Many returning adult learners credit their children as their motivation, and Bianca Marie Ruiz is no exception. A first-generation college student, mother of three, and now a graduate of the occupational therapy program at Penn State Berks, Ruiz and her fellow graduates will celebrate their achievements during the fall commencement ceremony on Dec.15 at the Santander Arena.
On Dec. 8, nearly 50 people attended the Berks LaunchBox open house. This was the first event to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Berks LaunchBox and Invent Penn State, the commonwealth-wide initiative that established campus innovation hubs, which was launched by Penn State President Eric J. Barron in 2016.
It’s not unusual for graduates to experience a career change in their lifetimes, but it’s not so common to hear about a career “refocusing.” Britton Reider’s return to Penn State to pursue a bachelor’s degree in electro-mechanical engineering technology at the Berks campus helped to push his career to the next level.
The winning selections from Penn State University Libraries Short Stories’ “Through the Woods” fall 2021 contest have been announced, representing five Penn State campuses. Each of the four Editorial Board winners and the People’s Choice winner will receive a $100 Visa gift card. All winning entries, including nine honorable mentions, will be added to the Libraries’ Short Edition short-story dispensers
Erin Horack, a first-year biotechnology major at Penn State Berks, recently won two first place awards for her research studying the spotted lanternfly. She was named a 2021 Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholar and she also took first place honors at the National FFA Agriscience competition for her research.
Penn State Berks graduates from the classes of 2020 and 2021 will be recognized during the college’s fall 2021 commencement ceremony, to be held 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, at the Santander Arena. Graduates from the class of 2021 will receive their baccalaureate and associate degrees while graduates from the Class of 2020 will be honored for their achievement. In total, 287 students will be recognized.
Berks LaunchBox powered by Penn State recently announced the winners of its Idea TestLab accelerator final pitch competition. The competition concluded a six-week-long virtual business idea accelerator in which seven selected startups received coaching and training to identify viable business models through intensive customer discovery.
The Flemming CEED Center faculty members and faculty members from Penn State recently received funding from the Penn State Social Science Research Institute’s (SSRI) "Reducing Social Disparities" initiative.
Belén Rodríguez Mourelo, division head for humanities, arts, and social sciences, speaks during the memorial ceremony held for the late David Bender at Penn State Berks on Friday, Nov. 5. Bender worked at Penn State Berks for 43 years, most recently as associate professor of educational psychology and registrar. The mosaic installation, depicting Bender at his whiteboard working on class schedules, was created by local artist Beverly Leviner and it can be viewed in the Franco Building on campus.
As part of Penn State’s Global Entrepreneurship Week, Penn State Berks will hold a variety of events for aspiring entrepreneurs from Nov. 8 to 12. The events are sponsored by the college’s Flemming Creativity, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CEED) Center and the Berks LaunchBox, an incubation hub located in the city of Reading.
