MEET ME AT THE CORNER: From not long after it opened in 1979 as the link between Hammond and Sackett Buildings at University Park, Kunkle Lounge (above) was a popular spot for studying, relaxing, or waiting for the bus on a winter day. The lounge came down this spring as part of ongoing Sackett demolition and renovation work. Photo by Penn State Archives.
EVERYDAY PEOPLE
Muralist Margalo Guo is leaving her mark. Read the full profile by Amy Strauss Downey '04 Lib.
Club Hopping
Remote Area Medical
Founded: 2019
Current membership: 20–30
Mission: To prevent pain and alleviate suffering by providing free quality health care to those in need.
Remote Area Medical is a national organization that runs free mobile medical, dental, and eye care clinics. The Penn State chapter was founded seven years ago, and its members attend and volunteer at two to three clinics per year along the East Coast, including a clinic in Bellefonte, Pa., that it hosted in March. Coveted spots on those trips are earned by accumulating “involvement points” during club events and meetings. Patient services provided include X-rays, eye exams, women’s health exams, dental cleanings, and general medical exams. Involvement in the club is a great way for students, many of whom will go on to medical school, to gain experience in a variety of health care specialties and have a direct impact on rural communities. “Seeing patients come in scared and nervous, not knowing what to expect, then leaving with a big and thankful smile is what continues to fuel my flame of desire for this club,” says outgoing club treasurer Alejandro Munoz ’25 Sci.
Illustration by Joel Kimmel.
WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?
Q: Can you enter the underground steam tunnels at University Park?
A: Not these days. There are roughly 3 miles of steam tunnels running under the campus roads that date back to at least 1940, according to Director of Utility Operations Robert Puzak. Those tunnels contain steam, condensate, compressed air, and some communications cables. The steam helps to heat buildings on campus—plus melt snow on the sidewalks above—and is used in many of the campus kitchens for humidification purposes. Due to OSHA regulations, the steam tunnels may be accessed only by authorized personnel who have been trained in confined spaces and who keep in contact using handheld radios. Since a group of students mapped out the tunnels during a series of visits in the early 2000s, security measures have been increased to keep the tunnels closed to the public. The steam tunnels are not to be confused with the pedestrian tunnel between Shortlidge and Pollock roads, which was originally designed to allow students to avoid traffic and cold weather but has also been closed off for several years for safety reasons. Shoring has been added in that tunnel to support the construction vehicles that often traverse that part of campus, leaving little room for pedestrians to move through the tunnel anyway.
REMINISCING
What was your favorite IM sports memory?
“During my freshman year, the university had an intramural track event. What made it memorable was that I was competing against two of our famous football players: Bobby Campbell and Jack Ham. I placed fifth behind these two athletes.”
Joe Huxta ’71 Bus
“The Afterburners, my independent IM football team, won the league championship three of my four years I was at University Park, and I have three wooden blocks to prove it!”
Bill Salem ’84 Bus
“Walk-off home run in softball off the back of the IM building in my first game with my dorm team. All downhill from there.”
Brian Harkless ’95 Eng Hon
“I lived in the Engineering House SLO and one of our early activities my freshman year was ultimate frisbee. I had a diving catch at one of the games and everyone cheered so loud! It was a good welcome to Penn State and my fellow dorm residents.”
Rachel Betz ’21 Eng
“My senior year, a group of us were watching our friends play IM softball. The boy I was dating (John Sevec ’83 Bus) was at the plate. He looked at me and said, ‘I’m going to hit a home run for you,’ and pointed like Babe Ruth. The pitch came and he smashed it over the fence! Everyone went crazy. We’ll be married 40 years in June!”
Sara Shuey Sevec ’83 Com
Illustration by Joel Kimmel.
THEN & NOW
Move-in week
Roughly 14,000 students live on the University Park campus, and they begin moving in a week before the start of the fall semester, with staggered dates for first-year and returning students to help manage the flow.
COMMON WEALTH
Highlights from four Commonwealth campuses.
Behrend
Lauren Cass, the immersive administrator at the Penn State Behrend Virtual/Augmented Reality Lab, set a Guinness World Record for the longest continuous time spent in virtual reality headsets while watching 55 hours of content in April. Lab director Christopher Shelton also attempted the feat but had to back out after 35 hours due to backup equipment failure. The pair queued a library of nearly 50 films and TV episodes, and their viewing was broadcast via livestream while volunteer observers made sure they remained awake and engaged.
Penn College
An iconic antique vehicle restored by Pennsylvania College of Technology students won the Best in Class award for the American Dream Collection at Moda- Miami, one of the world’s premier car events. About a dozen students spent six weeks last fall restoring the Tucker 1013, a 1948 vehicle owned by Patricia B. Swigart, president of the William E. Swigart Jr. Antique Automobile Museum in Huntingdon. The restoration required students to replace clamps and hoses with ones dating to its manufacturing era, correct dents in the body, and blend the car’s paint to match its original silverlike color.
Harrisburg
Fariborz Tavangarian, associate professor of mechanical engineering in Penn State Harrisburg’s School of Science, Engineering, and Technology, was awarded the Curtis W. McGraw Research Award from the American Society for Engineering Education’s Engineering Research Council. The honor recognizes Tavangarian, who is the director of the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Lab at the college, for “exceptional interdisciplinary research contributions in bioinspired materials,” according to the award description. Tavangarian’s research has been commended for its novelty, intellectual merit, and societal impact, particularly in medical applications, according to nomination materials.
Berks
The college honored the Indigenous tribes who inhabited the land where the campus is currently located in Spring Township by holding a land acknowledgment ceremony in April. The event introduced the college’s land acknowledgment statement, developed in partnership with the Widoktadwen Center for Native Knowledge. Two representatives of the Lenape nation also presented during the celebration: Chief Barbara “Bluejay” Michalski and Chief Chuck Gentlemoon DeMund. The ceremony culminated in the dedication of an American persimmon tree—a symbol of resilience, nourishment, and deep-rooted connection to the land.
THE BIG 3
Penn State Libraries are a vast resource for students, faculty, alumni, and Pennsylvania residents. Here are a few statistics that showcase their reach:
10.3 million: Physical and electronic titles
6.8 million: Annual visits in person and online
390+: Full-time staff
Illustrations by Joel Kimmel.
