'Be You in Tech' Summit celebrates authenticity, diversity
The College of Information Sciences and Technology recently hosted its annual Be You in Tech Summit with more than 100 students, an alumni panel, industry partners and a keynote speaker, Netflix host Ati Williams.
College of IST names new development and alumni relations director
The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology has named Tom Maatta as its new director of development, effective Feb. 5.
Collegian features Tapia, Maitland, Zhang
Where: The Daily Collegian, “’Change is in our DNA’ | Penn State College of IST celebrates 25 years of in
IST alumna Madison Oliver wins CIO award
IST Alumni Society Board member Madison Oliver won the Rising Star Award at the 2024 CIO of the Year Awards from the Pittsburgh Technology Co
IST represents at THON 2024
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Six students from the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) were among the 700 dancers at THON 2024. The event raised a record-breaking $16.9 million, surpassing last year’s record by nearly $2 million.
IST faculty and staff recognized at annual awards ceremony
The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology recognized faculty and staff at its annual awards ceremony on Dec. 14, 2023.
Alumnus establishes matching scholarship program in the College of IST
Penn State College of IST alumnus Frank Igwé has established a 1:1 permanent matching commitment for first-time gifts from IST alumni.
Competition helps expose demographic and cultural biases in generative AI tools
Penn State’s Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence announced the winners of its first-ever “Bias-a-thon.” The competition, held Nov. 13–16, asked Penn Staters to identify prompts that led popular generative AI tools to produce biased or stereotype-reinforcing outputs.
IST, Smeal alumnus reflects on his World Campus experience
Corey Wheeler is an alumnus of Penn State World Campus, the College of Information Sciences and Technology, and the Smeal College of Business.
Nick and Melinda Berardi’s gift names College of IST student engagement center
Alumnus Nick Berardi and his wife, Melinda, recently made a gift to transform and name the new student engagement center in the College of IST.
Gift from Keith and Lisa Hegner creates new scholarship in the College of IST
Penn State alumni Keith and Lisa Hegner recently established a new scholarship in the College of Information Sciences and Technology. The gift includes a corporate match from Microsoft, where Keith serves as the director of customer success.
Search launched for the next dean of Penn State’s College of IST
Penn State is seeking nominations and candidates for the next dean of the College of Information Sciences and Technology. Nominations and applications will be accepted until the position is filled, and interested parties are encouraged to submit applications by Jan. 8, 2024.
Order of the Sword and Shield National Honor Society installs Penn State chapter
The College of Information Sciences and Technology inducted 20 students into the new Penn State chapter of the Order of the Sword and Shield National Honor Society.
Renaissance Fund honors Barbara and Edgar Farmer, raises funds for scholarships
Penn State’s 47th annual Renaissance Fund celebration on Nov. 1 honored local community leaders and education pioneers Barbara and Edgar Farmer. The event hosted more than 300 attendees and helped to raise $193,364 for endowed scholarships to benefit students with financial need.
World Campus celebrates science and technology programs
Penn State World Campus is highlighting its science and technology programs during its 25th anniversary.
Enterprise architecture and business transformation program marks 10 years
The Penn State master's degree in enterprise architecture and business transformation has now been available for 10 years.
Information Sciences and Technology graduates honored at first Alumni Symposium
Penn State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology honored graduates Nathan McNeese and Christy Grim at the first IST Alumni Symposium, held Oct. 20 at the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub Building.
College of Information Sciences and Technology welcomes nine new faculty members
The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology has welcomed nine new faculty members in 2023.
IST data sciences student Carson Pedaci is Penn State Blue Band’s new drum major
Carson Pedaci, a third-year student in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, is the new drum major for the Penn State Blue Band. In an interview with IST, he discussed his musical background, his decision to study data sciences and the drum major’s trademark flip.
Alumna pays it forward through endowed IST scholarship
Penn State alumna Jen Romano has made a commitment to establish the Jennifer Romano Dean’s Advisory Board Matching Scholarship in the College of Information Sciences and Technology.
Media Mention: 'Lew-Port graduate named interim dean of Penn State school'
Where: Yahoo! News, “Lew-Port graduate named interim dean of Penn State school”
Who: Andrea Tapia, associate dean for research in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST)
Carleen Maitland named interim associate dean for research in the College of IST
Carleen Maitland, professor in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, has been named interim associate dean for research, effective Aug. 1.
Renaissance Fund selects Edgar and Barbara Farmer as 2023 honorees
As Penn State’s Renaissance Fund celebrates its 47th year of recognizing outstanding community members and helping students in need, the Renaissance Fund Committee has selected local community leaders and education pioneers Edgar and Barbara Farmer as its 2023 honorees.
Mary Beth Rosson, long-time leader in the College of IST, retires
Mary Beth Rosson, professor in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, retired on June 30. Rosson served in many leadership roles throughout her career with the University.
Andrea Tapia named interim dean of College of IST
Andrea Tapia, associate dean for research and professor in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), has been named interim dean for the college, effective Aug. 1. She will assume the role following the departure of Andrew Sears, as announced on June 28.
College of IST Dean Andrew Sears announces departure
Andrew Sears, dean of the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), has announced his departure from the University, effective July 31. Sears will assume the position of dean of the Syracuse University School of Information Studies (iSchool) on Aug. 1.
Alumnus honors parents through endowed IST scholarship
Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology alumnus Colin Murphy, class of 2003, recently made a commitment to establish the Richard and Veronica Murphy Dean's Advisory Board Matching Scholarship in honor of his mother and in memory of his father.
Former Penn State Smeal, IST dean and longtime professor Jim Thomas retires
James B. "Jim" Thomas, William Elliott Professor of Risk and Management, is retiring this year after nearly 36 years at the University, including serving as dean of two colleges — the College of Information Sciences and Technology and the Smeal College of Business.
IST graduate pursues creative business idea with help from Penn State Scranton
While still a student at Penn State Scranton, Parkston Myers, a May 2023 information sciences and technology graduate, turned a creative idea that stemmed from his passion for video games, which developed at a young age, into a $10,000 business plan.
Congratulations Graduates
A gallery of photos providing a look at just a few of the more than 14,000 newest Penn State graduates as they complete their successful journey at spring 2023 commencement ceremonies.
Alumnus Scott Robertson receives College of IST’s highest honor
Scott Michael Robertson, an alumnus of the College of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State, was selected as the 2022 recipient of the IST Outstanding Alumni Award, the highest honor bestowed by the college upon its graduates.
College of IST names student marshals for spring 2023 commencement
The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology has named its student marshals for the spring 2023 commencement ceremony. Elissa McNeil will represent the IST’s undergraduate majors, and Daniel Manolesco will represent the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program.
Head of FEMA set as College of IST commencement speaker
Deanne Criswell, the 12th administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will present the commencement address for the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology on May 6. The ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. in Pegula Ice Arena.
App to prevent allergy attacks wins first place in IdeaMakers Challenge
Meallergies, an app that can help avoid allergy attacks when ordering meals from restaurants, was the winning idea in the 2023 Bardusch Family IdeaMakers Challenge, held March 22 during Penn State Startup Week.
Forty graduate students recognized with prestigious University awards
Forty Penn State graduate students were named recipients of Penn State’s most prestigious annual graduate student awards, administered by the Graduate School in collaboration with several Penn State units.
Commitment to technology, public service set IST alum up for success
As a full-time database consulting engineer, an independent financial adviser, and a commissioner in his local community, College of IST alumnus Fred Faylona relies on his Penn State experience to succeed professionally and make a difference in his community.
IST assistant professor Fenglong Ma receives NSF CAREER Award
Fenglong Ma, assistant professor in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, is the recipient of a 2022 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation in recognition of his work, “Automated Multimodal Learning for Healthcare.”
Schreyer Honors College announces 2023 Alumni Award recipients
Schreyer Honors College honored four Scholar alumni for their achievements and contributions with the 2023 Scholar Alumni Awards. The winners were recognized on March 24 at a luncheon held at the Hintz Family Alumni Center.
Entrepreneurs share strategies during Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC
Each spring, Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC brings together the best and brightest Penn State student and alumni entrepreneurs and innovators for a weeklong celebration of what happens when Penn State’s inspired doers put their ideas into action.
Thought leaders headline TechCon at Penn State Abington
Technology thought leaders will share their vision for building smart, sustainable communities at the TechCon and Innovation Challenge at Penn State Abington on Saturday, March 25. The event is open to the public.
IST Career Spotlight: Nick Leghorn keeps NYT applications secure
Nick Leghorn is using his Penn State degree in information sciences and technology to help The New York Times provide high-quality journalism while ensuring the digital experience can be tailored to the reader’s needs.
IST Career Spotlight: Megan Tucker flies ahead with Boeing
As an IT business partner for Boeing, Megan Tucker is the focal point for one of the company’s new defense helicopter programs. She works between the program and the enterprise to ensure all IT requirements are met and communicated.
IST Career Spotlight: Keith Duemling protects and supports health care tech
In his role as director of cybersecurity technology protection for the Cleveland Clinic, Keith Duemling oversees all cybersecurity protection platforms for the clinic’s facilities throughout North America and Europe.
Information Sciences and Technology faculty, staff recognized with annual awards
Faculty and staff in the College of Information Sciences and Technology were recognized at the college’s annual awards event this week. Recipients were nominated by their IST colleagues and selected by a review committee for their excellence in teaching, research and service.
IST Career Spotlight: Heather VanGorder maps Pepsi’s path
Heather VanGorder, who earned a bachelor’s degree in information sciences and technology in 2020, currently works as an IT analyst at PepsiCo Inc. Her team is responsible for setting up the mapping that gets PepsiCo products to their final destinations.
IST Career Spotlight: Ryan Hartzfeld
As a lead software engineer at Disney Streaming, Ryan Hartzfeld is leading efforts to make impactful changes to a variety of streaming services offered by the Walt Disney Co.
IST Career Spotlight: Josh Stine
As manager of pricing strategy for Elevate Sports Ventures, Josh Stine is drawing on his industry experience to lead a pricing team serving more than 100 professional and collegiate partners.