Sustainable Communities Collaborative Annual Report by Institutes of Energy and the Environment at Penn State

2 016 â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2 017 | Annual Report

Leadership: Sustainability Institute Director and Penn State’s Chief Sustainability Officer: Paul Shrivastava Sustainable Communities Collaborative Director: Michele Halsell Sustainable Communities Collaborative Program Coordinator: Ilona Ballreich

Editorial Team: Designer: Brenna Richner Writers: Tori Indivero, Whitney Lloyd, Michele Halsell, Ilona Ballreich, Daniella Espinoza Editor: Kevin Sliman

The Star Rating System The Sustainable Communities Collaborative continues to subscribe to the STAR Communities Rating System as a guide for its community partners and a systematic approach of organizing projects across disciplines and applications. According to the STAR Community Rating System, a sustainable community thinks and acts systemically, instills resiliency, fosters innovation, redefines progress, lives within means, cultivates collaboration, ensures equity, embraces diversity, inspires leadership, and continuously improves. Throughout this publication, the STAR Community Rating System is signified by colorcoded dots on each project as well as in the comprehensive project index on pages 26–27.

On the cover: College Avenue is a physical marker that connects Penn State’s University Park campus to State College, Pennsylvania, a true bonding point of town and gown.

TABLE OF CONTENTS About the Sustainability Institute

About the Sustainable Communities Collaborative

Partners Letter from the Director

6–7 8

FEATURES Centred Outdoors

9–11

Employee Engagement and Diversity

Corl Street School LEED Innovation Credit

Halfmoon Township Park Programming Survey, Water Quality Monitoring at Buffalo Run and Halfmoon Creek, Backpack Nutrition

Action Sports Park

Traffic Safety

16–17

State College Borough Disaster Recovery and Resiliency Plan

Borough of Bellefonte Compost Facility Site Design

Bellefonte Area School District (BASD) Sustainable Gardens and Teaching Center

20–21

Solar Feasibility Study Projects

22–23

Faculty Directory

24–25

Project Index

26–27

4 | SCC Annual Report

Penn State’s Sustainability Institute Penn State is a public research university that educates students from Pennsylvania, the nation, and the world, and improves the well-being and health of individuals and communities through integrated programs of teaching, research, and service. The University has embraced sustainability as a foundational principle that enriches all of its pursuits and missions and is committed to advancing the understanding and resolution of sustainability challenges on campus, in our communities, and around the world. Because of this need, the Sustainability Institute was created.

Penn State’s Sustainability Institute’s mission is to lead and support Penn State in the pursuit of sustainability across all functions: • Teaching and learning

• Research and discovery

• Outreach and engagement

• Administration and operations At Penn State, sustainability is defined as the simultaneous pursuit of human health and happiness, environmental quality, and economic well-being for current and future generations.

This mission can be achieved by developing lifetime competencies for sustainability in our faculty, staff, and students; enabling transformation and alignment of systems, policies and opportunities around sustainability; inspiring others through the communication of our successes, failures, and learning; and demonstrating the value of this approach at the individual, institutional, and global scales.

Neil Sharkey, Penn State’s vice president for research, greets the crowd at the spring 2017 Campus and Community Sustainability Expo.

The Sustainable Communities Collaborative The Sustainable Communities Collaborative (SCC) is considered an outreach arm of Penn Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sustainability Institute, sharing the work and resources with the larger community. SCC connects Penn State students and faculty to local government, non-profit, and business organizations to address sustainability challenges and opportunities. Projects address a broad array of topics including renewable energy, storm water management, local food systems, and economic development. Through SCC, students and professors work directly on high-priority sustainability projects of the community partner, ensuring that student ideas and learning are indeed relevant to communities and that real-world complexities inform the Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teaching and research.

The Expo: Elevating and Celebrating Success Each year, SCC hosts two community events to celebrate the work of students in collaboration with our community partners. The Campus and Community Sustainability Expo provides a showcase for student contributions to enhance sustainable outcomes in the community. It also provides an opportunity to recognize that sustainability is not the responsibility of a single entity but is a value that is shared by local governments, school districts, non-profits, and businesses alike. The expos help to create a sense of momentum and reinforce a shared commitment to building a better future. The expos are a marketplace of ideas where students explain their work to the public while local leaders shop for their next project idea.

Capturing the SCC Story A picture is worth a thousand words! Special thanks to Steven Rubin and the students of PHOTO 402 who documented SCC projects by photographing their fellow Penn State students in action throughout the year. This report is illustrated with some of their photographs.

A Penn State student and Advanced Vehicle Team member shares the details about the EcoCAR3 with an expo visitor.

Community Partners The Borough of State College has been an SCC partner since the program’s beginning in 2013. With 70 percent of its 42,000 residents Penn State students, the borough strives to be a diverse community that can be home to students, young professionals, internationals, and retirees alike while providing visitors with historic, social, and retail attractions. For State College Borough, sustainability means using best practices to create lasting environmental, economic, societal and fiscal vitalityas part of State College’s overall mission to enhance the quality of life by fostering a safe, vibrant, diverse and sustainable community; by providing quality, innovative, cost effective services; and by allocating resources efficiently with professionalism, integrity, transparency, and accountability. The borough’s commitment to be a Climate Protection Community is reflected in Resolution 944, a set of goals that targets the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The SCC has worked with almost all borough departments and the following borough staff: Alan Sam, Courtney Hayden, Cynthia Hanscom, Tom Fontaine, Adam Salyard, Ernest Dabiero, Sean Walsh.

