From left to right: Adam Krick, class of 2006, 2024 Volunteer Service Award winner; Penn State Berks Chancellor Radha Pyati; Chellby Kilheffer Johnson, class of 2012, 2024 Outstanding Young Alumni Award winner; and Peter J. Rio III, class of 2010, 2024 Alumni Achievement Award winner.
The Swiftie Empowerment Experience, taught by Michele Ramsey, associate professor of communication arts and sciences and women's, gender, and sexuality studies, is one of many diverse camps offered this summer at Penn State Berks.
Penn State Berks hosted the 26th Careers with Math Options Conference, featuring a keynote delivered by Janelle Larson, professor of agricultural economics and Engineering, Business and Computing division head. The college hosted roughly 200 students from 14 area schools.
Penn State Berks welcomed approximately 200 seventh-grade students and chaperones from 14 schools in and around the Berks County for its annual Careers with Math Options Conference on May 13. Now in its 26th year, the event is designed to spark interest and excitement for STEM topics early in young female students’ education.
This summer, Penn State Berks offers the perfect mix of summer camp subject areas, from examining media and communication in the Swiftie Empowerment Experience, to exploring cybersecurity in the CyberPatriot Challenge, to putting engineering principles to work in Rocket Launchers, to learning about Geospatial Technology in the Drones, Satellites and Digital Mapping Camp, and so much more.
Penn State Berks celebrated three outstanding alumni at its annual Gratitude Gathering, honoring Peter J. Rio III, class of 2010; Chellby Kilheffer Johnson, class of 2012; and Adam Krick, class of 2006, with awards for the year 2024.
Penn State Altoona students traveled to Loíza, Puerto Rico through the campus’ Alternative Spring Break program. In this picture, they take a break for a quick pose during clean-up efforts at a local Boys & Girls Club. Soon after, the youth participants arrived on site for their after-school program, during which the Penn State students engaged with them by playing Bingo, shooting hoops, playing soccer and simply being in the moment with them.
Bhagawat Dulal, a senior studying computer science at Penn State Harrisburg, traveled to Germany as part of a faculty-led embedded course. The tour, which focused on World War II history, included exploring Nuremberg; seeing the Dachau concentration camp site; viewing exhibits at the Obersalzberg Documentation Center; viewing art at Neues Schloss Schleibheim; and standing atop Zugspitze, the tallest peak in Germany. “The trip to Germany through study abroad was an amazing experience," Dulal said. "Seeing the history and culture up close taught me so much, and it’s something I’ll always remember."
Grace Bonnell, a sophomore studying industrial engineering at University Park, traveled to Taipei, Taiwan, for the Entrepreneurship Business Fundamentals embedded global program at Penn State. “I loved experiencing the culture of the vibrant city of Taiwan firsthand and learning a small part of its history as we visited museums and toured the city of Taipei," Bonnell said. "We went on educational excursions at various companies located in Taiwan, including the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) — which is the largest company in Taiwan — ViewSonic, Taiwan Electronic System Design Automation (TESDA), and OnLogic. We also got a tour of Taiwan Tech Arena, which is Taiwan’s flagship startup ecosystem building program.”
