According to the 2020 census, the Hispanic and Latino population of the City of Reading is nearly 69%, up from 58% in 2010. To meet the needs of this growing population, Penn State Berks is expanding its efforts to engage with and support the local Hispanic and Latino communities with several new initiatives.
Sadan Kulturel-Konak, professor of management information systems and director of the Flemming Creativity, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development Center at Penn State Berks, will be formally recognized with the 2024 American Society of Engineering Education Middle Atlantic Section Distinguished Teaching Award at the association’s fall conference at Farmingdale State College, Oct. 25-26.
With approximately 12% of the population in Berks and Schuylkill Counties living in poverty, food banks are a critical resource for those who face hunger issues. Penn State Berks faculty are collaborating with faculty at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of local food banks. The team has recently received a seed grant from the Penn State Institute for Computational Data Sciences as part of the Inter-Institutional Program for Diversifying Research to explore this issue.
The Penn State Berks AIMS (Artificial Intelligence, Modeling and Simulation) Lab will host a lecture titled “Revolutionizing immersive experiences: The synergy of AI, virtual reality and gamification in learning and user engagement,” delivered by Christian Lopez Bencosme, assistant professor of computer science at Lafayette College, at 12:15 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, in Room 121 of the Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building. This event is free and open to the public but advanced registration is required.
Penn State Berks has named 105 students to the summer 2024 dean’s list. To earn a dean’s list designation, students must end the semester with a 3.5 grade-point average or higher.
Eight incoming Penn State Berks students were awarded a four-year scholarship to study engineering through the Penn State Berks Leveraging Innovation and Optimizing Nurturing (LION) STEM Scholars Program. Funded by a U.S. National Science Foundation grant, the main goal of the LION STEM Scholars Program is to enhance the STEM workforce by graduating more diverse high-achieving STEM students who have demonstrated financial need.
As part of the college’s ongoing efforts to engage with and support the local Hispanic and Latino communities, Penn State Berks will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15–Oct. 15, with a variety of vibrant events, educational presentations and cultural showcases. These events include dynamic speakers, Latin cuisine, music, dancing and much more. All events are free and open to the public and most are held at Penn State Berks, except "Enhance Your Customer Service" with Rosa Julia Parra, which will be held at Centro Hispano Daniel Torres in downtown Reading.
The Penn State Berks Advisory Board welcomes five new members, who were officially appointed by Penn State Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses and Executive Chancellor Margo DelliCarpini.
The Penn State Berks global studies program will host a global forum titled “India Today” from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 9, in the first-floor Multipurpose Room in the Perkins Student Center. During this Zoom presentation, Sourav Kumar Nag, assistant professor of English literature and culture studies and head of the department of English at Onda Thana Mahavidyalaya in West Bengal, India, will address the influences of colonialism and history on modern Indian society and politics. He also will discuss the roles and status of women in modern India.
Penn State Berks kicked off the 2024-25 academic year with its sixth annual convocation ceremony for incoming and transfer students to welcome the members of the Class of 2028 to campus. The ceremony was held Aug. 26 under the tent on Perkins Plaza.
