Inside Our Latest Issue

January 3, 2014 at 4:53 pm Mary Murphy Leave a comment

Had a chance to peek through our latest issue? The Jan./Feb. 2014 issue of The Penn Stater likely arrived in your mailbox sometime over the last week or so; our office copies were patiently awaiting us yesterday when we returned from the holiday break.

Some highlights from the new issue:

—The cover story, “Wired for Learning,” is a photo-filled virtual tour of the Paterno and Pattee Libraries. Especially if you haven’t been on campus in a while, you’ll be surprised by how much has changed. The library is not only outfitted with the latest technology, but, as senior editor Ryan Jones ’95 discovered firsthand, it’s becoming the place to “see and be seen” on campus. Thanks to group study rooms, TV lounges, and tons of computer workstations, the library now rivals the HUB as University Park’s most social spot.

—In November, when senior editor Lori Shontz ’91 came back from Discovery-U, a daylong event at which Penn State scientists and engineers gave brief presentations on their research, she raved about the fascinating talk by Khanjan Mehta ’03g. Mehta’s controversial concept: that even the most brilliant-seeming ideas can—and often do—fail to effect real change. As director of Penn State’s Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship Program, Mehta helps students engineer ways to improve life for people in developing countries—and turn good ideas into workable solutions. An adapted version of his talk, “Why Ideas Fail,” is featured on page 26.

—”Shows of Support” is a behind-the-scenes look at USO tours as seen through the lens of Steve Manuel ’84, ’92g, who’s photographed dozens of USO tours all over the world. You’ll see some familiar faces in Manuel’s photos, as the tours often include big-name athletes and performers. And Manuel’s stories (like the one about comedian Dane Cook’s brush with heat stroke in Kuwait) are just as interesting as the images he’s captured.

What do you think of the new issue? Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send an email to heypennstater@psu.edu.

Mary Murphy, associate editor

The Penn Stater Magazine