Academics

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Berks faculty awarded Library of Congress grant

Jessica Schocker and Justin De Senso were recently awarded a Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources grant. The grant, "Teaching Critical Race Theory with Primary Sources," will fund Schocker and De Senso’s co-teaching of SOC 205.
Berks Engineering Ahead program

Engineering Ahead bridges gap for incoming students

Penn State Berks is helping a future generation of engineering students to succeed through the college’s Engineering Ahead program. The goal of the four-week summer “bridge” program, which is being delivered remotely from June 28 to July 24, is to increase retention rates among a diverse group of engineering students by enhancing academic preparedness
Justin DiAngelo

DiAngelo elected to Drosophilia Board of Directors

Justin DiAngelo, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State Berks, was recently elected to the Drosophila Board of Directors of the Genetics Society of America (GSA), the leadership body of the Drosophila research community.
Berks Virtual Summer Camps 2020

Penn State Berks holds virtual summer camps

Berks has a long history of offering educational and fun summer camps for middle school and high school children on a wide variety of subjects. This year, the pandemic has changed the way in which summer camps will be offered.
image of tree with the word compassionate in the middle and supporting words, such as empathy and present, surrounding

Penn State course provides framework for addressing racism and bias

University students and educators alike are grappling with turbulent times, and Penn State’s course on the “Art and Science of Human Flourishing” is well-positioned to help undergraduates to develop strategies for caring for themselves and others. Robert Roeser, Bennett Pierce Professor of Caring and Compassion, explored ways to adapt the course to current events, along with 23 colleagues from 10 Penn State campuses, University of Virginia and University of Wisconsin-Madison, during the morning of the 2nd Annual Human Flourishing Summer Teaching Institute, held on June 16 and 17 via Zoom.
Back to State graphic

Penn State plans to resume on-campus work and learning in fall semester

Following a three-month comprehensive planning process, Penn State officials have determined that the University can meet or exceed the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s guidelines for colleges and universities, and look forward to welcoming back faculty, staff and students to resume on-campus, in-person classes and other activities this fall in a limited fashion.
Janelle Larson helps plant trees.

Larson honored with Outstanding Global Program Award

For the last decade, Janelle Larson has packed her bags after Penn State Berks’ spring commencement and traveled to Kenya. She does not make this journey for the purpose of a vacation; rather she has led a University-wide global outreach program.
The Final Girl poster.

Rhetoric of horror films course combines research

Penn State Berks students enrolled in the course “The Rhetoric of American Horror Films” encountered a new twist in this year’s syllabus. While in past semesters, students in CAS 415 would write an academic research paper analyzing the rhetoric of horror films, this spring students had the opportunity to submit creative projects, supported by research.