Student Guide - Special Programs
Multicultural Engineering Programs | Women in Engineering | Honor Societies | Career Placement
Penn State offers a wide variety of special programs to aid and encourage students. These are just a few programs available to Engineering Technology students. To learn more, contact your academic advisor.
Multicultural Engineering Programs
Be a part from the start is the message to all first-year under-represented students of color. The Multicultural Engineering Program coordinates programs and activities that create a community for African/Black American, Latino/Hispanic American, and American Indian/Alaskan Native engineering students. Although MEP is located at the University Park campus, students at Commonwealth Campuses will receive correspondence regarding scholarship opportunities, campus visits, and much more.
At University Park, programs include: Academic Excellence Center, 323 Sackett Building; SUCCESS 101, an orientation first-year seminar course for getting started in the College of Engineering; Peer Mentoring Program (PMP) for guidance in academic, career, and personal development; Co-op and full-time employment opportunities; and much more.
Students at all locations can become involved in one of three Student Chapters of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) for leadership and professional development.
Significant funding for MEP activities comes from corporations, foundations, and government agencies that support activities designed to attract under-represented groups into engineering and ultimately increase the total number of engineering graduates. Corporate funding supports corporation interest in diversifying the workplace: a diverse workforce offers a competitive advantage. Customers are a diverse group; companies who have diverse design, manufacturing and sales teams are better able to compete. Diversity also brings greater variety of thought and experience to engineering problem solving.
For additional information, contact: Dr. Anita Persaud, Associate Director, Multicultural Engineering Program, 208 Hammond Building, University Park, Phone: 814-865-7138, E-mail: mep@engr.psu.edu, URL: http://www.engr.psu.edu/mep/. Not all programs are available at all locations.
Women in Engineering
The Women in Engineering Program (WEP) is a good place to come to explore opportunities and talents and to discuss problems or decisions. For those who want to explore options, need information about graduate school, or have other questions relating to women in engineering, WEP can help.
WEP also offers skills-based workshops and courses, WEPO (Women in Engineering Program Orientation), facilitated study groups, scholarships, activities for pre-college girls and boys, meetings with corporate representatives, career development and internship advice, and an informational listserv (L-WEPPSU). Students can get involved in leadership opportunities, including leading a facilitated study group, serving as a peer instructor in a WEP class, becoming a WEPO mentor or rover, leading a project as a WEP Intern, leading a WEP workshop, recruiting as a WEP envoy, Web mastering, tutoring and instructing younger girls and boys through Girl Scout Saturdays, and much more. WESAC (Women Engineering Students at the Commonwealth) provides activities and a listserv (L-WESAC) for women at Commonwealth campuses.
WEP also supports the student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) at University Park, the Phi Sigma Rho engineering sorority chapter, and the SWE Committee at Altoona. Funding for WEP activities comes from corporations, foundations, and government agencies that support activities designed to attract women into engineering and ultimately increase the total number of engineering graduates. Corporate funding supports corporation interest in diversifying the workplace: a diverse workforce offers a competitive advantage. Customers are a diverse group; companies who have diverse design, manufacturing and sales teams are better able to compete. Diversity also brings greater variety of thought and experience to engineering problem solving.
For additional information, contact: Ms. Cheryl Knobloch, Associate Director, Women in Engineering Program, 208 Hammond Building, University Park, Phone: 814-863-1080, e-mail: wep@engr.psu.edu, URL: http://www.engr.psu.edu/wep/. Not all programs are available at all locations.
Honor Societies
Honor Societies
Academic honors should be recognized at every opportunity. There are two honor societies which recognize high academic achievement specifically at the associate degree level. Advisers should encourage those technology students who qualify to consider joining one or both of these societies. In addition, Penn State offers a University Scholars Program which allows students with a demonstrated level of high academic achievement to enroll in special honors courses.
Tau Alpha Pi
Tau Alpha Pi is a national honor society for the engineering technologies, extending recognition and honor to the highest 4% of an institution's total engineering technology enrollment. Advisers are encouraged to honor eligible students who qualify by submitting their names for consideration to Tau Alpha Pi. The Penn State chapter of Tau Alpha Pi is the Iota Beta chapter with 17 separate chapters at the following campuses:
- Altoona: Richard Snyder
- Berks: Thomas Gavigan
- DuBois: Ross Kester
- Fayette: David Meredith
- Hazleton: Wes Grebski
- New Kensington: Joan Begolly
- Shenango: Daniel Styduhar
- Wilkes-Barre: Robert Faux
- Worthington Scranton: Tina Marie Merli
- York: Michael Marcus
Phi Theta Kappa
Phi Theta Kappa is a nationally acclaimed honor society serving two year colleges programs. This society was founded in 1918 to recognize and encourage scholarship among two-year college students as well as to provide opportunities for leadership and advancement. Membership is extended by invitation only. To be considered, a student must have completed at least twelve hours of course work and have established a grade-point average of not less than a "B."
University Scholars Program
The University Scholars Program is Penn State's university-wide program for academically superior students who are invited to participate. The University Scholars Program seeks to provide an educational environment of study, research, and scholarly exploration focused on aiding students of high ability to achieve their potential. A selection of "H" (honors) courses are generally offered at each campus.
Other Student Organizations
Information about other student societies and organizations is available through the College of Engineering web site.
Career Placement
Career Development and Placement Services are available at all Penn State campuses. These offices offer a wealth of information about engineering technology careers. Students may also test their aptitude for these careers by completing self-assessment surveys through the CDPS offices. Professional career counselors are also available to assist in interpreting the results from the assessments and to provide assistance with résumé writing, interview skills, and job-search strategies.