One College Avenue Thruway Headway - Alumna overseeing long-awaited 'New Route 15' - Pennsylvania College of Technology
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One College Avenue
Thruway Headway
Alumna overseeing
long-awaited ‘New Route 15’
See Page 16
Also in this issue:
6 An Artist's Journey
to Engineering
10 Baking His Way
to Team USA
12 Lightening India’s
Water Load
Fall 2015
One College Avenue, a publication of Pennsylvania College of
Technology, is dedicated to sharing the educational development,
goals and achievements of Penn College students, faculty and staff
with one another and with the greater community.
Please visit One College Avenue online at oca.pct.edu
EDITOR ONE COLLEGE AVENUE
Jennifer A. Cline ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Nicholas D. Biddle ’07
CONTRIBUTING graphic designer, Web developer
EDITORS Biddle Studios and Sage Age Strategies
Elaine J. Lambert ’79 Joshua Bonner ’03, ’14
Cindy Davis Meixel associate director, Web services and interactive
Tom Speicher marketing
Wilkes University
Tom Wilson
Joseph S. Yoder L. Lee Janssen ’82
news editor
ISSUE DESIGNER Williamsport Sun-Gazette
Deborah K. Peters ’97 Lana K. Muthler ’70
managing editor
DESIGN & DIGITAL The Express, Lock Haven
PRODUCTION
Julie Reppert ’06
Larry D. Kauffman
Lifestyle and Education editor
Tina M. Miller ’03 Williamsport Sun-Gazette
Sarah K. Patterson ’05
Robert O. Rolley ’83
K. Park Williams ’80 publisher
The Express, Lock Haven
WEB DESIGN
Judy A. Fink ’95 Joseph Tertel ’02
manager, eCommerce Marketing
Carlos Ramos Rite Aid
Phillip C. Warner ’06
CLASS NOTES PENN COLLEGE MEMBERS
Megan L. Ripka ’13 Valerie L. Fessler
annual giving manager
CONTRIBUTING
Barbara A. Danko
PHOTOGRAPHERS
retired director of alumni relations
Jennifer A. Cline
Sandra Lakey
Elizabeth S. Greis faculty
Larry D. Kauffman speech communication and composition
Cindy Davis Meixel Kyani L. Lawrence
Caleb G. Schirmer vice president of public relations
Dalaney T. Vartenisian Student Government Association
Tom Wilson Brad L. Nason
faculty
Other photos as credited
mass communications
Paul R. Watson II
dean
academic services
and first-year programs
Davie Jane Gilmour, Ph.D.
PRESIDENT
PENNSYLVANIA COLLEGE
OF TECHNOLOGY
One College Avenue, published by Public Relations & Marketing,
considers for publication materials submitted by students, alumni,
faculty, staff and others including letters to the editor, alumni
notes and other information. We reserve the right to edit or refuse
items for publication.
To submit items for consideration,
or to subscribe, contact:
One College Avenue DIF 30
Pennsylvania College of Technology
One College Avenue
Williamsport, PA 17701-5799
fax 570.321.5537
email onecollegeavenue@pct.edu
Koda, a Leonberger with a heart to match his stature, joined web oca.pct.edu
other tail-wagging visitors in the Madigan Library for pre-finals,
stress-relieving therapy in Spring 2015. The college regularly holds
activities to ease test anxiety for its students, and visits by certified
therapy dogs are a favorite way to "paws" before finals week. One College Avenue is printed by Bayard Printing Group, Williamsport, a certified FSC® printer.
Contents VOLUME 24 NUMBER 2
degrees that work.
on the cover
Maggie (Powers) Jackson, ’08, stands
Double Major
near PA Route 147 in Montandon, A student links the seemingly opposite disciplines of studio
art and welding and fabrication engineering technology.
where the route transitions from a
two-lane road to a four-lane divided
highway. Eventually, a new roadway
that bypasses a busy business district
and winding, mountainous sections of 6
Route 15 will connect here. Jackson is
the project manager. See Page 16. Bread Baking’s Best
Baking and pastry arts instructor Chef Charles R. Niedermyer,
’00, advances to the finals on a quest to join Team USA
at Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie,
go paperless bread baking’s "world cup."
To receive an email when we publish
new editions at oca.pct.edu,
10
email alumni@pct.edu. Include
your name, class year (if alumni), Clean Water to Go
address and email address, and put
The expertise of a Penn College plastics graduate is
Online OCA Subscription in the
facilitating access to clean water in rural India for women
subject. You will stop receiving the who no longer have to carry pots of water on their heads.
printed One College Avenue.
12
attention alumni:
Share your story and catch up Building the ‘New 15’
with your classmates online at The groundbreaking for a new bridge this fall will mark the first
oca.pct.edu/cn tangible progress on a highway construction plan that has been
decades in the making. A 2008 alumna will oversee it.
Web Extra 16
additional content at
oca.pct.edu
Unique & Chic
Personal expression is among this year’s
Penn College wardrobe “must-haves.”
In this issue, you
will find “QR codes”
like the one at right.
Smartphone users 22
can scan them and
get instant access
to extra content – like photos
Wildcats Complete Watershed Year
and video – on the One College Penn College athletics continues its transition
Avenue website. to NCAA Division III competition.
24
regular features Letters 2
Campus News 3
Niche 26
Penn College ® and degrees that work ® are registered
Class Notes 28
in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Opening Imaginations
Editor:
I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed
Presidential Student Ambassador and occupational the article "Living Outside 'You'” in the Spring
2015 issue of One College Avenue that I
therapy assistant student Stephanie E. Falcone spreads
the word for social media during Spring Open House. Letters just received today. I enjoyed reading about
to the George W. Settle III's experiences working
at the Home for Hope in Beirut. His time with
Editor the young people at the Home for Hope can
make a lasting impression for years to come.
I was particularly drawn to the section where
he was teaching some of the boys the basics
of welding. Just this act alone can open up
their imaginations as to being able to build or
repair things themselves.
I also want to thank you for including the
article and photos of my Peace Corps
experience in Jamaica, W.I.
I believe the article says a lot about being
able to share with the world what valuable
skills one has to offer.
Sincerely,
Richard S. Ashworth, ’67
Cobleskill, N.Y.
