Dean's Community Message

March 15, 2020

Dear College of Engineering Community,

I have included some updates and new information below. As a reminder, also continue to refer to the University’s informational site and the College of Engineering resources site, both of which will be updated regularly.

If you have unanswered questions, or simply need clarification on a policy, please email L-COE_CORONA_CRISIS_TEAM@engr.psu.edu. Please note that we often receive the same or similar questions more than once. If you do not receive an immediate, individualized response, it is likely that we are working to provide the best, most up-to-date information and will plan to do so whenever possible in my daily emails.

International Students

We understand that many international students are being instructed by their home countries to return to the home country during this period of remote delivery. This has generated many questions. Penn State leadership is working on a response for these situations, and it will be shared as soon as it is available. In the interim, we encourage you to fully participate in your remote-learning environments before you leave so the University can provide you the best support possible.

Facilities Access for Undergraduates

For the safety of everyone, all undergraduate in-person access to studios, teaching labs, and other project spaces is prohibited until April 6 at the earliest. This includes:

  • Use of equipment or computers in the first-year design labs, capstone labs, design studios, teaching and research labs, and computer labs.
  • Access to materials stored in these facilities.

We realize that many students have invested time in projects this semester and that they are a central component to many courses. Faculty are being asked to work with students remotely to develop aspects of their projects that can be done remotely or to develop alternative assessments. Instructions for remote access to departmental undergrad labs and College VDI resources can be found in the Student Online Learning section of the college’s COVID-19 resources site.

Undergraduate Visits to Project Sponsors

Sponsor visits are not allowed during this period of remote delivery.

Synchronous Class Schedules

As a reminder, classes will occur at the same time as they did prior to spring break. In other words, if you have an 8 a.m. (EDT) class on Monday, it will take place, remotely, at 8 a.m. (EDT) on Monday. Note that the methods in which course content are delivered may vary from class to class. For example, some instructors may pre-record some or all of the course content (lectures, examples) in a platform like Kaltura for delivery during the scheduled class time, and then the instructor will be present in a chat room to engage with students and answer questions. In other cases, course content may be delivered live at the scheduled time. Instructors will communicate their intended approaches to students. The University has developed two websites to aid in this transition: remoteteaching.psu.edu.

Graduate Research

The Graduate School has provided guidance for graduate research during this period. The website encourages you to work closely with your adviser to prioritize research activities with special attention to the core message that safety and minimizing person-to-person contact is of the utmost importance. Thanks to Dr. Mary Frecker for the guidance she has assembled on this front:

  • Do you have what you need for working remotely? If not, please discuss with your faculty adviser ways to mitigate.
  • Are there parts of your research that are negatively impacted by working remotely? If so, discuss steps to mitigate with your faculty adviser.
  • What ideas do you have that might help lab mates cope with the current situation while staying safe?
  • If you feel sick, please stay home so that others do not get sick.
  • Symptoms and other FAQs about coronavirus: www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/Pages/Coronavirus.aspx
  • What should I do if I have symptoms: University Park students experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should begin the screening process for coronavirus over the phone by calling the UHS Advice Nurse at 814-863-4463.
  • If you are quarantined:
    • Identify people who can help you.
    • Identify stores that offer delivery services, e.g. Wegmans.
    • If you do not have the financial resources to buy food and other essentials for 2 weeks, please let your faculty adviser know.

Graduate Aid

The Coalition of Graduate Employees has established a system for coordinating aid outside of the University in the form of two Google forms, one to request aid, and one to offer aid. The coalition is working to help provide food and housing where it’s most needed in our community.

To offer aid, go here.

To request aid, go here.

Once again, thank you for your continued patience and flexibility as our college and institution moves forward during this uncertain time. I hope you have a wonderful end of your weekend.

Be well!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering