Academics

The Penn State Berks chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS), a student organization, has been honored with a Green Chemistry Chapter Award from the ACS Green Chemistry Institute for completing three projects that highlight the value of green chemistry to people and the environment.

As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week Penn State 2016, Penn State Berks celebrates the vision of building relationships between members of the college and the local entrepreneurial communities with a variety of events on campus the week of Nov. 13–19. The campus has several lectures planned for aspiring student entrepreneurs and one event is open to the public.

Emily Zartman is leading a double life; by day, the liberal arts major attends Penn State Berks, but during her free time she is a drag racer, competing regularly at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pennsylvania and other racing competitions across the country.

In partnership with Penn State Health St. Joseph, Penn State Berks has received a $50,000 seed grant as part of the Invent Penn State initiative. On Oct. 25, the two institutions will hold an event to announce the joint initiative at the new Langan LaunchBox, located within Penn State Health St. Joseph’s Downtown Reading Campus.

Penn State Provost Nicholas Jones has approved a 50 percent increase in the amount of scholarship dollars for rising juniors from the Commonwealth Campuses who are part of the 2016 Student Transitional Experiences Program (STEP). These students will now receive a $1,500 STEP Scholarship Award, up from the $1,000 awarded in previous years.

Penn State researcher Priya Sharma is researching how blogging in the classroom can help students better understand and make meaning from their classes.

While some students will be traveling to the shore or the mountains this summer, Penn State junior Caleb Kitchen will spend July 29 to Aug. 12 in China as part of Huawei Seeds for the Future Program 2016. Kitchen, who has a double major in security and risk analysis and Chinese, is one of 20 students participating in the all-expense-paid, two-week program in China for students majoring in STEM fields.

For the past five years, students in the BI SC 003 Environmental Science course at Penn State Berks have worked collaboratively in teams to complete an Environmental Awareness and Community Action Project (EACAP). Led by Mahsa Kazempour, associate professor of science education, students research an environmental issue of their choice and work with a community organization to support actions focused on addressing environmental issues locally.

Randall Fegley, associate professor of history and politics at Penn State Berks, examines the concept of myth and trauma as experienced by Rwandans and how Rwanda is viewed by the outside world in his new book, "A History of Rwandan Identity and Trauma: The Mythmakers’ Victims."