Dean's Community Message

Jan. 29, 2021

Dear College of Engineering Community,

I am beginning my community email once again by imploring all students to take the required testing steps before returning to campus. As the Feb. 15 start of on-campus learning draws near, the time is now! Visit the Know Your Status Portal to get started. It is impossible to underestimate the critical role that testing plays in safeguarding our community. Please do your part!

“If each person in this world will simply take a small piece of this huge thing, this amazing quilt, and work it regardless of the color of the yarn, we will have harmony on this planet.”
—Actress Cicely Tyson, who died on Thursday at the age of 96. She was a true pathbreaker.

Here are today’s updates:


Zoom Bombing Prevention

As the University community continues to heavily rely on Zoom, students, faculty and staff are reminded that numerous tools are available to help avoid incidents of “Zoom bombing” harassment. A list of tips and settings to help prevent unwanted actions by participants is available. It includes actions to help prevent unwanted activity such as controlling how participants can enter the meeting, allowing only authenticated users to join, limiting screen sharing, and recording meetings. For faculty and instructors, additional guidance for managing remote class disruptions is available at remoteteaching.psu.edu.


Black History Month Events: Picture a Scientist Week

In February, Penn State student organizations and units across the University will be holding events in honor of Black History Month. Of particular note for our engineering community is Picture a Scientist Week, which begins on Feb. 6 and will highlight diversity and equity in STEM and will include a variety of events including online screenings of the powerful documentary “Picture a Scientist.”


Teaching Tip #71 – Design Reviews Available for Student Success and Engagement

Even once the semester has started, a design review can help you make small tweaks to your course that can make it more engaging and easy for students to navigate and set your students up for success. To reach out for a design review, contact the Office for Digital Learning and we’ll set you up with a peer or learning designer from our staff or the University’s Learning Design Clearinghouse.


Have a wonderful weekend!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering