Penn State Berks is currently accepting proposals for the Creative AI Minds Challenge, an event for high school students, through April 22. The challenge is open to all high school student teams who aim to make the world a better place using artificial intelligence and machine learning, regardless of their technical skills.
The Berks LaunchBox powered by Penn State recently received a $125,000 grant from the County of Berks. The funding will be used to create microgrants for Berks County entrepreneurs. Of the total grant awarded, $12,000 will be set aside for Penn State Berks student entrepreneurs participating in the college’s Flemming Creativity, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development Center Customer Discovery Lab, which will be distributed to awardees in $1,000 increments.
Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses and the state’s community colleges have announced a new collaboration aimed at expanding educational opportunities in Pennsylvania and removing barriers to degree completion among college students. The collaboration builds upon long-standing relationships between the campuses and the community colleges and a shared commitment to access and affordability in higher education.
Since its inception, Berks LaunchBox has made a significant impact on the Berks County community. Over the last five years, Berks LaunchBox has assisted 582 entrepreneurs, taught new skills to 1,100 community members in its Makerspace, offered entrepreneurship classes to 3,800 community members, and impacted 1,042 students (elementary school through college).
Penn State Berks student startup team Streamline Charging LLC has received national and University-wide recognition for its flexible and affordable electric vehicle (EV) charging solution that transforms the charging experience for apartment dwellers and service station customers.
Nathan Bonslaver, Penn State Berks alumnus and cofounder of CarToCamp, worked with Invent Penn State's OriginLabs to develop a new prototype of his car sleeping platform product.
Seven Penn State campuses have created the Commonwealth Arboreta Network, a network that will inventory trees and plant life while sharing research and teaching resources, with the eventual goal of creating an arboretum at each of the University's 24 campuses.
The Berks LaunchBox powered by Penn State recently announced the winners of its Idea TestLab accelerator pitch competition. Mike Aman earned first place, Stacey Murrell of Master the Pieces took second place. Co-founders Vera Hempel and Kuba Kerner of Kiss UX took third place in the competition.
Penn State Berks was awarded a $1.62 million grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to establish a youth violence intervention and prevention program, a new initiative that will employ evidence-based strategies to serve youth ages 14 to 21 in Berks County.
A team of Penn State researchers recently held a workshop in Ghana on how gender affects dynamics within the agriculture industry. The trip capped a multi-year effort to better understand time poverty among women peanut farmers.
