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Gift Grows Innovation Commons
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INNOVATION COMMONS GETS $2.13 MILLION AND A NEW NAME
A new $2.13 million endowment will expand Penn State Behrend’s Innovation Commons product ideation, design, and prototyping lab. The endowment will provide funding support for the lab, which offers early-stage product design, computer- aided drafting, no-cost 3D printing, and Industry 4.0 training, among other services.
Since it opened in 2016, Innovation Commons has supported more than 240 projects for local entrepreneurs, startups, and community groups. That work has led to fourteen new companies and twelve patent applications.
“Innovation Commons is the embodiment of our Open Lab approach to engaging students with businesses and innovators as part of the undergraduate experience,” said Amy Bridger, senior director of corporate strategy and external engagement at Behrend. “Through the Open Lab model, students apply classroom learning to product design challenges that lead to economic growth for regional businesses and entrepreneurs.”
The endowment was created through an array of private and corporate gifts with a combined value of more than $1.06 million. Those gifts were matched 1:1 by Penn State’s LaunchBox Matching Program, bringing the total endowment to $2.13 million.
In recognition of the largest of the gifts, the lab has been named the James R. Meehl Innovation Commons powered by Penn State Behrend. The Meehl family has had a strong association with Behrend faculty, programs, and athletics that began when James Meehl’s grandson, Aaron Meehl, a 2012 graduate, first enrolled as a student more than a decade ago.
YOU’RE INVITED!
Parents, Families & Alumni Weekend is October 14-16, 2022. Mark your calendar now and join us for a weekend of family fun, Behrend-style. A celebration for young and old alike, it offers plenty of things to do for students, alumni, parents, brothers and sisters, extended family—everyone! Visit behrend.psu.edu/weekend for more information.
FACULTY & STAFF NEWS
NEW STAFF AND FACULTY
The School of Engineering welcomed five new faculty members: Dr. Kate Chan, assistant teaching professor in industrial engineering; Dr. Qing Hao, assistant professor of engineering in mechanical engineering technology; Dr. Shahid Hussain, assistant professor of computer science and software engineering; Dr. Feng Qian, assistant professor of engineering in mechanical engineering technology; and Dr. Mark Rubeo, assistant professor of engineering in mechanical engineering. We also welcomed a new research faculty member in plastics engineering technology and polymer engineering and science, Dr. Xiaoshi Zhang.
OTHER NEWS
Brian Young, associate professor of plastics engineering technology, recently celebrated twenty-five years with Penn State.
HONORS AND AWARDS
Dr. Omar Ashour, associate professor of industrial engineering, was named technical vice president on the technical operations board of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE). He was also recently awarded the Penn State Behrend Council of Fellows Faculty Research Award. Dr. Alicyn Rhoades, associate professor of plastics engineering technology and polymer engineering and science, was appointed the interim associate dean of research and graduate studies on January 1. Dr. Ihab Ragai, associate professor in mechanical engineering technology, was recently chosen for the college’s Guy W. Wilson Award for Excellence in Academic Advising.
AWARDS FOR 2021-22
Five faculty and one staff member were recognized with School of Engineering Awards: Phil Jones, assistant teaching professor in mechanical engineering technology, Excellence in Teaching; Dr. Samy Madbouly, assistant professor in plastics engineering technology, Excellence in Research; Ed Evans, associate teaching professor in mechanical engineering technology, Excellence in Service; Dr. Ihab Ragai, associate professor in mechanical engineering technology, Excellence in Advising; Dr. Jiawei Gong, assistant professor in mechanical engineering, Excellence in Outreach; and Caitlyn Catalfu, administrative support assistant, Staff Excellence.
IN BRIEF
GUSTAFSON WINS HETZEL MEMORIAL AWARD
Jennifer Gustafson, a May Mechanical Engineering graduate of Penn State Behrend, was the recipient of Penn State’s 2022 Ralph Dorn Hetzel Memorial Award.
Named for the University’s tenth president, the Hetzel Award recognizes high scholastic attainment together with good citizenship and participation and leadership in student activities.
In her role as student president of Behrend Benefiting THON, nominators said Gustafson was able to adapt the organization to fulfill its commitment to fundraising and supporting families grappling with pediatric cancer and that Gustafson found ways to succeed despite the challenges that COVID-19 placed on recruitment and fundraising.
“This demonstrates mature leadership not often seen by University students; mitigating peer expectations, providing realistic goals, and brainstorming new and unorthodox tactics while encouraging continued enthusiasm, passion, and productivity is no small feat for any leader,” a nominator said.
Behrend Benefiting THON surpassed its goal in both 2020 and 2021. Gustafson executed one of the only live campus events in 2020, the dance marathon “Adventuring Beyond Horizons,” which raised nearly $7,000. In 2021, she helped restore fundraising to pre-pandemic levels, raising more than $21,000.
Gustafson was also a leader in at least ten other student organizations and programs on campus, including serving as president of the Penn State Behrend Lion Ambassadors. Joseph Prischak, a longtime supporter of Penn State Behrend and its students, died Saturday, May 21. He was 91.
Prischak grew up on a Crawford County, Pennsylvania, dairy farm and launched his own toolmaking business, Triangle Tool Co., while in his 20s. He founded Plastek in Erie in 1971, serving as president and chief executive until his retirement in 2002. Today, the Plastek Group is a worldwide manufacturer. Prischak was inducted into the global Plastics Hall of Fame in 2021.
In the 1980s, Prischak was instrumental in creating the Plastics Engineering Technology Program at Behrend. The program, which has produced more than 1,200 graduates, is one of just four nationwide to be accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET.
With separate $1 million gifts, Prischak and his wife, Isabel, created two scholarships for Penn State Behrend students. The Prischak Building on campus—originally home to the plastics program and now part of Behrend’s Science Complex—stands as evidence of Prischak’s commitment to the college and its students.
“Joe Prischak brought entrepreneurial thinking not only to his business, but to his philanthropy as well,” Chancellor Ralph Ford said. “His legacy in the plastics industry, in the Erie community, and at Behrend will last for generations.”
IN MEMORIAM: JOE PRISCHAK’S LEGACY LIVES ON
In 2021, Joe and Isabel Prischak were recipients of the college’s highest award, the Behrend Medallion, presented by Penn State Behrend Chancellor Ralph Ford, left.
BEHREND TALKS
TUNE IN TO CHANCELLOR-HOSTED
PODCAST: Behrend Talks features a variety of topics key to the growth and success of the Erie region and beyond. Hosted by Chancellor Ralph Ford, conversations cover everything from the impact of COVID-19 on supply chains to the value of the humanities to politics with former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge. Find past episodes at behrendtalks.buzzsprout.com or subscribe to Behrend Talks on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or Google Podcasts.