Conversations at oca.pct.edu:
What a great overview of a wonderful
educational establishment. I am proud to
have been an active part of it from the North
Campus during the transition from WACC
to Penn College ... and beyond. I left the
campus in 2000, but have been frequently
involved as a noncredit instructor since then.
Great school. Trying to get my grandson to
go there!
Linda Williams
Owner, Training Focus
(commenting on “100 Moments in College History,”
Winter 2014)
Outstanding review of 100 successful years.
Congratulations on the anniversary.
Robin Van Auken
Williamsport
(commenting on “100 Moments in College History,”
Winter 2014)
We love to hear from you A great history and a very promising future.
I was very proud to have been associated
Send a letter to: One College Avenue, DIF 30 with Penn College for nine years and have
Pennsylvania College of Technology fond memories of the faculty, staff and
One College Avenue, Williamsport, PA 17701-5799 students there.
Email it to: onecollegeavenue@pct.edu Ted Nichols
Pennsylvania Highlands Community College
Or comment online: oca.pct.edu (commenting on “100 Moments in College History,”
Letters may be edited for length and clarity. We reserve the right to refuse items for publication. Winter 2014)
2 One College Avenue
campus
NEWS
Physical fitness specialist
major becomes exercise
science
Reflecting an expansion of job
opportunities in the fitness industry,
the college’s former physical fitness
specialist major is now known as
exercise science. The new name
also reflects the realignment of the
program’s courses over many years.
Students in the exercise science
major study exercise physiology and
human movement, or how the body
responds to exercise. They learn to
design fitness programs, evaluate health
behaviors and risk factors, conduct
fitness assessments, write exercise
prescriptions, and motivate individuals
to modify negative health habits.
Exercise science student Brittany M. Fisher
monitors the performance of Susquehanna
Valley Velo Club member Dick Kaiser as a
CardioCoach VO2 max calculator measures
his carbon-dioxide vs. oxygen output.
New major designed for future More than lip service
Students struggling to ditch tobacco got
sport & event managers a boost from fellow student Cassandra B.
Mohr, a student in the dental hygiene: health
A new concentration in Penn College’s suite
policy and administration concentration.
of business administration majors is designed With pigs’ lungs as a visual aid, she
to help prepare those who seek a management presented “Don’t Let Tobacco Use Cause
career in the sports or events industries. Oral Health Abuse!” at various on- and off-
campus sites. She created the peer program
Graduates of business administration: sport to educate students about the effects that
and event management concentration have tobacco use can have on the mouth and
the potential to work in such sports-related the rest of the body, providing educational
materials and “quit packets.”
environments as arenas, ski resorts, health
clubs or professional sports leagues, while those
not interested in a sports-based career may
choose management positions in convention
and business-event planning, at entertainment
venues, in travel and tourism, and more.
The U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau
of Labor Statistics projects the industry to
experience “much faster than average” job
growth over the next 10 years.
Fall 2015 3
campus
NEWS
NPR talks natural gas training
Penn College was featured on
NPR’s “Morning Edition,” in a piece
highlighting the increase in natural-
gas jobs in Pennsylvania despite layoffs
in the larger petroleum industry. NPR
correspondent Jeff Brady visited the
college’s Energy Technology Education
Center, where he interviewed students
in the college’s three-week roustabout
training class, which prepares entry-level
workers for jobs on natural gas drilling
rigs, and its diesel technology associate-
degree major, as well as college officials.
Brady reported: “More than 100
students have completed the roustabout
training, and 98 percent landed jobs
right away at an average rate of $16.15
per hour.”
Students in a three-week training course
demonstrate the work that takes place on a
drilling rig at the college’s Energy Technology
Education Center, a 2012 addition to the
Schneebeli Earth Science Center campus.
Penn College plastics initiatives touted on international stage
A video shown at NPE: The International Plastics Showcase in Orlando, Florida,
featured Penn College’s plastics majors and its Plastics Innovation & Resource
Center. The video was produced by the Pennsylvania Department of Community
& Economic Development and highlighted some of the state’s best assets to plastics
and rubber products manufacturers.
“Greiner Packaging, one of Europe’s leading dairy-industry plastics makers,
chose Pennsylvania for its U.S. headquarters mainly for its rich natural gas reserves
and the students and opportunities at Penn College’s Plastics Innovation &
Resource Center,” the five-minute video noted.
A video crew interviews Kirk M. Cantor, professor of “They were putting out very high candidates for us,” David Kirkland, chief
plastics and polymer technology, in the operating officer for Greiner Packaging Corp., told the video crew. “That’s critical.
college's plastics labs.
Our business model is ‘Do the Innovation.’ We always want to be on the cutting
edge of technology and want to lead the market, so it’s important that we have the
right skill set available to us. That was one of the bigger factors that attracted us to
Pennsylvania.”
In April, journalists representing plastics trade publications from India, France,
Denmark, the Netherlands and the United States toured the plastics facilities at
the college.
4 One College Avenue
Social Media
Roundup College opens training
site in Towanda
Pennsylvania College of Technology hosted
a public open house on April 7 at its new location
in Bradford County, where short-term training
classes are offered for both businesses and
personal interest. Known as Penn College at
Towanda, noncredit courses are offered in Suite
One of the Central Bradford Progress Authority
Building, One Elizabeth Street in Towanda.
A 72-hour social-media fundraising campaign asked
For more information, call 570-265-9400
alumni to give their praise to some of their favorite faculty.
or visit oca.pct.edu/wdce (select the “Penn
props to Denise Leete props to Kelly Butzler College at Towanda” icon).
“I came to PCT as a self-taught “Until I took Dr. Butzler’s
Web designer. How wrong was Forensic Science class, I couldn’t
I to assume I already knew have cared less about any kind
everything! Professor Leete of science. Her class woke me up
really opened my eyes and regarding not just science, but
showed me things I didn’t even the world around me and how
know were possible on the Web. to look for the obvious in not-so-
She taught me the foundation obvious places. … Years after
of all my current Web-designing taking the class, I still enjoy
skills.” learning about forensics and all
props to Dennis Williams
that it involves.”
