Highlights

A Home for Innovation

New Penn State Innovation Hub facilitates ideation and collaborative partnerships

As enrollments and collaborative research expand across the College of IST, so too does the college’s physical footprint. In early November, several of the college’s administrators, faculty, and graduate students took up residence in the new Penn State Innovation Hub.

Located at the former site of the James Building in downtown State College, the 85,000-square-foot building serves as Penn State’s new home for innovation and helps to advance the University’s focus on entrepreneurial success and economic development.

The building’s six stories each offer a unique focus to aid students, creators, and community entrepreneurs. The College of IST occupies the fourth floor, with the Offices of the Dean, Human Resources, and Alumni and Development, as well as the associate deans for research and graduate and undergraduate education, moving to the location. The college’s space also includes offices and research labs for seven faculty and their graduate students.

“Innovation was central to the College of IST’s founding and it’s key to our future,” said Andrew Sears, dean. “Our focus continues to be on helping students become the leaders and pioneers of tomorrow. Being in this new space will help us build meaningful connections, leverage important resources, and add new services that help IST and Penn State students pursue their ideas.”

The first three floors feature the new home for Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank; provide space for offices supporting the University's Senior Vice

President for Research; and add state-ofthe-art resources such as makerspaces, space occupying the top floor.

The building will also be the epicenter for the University’s flagship entrepreneurial events, including Penn State Startup Week, which launched as IST Startup Week in 2012 and has since expanded to a University-wide showcase of entrepreneurship and innovation.

“...Being in this new space will help us build meaningful connections, leverage important resources, and add new services that help IST and Penn State students pursue their ideas.”

an immersive technology laboratory, and collaborative workspaces designed to accelerate innovation, technology commercialization, and local startup companies. Administrative offices for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences are located on the fifth floor, with an executive meeting room and banquet

Added Sears, “Through initiatives like Startup Week, the Bardusch Family IdeaMakers Challenge, David Rusenko Entrepreneur Scholarships, and the entrepreneurship and innovation minor, we’re excited to use this additional location to expand, strengthen, and create new opportunities for IST students.”

Partnering for Success

A small office at IST packs a big punch when it comes to helping students secure meaningful internships, full-time positions, and professional development opportunities. Staff in the Office of Career Solutions and Corporate Engagement lead frequent workshops, conduct resume reviews and mock interviews, and meet 1:1 with students to create personalized career development plans. From a student’s first day, career coaches connect them with the tools and resources they need to pursue their professional goals.

“Career Solutions gave me direction. They helped me navigate through the active recruiting process and helped me identify companies that were a good fit for my career goals.”

SUJAY PATEL ’14

Technology Risk Manager at EY

“The coaching and the breadth and depth of the opportunities at various career fairs (was impressive). The Careers staff helped serve as mentors to guide us into the right career opportunity.”

HARLEEN SANGHA ’14

Cyber Security Manager at Deloitte

“The IST Careers staff helped me to update my resume in a way that grabbed the attention of recruiters. This helped me secure interviews with my top-choice companies. The staff also conducted mock interviews with me. I was able to get two internships and a full-time position!”

ANNIE SCHOEN ’19

Technical Supervisor of GEICO’s Cybersecurity Community Enablement team

GET INVOLVED

There are many opportunities each semester for IST alumni to guide current students in their professional development. Email careers@ist.psu.edu or visit ist.psu.edu/alumni-involvement to learn how you can make a difference.

RESEARCH RAINMAKER

Professor Andrea Tapia is IST’s new associate dean for research, supporting initiatives across the college. Her vision: for IST to be a place where researchers create new technologies while asking and answering important questions about them in society. “I hope to be a research and funding matchmaker, rainmaker, advocate, and mentor to the faculty and students of IST,” she said.

HUCK CHAIR

Professor Vasant Honavar has been named the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Biomedical Data Sciences and Artificial Intelligence by the University’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, recognizing his work in applying data science and AI to the life sciences, especially biomedicine. Honavar’s expertise lies in machine learning, knowledge representation, and bioinformatics.

GRADUATE REPRESENTATION

Joslenne Peña, who earned master’s and doctoral degrees at IST, was recently elected to serve a threeyear term on the Penn State Graduate School Alumni Society Board of Directors, representing the College of IST. Peña is currently a visiting assistant professor of computer science at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.