Clearwater Conservancy is the foremost land trust and natural resource conservation organization in Central Pennsylvania, working since 1980 towards land conservation, water resource protection, and environmental outreach to the community. The Centre County-based and -focused philanthropic organization Centre Foundation awarded a Centre Inspires grant to Clearwater that inspired the creation of Centred Outdoors, a program designed to engage people in our natural world through guided, family-friendly outings at Central Pennsylvania’s most beautiful destinations. Additional partners include: Mount Nittany Conservancy, Penns Valley Conservation Association, and Millbrook Marsh Nature Center, the Arboretum at Penn State, Bald Eagle and Black Moshannon State parks, Centre Moves, and Mount Nittany Health.

The Centre County Conservation District (CCCD) administers the soil and water conservation programs as a part of the county government. They are responsible for education, enforcement, and assistance with program participants. The CCCD is a collaborative effort with a seven-member board of public sector, farm, and commissioner directors; its education coordinator, Ann Donovan, also works with the Centre County PA Senior Environmental Corps (CCPaSEC), a volunteer organization concerned with water quality in Central Pennsylvania.

Ferguson Township is adjacent to State College Borough and is home to about 18,000 residents. The township is characterized by its open spaces and farmlands, many of which have been put into conservation easements that will be preserved into the future. Ferguson Township has also been declared a Certified Gold Community by Sustainable Pennsylvania. Township collaboration has been led by Dave Modricker.

Halfmoon Township in Centre County has retained its rural character despite a significant population increase driven by its proximity to State College. With just over 2,700 residents, Halfmoon Township is a Pennsylvania Second Class township and governed accordingly.

Walker Township home to about 2,000 residents, is located in Huntingdon County, approximately thirty miles from State College. Walker Township, similar to Halfmoon Township (above), has rural origins but is experiencing increasing development, subdivisions, and associated traffic increase.

Bellefonte Borough is the county seat of Centre County, located about 10 miles from State College. Its residents take pride in its rich history and natural beauty surrounding the community. The Borough of Bellefonte is committed to working collaboratively to maintain a safe and secure family-friendly community; to providing the public with premium, prompt, courteous service in a cost-effective manner; and to managing community development to protect natural and cultural resources.

Bellefonte Area School District serves about 2,700 students in and around Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. The district embraces a strong sense of community and values and respects diversity and the development of skills and attributes children need to be successful in an ever-changing global society.

State College Area School District is a large, suburban/rural public school district based in State College, Pennsylvania with public schools in the Borough of State College, Pennsylvania, and the surrounding townships of College, Ferguson, Halfmoon, Harris, and Patton. State College Area School District encompasses approximately 150 square miles and includes nine elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school.

Mount Nittany Health, based in State College, Pennsylvania, provides primary, specialized, emergency, and surgical care to the residents of Central Pennsylvania. Originally established as a community hospital, Mount Nittany Health has grown exponentially to add the care our community needs, where they need it.

YMCA of Centre County is a charitable, non-profit organization that offers facilities, programs, services, and activities that build healthy spirit, mind, and body to individuals and families in the community. The totality of YMCA programs is focused on youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.

Penn State Partners The Student Farm at Penn State was established in spring 2016. It is currently located on one acre at the intersection of Fox Hollow and Big Hollow roads. The farm is part of the Sustainable Food Systems Program, which provides diverse opportunities for learning engagement with sustainability challenges and solutions in food and agriculture.

Shaverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Creek was founded in 1976 as a resource for the community and as a field laboratory for Penn State students to get hands-on experience teaching about the natural world. Shaverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Creek programs provide a mix of educational and recreational opportunities for families, schools, corporate groups, and Penn State students.

The Office of Human Resources strives to be an agile, trusted strategic partner that delivers sustainable services and solutions that contribute to Penn Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success through the attraction, retention, engagement, and continual development of a talented and diverse workforce.

Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State provides a context, through artistic connections, to the human experience. The center motivates creative thinking and examination of our relationship with the world, while enriching lives through inspiring experiences.