“I couldn’t have hoped for a props to Barbara Fisher Di Marco
better teacher. Hard, but “Math was never my favorite
fair, he always had great subject. … I will never forget
business insights and answered Barbara Fisher Di Marco
any questions about life or coming in on her weekends off to Graphic design students, alumni
schoolwork.” review with me because I needed win advertising accolades
props to Kay Dunkleberger
extra help. Because of her, I was Class of 2014 graphic design student Brenna
“Although Kay is not a professor, able to pass the class.” C. Richner’s “Lucky Break Lanes” logo was a
she was my support, mentor and props to Mike Ditchfield and Paul Mach candidate for Best in Category at the American
guidance counselor. … Thank “Chef Mike notified me when Graphic Design & Advertising Awards, a national
you, Kay, for living my dream he heard about the sous chef competition recognizing excellence in design by
with me.” position that I have now, and professionals and students. She was among seven
then Chef Paul’s letter of Penn College seniors and recent graduates who
props to the late Peter Dumanis
recommendation sealed the deal. received a total of nine Awards of Distinction in
“He really encouraged me to
I really wouldn’t have the career the competition for their student work.
think. … I never understood
why he constantly asked us opportunities I have today if it
‘Why?’ until I realized I was weren’t for them. But my major
retaining more because of it.” prop goes out to Chef Mike for Find Complete Articles on PCToday
always trying to shove me out of
To find more comprehensive versions of the articles
the nest!” in Campus News – and to read other news stories
about Penn College – visit PCToday, the college’s
Read more “Props for Profs” at oca.pct.edu/props
news-and-information website, at oca.pct.edu/pctoday.
@penncollege #penncollege
Fall 2015 5
by Tom Speicher, writer/video editor
Clad in a blue denim jacket
and brown double-front canvas pants,
the student pulls a helmet over her eager
face. Her feet, protected by rugged,
leather boots, remain flat on the welding
lab’s industrial floor. She reaches for the
tool of choice: a slender black welding
rod. Moments later, she confidently
strikes a piece of metal and establishes
an arc. The resulting glow competes with
the dark red, orange and yellow flames
layered on her helmet. It’s time to create.
In white pants and a short-sleeved
blue top, the student wears a mask of
anticipation. Her bare feet remain flat on
the painting studio’s floor. She extends
for the tool of choice: a slender brown
paintbrush. Moments later, she dips the
DOUBLE
brush into a palette of bright colors and
confidently strikes the white canvas in
front of her. It’s time to create.
Different classes.
Different majors.
Same student.
Hannah Michelle relishes the
apparent dichotomy. The Lewisburg
native is seeking both a bachelor’s degree Michelle’s desire to link the two school after a year-and-a-half to become
in welding and fabrication engineering disciplines led her to Penn College. That interim director of Top Floor Studio
technology and an associate degree in and a discarded cello. in Lewisburg. She used that time to
studio arts at Pennsylvania College of Art always has been Michelle’s teach art to kids and work on her own
Technology. For her, the connection is passion, thanks to growing up around creations.
clear between the majors at opposite her grandfather’s woodcarvings and Enter the cello.
ends of campus and, at first glance, the charcoal drawings. She gravitated Michelle discovered it one day in a
spectrum of academic disciplines. toward artistic endeavors in both her dumpster behind a building. Its time for
“In engineering, you’re solving free time and at school. Michelle fondly emanating rich notes had passed, but she
problems and coming up with new recalls the plethora of art supplies at knew the dilapidated instrument could
ideas, and in art, you’re solving problems Lewisburg High School and using ample still be a source of artistic expression.
and coming up with new ideas,” she space provided by its “art cave” to create Inspired by the possibilities, she quickly
said excitedly during a break between inspired projects. scooped it up, placed it in her car and
classes. “Instead of solving a problem Painting. Weaving. Mixed media. She sped home to experiment.
with mathematics, there is a creative embraced a variety of mediums to tap “I took the top off of it, took the whole
side to me that I can take and spin the and showcase her creativity. stem off and finished the inside of it,”
engineering problems with, and often Michelle enrolled at Susquehanna Michelle said. “I made a chest out of it.
when I’m doing art, I’m thinking about University to formalize her interests. She When I started putting brackets on, I was
perfect mathematical proportions. It studied studio art and creative writing. like, ‘Wow, metal is interesting.’ I started
coalesces very nicely.” Feeling “cramped” creatively, she left thinking about all these ideas that I
6 One College Avenue
Hannah Michelle is at home in the welding lab
and in the painting studio. In both places,
using her hands to create comes naturally.
included a welding mask, old tools, and
black-and-white photos dating to the
early 1940s. The contents belonged
to Marie Hindsley. Known as “Gravel
Gertie,” Hindsley was one of the first
women trained and employed at the New
York Shipbuilding Corp. in Camden,
New Jersey, during World War II.
She was also Michelle’s great-
grandmother.
Michelle has faint memories of
Hindsley, who died when Michelle was
8 years old. She describes Hindsley as
an eccentric, self-sufficient lady and
remembers her constructing a treasured
dollhouse featuring electricity. Over the
years, Michelle learned that Hindsley
was once a welder, but the significance
MAJOR
of that endeavor didn’t resonate until her
museum trip.
“I was like, ‘Wow. She was one of
the first lady welders!’” Michelle said.
“She was a Rosie the Riveter. It’s neat to
have that in your background. Seeing
that display got me more excited about
welding.”
wanted to do with metal. You really need personnel sealed the decision. “They Her lack of welding expertise added
to know how to work with metal to do were really enthusiastic about me coming to that excitement during the first weeks
anything creative with it.” here,” she said. of school.
Unfortunately, Michelle didn’t. Her “Enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm. “I didn’t know it involved electricity. I
soldering experience didn’t cut it. Neither Hannah was very excited and focused didn’t know there were several different
did reading a book about welding. on her desire to come into the welding processes,” Michelle said with a laugh. “I
“I had all these ideas that I didn’t program, and with her artistic and didn’t know there were robots that could
know how to implement,” she said. “I creative background, it seemed like a weld! I love learning, so it was exciting to
didn’t have enough knowledge. I was like, natural fit,” recalled David R. Cotner, have all this information coming at me.”
