Dean's Community Message

April 23, 2020

Dear College of Engineering Community,

I hope you are doing well on this Thursday afternoon! Over the past few weeks, we’ve received dozens of inspirational quotes from students, faculty, staff, and alumni. There have been quotes from SpongeBob and Roosevelt — and all manner of individuals — both real and fictional — in between. Many submissions have addressed the idea of resilience in the face of hardship. For me, this recurring theme brings to mind the passage from Man’s Search for Meaning, the powerful book by holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl:

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

When so much is out of our control, how do we react? How do we do our best to stay positive? It’s definitely an ever-present, never-easy challenge. As a reminder, one avenue of support is Penn State Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS), which is open during this time of remote learning with a wide range of virtual services. To access services, students should call 814-863-0395 or visit the CAPS website.

Additionally, if you have unresolved issues or questions related to the changes and transitions of the past weeks, continue to reach out to our response team at L-COE_CORONA_CRISIS_TEAM@engr.psu.edu. We will work to proactively answer questions and provide updates as soon as possible.

Here are today’s updates:

On-Campus Housing: Belongings Retrieval

Students should not return to campus at this time, and they will not be able to swipe into their on-campus residence halls. This is critical to the University’s efforts to create as much social distancing as possible and maintain a low level of exposure risk to our students as well as all our local communities. Updates will be provided as soon as possible. More information is available at virusinfo.psu.edu.

Manufacturing and Sterilization for COVID-19 Initiative (MASC)

The latest news story provides some exciting updates including prototypes for 3D-printed protective masks, N95 mask recycling, development of an intubation booth prototype, 3D printing test swabs, and delivery and design of powered air purifying respirators. There are now more than 350 researchers across Penn State who are focused on designing and delivering rapidly scalable solutions and generating tangible impact. MASC is an amazing point of pride for our entire community!

Remote Teaching Tip #5

Submitting an exam online within set limits can increase student anxiety, especially if they need to scan and upload written work. If your exam requires students to submit handwritten work, we recommend a two-step exam process where students provide their final answers in a Canvas quiz within the designated time limit. In a second step, students scan and upload their handwritten work into a separate Canvas assignment using a scanner or cell phone scanner app. See the Office for Digital Learning’s resource on remote exams for more information.

Penn State updates including FAQs are available on the University’s coronavirus information site. You can connect with me on LinkedIn and follow the college on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

All the best!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering