As an undergraduate campus and college of Penn State University, Penn State Berks prides itself on preparing our students for success in career, graduate study, and life. Our faculty value their teaching and devote long hours to course preparation and delivery. However, because we are part of a world-class research university, we also are committed to continuous inquiry, scholarship, and creativity. It is essential that each of us models the values and habits of curiosity and academic integrity.
As you peruse this issue of Research at Penn State Berks, you will find numerous examples of scholarly inquiry across the campus that are led by faculty and in many cases provide mentored research experience for our students. Professor Mike Fidanza, for example, describes himself as his students’ “career coach” and does all he can to involve students in his research and to assist students in securing internship experiences that provide real-world introduction to the kinds of challenging turfgrass problems that golf courses, resorts, and baseball stadiums face.
Similarly, a few miles from campus our Education majors are gaining invaluable hands-on learning experience as they assist Glenside Elementary School teachers through our Professional Development School (PDS) program. A close-knit partnership between Penn State Berks and Glenside faculty and administration, the PDS focuses on improving public school student learning while also providing rich learning opportunities for preservice teachers and ongoing professional development and research opportunities for both faculties.
Take a close look as well at the research on pedagogy that is ongoing by our science faculty as described by Professors Katie Amaral and Ike Shibley, both of whose work focuses on improving student learning and success in science courses and labs. Our engagement in the community is further enhanced by the work of the Learning Factory under the leadership of Professor Elizabeth Wiggins-Lopez as she brings together industry and Berks students to develop and apply their research skills and seek solutions to problems of design and manufacturing.
Clearly, scholarly inquiry is alive and well across the disciplines at Penn State Berks. As noted above, in many cases, our research engages students in creative and meaningful ways. In others, as with Professors Rodríguez-Mourelo, Greenauer, and Mahoney, our faculty model the values and habits of academic research that are essential to the academy.
I hope you will enjoy learning more about the exciting scholarship that is ongoing at Penn State Berks. All of us appreciate your interest, as well as the important support of our Advisory Board and other donors, who help to fund our research.
Dr. R. Keith Hillkirk
Chancellor
Penn State Berks