This summer, Penn State Berks gives youth and young adults the opportunity to explore, create and innovate at the college’s STEM, humanities and arts-focused camps. Whether they’re interested in robotics, coding, engineering or storytelling and communications, these camps provide hands-on learning experiences that inspire curiosity and foster problem-solving skills. In addition to stimulating STEM activities, youth and young adults will have the opportunity to develop teamwork, creativity and critical thinking – all while having fun in a safe and supportive environment.
Isabella Romig, a Penn State Berks psychology major with a minor in Spanish and a certificate in Spanish for health care, was selected as this year’s student marshal. She will deliver a speech titled “The Horrors Persist but So Do I” at the college’s commencement ceremony at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 10, at the Santander Arena.
Penn State Berks is offering many great ways for students to spend their summer and get a jump on their fall semester. The first six-week summer session will begin on May 19 and continue through June 27, with final exams on June 30. The second six-week session runs from July 2 to Aug. 13, with finals on Aug. 15.
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.
The Penn State Berks Flemming Creativity, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development (CEED) Center hosted its annual Student Enterprise Award ceremony on March 24. The award provides seed money to support enterprising and innovative students and allow them to utilize their Penn State Berks education to become entrepreneurs.
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.
In celebration of AI Week, Penn State Berks will host an evening exploring the transformative power of AI for small- to medium-sized businesses on Wednesday, April 16, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The event will be held in the Flemming Creativity, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CEED) Center, located within the Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building. Cost is $20 for dinner (exact payment accepted at the door) and is free for Penn State students with ID. All attendees must register in advance.
Penn State Berks recently honored the Indigenous tribes who inhabited the land where the campus is currently located in Spring Township by holding a land acknowledgement ceremony. The event introduced the college’s land-acknowledgement statement, developed in partnership with the Widoktadwen Center for Native Knowledge. It also included remarks by Amanda Funk of the Widoktadwen Center, presentations by two representatives of the Lenape nation, Chief Bluejay Barbara Michalski and Chief Gentlemoon Chuck DeMund, and a tree dedication ceremony.
Editor's note: This program has been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date. The Penn State Berks global studies program will host a global forum titled "From Penn State to the Field and Back Again: Reflections on a Career in International Research for Development," presented by Katie Tavenner on Monday, April 7.
The 12th annual Penn State Berks Losoncy Lecture in Physics and Astronomy will be presented by Martha Constantinou, associate professor of physics and vice chair of department of physics at Temple University. Constantinou will present “Unlocking the Secrets of the Proton’s Spin: Insights from Simulations of the Core of Visible Matter” on Wednesday, April 9. A reception will begin at 4 p.m. in the college’s Perkins Student Center Multipurpose Room and the lecture begins at 4:45 p.m. in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public.