Still Life

A moment of levity: Penn State Lehigh Valley graduates celebrated with the Nittany Lion after commencement ceremonies, held May 5 at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pa.

Commencement across Penn State: Spring 2012

New graduates of Penn State's Eberly College of Science listened to the commencement address provided by United States Secretary of Energy Steven Chu during spring 2012 graduation ceremonies held May 5 at the Bryce Jordan Center on the University Park campus.

Spring commencement 2012 under way

A Moroccan farmer taught Penn State students about the properties of vetiver grass, including its ability to clean wastewater. The grass could be used as part of a solution to water-quality problems being experienced in Assoul, Morocco, where students spent time recently.

Penn State, Moroccan students problem-solve together

Anjelica Fortunato, left, and Jeffrey Lu reviewed for their Anatomy 129 final exam on May 1 on the HUB-Robeson Center Lawn on Penn State's University Park campus. Penn State students are preparing for and taking final exams throughout the week as spring semester 2012 comes to a close.

Finals Week Spring Semester 2012

Denae Taylor, right, tried on some electrical-safety gear with the help of Joe Dinardo, Supervisor of Facilty Resources at Penn State, during Penn State's annual Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day on April 26. Denae is the granddaughter of Penn State Outreach employee Betty Lose, and attends Bellefonte Middle School.

Children explore career options at University Park

Featured Video

Painting the Lines at Beaver Stadium

Painting the Lines at Beaver Stadium

Did They Get It Right? - RedTails

Did They Get It Right? - RedTails

Iconic Penn State elm taken down over spring break 2012

Iconic Penn State elm taken down over spring break 2012

We ... are Penn State (December 19, 2011)

We ... are Penn State (December 19, 2011)

Disease stricken matching elm tree slated for removal

Disease stricken matching elm tree slated for removal

Penn State's creamery, from the cow to the cone

Penn State's creamery, from the cow to the cone

Rube Goldberg MachineRube Goldberg Machine Feed

Video: Rube Goldberg Machine Contest honors making the simple complex

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

A Pulitzer Prize winning artist and cartoonist, Rube Goldberg was best known for his "invention" cartoons depicting overly complex devices that perform everyday tasks. In the words of Goldberg, his machines were "a symbol of man's capacity for exerting maximum effort to achieve minimal results." At Penn State's fifth annual "Rube Goldberg Machine contest", four teams of students presented contraptions that captured the spirit of Goldberg's art. Each machine -- required to dispense an appropriate amount of hand sanitizer into a hand in 20 or more steps --was judged by a panel of Penn State engineering alumni on theme, flow, success ratio and creativity. This year's winner -- an Indiana Jones-inspired concept by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) team-- moves on to Purdue University for the national competition. (more)