‘I should go to school again.’” dean of the School of Industrial, Michelle learned well. She established
She knew of Penn College because her Computing & Engineering Technologies. herself as a Dean’s List student and
late brother, Shaun, graduated from the excelled in the welding lab, conquering
school in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree Cross-Generational Connection stick and oxy-fuel welding before moving
in computer information technology. A A trip to the Independence Seaport on to TIG, flux-cored and robotic
Google search for “welding programs” Museum in Philadelphia buttressed welding.
encouraged her to experience the Michelle’s decision to develop welding “Being able to use my hands was great,
institution for herself. skills. While she enjoyed the museum as was learning the theory behind how
Touring the welding facility and dedicated to maritime history, one metal works and how different metals
interacting with School of Industrial, display, in particular, attracted her are welded,” Michelle said. “The theory
Computing & Engineering Technologies undivided attention. The glass case was harder for me to grasp, but the actual »
Fall 2015 7
Using the tools of the welding lab – an oxy-acetylene cutting torch - Hannah Michelle cuts a steel plate.
physical welding came naturally. I love to one degree after committing to the known to daub various colors, creating a
everything about it: the sound, the smell, welding and fabrication engineering fun mess.
the way it looks through your hood!” technology major rather than the two- Like her physical traits, the link
The nontraditional nature of the year welding technology program. The between art and welding is both hidden
major didn’t faze her. Michelle grew up extra time required for the bachelor’s and pronounced.
around four brothers, so being one of degree presented the opportunity to also “All welders have some artistic ability
just a dozen females working alongside seek the associate degree in studio arts. to an extent because we create,” said
guys in the welding program came “If I’m going to be here for a couple Ryan P. Good, instructor of welding and
naturally. Plus, she could always draw more years getting an engineering Michelle’s industrial processes teacher.
upon the legacy of “Gravel Gertie” for degree, I decided I would really like to “There is nothing more satisfying to a
encouragement. take some art classes,” she said. “And if welder than enjoying the attributes of
“My great-grandmother being an I’m taking art classes, it might as well go a perfectly rippled and contoured weld
created from our own hand.”
Welders can express more than
“All welders have some artistic
technical precision by virtue of their
creative ability, according to Cotner,
who in addition to being a dean is a
ability because we create.” certified welding instructor with more
than 20 years’ experience in the field. He
believes creative instincts can produce
overall badass lady really inspired me to toward something.” an enriching experience for welders and
embrace and further gender equality,” Michelle’s trademarks are an positive result for their projects.
Michelle said. “I like mentioning her infectious smile and a rattail dread that “Welding and fabrication often allow
to people, especially when it comes to extends her “wild” red hair halfway for a great deal of creativity and self-
welding, because I think it highlights down her slender frame. The smile and expression,” he said. “Those who are
what women can do when they need to or rattail are hidden in the welding lab, more expressive by nature are generally
want to and that women are not limited safely camouflaged by her helmet. In willing to challenge the norm and offer
to certain professions.” the painting studio, the smile brightens dynamic outcomes to static situations.
Michelle decided not to limit herself the room while the rattail’s tip has been The more creative approach may allow
8 One College Avenuefor cost or time savings that may not have As she juggles her studies with a full- Michelle hopes the legacy she is
been otherwise attempted.” time job cooking at the Bullfrog Brewery establishing at the college will encourage
Michelle’s painting teacher, Robert F. in Williamsport, Michelle expects to be greater interaction between welding and
Pierce, an adjunct instructor of advertising on campus for a few more years. But she is art students and their curriculums. She
art, doesn’t consider welding to be art but envisioning her post-graduation life. said the welders would benefit from the
appreciates its potential as a medium of “I would like to work in the engineering sharpened dexterity and self-expression
artistic expression. “Welding has been used field, working for some sort of renewable resulting from art courses. As for the art
to create art for as long as it has existed,” he energy company,” she said. “I would really students, she believes a simple walk across
said. “In general, an artist can create with like to develop ideas. The metallurgical campus would leave an impact.
whatever tool is placed in his hands. He side of welding engineering is very “The art students would benefit from
just needs to develop a level of competency interesting to me.” even just seeing the welding lab and
with the medium; then expression flows.” But art will not be an afterthought. understanding that you can work with
Michelle is proof of that. For one class “I could see myself doing the things other than a pencil or paint brush,”
experiment, she wove metal in a flat sheet, engineering thing, saving a bunch of Michelle said.
bent it around a pipe, welded the seams and money and opening an art studio and But she advises them not to visit
curled all the ends. The result was a “super teaching,” she said. in white pants and their bare feet. After all,
heavy lampshade.” Outside of class, she No matter the route she chooses, Good, “Gravel Gertie” wouldn’t approve. ■
created three of the 78 “Student Bodies” her welding instructor, believes the result
sculptures that line the campus mall. will be the same: Michelle will prosper. “I
The abstract human forms were welded believe that, adequately motivated, there
from scrap metal. Michelle’s contribution isn’t anything that this young lady can’t
includes a proportional self-portrait that accomplish,” he said. “It is really just up
even mimics her hair with braided pieces to Hannah if she is willing to share her
of metal. talents with industry or take an artistic
“Everybody in the welding department entrepreneurial route. Whichever she
has taught me so much, and I’ve been chooses, I have no doubt that she will be
very happy with my art classes,” Michelle successful.”
said. “The best thing about this school
is the teachers. We have some really cool
equipment and toys, but what’s really kept
me here is the teachers.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF INDEPENDENCE SEAPORT MUSEUM
Hannah Michelle’s great-grandmother Marie
Hindsley was a tacker in the turret shop at New
York Shipbuilding Corp. during World War II, mainly
working in areas that required a skillful touch.
Hindsley’s welding rods – and some of her other
equipment – are displayed at the Independence
Seaport Museum in Philadelphia.
Fall 2015 9Bread Baking’s
Instructor advances to final three in pursuit of ‘world cup’ team
by Jennifer A. Cline, writer/editor-One College Avenue
Over 15 months, Chef Charles R. Niedermyer baked,
tweaked and perfected six original breakfast pastry recipes (plus the
centuries-old European classic croissant and chocolate croissant).
During nine hours of competition, he meticulously prepared samples
and showpieces for each of his recipes: 159 pieces in total, each
carefully prepared within 10 grams of one another, their garnishes
placed with precision.
