Week four of the Readiness Institute at Penn State’s Summer Discovery provided some extraordinary moments of learning and exploration. This week’s topics and activities included touring a LEED Platinum–certified building, pitching business ideas, visiting innovative facilities, exploring environmental science, and touring advanced manufacturing sites and even delving into mental health literacy.
This week, the community readiness skill was adaptability/change literacy and learners explored future career pathways in sustainability.
Pittsburgh Workshops and Field Trips
This week, Pittsburgh learners welcomed some great guest speakers and workshop leaders to the classroom. Tom Bartnik, director of Franco Harris Pittsburgh Center at Penn State, talked about his personal and professional pathway and what it takes to have a career in sustainability. He also introduced learners to elements of green buildings and led them on a tour of the Energy Innovation Center (the home of the Readiness Institute office and classrooms). Learners were able to see how the LEED Platinum building was renovated from a trade school to the energy efficient building it is today, and they even took a trip to the green roof!
Learners also welcomed Emily from BUILD who led a workshop on entrepreneurship. They explored what it means to be the CEO of their own lives and how they can use spark skills (such as collaboration, problem-solving, grit, and more) to pursue a pathway in entrepreneurship. Then, the fun really started! They broke up into groups and had to make business pitches to the rest of the cohort about a prototype they created using random items — paperclips, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, masks, googly eyes, and more! Each group made a presentation about what their product was, what problem it solved, who the target audience was, and why the rest of the group should buy it. Some of the creative ideas: Build-a-Buddy (to combat child loneliness), Bug Spy (to see if friends are talking about you behind your back), a self-washing bowl (for the busy college student), and a large-scale water filter (for homeowners in flood zones).
The creative juices were flowing for off-site field trips as well. Pittsburgh learners got to visit Inventionland and the Digital Foundry at New Kensington for tours of the facilities and insight from leaders. At Inventionland, students got a peek into the immersive lab and the process through which an invention goes from idea to patent. At the Digital Foundry, Executive Director Sherri McCleary led learners on a tour of the space and talked about how robotics can be applied to everyday life.
“The Digital Foundry showed us state-of-the-art robotics technology that I never get to see in school. It was really cool!” — Nyxai, Pittsburgh learner
At the end of the week, all Pittsburgh learners joined together for a group trip. The first stop was the Andy Warhol Museum to check out the exhibits and participate in a screen-printing and collage activity. Then, they headed to The Pop District for a Cultural Connections tour with Jayen, Grace, and Chuck. The final stop of the day was City of Asylum @ Alphabet City — a community space in the Northside and a refuge for persecuted artists and writers from around the world.
Central PA Workshops and Field Trips
Central PA learners also experienced inspiring speakers and trips this week. The Altoona crew jumped right into the week by jumping right into the water at NatureWorks Park — 15 acres of land for outdoor education and recreation. They helped staff conduct a stream study and count macroinvertebrates in the creek and also met PA Secretary of Agriculture Russell Reading to chat about the region and its environmental impact.
The first off-site field trip for Altoona learners this week was the distribution center for Sheetz — which has been recognized by Fortune as one of the Top 100 Places to Work. They toured the facility and heard from leaders about how the company grew from one store in 1952 to more than 700 stores in five states. The Altoona crew also had a great visit to the Kulp Family Dairy Farm in Blair County, where they heard about the farm’s specialized production and sustainable practices. And of course — they visited with some cows!
Johnstown learners heard about innovative environmental technologies and visited some farm animals during their off-site trips this week. The group started the week at Dovan Farms in Somerset County, where they met staff and saw firsthand how they have grown to incorporate technology to increase efficiency and sustainability. In the afternoon, they visited the Center for Metal Arts, a blacksmith school in Johnstown. Heidi and Pat led learners on a tour of the workshops and talked about their unique pathway in forging.
Back in the classroom, Johnstown learners welcomed leaders from the Mountain Watershed Association. They learned more about career options that aim to protect, preserve, and restore local watersheds. They also worked with stream sample kits to understand how people in the field collect and test water for data and environmental planning. The group also heard from representatives in the Sheetz Fellows program — an opportunity for Penn State Altoona students to go beyond the classroom and gain real-world experience in the community.
All Central PA learners also got to join together at the end of the week for a group trip! They toured DelGrosso Foods food processing plant and learned all that it takes for the business to run. After the tour, they got to spend the rest of the day riding rollercoasters, playing games, and hanging out at DelGrosso’s Amusement Park.
Central PA Mental Health Training
Between the off-site trips and on-site workshops, the Central PA crew also spent a day centered on mental health. Emma Hance (program manager and strategic planning specialist at the Readiness Institute) and Matt Crutchman (educator with Penn State Extension and 4-H) hosted the Mental Health Literacy Project with learners to give everybody the chance to talk openly and honestly about their own mental health and techniques to help a friend who may be struggling. They heard from Avery, a Summer Discovery alum from 2023 who has been interning with Matt’s team for the past year.
“The youth mental health day will be something I remember forever. There were many activities for everyone to participate in, and I genuinely feel that we were in an incredibly safe place. Everyone felt comfortable to talk about their mental health, as well as different coping methods. I truly appreciate that this program brought us a day that schools don’t. We talked about mental health stigmas, coping methods, and different characteristics. I particularly enjoyed the activity where we took a meditation walk. We became more grounded and talked about affirmations in the beautiful fresh air.” — Teegan, Central PA learner
Next week is all about innovation and health care. Groups in Pittsburgh and Central PA will hear from professionals in the health care field, visit state-of-the-art facilities, and get a chance to explore new pathways and readiness skills. They’ll also get together for a trip to a few Penn State campuses!
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Pittsburgh
Central PA
