Dean's Community Message

March 28, 2020

Dear College of Engineering Community,

It’s the weekend(!), a fact that feels substantially different these days, I know. Nonetheless, I hope you are finding the time to unplug from work and study for at least a bit. It’s quite rainy here in State College today, so in my house we have been enjoying some family silliness in the form of social-media worthy dancing and looking forward to some food deliveries from our favorite restaurants. If you haven’t already, I’d love to connect with you on LinkedIn. And be sure to follow the college as well on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Today’s quote comes from Brad Sottile, Lecturer in Computer Science and Engineering and Aerospace Engineering:

“Necessity is the mother of all invention.”
—Proverb

This quote (and please keep sending yours!) reminded me of the many ways that people are stepping up to develop solutions and search for answers in the midst of this pandemic. Here at Penn State, researchers have been mobilized to study COVID-19 from multiple angles. In the weeks ahead, you’ll be hearing about other efforts, some of which are being led by our college.

I wanted to close today with article from Psychology Today: What COVID-19 Can Teach Us About Mindfulness, which provides some useful suggestions for managing stress, particularly in a stressful time like this. As noted, mindfulness is not a panacea, but it does provide a suite of tools that can be beneficial.

Please continue to reach out with questions and comments to L-COE_CORONA_CRISIS_TEAM@engr.psu.edu. Keep referring to the University’s informational site as well as the College of Engineering resources site for additional information.

Enjoy your Saturday and be well!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering