Engineering Open House: Not Your Traditional Campus Tour

On Thursday, October 6th, Penn State Wilkes-Barre's engineering department welcomed 125 prospective engineers onto the Wilkes-Barre campus for the annual Engineering Open House.

Held for several years on the Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus, the Engineering Open House provides high school students who have an interest in the engineering field an opportunity to not only hear what Penn State Wilkes-Barre has to offer but actually see what they can do with an engineering degree.

"The Engineering Open House is not your traditional campus tour. Students arrive in the morning and are split into groups for company visits," explains Interim Director of Academic Affairs and Professor of Engineering, Dr. Albert Lozano-Nieto. "The companies selected for visits showcase what different types of engineers do in the real world and how their degrees are put to use."

This year's Engineering Open House featured Architectural and Engineering Group in Plains, Frontier Communications in Dallas, Borton Lawson and Quad 3, both in Wilkes-Barre. In addition, Martin Rogers conducted a visit on campus at the Abram Nesbitt III Academic Commons, a project on which they were the consulting engineers.

"This year's Engineering Open House was outstanding," said Dr. Wes Parks, Associate Professor of Surveying Engineering. "We had a terrific group of kids that thoroughly enjoyed themselves. I think many of them learned a lot about what the world of engineering has to offer."

Penn State Wilkes-Barre provides a world-renowned university in a smaller, more intimate setting. Dedicated staff and faculty have helped students of all ages since the campus' inception in 1916 and continue to provide excellent education and support. Penn State Wilkes-Barre boasts eight Bachelor's degrees and four Associate's degrees, as well as the ability to start one of over 160 degrees at Penn State Wilkes-Barre and continue at another campus.