NASA's Swift satellite, whose science and flight operations are controlled from Penn State's Mission Operations Center in State College, Pa., has detected its 500th gamma-ray burst -- a type of explosion that is the biggest and most mysterious in the cosmos. Swift's X-ray telescope and ultraviolet/optical telescope were developed and built by international teams led by Penn State.
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, is now selling Berkey Creamery ice cream -- cones, dishes, sundaes and milk shakes -- on campus for students, employees and the public. The Berkey Creamery, as it is now known, is the largest university creamery in the nation. Creamery ice cream is so fresh that, on average, only four days elapse between the cow and a newly dipped cone.
Penn State Laureate Linda Patterson Miller, professor of English at Penn State Abington, will begin her journeys into western Pennsylvania, serving as a "laureate-in-residence" as she interacts with the campus communities at Penn State DuBois (Sept. 13); Penn State Erie, The Behrend College (Sept. 14); Penn State Shenango (Sept. 15); and Penn State Beaver (Sept. 16). Miller will be participating in individual classes and symposiums along with engaging larger audiences in public forums at these locations. "I invite anyone in these geographical areas to join with us for these public presentation as we variously explore the art of American diary-keeping, the lives and art of the 1920s Lost Generation, and the art of Ernest Hemingway as discovered in his letters and early prose," said Miller.
Check in with Miller's travels and follow her literary dialogue, "Literary Landings," at http://laureate.psu.edu/Linda_Miller online. Today, Miller discusses how encounters with art can change lives, as it did for Miller when she first read Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" (1929). To watch a short video of Miller as she provides some background for understanding the transformative power of Hemingway's art, go to http://bit.ly/nVOzuO online.
Erie-region employers have hired more than 2,600 new workers since September, edging closer to pre-recession levels, according to the latest Erie Leading Index, which was released June 19.
John Pearson’s Oldsmobile gets maybe 21 miles to the gallon. His school car – a custom-built, carbon-fiber test vehicle – is a bit more efficient: It could, in the right conditions, exceed 2,000 mpg.
The college’s first “Trash to Treasure” event raised more than $900 for the United Way of Erie County. The May 26 sale, which was held in Erie Hall, made good use of the shoes, suitcases, coats and bicycles that students left behind when the semester ended.
Forget Furby and Lalaloopsy. “Hot” holiday toys rarely stand the test of time. For most kids, interest in these trendy, flashy toys fizzles before the garbage truck carries off the boxes.