also, Susan, the creative teacher, who was initially stifled by the school atmosphere, but found inspiration through her work with students and a community organization. Each teacher’s unique story shows the importance of the teachers’ social support network in their work; social networks are the underlying force shaping their everyday teaching.

The Networked Teacher also provides realistic strategies that new teachers can use to consciously build social networks for professional support. In a unique twist on popular conversations about teacher professional development, Baker-Doyle advocates networking with students, families, and community organizations, in addition to other teachers and school administrators.  

Susan Fuhrman, President of Teachers College at Columbia University and the National Academy of Education praised the book, “Dr. Baker-Doyle's book adds an interesting and timely facet–the role of social networks–to the always important discussions about how new teachers can excel in their work. Her research will be of value to those who do professional development with educators and to practitioners alike."

The Networked Teacher comes with a companion website, http://thenetworkedteacher.com, where readers and book club members can use software to visualize their social networks, learn about workshops and upcoming talks, and read discussions by a range of authors on teaching and urban schools. For more information, contact Baker-Doyle at KJB33@psu.edu.

With the help of the Laboratory for Public Scholarship and Democracy at Penn State Berks, more than 25 students at Penn State Berks partnered with the Jewish Cultural Center/Jewish Federation of Reading and with hundreds of members of the local Jewish community to document and preserve some of the community’s history. The collaboration between classes and the public has resulted in a printed book entitled A History of the Jewish Community in Reading and Berks County. 

Students in two classes and several students doing independent studies, all led by Dr. Laurie Grobman, Professor of English and Women’s Studies, wrote articles or other features in the book. Students from American Studies, Communication Arts and Sciences, Global Studies and Professional Writing took an interdisciplinary upper-level course, Community-Based Learning: Writing Local Jewish History, in Fall 2010, that focused on the writing of local Jewish histories. These students wrote chapters on such topics as  businesses, anti-Semitism, synagogues, and military service. They used a variety of historical sources, including interviews with hundreds of community members.

In addition, six students in Spring 2011 English 202H, Honors Writing in the Humanities, wrote life histories of Holocaust survivors with connections to Berks by watching several videotapes of survivors housed at the Albright College Library in Reading. This course helped students understand the context and meaning of testimonies by examining the Holocaust through several humanities perspectives including history, oral history, museum studies, literature, and film.

This project is what is known in higher education as community-based undergraduate research, a form of instruction that links students, faculty, and community organizations to fill a community need. While these students are not professional historians, their work as historians is a significant foundation upon which to build as the Jewish community preserves its history.

The book was funded by the Howard O. and Jean Beaver Endowment for Community Service with some support from the Jewish Federation of Reading.

A History of the Jewish Community in Reading and Berks County can be picked up at the Jewish Cultural Center. For more information, please contact Dr. Laurie Grobman at LEG8@psu.edu.

A summit titled “What You Do Matters: A Leadership Summit on Propaganda, Hate Speech, and Civic Engagement” was held to explore critical issues, such as what makes us vulnerable today, the challenges and power of the First Amendment, media literacy in today’s age of information overload, overcoming indifference and empowering citizen response, and working together for change.

Between 50-100 students were chosen to participate based on demonstrated leadership experience on campus at their university or in their community; interest and ability to take action in the next year; passion and interest for the topics of the summit; and status as an undergraduate.

The summit included opportunities for students to meet and learn from noteworthy speakers, scholars and educators; hear perspective from student leaders who have taken creative steps to respond to hate in their communities; participate in breakout sessions with other student leaders from across the nation; and connect with peers and build coalitions to take action on issues of interest. This summit was planned in cooperation with the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum and the Media Education Lab of Temple University and has been made possible by the generous support of The Marcus Foundation.

A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, promote human dignity, and prevent genocide.

The new classroom and laboratory building that is currently under construction at Penn State Berks will be named in honor of the college’s late dean and CEO Emeritus Frederick H. Gaige, according to officials at Penn State University.

The new Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building will house the college’s Business; Engineering; Information Sciences and Technology; and Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management degree programs. To be completed in January 2012, the Gaige Building will include more than 60,000 square feet, making it the largest academic facility at Penn State Berks. Designed to complement the natural beauty and existing architecture of the campus, the three-story structure will be as cutting-edge as the learning and discovery that will take place within it: A range of sustainability strategies, including rainwater collection and a heat-recovery system, will allow the building to be submitted for LEED certification as a “green” facility. 

Inside, the Gaige Building will offer not only the quantity but also the quality of space that the college’s evolving academic programs require:

• Nine new classrooms, equipped with state-of-the-art communications technologies, will enable the college to offer new courses and enhance existing ones.
• Dedicated laboratory space will allow more sustained and sophisticated investigations.
• Fifty new faculty offices will make it possible for dedicated educators to spend more time working one-on-one with students and with each other.
• A café with 36 seats indoors and another 36 seats on the adjoining patio, and kitchen area that will also serve as laboratory space for the Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management degree program.
• In addition, a lecture hall, conference rooms, a design studio, student study areas, and a cafe also will also be housed in the building.

Above all, the Gaige Building will make it possible for Penn State Berks to deepen partnerships with businesses and communities throughout the region. By providing space for three extraordinary initiatives—the Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement, the Learning Factory, and the Emerging Technologies and Business Intelligence Laboratory—the facility will help to make the campus an even more important leader for growth and innovation.

Known to many as a visionary leader, Gaige served as dean and CEO of Penn State Berks from 1984–2001, helping to transform the campus into a college with four-year academic programs and residence halls. He was also instrumental in significantly increasing student enrollment, endowment, and physical facilities.

Under Gaige’s leadership, the campus added student housing in the fall of 1990. One of the major milestones in the history of the campus occurred in 1997, when Penn State Berks merged with Penn State Lehigh Valley to form Penn State Berks-Lehigh Valley College. This was significant because the new college now had the authority to grant baccalaureate degrees.

Despite the many accomplishments made during his tenure, his defining moment was when the first class of Penn State Berks-Lehigh Valley College baccalaureate students received their degrees during a proud commencement ceremony in May of 2000. 

Gaige retired on January 31, 2001, and was succeeded by Dr. Susan Phillips Speece. During the sixteen years he served as dean and CEO, the campus had expanded from 1,000 students in four major buildings on 135 acres of land to 2,100 students in seven major buildings and thirteen smaller structures on 240 acres of land. 

"Fred Gaige was an extraordinary educator who served the campus and community with great distinction," said Penn State President Graham Spanier. "Fred's leadership in university service and administration has transformed countless lives. Above all, he always put people first. This is his legacy."

Creating the Gaige Building has been a top priority for Penn State Berks and the University, and institutional funds have been directed toward the $25.6 million construction project. It would not have been possible to break ground on the facility, however, without a $3 million estate gift from Reading native and Penn State alumnus Harold Pfreimer, for whom the engineering wing will be named. 

The international architectural firm RMJM Hillier designed the facility, and construction was managed by Alvin H. Butz Inc., Allentown.

For more information about the Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building, contact Dave Delozier, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, at 610-396-6056.

Celebrating the start of its twentieth year, Rainbow Theatre is a performing group for students, grades two through twelve, who have an interest in performing and learning about theatre production. A cast of 60 private, public, and home school students, ages 8 to 18, will perform this “musical trip down memory lane,” taking a look back at a century of music, dance, TV, and movies.

Rainbow Theatre was founded in 1992 by its director, Carol Toomey, who believes in the benefits children derive from performing before a live audience. While performing plays written specifically for them, students learn theatre as an alternative to other types of organized activity and as a motivational tool for all educational and cultural pursuits. Learning theatre concepts, cooperation, problem-solving skills, communication techniques, self-discipline, and self-esteem are some of the goals emphasized during these productions, in addition to “making memories” and having fun.

For show information, contact Carol Toomey at 610-777-0900 or via e-mail at rainbowact@aol.com. For tickets call the Miller Center box office at 610-607-6270 or visit www.racc.edu/millercenter.  

Penn State Berks Chancellor Susan Phillips Speece recently received a certificate of appreciation from William E. Donahue, Director of Campus Police and Security Programs, University Park, in recognition of her unwavering commitment to Penn State Berks Police Services. 

According to the certificate, Speece’s vision, leadership, and support over the past decade have allowed the Berks Police Services to establish a reputation for setting high standards of performance, professionalism, and leadership within the Berks County law enforcement community, as well as the Penn State University system.

Penn State Berks Police Chief Robert Rehrer will retire in July 2011 after fifteen years of service to Penn State Berks. Under his leadership, Police Services has expanded its scope of operations and the department became an armed unit in 2002.

