The Penn State Berks criminal justice program ‘paid it forward’ by collecting used graduation caps and gowns from the campus community during the spring semester. The collection was donated to the Berks County Jail System for its GED graduation ceremonies.
On Sunday, June 22, the streets of Reading came alive with purpose and unity as Not One More: A Peace and Justice Project hosted its first annual Pedal for Peace Reading Ride Out, a community bike ride aimed at raising awareness about youth violence in Berks County and shifting the narrative that such violence is inevitable.
After committing to 17 years of global service projects, Penn State Berks Professor of Agricultural Sciences Janelle Larson has been recognized for the impact she has made with the Penn State Global Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional achievement towards furthering the global vision of of the University.
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 hosted the “Symposium on Community-Based Participatory Research: Food Security and Access for Healthy Futures” on March 19. The objective was to determine how institutions of higher education and community partners can collaborate more effectively to address challenges related to food access and nutritional health. This symposium is part of the “Food Bank Operations Optimization: Data-driven Societal Impact Approach (FOODSIA)” project.
Eight Penn State Berks students, joined by a few students from Penn State Abington, traveled to Puerto Rico to be of service to the local community. From March 8 to 14 the students had a chance to sow seeds at a Puerto Rican farm, work at an animal shelter and learn about Puerto Rico’s history.
Penn State Berks will host an event with Berks County's Parks and Recreation Department as part of the City Nature Challenge. The event, in which participants will observe and identify wildlife and plants in the local environment, will be held on Sunday, April 27. This event is free and open to the public and no experience is required but attendees are encouraged to register in advance.
More than 250 Penn State Berks students enjoyed “A Night In West Reading” on the evening of April 3. Hosted by the Office of Student Affairs, the event provided free transportation, as well as free food at several local establishments. Students also had an opportunity to paint an item at the Art Room, providing them with a souvenir of the event.
Spring has sprung at Penn State Berks, and the college’s Sustainability Council will host its annual Earth Day celebration on Monday, April 21. Later that week, on April 23, the Sustainability Council will plant trees donated by PepsiCo in the student commuter parking lot. Then, Penn State Berks will host an event with Berks County's Parks and Recreation Department as part of the City Nature Challenge on Sunday, April 27.