8 | SCC Annual Report

Letter from the Director In 2016–17, the Sustainable Communities Collaborative (SCC) wrapped up its fourth year of operations. It was a year marked by growth in terms of new community partners, new faculty partners, and student participation. More than 500 Penn State students (up from 373 students the previous year) tackled research and design projects for a growing number of community partners. New faculty partners in the colleges of Education, Health and Human Development, Information Sciences and Technology, and Earth and Mineral Sciences joined SCC. As faculty participation grew, the breadth and diversity of projects also grew to include community resiliency and disaster recovery, renewable energy, eco-system services, and human health and nutrition. SCC expanded partnerships with eight new community partners and extended reach beyond Centre County into neighboring Huntingdon County and Muncy Borough in Lycoming County. One Project: Multiple Colleges One of the significant achievements of 2016–17 was the first multi-disciplinary project: Centred Outdoors, a program designed to promote healthy places, healthy people, and healthy non-profits. (see pg. 9). This project involved multiple community and faculty partners to develop a summer-long program to encourage Centre County residents to spend time exploring nature as a way to stay healthy and fit. What was remarkable about this project is that students from five Penn State colleges worked on various components of the program. Students in the College of Arts and Architecture competed to develop a logo and branding guidelines for the program. Students in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications developed a public relations campaign and delivered it to the community partners. Interns in the College of Information Sciences and Technology built a program website and a mobile app. Students in the College of Health and Human Development assessed the human health benefits of nine different outdoor locations in Centre County. Students in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences assessed the ecosystem services of the nine sites including carbon storage, flood prevention, and biodiversity. Last but not least, students in an interdisciplinary graduate program, Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and the Environment (HDNRE), developed an assessment plan to evaluate the outcomes of the program. We are grateful for the continued financial and in-kind support from State College Borough, a leading sustainable community. We are also thankful for new partners this year including Bellefonte Borough, Ferguson Township, Halfmoon Township, Bellefonte Area School District, and Clearwater Conservancy. Looking forward to 2017–18, growth will come with the addition of SCC initiatives at five of Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses: Abington, Altoona, Beaver, Behrend, and Brandywine. Each received a three-year grant from PepsiCo to launch SCC programs in their communities. It is a privilege to work with talented students, dedicated faculty, and committed community partners. We hope that you’ll be inspired by the depth and breadth of the projects that Penn State students have undertaken this past year and that you will be filled with a sense of pride and hopefulness for the future as these students graduate and assume positions of leadership in communities far and wide. The world is in good hands!

Michele Halsell

Director, Sustainable Communities Collaborative

Centred Outdoors

Participating faculty, colleges, and associated courses on page 11

Centred Outdoors’ mantra is “healthy people, healthy places, healthy nonprofits.” Funded by a grant from the Centre Foundation, Centred Outdoors is a summer-long program created by ClearWater Conservancy that offers weekly events designed to get people outdoors to explore Centre County’s natural resources and experience the health benefits of spending time in nature. The program offers a series of guided outings to nine destinations in Centre County, a website, and a free mobile app for participants to register and track their outdoor adventures. Permanent signage installed at the destinations enumerates the health and ecological benefits these natural areas provide.

10 | SCC Annual Report designer. The program website includes registration, a calendar of events, information about the destinations, a tracking tool to log adventures, a leader board, and program evaluation surveys. Ben Attanasio, also an undergraduate in IST, was hired as the program’s app designer. The mobile app allows participants to “check-in” at events and keep track of their progress. It is also coordinated with the registration profile online.

Celeste Tanega, an undergraduate student in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) was hired as the program’s social media intern, implementing the social media campaign created by Wyckoff’s students. Throughout the summer she actively populated and monitored Centred Outdoors’ social media sites and sent weekly participant notifications.

Students taking RPTM 433W, a course in program evaluation and research in recreation services taught by Birgitta Baker, associate professor of recreation, park, and tourism management in the College of Health and Human Development, investigated the human health benefits, such as steps walked and difficulty of trail, for the nine outdoor locations. Using maps and conducting assessments, the students’ work was featured in Centred Outdoors literature, website content, and location signage. The health benefit assessments were used to inform the Prescription PaRx initiative, a complementary program to Centred Outdoors, in which local health care providers write prescriptions for their patients to complete outdoor activity such as walking and hiking that may contribute to weight loss and be beneficial in managing chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

Undergraduate IST student Zhewei Wu was hired as Centred Outdoors’ website

GEOG 550 students, a wetland ecology and management course taught by Robert Brooks,

Centred Outdoors participants hiking on the Bog Trail at Black Moshannon State Park.

The Sustainable Communities Collaborative worked with faculty and students in the colleges of Arts and Architecture, Health and Human Development, Earth and Mineral Sciences, Information Science and Technology, and the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications to research and design various components of the Centred Outdoors program. Students enrolled in GD 301, a graphic design course taught by Ryan Russell, associate professor of graphic design in the College of Arts and Architecture, competed to create branding for the program. Required elements included a logo, color palette, fonts, and branding guidelines for application on the website, printed collateral, and signage. The winning design, by student William King, was then further developed by a local professional design firm to be incorporated into print and online materials. Students taking COMM 471, a public relations campaign capstone course taught by Tara Wyckoff, lecturer of advertising and public relations in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, created a comprehensive public relations campaign and a marketing plan to support the goals and

objectives of the program. The public relations campaign kit included press releases, social media messaging, radio and television advertisements, calendar listings, and various hand-outs. The students also pitched stories to local media outlets including the Centre Daily Times and State College Magazine.

After participating in Centred Outdoors programs, individuals had the opportunity to sign a pledge that stated they would continue to explore the outdoors.

“Centred Outdoors creates opportunities for people of all ages and fitness levels to explore some of the most beautiful areas in Centre County,” said Melissa Kauffman, supervisor at Millbrook Marsh Nature Center. “Whether you visit the sites on your own or attend a guided hike, there are amazing things to discover at each destination.” professor of geography in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, researched the environmental health and ecosystem services of each outdoor location. They assessed each site for services such as carbon storage, water recharge for aquifers, and flood prevention. Their work also focused on assessing land cover such as wetlands and forest canopy at each site and how these affect fish and bird diversity, water quality, stormwater retention, and carbon storage. “They did an excellent job,” said Scot Chambers, board member for ClearWater Conservancy. “We incorporated much of the students’ work into informational stations at our nine outdoor locations as well as our website.” Students taking HDNRE 590, a course focused on human dimensions in natural resources and the environment taught

by Alan Graefe, professor of recreation, park, and tourism management, and Jim Finley, professor of forest resources, developed a program evaluation plan that included a pre- and post-event survey for the summer 2017 Centred Outdoors Challenge. The surveys were administered through online web registration. Data collection included number and duration of outings, distance walked, and perceived health benefits. Centred Outdoors was made possible by funding from the 2016 Centre Inspires grant, awarded to ClearWater Conservancy by the Centre Foundation. All partnerships: Get Outdoors PA, Mount Nittany Conservancy, Penns Valley Conservation Association, Mount Nittany Health, Appalachian Outdoors, Millbrook Marsh Nature Center, Penn State, the Sustainable Communities Collaborative, Trout Unlimited, and Centre Moves.

Centred Outdoors 2017 Destinations: 1. Black Moshannon State Park

2. The Barrens to Bald Eagle Wildlife Corridor 3. Bald Eagle State Park 4. Talleyrand Park

5. Spring Creek Canyon 6. Poe Paddy Tunnel 7. Millbrook Marsh Nature Center 8. The Arboretum at Penn State 9. Mount Nittany

Courses:

Graduate School Colloquium Graphic Design Program Evaluation and Research in Recreation Services Public Relations Wetland Ecology & Management

Faculty:

Birgitta Baker Robert Brooks Jim Finney Alan Graefe Ryan Russell Tara Wyckoff

Colleges:

College of Arts and Architecture Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications College of Earth and Mineral Sciences College of Health and Human Development College of Information Sciences and Technology

12 | SCC Annual Report

Employee Engagement and Diversity Class: LER 460: Human Resource Ethics | The College of the Liberal Arts | Community Partner: State College Borough | Faculty: Tom Hogan

The Borough of State College would like to build a more diverse and inclusive workforce. During the 2016–17 school year, students taking LER 460 taught by Tom Hogan, human resource management professor of practice in the College of the Liberal Arts, worked on two projects for the borough. LER 460 is a course designed to teach students the ethics of human resources management. During the fall 2016 semester, the borough sought student input to address its own homogeneous police force and workforce make-up. While the borough’s workforce is an accurate representation of racial distribution in the Central Pennsylvania region, it would like to include more minorities, particularly in its police force, to reflect the diverse student population at Penn State. The students’ analysis of workforce composition at the borough also showed that women were underrepresented, when compared to the percentage of female professionals in the region’s labor force.

In spring 2017, a new team of LER 460 students researched the borough’s 2007 Equal Employment Opportunity Plan and provided recommendations to update the plan. During their assessment, the students identified their peers and the University as a resource to address the borough’s diversity goals. Recommendations included enlisting student organizations, especially those

focused on minority issues, in recruitment efforts; working with career fairs hosted on campus; creating relationships with veterans organizations, particularly toward police force recruitment; and building an online platform for employees that is both a recruitment and an engagement tool. The students also suggested hiring a student intern as a link to the campus community, who may then also be phased in as an employee, or hiring a chief diversity officer to provide continuity to strategic efforts by the borough to diversify.

SCC Annual Report | 13

Corl Street School LEED Innovation Credit Class: Education Theory and Policy 297: Sustainability in American Education | Faculty: Peter Buckland College of Education | Community Partner: State College Area School District The State College Area School District is renovating its Corl Street Elementary School to be a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold design building. The district would like to use the newly designed space as a teaching tool to communicate ecological, economic, and social aspects of sustainability.

in a set of recommendations for integrating the educational mission and standards of the school with the LEED certification requirements. Buckland’s EDTHP class focuses on sustainability in American education.

Students taking EDTHP 297, an Education Theory and Policy special topics course taught by Peter Buckland, instructor in the College of Education and a staff member in Penn State’s Sustainability Institute, conducted a series of meetings with stakeholders that included parents, administrators, teachers, and designers. The project resulted

1. An indoor garden as a small-scale food production system, utilizing hydroponics, aquaponics, aeroponics, or crops growing in soil media in a unique setup such as hanging or vertical structures

The students analyzed four proposals for implementation:

2. A constructed stormwater wetland that mimics

an aquatic-terrestrial landscape while acting as a stormwater bestmanagement practice sink 3. Solar photovoltaic panels to offset the school’s energy consumption 4. An energy dashboard as a platform for a visual depiction of energy consumption These projects can be used to teach students about science, technology, and the environment while also reducing the ecological footprint of the school building. The school board will determine which elements will be adopted for implementation.

