Dr. Randall Fegley, Associate Professor of History at Penn State Berks, was named Executive Director of the Sudan Studies Association (SSA) during the organization's 32nd Annual Conference on May 24, 2013, at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. This followed his completion of a two-year term as SSA President. In this role, Fegley will oversee the organization's transition to a new generation of officers and board members.
Penn State Berks will welcome nearly 400 first-year members to its residential community as part of the campus' annual orientation program on Friday, August 23, 2013. Students will move into the residence halls from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. There will be a welcome reception for students and their families at the Perkins Plaza from 2:30-4:00 p.m., which will be attended by students, faculty, and staff of the college.
The Penn State Berks Freyberger Gallery will present BLUE MARSH: Landscape Lost, an exhibit that explores the story of the Blue Marsh Dam project and the subsequent changes for the families who lived and worked in the area, from September 12-October 31, 2013. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, September 12, at 6 p.m. This event is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served.
Dr. Hassan Gourama, associate professor of Food Science at Penn State Berks, received the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) - Food Microbiology Division Outstanding Member Award. IFT is an international, non-profit professional organization for the advancement of food science and technology. Dr. Gourama served as the chair of the IFT-Food Microbiology Division from July 2012 to July 2013 and previously served as the chair of the graduate student competitions from 2006 to 2010.
The Building for Tomorrow program, part of the Outdoor Adventure Program that helps first-year students transition to college life, begins on Wednesday, August 14, and will run through Saturday, August 17, 2013.
In this program, students learn civic responsibility, rehabilitating the surrounding community and broadening cultural horizons through community service.
Penn State Berks faculty members Dr. Abdullah Konak and Dr. Sadan Kulturel-Konak are currently teaching an Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship course at the Systems Engineering and Engineering Management Department in the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), which runs from July 3-August 5, 2013.
While most students mark the beginning of a semester by receiving syllabi on the first day of classes, first-year students enrolled in an Outdoor Adventure Program will begin their semester early by participating in one of three different excursions: backpacking, canoeing, or sharing their time with others through community service.
Students enrolled in the Rainforest Ethnobotany Experiential Learning Adventure to Belize at Penn State Berks traveled to Belize from May 5-15, 2013, along with Dr. Aisha Jaffri, instructor in biology, to learn how plants from the rainforest can be used to treat a variety of illnesses.
Six seniors participated in the trip, including Kristine Feick, Rebecca James, Abdullah Naeem, Andrew Salamak, Dewilka Simons, and Nathaniel Tschudy.
Penn State Berks will hold an information session for the MBA program on Wednesday, August 7, 2013, at 6 p.m., room 244, Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building.
Penn State Berks has received requests from professionals in the Greater Reading area for a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. In response to this demand, Penn State Great Valley is collaborating with Penn State Berks and is offering its MBA program at Penn State Berks.
Dr. Michael Fidanza, Professor of Plant and Soil Sciences at Penn State Berks, was recently elected President of the Northeastern Branch of the Crop Science Society of America (CSA), which is the northeastern branch of the tri-society of the Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America, and Agronomy Society of America, for 2013-2014. He also received the Northeastern Branch Outstanding Teaching Award, presented at the annual conference held at the University of Delaware from June 22-24, 2013.