Judges watched. They timed. They weighed each piece. They
critiqued each product’s look, texture and taste. Over a series of events,
they advanced Niedermyer to the final three U.S. bakers vying for the
Web Extra
Watch a video of Neidermyer’s “viennoiserie” position on Team USA at the Coupe du Monde de la
contest preparation Boulangerie in 2016.
at oca.pct.edu/bb
The Coupe du Monde is, in essence, the “world cup of bread
baking.” Held every four years in Villepinte, France, only nine teams
from across the globe are accepted. Each nation is represented by three
bakers, each taking on a specialty: viennoiserie (the classical term for
10 One College AvenueUsing tweezers for precision, Chef Charles R. Niedermyer places
strawberry slices atop an elegant breakfast pastry inspired by
peanut butter and jelly. At left, contestants were required to show
their skill in preparing perfect croissants.
“Every day,
he is
teaching them
what needs to
be done
to be at
Best
THE TOP
of your
field.”
breakfast pastry), baguette & specialty breads, or “They’re watching what it takes to be as
artistic design. good as you would have to be to make that
Niedermyer is a 2000 graduate of Penn College’s baking and team,” said Gerri F. Luke, dean of the college’s School of Business
pastry arts major and, after several years in industry, is a member & Hospitality. “Every day, he is teaching them what needs to be
of its faculty. done to be at the top of your field.”
Given the theme for Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie – During December’s first-round competition, Niedermyer’s
“Your country’s emblem through bread” – Niedermyer played work impressed the judges, and he advanced with two others to the
with uniquely American flavors: peanut butter and jelly, pineapple finals in March.
upside-down cake, caramel apples and red velvet cake. “I make the same products time and time again, tweaking them
Striving to create pastries like judges had never seen, he slowly,” Neidermyer said. “It’s not magic, and it’s not luck.”
submitted the recipes – along with product photos, resumé and Following the finals, Niedermyer received positive feedback
answers to essay questions – to the Bread Bakers Guild of America, from the judges, and – though not selected for Team USA 2016 –
which sponsors Team USA. His concept was a winner: The guild he hopes to compete for a spot on the 2020 team.
announced a few months later that Niedermyer was among seven “My driving force is: I want to be better at my craft,”
selected to compete for the viennoiserie position on the 2016 team. Niedermyer said. “And I’ll bring this all back to my teaching.” ■
He spent the next several months preparing for the first round,
– Additional reporting by Tom Speicher, writer/video editor
finding time before classes and after, and pulling students into the
experience. He exposed them to new flavors and new techniques.
Fall 2015 11Clean Water to Go by Tom Speicher, writer/video editor
Graduate’s plastics know-how helps take weight off the shoulders of women in rural India
The young woman walks briskly.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JASON GROSS
Bright traditional garb protects all but her face and forearms
from the unforgiving sun. Her right hand gently stabilizes the
metal pot resting on her head.
Nonchalantly, her hand returns to her side as she maintains
an impressive pace. The pot balances atop her head despite just
a thin pair of sandals separating her from the uneven, brown
terrain. She still has a few miles to navigate before returning
home.
Her burden is daily, as is the need. The heavy pot is filled with
a couple gallons of life-sustaining water for the woman and her
family.
That scene is repeated countless times every day throughout
rural India and the developing world. Scarcity forces women to
make multiple trips by foot to safe sources of water. The time-
Jason C. Gross
consuming obligation shrinks their opportunities for educational
and work pursuits, and its arduous nature results in a variety of
“To be part of something that physical ailments. Women spend approximately a third of their
day with weight equivalent to a stuffed airline carry-on bag atop
truly can change the world their head.
was something that excited Thanks in part to a Pennsylvania College of Technology
graduate, that harsh reality is changing. Water collection remains
and intrigued me from the “women’s work” in that part of the world, but weight has been
day I heard about it.” lifted off their shoulders, literally.
Rather than adjust a pot on their head, they grasp a thin steel
bar at their waist. The bar extends to an axle supporting a plastic
drum, containing nearly a dozen gallons of fresh water. The
Web Extra
Watch a WaterWheel video drum doubles as a wheel that they can comfortably push or pull.
at oca.pct.edu/cw Known as the WaterWheel, the innovation is helping to quench
the thirst of a nation.
12 One College AvenuePHOTO COURTESY OF WELLO
The WaterWheel 2.5, pushed by the woman on the right,
moves the burden of fetching fresh water from women’s
heads to a rolling water tank.
Jason C. Gross smiles at that thought. The skills and an electrician. Aunts, uncles and cousins engage in a variety of
expertise he developed at Penn College as a plastics and polymer engineering disciplines.
engineering technology student are enhancing lives 7,000 miles Jason, in particular, has been a proficient “tinkerer” since
from his Williston, Vermont, home. His handiwork is facilitating childhood. He considered mechanical and electrical engineering
access to clean water, reducing water-collection time and as possible careers, but decided those fields were too broad for his
improving the health of women, who no longer have to rely on taste. Constantly breaking the plastic binding on his snowboard
head loading as the sole means to transport water. pointed Jason in a different direction.
“As soon as I heard about the concept, it was one of those things “I thought there had to be a better way to make the binding,
where I said, ‘Wow. I can’t believe nobody has done that.’ To be and about the same time, I came across the option for a plastics
part of something that truly can change the world was something degree,” he said. “I looked at programs around the country.”
that excited and intrigued me from the day I heard about it,” said He chose Penn College, home to one of just five plastics
Gross, 32. programs accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation
The 2005 graduate heard about the WaterWheel initiative from Commission of ABET. A Dean’s List student, Jason earned a
his younger brother and fellow Penn College alumnus, Matthew bachelor’s degree in plastics and polymer engineering technology
L. Gross. Owner of a technical consulting firm, 144 Innovations and also engaged in research and development for the college’s
in Boulder, Colorado, Matthew serves as the chief materials and renowned Plastics Manufacturing Center, now known as the
processing engineer adviser for Jibu, an organization dedicated to Plastics Innovation & Resource Center.
combatting the water crisis in East Africa. His work for Jibu led to “What I did for the WaterWheel probably touched on 80
an inquiry from Wello, a nonprofit focused on improving access percent of my education,” Jason said. “It involved plastics
to safe water throughout India. Wello sought Matthew’s input to processing, mold design, material selection testing, and
upgrade the initial version of its WaterWheel, released in 2013. engineering economics. It was similar to a capstone project in how
Overloaded with other projects and commitments, the 2006 you had to put everything all together.”
Penn College graduate engineered a simple solution. “It just There were many “pieces” to put together for WaterWheel 2.5.
dawned on me that this would be a great project to get Jason Wello wanted to shift from a rotational-molded product to a blow-
involved in if I could,” said Matthew, 29. “I never doubted once molded design in order to increase production output and reduce
that it wasn’t going to be successful. I knew Jason wouldn’t run into costs.
anything that he wouldn’t be able to fix or solve.” “Rotational molding is a very time-consuming process,”
The decision to subcontract the project to his brother was explained Kirk M. Cantor, professor of plastics and polymer
an easy one. Technical savvy and problem solving are in the technology. “Powdered plastic is tumbled in a heated, hollow mold
Grosses’ genes. Their mother is an engineer, and their father is and eventually coats the inside surface of the mold. Building up »
Fall 2015 13PHOTO COURTESY OF JASON GROSS
Both intrigued by the plastics
employed in their outdoor activities,
Matthew Gross, right, followed
brother and best friend Jason by
studying plastics at Penn College.
Recently, Matthew employed his
brother’s plastics expertise as
subcontractor for the WaterWheel.
the wall thickness of the product and cooling it down to remove it founder and CEO of Wello. “He educated the Wello team about
from the mold can take up to an hour in some cases. manufacturing best practices and container manufacturing,
“In blow molding, a hollow mold closes around a tube of molten material choices and quality control. We couldn’t have done this
plastic, and compressed air inflates the tube within the mold to without him!”
acquire the designed shape and cool the product. The process can WaterWheel 2.5 features several improvements. A small, flat
take just a matter of seconds.” opening on the drum has been replaced with a larger, angled one
Jason led the successful conversion to a blow-molded to facilitate pouring and cleaning. Sturdier, ergonomic handles
WaterWheel in less than a year, despite working full time as a make it easier to grasp the drum, which is made of food-grade,
packaging equipment engineer for Keurig Green Mountain Inc., human-safe, high-density polyethylene. The new WaterWheel is
famous for its personal beverage system. more durable, yet half the weight of the initial version.
“I worked on it on a weekly basis. I didn’t keep track of the “The Wello team spent countless hours in the field with the
hours,” he laughs. first WaterWheel to hear it from the end user, the people who are
“I just made the time to be able to support the project.” going to need it every day, to make sure it’s actually something we
Since India is 9 1/2 hours ahead of Vermont, Jason devoted many want to do,” Jason said. “These were well-vetted changes. Cynthia
predawn hours to communicating with the Indian blow-molding and the Wello team did a good job challenging us to make sure we
manufacturer for the new version of the WaterWheel. “Between could get a sustainable and functional product.”
language barriers, communication gaps, understanding their Wello ordered 1,000 WaterWheel 2.5s for release in January.
process ability, it took some time to come to an understanding,” he The organization teams with other nonprofits and charity groups
said. to sell the device for $20 to villagers in Rajasthan, which is the
“He not only had to deal with the challenges associated with largest state by area in India.
the communication barrier but also the technological barrier of The majority of India’s 1.2 billion people live in rural areas.
a Second- or Third-World company manufacturing it,” Matthew While the country contains more than 17 percent of the world’s
said. “They might not have the tools we are used to, the computer population, it only has 4 percent of Earth’s fresh water supply.
programs that typically make something very easy to do. That can According to the World Health Organization, 97 million Indians
make a small task much more complicated.” (equivalent to two-and-a-half times the population of California)
By employing Skype, videoconferencing, and PowerPoints with lack access to safe water. The WHO estimates that less than a
lots of pictures and arrows to aid understanding, Jason succeeded. quarter of Indian households have a piped-water connection.
“Jason advised Wello through every step of the design- “I told Jason in the beginning that I always think I learn
to-manufacture process, liaising with our manufacturer and more from working on these projects than what I am able to
mold maker to troubleshoot problems,” said Cynthia Koenig, give,” Matthew said. “You realize you’re not Superman with a
14 One College Avenuecape coming in to solve a simple problem. It’s an extremely
complex problem.”
Typical water Matthew offering Jason the opportunity to address that
problem through plastics technology brought the Gross
use at home brothers full circle. More than a decade ago, it was Jason who
opened Matthew’s eyes to the possibility of a plastics career.
“He is pretty much the reason I ended up at Penn College
for plastics,” said Matthew, who graduated from high school
A full bath: without firm plans. “I went to Penn State York for a semester
36 gallons to play soccer. During that semester, I excelled at math,
science and chemistry and saw my brother getting great
Shower: internships and job offers at Penn College. I realized what he
2-2.5 gallons per minute had going on there was a really good thing, and I followed in
his footsteps.”
Timothy E. Weston, who developed the Penn College
Hands/face washing: plastics program and serves as an associate professor and
1 gallon
department head, is glad he did.
“Jason and Matt both came to Penn College with a strong
Dishwasher: work ethic and a desire to be successful,” Weston said. “We
20 gallons per load simply provided the opportunity and means to achieve their
life goals. If you have the desire to succeed and the work ethic
Clothes washer: to make it happen, Penn College provides the opportunities
25 gallons per load for newer washers for success.”
After Penn College, the brothers and “best friends” went
Toilets: their separate ways. Jason worked as a project development
1.2-1.6 gallons per flush for newer toilets engineer at Graham Packaging for a decade before joining
Keurig Green Mountain three years ago. Matthew earned
– U.S. Geological Survey bachelor’s and master’s degrees in materials science and
engineering at Penn State. He served as a materials and
Calculator to determine how much water process engineer for Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
you use at home and tips to use less: prior to forming his consulting firm two years ago. Matthew
received Penn College’s Alumni Achievement Award in 2012.
www.home-water-works.org/calculator
“The WaterWheel was a great project that got us in
contact more often and allowed us to work technically
together, which was really fun,” Matthew said.