Halfmoon Township Park Programming Survey

Class: CED 475 | Faculty: Tim Kelsey | College of Agricultural Sciences | Community Partner: Halfmoon Township A team of students taking CED 475 taught by Tim Kelsey, professor of agricultural economics in the College of Agricultural Sciences, was tasked with conducting a community needs assessment for Halfmoon Township, a rural community in Centre County. CED 475 is an integrated capstone experience that encourages students to reflect, integrate and apply the knowledge that they have learned in previous coursework for the Community, Environment, and Development major.

The students surveyed 155 residents and determined significant interest in using Autumn Meadow Park in Halfmoon Township as a venue to host a farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; market, community garage sale, and holiday events throughout the year. They also found that residents want to see the park used for fitness activities and music performances. The township will use the results of the needs assessment as the basis for preparing a township recreational plan and to seek grant funding to finance park improvements and programming.

Water Quality Monitoring at Buffalo Run and Halfmoon Creek

Class: ASM/ERM 309 | Faculty: Heather Gall | College of Agricultural Sciences; College of Engineering | Community Partner: Centre County Conservation District; Centre County Pennsylvania Senior Conservation Corps

When all of your water supply comes from an underground aquifer, protecting water quality becomes a top community priority. The Centre County Conservation District administers soil and water conservation programs for the county and works closely with the Centre County PA Senior Conservation Corps to monitor the quality of area streams. Penn State students enrolled in ASM/ERM 309, a course on measuring and monitoring hydrology systems taught by Heather Gall, assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering in the College of Agricultural Sciences, installed solar-powered water-quality monitoring stations at two sites on Halfmoon Creek and two sites on Buffalo Run during the fall 2016 semester. The stations collect data around the clock to measure dissolved oxygen, water flow, rainfall, and weather conditions. The students also created technical maps of land uses in the watershed and a comprehensive report of water quality. Data collected by the students complements the year-round fieldwork of the Senior Conservation Corps and is published on the conservation districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website. Students performed a vital service that supports healthy water systems, and they learned about different scientific processes that are used to monitor water quality and communicate with their findings with the community-at-large.

Backpack Nutrition

Class: NUTR 456 | Faculty: Allison Gernand | College of Health and Human Development | Community Partner: Centre County YMCA Every year, many school-age children experience food insecurity in Centre County. School breakfast and lunch programs help to alleviate hunger during the week while school is in session, but weekends can be problematic. Students taking NUTR 456 taught by Allison Gernand, assistant professor of nutritional sciences in the College of Health and Human Development, worked with the Backpack Program of the Centre County YMCA. In NUTR 456, students learn about community nutrition, a content area that is included in the national registration examination for registered dietitians. The Backpack Program provides backpacks of food for the weekend to children that are on the free/reduced lunch program available to low-income families. NUTR 456 students assessed the nutrients in the foods selected for the program and compared them to typical nutritional needs of school-age children. The students found that the foods given through the backpack program were often high in sodium and recommended that the YMCA seek low-sodium alternatives. The students also recommended that the content of the backpacks could be adjusted to better meet the nutritional needs of children in different age groups.

SCC Annual Report | 15

Action Sports Park Class: RPTM 433 | Faculty: Lauren Abbott | College of Health and Human Development Community Partner: State College Borough Municipal governments recognize park and recreation facilities as important assets to promote outdoor activity and healthy lifestyles within their communities. Youth-focused action sports parks, which often include ramps and tracks for skateboarding and freestyle BMX (bicycle motorcross), represent a new way to encourage physical activity among teens and young adults. These parks tend to be the subject of controversy among communities, often due to their proposed locations. Students taking RPTM 433 taught by Lauren Abbott, a doctoral student in the College of Health and Human Development, collected secondary research on action sports parks. RPTM 433 provides students with the background necessary to understand and evaluate research reports and to conduct research projects of moderate complexity in the field of recreation, park, and tourism management. The students found examples of similar facilities in other communities and developed a strategy for assessing local support for a park in the State College Borough.

Some students in the class conducted key informant interviews with community leaders while others conducted focus groups with high school students and borough residents. The students developed and administered an online survey to collect data about attitudes and concerns toward action sports parks from area residents. The students used PlaceSpeak, a web-based community engagement platform, to administer the survey, post information about focus groups, and share documents with the public. Borough officials are using the studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s findings to inform next steps in their decision making process for the proposed park and for their capital improvement plan.

16 | SCC Annual Report

Traffic Safety Class: COMM 473: Public Relations Campaigns | Faculty: Tara Wyckoff | Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications | Community Partner: State College Borough

Following a number of fatal crashes, State College Borough sought the assistance of Penn State students and faculty in an effort to improve pedestrian, bicyclist, and motorist safety. The issue was examined and tackled by students in COMM 473 taught by Tara Wyckoff, lecturer of advertising and public relations in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. In COMM 473, a capstone course, students develop a comprehensive public relations/marketing communications campaign and gain the technical and managerial experience required to implement an effective public relations program. The project took place over several semesters, from fall 2015 to spring 2017, with each class of students building on the work done by students in previous semesters. In Wyckoff’s fall 2015 section, students developed a communications plan. Student teams researched similar traffic safety programs in other communities and effective campaign design and messaging. They collected data from pedestrians and bicyclists on origin and destination of their daily commutes, including information about their perceptions of traffic safety. The students found that using positive messaging to create awareness was well accepted by the general public. They ultimately recommended that the borough use social media and positive storytelling for their messaging. Wyckoff’s students in the spring 2016 section of the course used the research from the fall section to develop a messaging strategy in order to foster behavior change among the general public, making road safety a priority for all members of the community. The students completed formative research to set program

objectives, strategies, and tactics, including pre- and post-campaign observations. They conducted messaging research that included simple, concise messages to drive awareness and change behavior. They also used focus groups, surveys, and on-site observations to understand the culture and behavior of pedestrians and motorists in State College. The students designed a plan for a six-month traffic safety awareness campaign that included messaging, outreach activities, and a media strategy. They used eye-catching yellow and black signage to get the attention of commuters and the slogan “Drive with Care. Walk Aware.” In the spring 2017 semester, Wyckoff’s students developed a series of activities to align with the previously developed campaign strategy. They planned and implemented four campaign activities: • “Stop in the Name of Love,” a road side marketing event held before Valentine’s Day that featured Penn State’s famous “Mike the Mailman” Herr. The event had extensive social and public media coverage. • A traffic safety infomercial featuring fictional character “Johnny Cross” to share at Penn State’s New Student Orientation and with local high school audiences. • Ads based on The Beatles’ iconic Abbey Road cover, titled “Come Together State College for Road Safety” featuring Penn State athletes. The ads were placed in various CATA buses. • A “Happy Ticket” campaign where students distributed faux tickets on cars parked in borough parking garages with tips on safe driving.

A student in Tara Wyckoff’s COMM 473 shows a “Happy Ticket” that students distributed on cars throughout the borough.

18â&#x20AC;&#x2021; | SCC Annual Report

State College Borough Disaster Recovery and Resiliency Plan Class: IST 440: Information Sciences and Technology Integration and Problem Solving Risk Analysis | Faculty: Mike Hills | College: Information Sciences and Technology | Community Partner: State College Borough

Resiliency refers to the ability of communities to bounce back after a disaster. Many communities use the term to describe their efforts to respond to climate risks and other threats. State College Borough recognized the need to evaluate and update its risk exposure and current response mechanisms. Students taking IST 440, taught by Michael Hills, associate teaching professor in the College of Informational Science and Technology, were tasked with helping the borough to identify risks, assess their potential impact or harm, and develop response plans. IST 440 is a capstone course where students work in teams to develop a problem-based approach to technology integration by focusing on real-life problems faced by an organization. During the fall 2016 semester, students started with the evaluation of current conditions at the borough. The students first identified a variety of risks and ranked them based on probability of occurrence and potential impact. This generated a risk matrix to allow the borough to have a better understanding of its current risk exposure. The students recommended that the borough identify mitigation steps to limit the risks it faces and prepared action plans to be executed in the event that a risk materializes. Students used the matrix to identify six major hazards for the State College area, taking into account both the likelihood and impact of possible events. The hazards included an active shooter, an airplane crash, a crane collapse, a riot, a flood, and a drought. During the spring 2017 semester, the students analyzed these risks and eliminated an airplane crash as a likely risk, but added winter storms, strikes, and acts of terrorism. They also compiled a hazard mitigation plan for the borough. In future semesters, IST 440 students will examine specific risks in the matrix and begin developing step-by-step response plans that the borough can use if and when specific events occur.

Photo Credit: Daily Collegian Flooding along College Avenue

SCC Annual Report | 19

Bellefonte Borough Compost Facility Site Design Class: BE 460/466W | Faculty: Megan Marshall | College of Agriculture | Community Partner: Bellefonte Borough As part of its commitment to environmental sustainability, the Borough of Bellefonte works to keep biodegradable materials such as grass clippings, leaves, and brush out of the landfill. The borough operates a heavily used drop-off center where residents can bring their lawn and garden refuse. The refuse is turned into compost and then purchased by residents for use in their gardens. The borough expressed interest in expanding their operation to be able to sell compost to commercial entities. Students taking BE 460/466W taught by Megan Marshall, senior instructor of agricultural and biological engineering in the College of Agricultural Sciences, examined conditions at the compost facility. In BE 460, students develop skills for managing and executing engineering designs and biological processing applications.

Based on their research and observations, the students developed a set of composting “recipes,” a business plan for selling the compost, and an expansion plan for the facility to be able to accept bio solids in the future. The students recommended that the borough purchase a mechanical screener to improve the quality of the compost to make it more saleable for commercial buyers. “The students were really enthusiastic about this project,” said Don Holderman, Bellefonte’s assistant borough manager. “Their work is of great benefit to Bellefonte Borough.” Borough officials are using the students’ research to make improvements to the facility. The borough can use the plans and recommendations developed by the students to apply for grants to make the necessary improvements.