“When I was hired at the college, they were looking for someone to build the department,” states Rehrer. “That’s what we’ve done over the last fifteen years: We’ve become a very capable, competent, and professional unit of the college.”

A graduate of the PA State Police Academy in Hershey, Rehrer started his career as a police officer in Ontelaunee and then Spring Townships before assuming the role of Manager of Security at Carpenter, and finally coming to Penn State Berks.

He recalls taking night classes at the campus when he was a police officer in Spring Township and earning both his associate degree in Community Services and his baccalaureate degree in Administration of Justice from Penn State Berks. He went on to earn his master’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration from West Chester University.

When asked about his plans for retirement, Rehrer commented that he plans to pursue his lifelong passion for photography. He resides with his wife Marcia in Wernersville. They have three grown children.

Dr. Christian Weisser, Coordinator of the Professional Writing degree program, has teamed up with a second grade class at Reidenbaugh Elementary. The elementary school students will read, discuss, evaluate, and vote for the book they feel is most informative, interesting and clearly written.

Then, one student from the second grade class, Weisser’s son Cole, will visit the Advanced Business Writing class on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 to share the children’s feedback and to announce the winner.

Stated Weisser, “This project seeks to connect students with a “real-world” audience. I find that students’ writing improves the most when they write to an outside audience that will actually read and use their work. Further, this assignment helps students recognize the need to write clearly and concisely to engage readers of different levels.”

On the 11th Annual National Day of Silence, Erin Davies was a victim of a hate crime in Albany, New York just for having a rainbow sticker on her VW Beetle. Her car was vandalized with the words "fag" and "u r gay." She decided to use her "decorated" car as a message while driving her VW Beetle, aka the "Fagbug," on a 58-day trip around the United States and Canada.

Davies discovered other more serious hate crimes while on her trip as people attempted to remove the graffiti from the car at one point. The "Fagbug" will be parked in front of the Perkins Student Center today, April 14, from 3-5 p.m. In addition, a documentary on Davies’ experience will air at 6 p.m. in the Perkins Student Center, room 3.

For more information, contact Cheryl Nicholas at 610-396-6168 or via e-mail at CLN12@psu.edu.

Daniel Post Senning, great-great-grandson of Emily Post and the manager of web development and online content at The Emily Post Institute, offers fresh ideas, as well as tried-and-true formulas for personal and professional success on Thursday, March 24, 2011, at 6:00 p.m. in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium at Penn State Berks. This event is free and open to the public.

Penn State Berks' Office of Alumni Relations will host an Easter Egg Hunt with the Nittany Lion and the Easter Bunny on Sunday, April 17, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. on the Janssen Conference Center Complex. The event is free for Penn State alumni and their families (children ages 2-8). Participants must RSVP by March 22 to the Alumni Office at 610-396-6057 or berks-alumni@psu.edu with the names and ages of their child or children when registering.
 
The event will feature two separate egg hunts: one for children ages 2-4 and another for ages 5-8. Parents are also encouraged to bring their Easter baskets and their cameras for the many photo opportunities.  

The spring 2011 Engineering, Business, and Computing Division Research Interest Group presentations continue with Terry Speicher, PE, PMP, Assistant Professor of Engineering and Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology Program Coordinator, presenting his paper “Delegate to China for Engineering Education” on Monday, February 28, 2011, from 1:00–2:15 p.m. in room 145 Thun Library. This presentation is free and open to the public.

A group of ten delegates, all members of the American Society for Engineering Education, formed an Engineering Education Delegation and made a trip to China organized by the People to People Ambassadors organization from October 26 through November 6, 2010.

At the start of the trip, a meeting was held with five representatives of the Chinese Society for Engineering Education who provided useful information on the status, plans, and larger issues facing engineering education in China. Then, while visiting the Chinese cities, Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai, the delegates visited four Chinese universities with strong engineering and engineering technician programs.

This paper provides a summary of that trip and offers observations that may be useful to engineering educators in the United States and other parts of North America.  It was found that, in the last decade, the number of students in engineering and technician education programs in China has grown dramatically. Simultaneously, modern educational facilities have been added to the core infrastructure of Chinese higher education, often in the form of entirely new campuses on the outskirts of already crowded major cities.

