Still Life
Commencement across Penn State: Spring 2012
Spring commencement 2012 under way
Penn State, Moroccan students problem-solve together
Finals Week Spring Semester 2012
Children explore career options at University Park
Painting the Lines at Beaver Stadium
Did They Get It Right? - RedTails
Iconic Penn State elm taken down over spring break 2012
We ... are Penn State (December 19, 2011)
Disease stricken matching elm tree slated for removal
Penn State's creamery, from the cow to the cone
Approximately 12,987 students University-wide will receive diplomas this weekend as commencement gets under way University-wide. That figure includes 609 associate, 10,491 baccalaureate, 1,311 master's, 131 medical, 219 law and 226 doctoral degrees. At University Park, ceremonies began on Friday afternoon, May 4, with the ROTC commissioning ceremony and the Schreyer Honors College medal ceremony. The first commencement ceremony was held at 8 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center for roughly 1,020 students graduating from the College of Engineering. Commencement photos from University Park can be seen at http://live.psu.edu/flickrset/72157629603784402 online. Photos from ceremonies at other campuses can be found at http://live.psu.edu/flickrset/72157629989412357 online. (more)
While millennials often "friend" organizational Facebook pages, recent research finds they rarely return after that first visit. That's what research by Marcia DiStaso, an assistant professor of public relations in the College of Communications at Penn State, Tina McCorkindale, an assistant professor of communications at Appalachian State University, and Hillary Fussell Sisco, an assistant professor of public relations in the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University found. The results of their work were presented during the International Public Relations Research Conference. (more)
On the first Earth Day in 1970, Frisbees hovered over the HUB lawn as students wearing bell-bottom pants and tie-dyed shirts gathered to celebrate nature. April 22 marks 42 years since the first Earth Day was observed; at Penn State, the Frisbees remain, but everything else has changed. (more)
"You are going to need to be able to face adversity. You'll experience challenges in life, times when it feels like boulders are going to crush you, but if you can be grateful for it, you might be able to turn it into the best thing in your life. Decide whether your trauma will be a tragedy or a triumph."
-- Aron Ralston, author, climber and outdoorsman who inspired the film "127 Hours," on how the worst thing that happened to him -- spending five days with his right hand pinned between a boulder and canyon wall before having to amputate it -- was also one of the best things to happen to him too. (more)
Penn State's expenditures on research and development totaled about $804 million for the year ending June 30, 2011, up 3 percent from the previous year, noted Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School Henry C. Foley in a report to the University's Board of Trustees today (Sept. 9). (more)
Those traveling across Pennsylvania and possibly to University Park today (Sept. 8) and in coming days should use caution and check local roadway advisories often. While Centre County was spared the worst of Tropical Storm Lee, much of eastern Pennsylvania is getting hit with heavy rains and reported flooding. Employees and students who travel should use their own best judgment and put personal safety first. (more)
Jeff Garis, a Pennsylvania licensed psychologist who has worked in career services in higher education for almost 40 years, has returned to his alma mater as director of Penn State Career Services. Garis replaces Jack Rayman, who retired last December. "Jeff's extraordinary knowledge about career service functions combines with a truly collaborative style to make him the ideal leader for our Career Services," said Damon Sims, Penn State vice president for Student Affairs. "He has a national reputation and connections across all of higher education, as well as the corporate community, so he's well equipped to operate at the level of Penn State's longstanding exemplary career development and placement activities." (more)
The recent recession, The Learning Channel's reality show "Extreme Couponing" and the popularity of coupon sites like Living Social and Groupon have inspired more and more people to clip coupons. While coupons can sometimes just be a click of the mouse online, it can also take time to search through local papers, cut, paste and find the store with the right product. Tulay Girard, assistant professor of marketing, business and engineering at Penn State Altoona, studied consumer online shopping behavior and shopping orientations during her doctoral program and is an expert in the cultural habits of shopping and buying behavior. Girard talks about the overall worth of couponing. (more)
Tracking their dinner may be the best way to help North Atlantic right whales in Cape Cod Bay avoid being hit by recreational and commercial boats, according to a team of researchers who studied the whales for two years. "Auto-detection buoys are making a remarkable attempt at recording the whale sounds to show when whales are in the area," said Susan Parks, assistant professor of acoustics and ecology and senior research associate, Penn State Applied Research Laboratory. "But North Atlantic right whales don't make call sounds when they are eating, so they don't show the whales when they are feeding." (more)
Thinking small and local, not big and global, may help communities ignite long-term economic growth, according to Penn State economists. Small, locally owned businesses and start-ups tend to generate higher incomes for people in a community than big, non-local firms, which actually can depress local economies, said Stephan Goetz, professor of agricultural and regional economics at Penn State. (more)