Students in BE/460/466 learn about the organic waste recycling process at a local composting facility.

Bellefonte Area School District

Sustainable Gardens and Teaching Center Community Partner: Bellefonte Area School District | Class: ARCH 431 Faculty: Lisa Iulo; Eric Sutherland | College of Arts and Architecture | Class: PLANT 461 | Faculty: Rob Berghage; Heather Karsten | College of Agricultural Sciences

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The Bellefonte Area School District (BASD) purchased about 100 acres of land near Bellefonte High School for future school expansion. The lot included a historic 1863 stone farmhouse and a two-acre parcel intended for agricultural education. Myken Poorman, an agriculture science teacher and technical education department chair in BASD, approached SCC to help the school district create a vision for the property that promotes sustainability while providing ample opportunity for student and community engagement.

The Farmhouse and Site ARCH 431 is an architectural design class that emphasizes the development of skills in research, documentation, analysis, and presentation of project-related physical and cultural information. Penn State students enrolled in ARCH 431— with Penn State College of Arts and Architecture faculty members Lisa Iulo, associate professor of architecture, and Eric Sutherland, visiting assistant professor—worked with high school agriculture science students to develop models for a farmhouse retrofit that included a test kitchen, instructional space(s), large meeting areas, and event facilities. Students were encouraged to incorporate the surrounding landscape and consider connecting and/or alternate designs for development of the site. Student designs had to follow the Living Building Challenge Standards, the most rigorous standards for green buildings, in addition to ADA requirements and compliance with the International Building Code. Student designs varied according to the individual design teams’ emphases, ranging from modular designs to farm- and homestead-focused traditions. Others explored opportunities for education and community gatherings or used the landscape as the design unifying element.

The Gardens and Orchard While architecture students focused on the farmhouse retrofit and site development, Penn State students in PLANT 461 with Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences faculty members Rob Berghage, associate professor of horticulture, and Heather Karsten, associate professor of crop production and ecology, addressed BASD’s ambitious plans for onsite gardens and an orchard to support a community supported agriculture (CSA) program, a pollinator garden, and sustainable agriculture applications. PLANT 461 is a capstone course that explores the current and up-and-coming issues in the plant sciences and provides balancing plant production with environmental conservation. Students in PLANT 461 provided research and guidance for the development of an orchard, including maintenance, cost, and selection as well as an educational-use model, and they prescribed an integrated pest management plan to be implemented when establishing a school garden. They also developed an outline for a CSA program at Bellefonte Area High School, including current grant opportunities and different CSA structures. Finally, they specified a crop rotation plan based on location and local consumption patterns. According to Poorman, the partnership with SCC was an exceptionally valuable experience for both the school district and the community. “The collaboration was very beneficial to all involved,” Poorman said. “Our project went from pencil and paper to full models and diagrams. [The experience] was awesome. I cannot thank [SCC] enough for putting me in touch with these two classes and for the amazing outcomes.”

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Solar Feasibility Study Projects Class: EGEE 437, Solar Energy Conversion Systems | Faculty: Jeffrey Brownson | College of Earth and Mineral Sciences | Community Partners: Ferguson Township; Student Farm at Penn State; McAlevys Fort Historic Site Students enrolled in EGEE 437 taught by Jeffrey Brownson, associate professor of energy and mineral engineering in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, assessed the feasibility of solar installations for three separate community partners in the spring 2017 semester: Ferguson Township, the Student Farm at Penn State, and a historic building site in McAlevys Fort. EGEE 437 is a foundation course that examines the principles of solar energy conversion including photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal conversion systems.

Ferguson Township Ferguson Township identified five potential solar installation opportunities: rooftop solar on a new public works garage, solar panels for existing township buildings, solar traffic lights, ground-mounted solar in green spaces, and solar canopies in parking lots. The students assessed each siteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suitability, as well as cost-benefit analysis, pay-out, and projected performance. Ferguson Township plans to build a new LEED Gold Certified public works garage, and students provided critical information applicable to the design of the new building to make it solar-ready, including optimizing roof slope and considering placement of traditional rooftop installations on protrusions, such as vent pipes. Financial analysis included an assessment of solar panel prices, cost of installation of a battery system and impact of incentives on the overall cost of the project. Students also examined five existing township buildings for their solar potential and selected a utility garage due to its orientation and size. The team utilized a System Advisor Monitor (SAM) to compare different module designs, inverters, financial benefits, payback periods, net capital costs, and annual energy production and provided two optional plans for the township to consider.

Traffic lights require little energy and can be reliably operated using solar. Two teams provided examples of solar traffic light installations in use globally, and used SAM to analyze solar traffic lights for the township. Students also considered factors that may affect installation costs, such as available workforce expertise. A student team also assessed the feasibility of a ground-mounted solar array in township-owned green spaces. The team examined the impact of a carbon tax on the project, reviewed various technologies, finance options, and localized conditions that affect overall recommendations. Solar panels in parking lots generate electricity and provide shade as well as protection from rain and snow. They can also be used to power electric vehicle recharging stations. Students analyzed the feasibility of parking lot solar canopies from technical and economic perspectives.

