Latest News

York's Green Team plans Earth Day celebration April 20

Penn State York students, faculty, staff, and friends and neighbors will clean-up the campus woods from noon to 2 p.m. on Friday, April 20 as part of an Earth Day Celebration. The event is being organized by the campus' recently formed Green Team, the Penn State York Student Government Association, and the Penn State Sustainability Office. Sunday, April 22 is the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day and a variety of events are set to take place across the University.

Aurentz, Haag, Maughmer named 2012 Penn State Teaching Fellows

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.

STEM certificate helps prepare students for jobs of the future

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.

Penn State York becomes a smoke-free campus

Penn State York became a smoke-free campus effective Monday, Aug. 30, according to Joel M. Rodney, chancellor at Penn State York. Based on the recommendations of the Student Government Association (SGA), in conjunction with the Penn State York Campus Senate, Rodney made the decision. The only exception to this policy is that smoking will be permitted in the student parking lots. The ash urns now located outside of campus buildings will be moved to the student parking lots.

The Medical Minute: Practice fireworks safety this Independence Day

Independence Day celebrations almost always include fireworks of some kind. The Prevent Blindness America organization recommends attending professionally organized fireworks displays rather than buying and setting off your own. This view is echoed by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which collects and reports data on fireworks-related injuries every year. They report that 7,000 emergency room visits from fireworks-related injuries occurred during 2008, including seven deaths. In 2007, there were 11 deaths and 9,800 emergency room visits from fireworks-related injury.

Thousands keeping connected to Penn State through Facebook, Twitter

Well more than 100,000 students, alumni, friends and fans of Penn State are staying connected to the University through Penn State's official page on Facebook and through two accounts on Twitter. The University's official page on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/pennstate, is a hub of daily activity for more than 104,000 Penn Staters. On Twitter, thousands are following two official University feeds at http://www.twitter.com/pennstatelive and http://www.twitter.com/penn_state.

Coating approach clears up fingerprints

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.