Dean's Community Message

June 12, 2020

Dear College of Engineering Community,

Good afternoon. I hope you’ve had a good week. Before sharing a quote for today, I’d like to put out a call for additional quote submissions. If you have one you think will inspire or bring a moment of levity to our community, please email me. Today’s quote, from author Gayle Forman, was submitted by Mitansh Doshi, a graduate student in aerospace engineering: “The little things that happen. Sometimes they are insignificant; other times they change everything.”

Something that, perhaps, is easy to see as a little thing on a moment-to-moment to basis is wearing a mask when in public. I want to strongly encourage everyone to do so as much as possible, because mask wearing and other best practices are KEY to reducing the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission and they are essential if we are going to avoid another surge in COVID cases. Consider the results of a new modeling study from Cambridge and Greenwich Universities as further evidence of the importance of face masks. Even as social distancing restrictions continue to ease around the country, we all still have a critical role to play in helping to maintain the safety and well-being of our communities. When I’m out-and-about and see folks without masks, I cannot help but worry that we’re going to have a resurgence that sets us back — and hurts a lot of people.

Here are today’s updates:


Fall Semester Announcement

On Monday, we expect an announcement from the University about the fall semester. Following that announcement — and also on Monday — I will reach out to the college to share additional information as we determine next steps in Engineering.


Return to On-Campus Research Update

Our updated Engineering Campus Activity Tracker (ECAT) has been shared for usage with department heads, departmental administrative managers, and departmental safety representatives. This platform is being used to collect lab access requests from departments and to provide status tracking as lab locations are approved for on-campus activity. Once on-campus activity for specific PI(s) and location(s) is approved, personnel will be notified via email and directed to a page in ECAT where they will check off acknowledgements for completing training and understanding responsibilities. This will be further explained in the college’s R2R training module, which is being developed. When the training is ready, we will send a mass email to all personnel for labs in initial approval status, directing them to complete the training while awaiting notification of final approval for on-campus activity.


Centre County Residents: COVID-19 Survey

Penn State researchers, in partnership with county leaders, are seeking to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on residents’ lives and livelihoods. The 10-minute, anonymous survey is open until June 30.


Remote Teaching Tip #16 – Create a learning community online

Research suggests that students who are struggling have the most trouble succeeding in online courses, and that the biggest barrier to achieving equivalent success rates online is cultivating collaboration, engagement and discussion. Intentional design strategies to build an online learning community can help create a sense of belonging. Contact the Office for Digital Learning to learn more.


Please remember that you can reach out to our response team at L-COE_CORONA_CRISIS_TEAM@engr.psu.edu with questions or concerns. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn and follow the college on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering