Dean's Community Message

March 23, 2020

Dear College of Engineering Community,

Welcome to week two of remote learning, teaching and working! I hope things continue going smoothly this week. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to L-COE_CORONA_CRISIS_TEAM@engr.psu.edu. Thank you all who reached out to me on LinkedIn. The invitation to the rest of you still stands! As we think about ways to be connected, it’s a great way to connect with many generations of Penn Staters and others!

Another way we continue to connect is via Zoom. See the attached image of one of my meetings today. We’re all in this together, making sure we can continue to support you and each other as much as possible. What’s the highest number of people you’ve had in one meeting so far? What’s your favorite virtual background? Let us know!

We also continue to receive great inspirational quotes. Today’s was submitted by Courtney Cole, an undergraduate student in mechanical engineering:

“I know of a place where you never get harmed. A magical place with magical charm. Indoors. Indoors. Indoors.”
—Spongebob Squarepants

Tomorrow, please join us for Penn State’s Town Hall meetings. The first event, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m., will be devoted to questions from faculty and staff. The second event, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m., will be devoted to questions from students and parents. Both online events will be livestreamed at LiveEvents.psu.edu. The events will also be recorded and archived for later viewing. Questions may be submitted through an anonymous form, or by emailing questions@psu.edu (to those who submit by email, your identity will not be shared).

Today’s updates:


Engineering Shop Services Closing

If you have essential research and/or mission-critical work requiring Engineering Shop Services, please contact Ellis Dunklebarger directly at edd12@psu.edu.


Essential Personnel Operating Research Labs

To obtain the proper approvals to continue essential research and allow approved personnel into the labs, please submit the request form. As a reminder, essential research activities are described here.


Examity

The exam service is not providing live proctoring services at this time. We’re currently developing guidelines for instructors and teaching assistants to securely administer exams in the coming weeks. If you need help for an exam in the meantime, contact the Office for Digital Learning for an individual consultation. Please stay tuned for more information soon.


Please continue to refer to the University’s informational site and the College of Engineering resources site. If you have unanswered question, please send them to L-COE_CORONA_CRISIS_TEAM@engr.psu.edu.

Remember to continue to physically self-isolate to stay safe and healthy!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering