Excitement is mounting across campus at Penn State York, as the much-awaited grand opening of the Joe and Rosie Ruhl Student Community Center is set for noon on Oct. 12. The ceremony will take place in the new plaza area behind the John J. Romano Administration Building and The Ruhl Center, and is open to students, faculty, staff and invited guests. The building is opening after a $13.5 million renovation and addition.
David Aurentz, associate professor of chemistry at Penn State Berks; Frederick Haag, associate professor of visual arts at Penn State York, and Mark Maughmer, professor of aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering, have received the Alumni/Student Award for Excellence in Teaching and have been named 2012 Penn State Teaching Fellows. The Penn State Alumni Association, in conjunction with undergraduate and graduate governing bodies, established the award in 1985. It honors distinguished teaching and provides encouragement and incentive for excellence in teaching. Recipients are expected to share their talents and expertise with others throughout the University system during the year following the award presentation.
Penn State York is continuing to offer the Chancellor's Honor Certificate in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), designed to provide students with the skills they need for jobs in the 21st century. Studies have shown that the demand for students with STEM degrees continues to grow. The certificate is designed for high school students taking part in the dual enrollment program.
Through dual enrollment, high school students can earn college credit while still in high school. A variety of courses are available at the campus for dual enrollment and courses toward the STEM certificate are included. High school juniors and seniors with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 and qualifying Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores are eligible to take part in the program.
CSI notwithstanding, forensics experts cannot always retrieve fingerprints from objects, but a conformal coating process developed by Penn State professors can reveal hard-to-develop fingerprints on nonporous surfaces without altering the chemistry of the print. "As prints dry or age, the common techniques used to develop latent fingerprints, such as dusting or cyanoacrylate -- SuperGlue -- fuming often fail," said Robert Shaler, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and director of Penn State's forensic sciences program.