The EBC Research Group features Penn State Berks faculty and visiting experts who conduct research on a wide variety of topics. Topics are of broad and general interest and are accessible to the non-expert.

Students, faculty, and members of the Penn State Berks and surrounding community are encouraged to attend.  Light refreshments will be served.

For more information, please contact Jui-Chi Huang, Chair, EBC-RIG; assistant professor of economics at JXH74@psu.edu.

Feb. 21, 12:00¬2:30 p.m., Perkins Student Center Lions Den, Engineering Student Open Forum Panel Discussion.

The panel discussion will provide open dialog between engineers from local companies and students. Topics such as career paths will be discussed and lunch will be provided. The panelists include Lisa Peterson, Brentwood Industries, Inc.; Larry Grybosky, SSM Group, Inc.; Denise Alston, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.; Robert Correll, retiree from AMP, Inc.; and Wendy Body, Alvin H. Butz, Inc. For more information or to register, contact Jeff Wike, Electrical Laboratory Supervisor, at 610-396-6202.

• Feb. 23, 8:30 a.m., GoggleWorks in Reading
• Feb. 25, 8:30 a.m., West Allegheny High School in Imperial, PA

Project Lead the Way Design Challenge

Students from high schools and middle schools across the state will gather at the GoggleWorks in Reading on Feb. 23, and at West Allegheny High School in Imperial, PA on Feb. 25. The challenge is open to the public, and it will be followed by an awards ceremony.

Students arrive at the design challenge armed with only a laptop computer and their intellectual skills. They are then given a bag of common materials, a design brief, and two-and-a half hours to design, construct, and test the subject of the design brief. A panel of outside judges evaluates each team as they present not only their final solution but also the process they used to arrive at their solution. Each year, the actual project is a closely guarded secret until the students arrive at the competition site. Projects from previous contests included solar powered cars and wind turbines.

"This event gives PLTW students the chance to use the skills they have learned in their foundation courses to solve a real-life problem. Many schools concentrate on athletic competition; the PLTW Design Challenge gives academic students a chance for inter-scholastic competition," says Tom Weiss, affiliate director of Project Lead the Way at Penn State Berks.

Project Lead The Way is a national non-profit organization that works in partnership with public middle and high schools to implement a curriculum that emphasizes hands-on experiences in engineering, design, and technology. PTLW aims to attract an increasingly more diverse group of students to become the next generation of scientists, technology experts, engineers, and mathematicians and help America compete favorably in the global economy. PLTW is the nation’s leading activities-, project-, and problem-based program for middle and high school STEM education. More than 300,000 students are currently engaged in PLTW classes in nearly 4,000 schools. For additional information, contact Tom Weiss, PLTW PA Affiliate Director at Penn State Berks, via e-mail at tsw10@psu.edu or visit the PLTW PA web site: www.pltwpa.org.

• Feb. 25, 1:00–2:30 p.m., Freyberger Gallery, Reception for engineering students who participated in the Steampunk Workshop. Light refreshments will be served.
• Feb. 25, 1:15–2:00 p.m., field in front of Luerssen Building, Engineering Week Design Challenge

Students will present the results of a competition to build a projectile-firing siege machine (catapult), and will compete based on accuracy, range, and design complexity. The students will compete in teams, using only the materials provided and authorized by the committee. Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams.

Students will be assisting the center with their planned activities for the day, which will include a speech given by Robert Jefferson, President of the Reading Branch of the NAACP; a visit from the Reading High School dance team; and an afternoon of educational activities.

The Olivet Boys and Girls Club has been serving the youth of Reading and Berks County since 1898, when William McCormick started the first club in the former Olivet Presbyterian Church. The social issues that McCormick saw back then–namely the need to provide safe, supervised activities for youth–are still relevant today.

For most of the Olivet Boys and Girls Club’s history, they had two units in two neighborhoods–Clinton Street and Mulberry Street in Reading. During the 1990’s, the club expanded into several new areas of the city and currently operates 12 units in neighborhood-based facilities.

The club provides diversified activities that meet the interests of all young people. Core programs encourage activities with adults, peers, and family members that enable children to enhance their self-esteem and fulfill their potential.

For additional information, please contact Karen Kihurani, Coordinator of Multicultural Programs at Penn State Berks, at 610-396-6080 or via e-mail KEK5@psu.edu.

Date Change: This event was rescheduled for Jan. 20