More importantly, the collaboration has resulted in a
sanitary, convenient means for the women of rural India
to access wells, hand pumps, water tanker trucks and
other sources of safe water. The 11.8-gallon capacity of
WaterWheel 2.5 (approximately three times the amount
Did you know? of water in a typical head-loading pot) and ease of use cuts
water collection time in half, which increases time for family,
Waterborne illnesses are a leading cause of death for children
employment and education.
under the age of 5, killing 1,000 every day. WaterWheel 2.5 is enriching lives by reducing a heavy
burden, one family at a time.
– UNICEF
That reality encourages Jason to do more. He’s starting
While water covers approximately 70 percent of Earth, less his own consulting business to support growth in developing
than 3 percent is fresh water, and only about 1 percent of the nations where great ideas may exist but technical know-how
world’s fresh water is accessible for direct human use. is lacking.
– U.S. Geological Survey “You grow personally and at the end of the day maybe
create something no one thought was possible,” he said.
One in nine people lack access to safe water. That’s 750 million people Like a wheel transporting clean water. ■
worldwide (more than twice the population of the United States).
– World Health Organization
ALUMNI, share your story at oca.pct.edu/cn.
Fall 2015 15Building
the New
Alumna is project manager
for long-awaited
roadway improvement
Maggie (Powers) Jackson, ’08, is project manager for a $669 million
construction project that will result in a limited-access highway
that stretches from the current freeway end on Route 15 north of
Selinsgrove to the four-lane section of Route 147 south of Montandon.
16 One College Avenuecontains 24 intersections, nine traffic signals and
101 driveways that lead to homes, restaurants and
retailers of every sort.
It provides a challenge not only to through
traffic, but to local drivers, as well, who apply extra
caution as they turn on and off of the route.
A bypass that would separate the two types of
traffic has been the dream of community members
“I have no
by Jennifer A. Cline,
for decades. This fall, when ground is broken for doubt that
a bridge across the Susquehanna River’s West
writer/editor-One College Avenue
Branch, construction for the bypass will officially the planned
get underway.
thruway will
U.S. ROUTE 15 Overseeing it is Maggie (Powers) Jackson,
a 2008 Pennsylvania College of Technology provide for
is the only major north-south route through graduate with a bachelor’s degree in civil
central Pennsylvania. engineering technology. Jackson is managing a safer
That means, when the divided highway leading the $669 million Central Susquehanna Valley
north from Harrisburg ends, and the route tracks Transportation Project for the Pennsylvania interstate
through a bustling business district, drivers have
little choice but to adjust their freeway-driving
Department of Transportation.
“Getting construction moving will most
system.”
mode and call to let loved ones know: “I’m stuck likely feel surreal and slightly overwhelming,”
on ‘the strip’ in Shamokin Dam.” said Jackson, who said it has taken decades of
Every day, as many as 40,000 vehicles travel resilience, determination and hard work to move
Route 15 – conjoined with Route 11 – through the project forward, not only within PennDOT,
Hummels Wharf and Shamokin Dam, about an but many supporting agencies, consulting firms
hour south of Williamsport. The 4.5-mile “strip” and the public. »
Central Susquehanna Valley Transportation Project Overview
PHOTO COURTESY OF PENN DOT
Fall 2015 17“After 40 years of false starts, the CSVT will population in the Central Susquehanna Valley
soon become a reality,” said Pennsylvania Sen. has continued to grow, increasing congestion in
Gene Yaw, who is chairman of Penn College’s the area and prompting continued petitions from
board of directors. “This is a smart, strategic the public.
transportation investment in our region that In the mid-1990s, PennDOT was given
will create hundreds of jobs and bring relief to permission to study the area. In 2003, an
thousands of motorists traveling daily along environmental impact statement for the project
US 11/15. As one of those motorists, I have no was approved. And then it awaited funding.
doubt that the planned thruway will provide It remained, dormant, on state and federal
for a safer interstate system by relieving traffic transportation improvement programs until 2013,
congestion, improving the flow of goods and when Pennsylvania legislators approved the
services throughout the region, and benefiting the Act 89 Transportation Bill. With funding in
environment by reducing auto emissions.” place, PennDOT wasted no time in moving the
“The alignment, as we know it today, has been project forward, tapping Jackson as the 13-mile
in development since the mid-’90s,” Jackson project’s manager.
Groundbreaking for a bridge
explained. “However, the idea to improve The “PM” role calls on a diverse set of abilities,
that will cross the Susquehanna
River’s West Branch near Winfield the transportation system within the Central David J. Fedor, a Penn College instructor of civil
is expected in October. The Susquehanna Valley started as early as the ’60s.” engineering technology and a former PennDOT
bridge represents the first of While a bypass stretching from the community engineer, explained.
seven contracts that, by 2024,
will complete a 13-mile bypass to
of Selinsgrove to Shamokin Dam was designed “In addition to the engineering skills needed,
ease traffic congestion along U.S. in the early 1970s, only the Selinsgrove portion managing any-size project requires foresight,
Route 15 north of Selinsgrove. was completed by 1977. In the decades since, the prioritization, time-management, mediation,
Construction timeline:
NORTHERN SECTION SOUTHERN SECTION
(connects PA 147 south of Montandon (connects US 15 south of Winfield
to US Route 15 south of Winfield) to US 11/15 north of Selinsgrove)
August 2015-July 2020: July 2019-June 2022:
River bridge construction Earthwork construction
August 2016-December 2020: July 2020-June 2023:
Earthwork construction and construction Structures construction
PHOTO COURTESY OF PENN DOT
of “non-river” structures July 2022-June 2024:
January 2020-December 2021: Pavement construction
Pavement construction January 2023-December 2024:
PA Route 61 connector construction
18 One College AvenueIn-Demand
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor
Statistics predicts that employment for civil engineers
is projected to grow faster than the average for all
occupations, citing an aging infrastructure (that is,
roadways, water pipes, railway systems and the like)
and a growing population that will need new water
systems and more waste-treatment plants.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PENN DOT
A limited-access bypass stretching from the community of Selinsgrove to Shamokin
Dam was designed in the early 1970s, but only the Selinsgrove portion was
completed. The new bypass will connect to the existing “stub.”
communication, record-keeping and decision- crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
making skills, to name a few,” he said. “For a Called an engineering triumph, the 4.3-mile
project like CSVT that involves a large river bridge, bridge was the world’s largest continuous steel
multilane highways and substantial right-of-way structure over water when it opened in 1952.
acquisitions, these skills need to be applied to solve “As a young child, it was exciting to cross over
numerous complex problems at a faster pace than a the bay and see the boats below,” Jackson said.
typical project.” “As I got older, I became more interested in the
Jackson began working for PennDOT five years architectural components, and later, I was curious
ago as a civil engineer in training. In that role, she how the bridge was able to stay up and service the
gained experience in various departments. Most large amount of traffic.”
recently she had been a bridge engineer. Only when she was in college did she realize her
She was encouraged by colleagues in fascination could become a career path.
