Latest News

Penn State Berks holds Entrepreneurship Program for PEPP students

Penn State Berks students in the Entrepreneurship Club and Minor will hold two workshops for middle and high school Reading School District students in the Penn State Educational Partnership Program (PEPP) on Thursday, March 14, and Thursday, April 18, 2013. The PEPP students will learn about entrepreneurship, self-assessment, and starting a business plan. The workshops will first focus on what it means to be an entrepreneur.

Berks hosts “The Gay Marriage Debate,” April 3

"The Gay Marriage Debate" will appear at Penn State Berks on Wednesday, April 3, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium. The debate features advocate Zach Wahls, the University of Iowa student and son of two lesbian mothers, who gained Internet fame in 2011 after video of his testimony before the Iowa House Judiciary Committee went viral, and opponent John H. Rogers, who is currently serving his ninth term in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Health Communication Class creates PSAs for Family Promise

Students in the Penn State Berks Health Communication course, a service learning class, are creating public service announcements for Family Promise of Berks County, a nonprofit organization that services the needs of Reading's homeless population. The class will meet with Family Promise on Friday, March 1, 2013, at 11 a.m. in room 157 of the Franco Building to discuss their progress on the PSAs.

Hillman publishes book on sexuality and aging

Dr. Jennifer Hillman, Professor of Psychology at Penn State Berks, recently published a book titled "Sexuality and Aging: Clinical Perspectives" by Springer Publishing. According to Hillman, "There are two primary stereotypes of sexuality and aging.  One is found in the prowling cougars and elder Romeos of TV and film. The other is lonely, ill, depressed, and above all, sexless. The truth mainly lies between these extremes, reflecting a diversity of experience and behaviors to match a growing and dynamic senior population."

Martial Arts Program Open Doors for RSD Elementary School Children

College Pre-Service Teachers Benefit from Practical Experience Fourth-grade students in the Glenside Elementary School gymnasium are seated on their yoga mats. Although they may not realize it, they are learning more than martial arts maneuvers in the Yoga and Taekwondo after-school program. The program, developed by Penn State Berks faculty members Valerie Cholet, Instructor in Kinesiology, and Dr.

Berks County students compete in chemistry competition at Penn State Berks

On March 2, 2013, approximately 150 middle school students from Berks County will show off their knowledge of chemistry concepts, important discoveries, and chemical safety awareness at the local level of a national chemistry competition. The students will compete against one another in the You Be The Chemist Challenge®-an academic question and answer competition created by the Chemical Educational Foundation® (CEF).

Alternative Spring Break Takes Students to Belize

The Penn State Berks third annual Alternative Spring Break will take a group of 20 Penn State Berks students, along with Chancellor R. Keith Hillkirk and his wife, Suzanne Hillkirk, to Belize where they will spend the week of March 1-8, 2013, helping to complete the St. Benedict Primary School in the Toledo District of Belize. The group will join ProWorld Service in the revitalization project.

Faculty Camaraderie Leads to Philanthropy

Dr. Michael Bartolacci, Associate Professor of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State Berks, loves to cook, so it seemed only natural for him to share meals with the other faculty and staff members in the Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building at Penn State Berks. Another faculty member in the same building, Tom Gavigan, Assistant Professor of Engineering, wanted to start a collection to reimburse Bartolacci for his expenses, but Bartolacci would not hear of it.

Eardly awarded Penn State Research Collaboration Fellowship

Dr. Bertrand Eardly, Professor of Biology at Penn State Berks, has been awarded the Penn State Research Collaboration Fellowship for the summer of 2013. Eardly will collaborate with Dr. Mary Ann Bruns, Professor of Soil Sciences and Microbial Ecology at the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences. The title of Eardly's project is "The Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida) microbiome in metalliferous soils of eastern Pennsylvania."

“Get Some” discusses sexual violence

The theme of February's "Get Some" program is "Sexual Violence Education." This program is presented as part of the college's compliance with Pennsylvania House Bill 101, which requires all colleges and universities to provide specific information in programs for students, including a discussion of sexual violence, consent, where to go for help after an attack, and how to file a police report after an incident occurs. All these topics will be covered in the show, which will be filmed live at Penn State Berks on Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, at 6 p.m.