Student Farm at Penn State The Student Farm at Penn State, located on a one-acre lot near campus, is a living laboratory. The space is used to educate students, conduct research, and host community outreach events. There is currently no electricity or hot water at the farm. Students analyzed three solar energy options to meet the farmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy and hot water needs. Students analyzed a solar hot water system to provide hot water for hand and dish washing, and to provide heat for soil heating elements that can be used in high tunnels to accelerate growth and extend the growing season. Analysis was based on estimated consumption. The student team also designed a rooftop solar panel system for five existing sheds based on estimates of power consumption and considered the best overall applications given a limited budget and site constraints. The system would generate enough electricity to power a washing machine, lighting, hand tools, small appliances, and computers. New farm structures could provide additional opportunities for solar as the farm grows and expands. More speculative in nature, this project provided new and alternative perspectives for the use of solar energy at the student farm in years to come and were designed to be moved to an alternate location if necessary.

McAlevys Fort Historic Buildings The third project involved a historic building site in McAlevys Fort, Huntingdon County. The property consists of a barn, brick store building, house, and outbuildings and is undergoing significant renovations. The property owner wanted to consider solar for generating electricity and for hot water applications. Students had to consider the historic nature of the brick store building and how to best serve a multi-building site. Rooftop solar was explored for generating electricity to supply back-up power for a water pump and furnace starter, as well as lighting in the barn and a potential charging station for an electric car. Students considered orientation of buildings and site limitations and conducted a financial analysis considering actual needs versus available space for solar panels. The students also investigated a solar hot water system to support the household with an 80-gallon hot water tank that would hold up to Central Pennsylvania winter climate conditions as well as photovoltaics to support a well pump. They were able to design both systems to match client needs and provide some additional guidance on cost and incentives.

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Faculty Directory Alan Graefe Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management Course: HDNRE Colloquium Project: Centred Outdoors: Pre/Post Event Survey

Alison Gernand Department of Nutritional Sciences Course: NUTR 456 Projects: Backpack Nutrition Assessment

Birgitta Baker Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management Course: RPTM 433W Project: Centred Outdoors: Human Health Benefits Analysis

Denson Groenendaal Department of Architecture Course: ARCH 442 Project: Muncy Flood Resilient Design

Eric Sutherland Department of Architecture Course: ARCH 431: 4th Year Studio Project: Bellefonte Area School District Sustainable Gardens and Teaching Center

Heather Gall Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering Course: BE 467: Design of Stormwater and Erosion Control Facilities Projects: Water Quality Monitoring of Halfmoon Creek and Buffalo Run

Heather Karsten Department of Plant Science Course: PLANT 461 Project: YMCA Community Gardens; BASD Sustainable Gardens

Jeffrey Brownson Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering Course: EGEE 437 Project: Solar Feasibility: Student Farm, Ferguson Township, McAlevys Fort

Jim Finley Department of Ecosystem Science and Management Course: HDNRE Colloquium Project: Centred Outdoors pre/post Event Surveys

Lauren Abbott Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management Course: RPTM 433 Project: Action Sports Park

Lisa Iulo Department of Architecture Course: ARCH 431: 4th Year Studio Project: Bellefonte Area School District Sustainable Gardens and Teaching Center

Megan Marshall Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering Course: BE 467: Design of Stormwater and Erosion Control Facilities Project: Stormwater Designs: Bellefonte; Cree Manor/ Walker Township; Park Hill/ Ferguson Township; Compost Facility Design/Bellefonte

Michael Hills College of Information Sciences and Technology Course: IST 440 Projects: Resilience & Disaster Recovery Planning Part II

Peter Buckland Department of Education Policy Studies Course: EDTHP 297 Project: Corl Street School LEED Innovation Credit

Rob Berghage Department of Plant Science Course: PLANT 461 Project: YMCA Community Gardens; BASD Sustainable Gardens

Robert Brooks Department of Geography Course: GEOG 550, GEOG 10 Project: Centred Outdoors: Eco-System Services Analysis— Environmental Benefits

Ross Weinreb Department of Architecture Course: ARCH 442 Project: Muncy Flood Resilient Design

Ryan Russell Department of Graphic Design Course: GD 304: Practical Communications Project: Centred Outdoors: Visual Identity Design Plan

Steve Rubin School of Visual Arts Course: PHOTO 402: Photographic Narratives Project: Sharing the SCC Story

Tara Wyckoff Department of Advertising and Public Relations Course: COMM 473: Public Relations Campaigns Projects: State College Borough Pedestrian and Vehicular Safety Awareness; Centred Outdoors Campaign Plan

Tim Kelsey Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education Course: CED 475: CED Integrated Capstone Projects: Halfmoon Township Municipal Park Evaluation

Tom Hogan Department of Human Resource Management Course: LER 460: Human Resource Ethics Projects: State College Borough Employee Engagement and Diversity; PSU OHR Customer Service Protocol; PSU OHR Onboarding; PSU Student Engagement in the Arts; Shaver’s Creek Outdoor Engagement Strategy;

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