PennDOT’s District 3-0 office in Montoursville Jackson had taken her father’s advice to all four
to seek the manager role for CSVT and is of his children – who he recognized had strong
quick to point to the help she receives from her math and science skills – by starting her college
supervisor, her assistant project manager and other career in a technical major. (Her father reasoned
departments. that if his children decided to change majors, it
“I have a good, core group who supports me,” would go more smoothly if they had already taken
the 29-year-old said. the higher math and science courses required
With the project back in motion, the first steps of technical studies.) She enrolled in electrical
have included a re-evaluation of the previously engineering at Penn State.
approved environmental impact statement and But she quickly realized it was not the best fit.
making good on the department’s promise to the With encouragement from her father, who
public that, with money in place, it would deliver reminded her of her childhood interest, and her
the bridge contract by August 2015 and have the boyfriend, now husband, Justin, a 2006 Penn
entire project completed by 2024. College graduate who was already enrolled in its
“It has been a challenge to pick back up where civil engineering technology major, she changed
progress was left off after shelving for extensive campuses and courses of study. (Justin is a project
time periods, especially on a condensed schedule,” manager for McTish, Kunkel & Associates.)
Jackson said. As a Penn College student, Jackson was further
It is appropriate for Jackson that the first piece guided by supportive civil engineering technology
of construction for the project is a bridge. As a faculty, who included since-retired associate
child, each time she packed up with her parents professors Jo Ann Stephens and William Sprinsky,
and three older brothers for the five-hour trip to who died in 2008.
her grandparents’ house in Maryland, she had a Stephens, who taught all of Jackson’s
single request: that her father wake her before they “structural” classes, was always happy to answer »
Fall 2015 19questions and provided career guidance, (That’s as tall as 10 average-size giraffes.) “This project requires what you
Jackson said. It will require roughly 50,000 cubic might call ‘all hands on-deck,’” she said.
“Maggie was an outstanding student,” yards of concrete – enough to fill about “There are also many consulting firms
Stephens recalls. “She was a great team 15 Olympic-size swimming pools – and contributing to the design of the project,
member – both in leading the team and in 20,000 tons of steel – equal to the weight of each with its own project manager.”
being sure that everyone on the team was 133 blue whales. “It’s the project manager’s responsibility
not only involved but doing their part.” When complete, the new four-lane, to make sure that all of these parties are
Sprinsky, Jackson said, taught “in his limited-access highway will extend nearly delivering their contributions on time
own manner.” She said her first encounter 13 miles from the existing Selinsgrove and to be the conduit of information flow
with the Army Corps of Engineers veteran Bypass in Snyder County north to the between them,” Penn College’s Fedor
nearly brought her to tears. interchange between PA Route 147 explained. “The project manager has to be
“He had high expectations and made it and PA Route 45 in Northumberland the liaison between all these parties and,
known,” she said. County, where 147 becomes a four-lane more or less, keep a bunch of people that
But she adapted to his teaching style divided highway and eventually joins with may have competing interests working
and learned to meet his rigorous standards. Interstate 180. toward the same goal.”
“When it came time for me to apply for But how does a $669 million Jackson said the task requires many
my first job, I asked if I could use him as a construction project get from A to B? Via meetings among those involved in order for
reference,” she said. “He looked up from 150 public meetings. Via environmental efficient and effective progress to continue.
his desk and very matter-of-factly told me: studies that detail potential impacts to Still, she said, one of the most
‘Yes, ma’am, because I’m impressed.’ wildlife, water, air, soil and personal challenging balancing acts has been
“That’s all he had to say. I finally felt his property. Via permitting and collaboration learning to juggle her dual positions of
acceptance.” (And she landed the job.) with such agencies as the state Department project manager and mom.
As Jackson progressed through her of Environmental Protection, Federal “It sounds very cliché, but it’s very true,”
studies, her interest in bridges continued Emergency Management Agency and the mother of two preschoolers said.
to evolve. the Federal Highway Administration, “My professional career at PennDOT
“I started to gain an understanding in addition to municipal governments, requires dedication, especially with this
of how bridges need to be designed to homeowners groups, historical societies project and my responsibilities, but it has
withstand not only their own weight and chambers of commerce. All were been a very rewarding opportunity that
(i.e., dead load), but to withstand other painstakingly analyzed in determining the I’m not taking for granted. But at the same
loads, such as traffic, wind and seismic, route the new bypass will take. time, I keep it in perspective to my other
to name a few. … Not only did I view “Coordination between local, state priorities. My regular day starts and ends
bridges as interesting from an architectural and federal agencies for environmental with making sure my family has everything
standpoint, but now I would think about permitting and other necessary clearances they need.”
how all the different forces acted on the can be demanding and challenging at In between, her daily work is to
bridge and how it resisted them.” times,” Jackson said. keep the Central Susquehanna Valley
While not as unique as the Chesapeake Also a challenge is the complexity of Transportation Project on schedule, on
Bay Bridge, the bridge that will cross the the project, which includes “just about budget and safe, ultimately helping to keep
Susquehanna River has its own set of every civil design and engineering element Pennsylvania’s roadways safe for tens of
intriguing features. To be built in Winfield associated with PennDOT roadway and thousands of other families. ■
(just south of Lewisburg), the 4,545-foot bridge construction,” Jackson explained.
structure will be supported by piers that In fact, nearly every department at ALUMNI, share your story at oca.pct.edu/cn.
range from 60 feet to 180 feet in height. PennDOT District 3-0 provides assistance.
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