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School NewsP r O M O T I O N sN e w C O M E r sA n n o u n c e m e n t sSven BilénSven Bilén, associate professorof engineering design, electricalengineering, and aerospaceengineering, has been appointedInterim Head of the School ofEngineering Design, Technology, andProfessional Programs (SEDTAPP)following the departure of DhushySathianathan, who took an associatedean position at the California StateUniversity, Long Beach.Bilén has been a faculty member in SEDTAPP and electricalengineering since January 2000 when he joined the College ofEngineering as an assistant professor. He received his bachelor’sdegree from Penn State in 1991 and went on to the Universityof Michigan where he received his master’s degree and then hisPh.D. in 1998.Bilén has received the Lawrence J. Perez Memorial StudentAdvocacy Award, the Penn State Engineering Alumni SocietyOutstanding Advising Award, and the Ruth and Joel Spira Awardfor Excellence in Teaching. He is a member of the AmericanSociety of Engineering Education, the Institute of Electrical andElectronic Engineers, and the International Council on SystemsEngineering. Bilén is a licensed Professional Engineer.Thomas Seybert, associate professorof engineering at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, has been appointed directorof Engineering Technology andCommonwealth Engineering.Seybert has been a faculty member atthe Wilkes-Barre campus since January1996. He received his bachelor’s andmaster’s degrees and his Ph.D. in civilThomas Seybertengineering from Penn State. He hasmore than 28 years of teaching andresearch experience at Penn State Beaver, University Park, andWilkes-Barre.In 2002, Seybert received the Penn State Engineering AlumniSociety Outstanding Teaching Award. He is a registeredProfessional Engineer.Matthew ParkinsonMatthew Parkinson, assistant professorof engineering design, has beenappointed director of the EngineeringDesign Program (EDP) as ProfessorRichard Devon steps down from theposition.In addition to directing the EDP,Parkinson is also the director of theCenter for Research in Design andInnovation and the OPEN Design Lab.Philip BoyerJetta McClenahanN e w C O M E r sJohn CorrellPhilip Boyer, instructor in engineeringentrepreneurship, has been appointedthe interim director of the EngineeringEntrepreneurship Minor as formerdirector Elizabeth Kisenwether stepsdown from the position.Boyer has been teaching in the E-SHIPMinor at University Park since 2008.Prior to joining the faculty at PennState, Boyer was the founder and chiefoperating officer of Pilgrim’s Oak, Inc.Jetta McClenahan, formerly a staffassistant for the School of EngineeringDesign, Technology, and ProfessionalPrograms, has moved into the positionof administrative support and financeassistant following the retirement ofJanie Burns.John Correll joined the EngineeringDesign Program in spring 2010 as aninstructor for EDSGN 100 Introductionto Engineering Design. After yearsin the aerospace industry at theNaval Surface Warfare Center andBombardier Aerospace, he attained histeaching certifications in physics andsecondary mathematics. He has taughtat the high school level, working in theState College Area School District and astate-wide charter cyber school.Ronald Johnson joined the EngineeringDesign Program in spring 2010 as aninstructor for EDSGN 100 Introductionto Engineering Design. Johnsonworked for nine years for Supelcoin Pleasant Gap, PA, providingengineering and managementsupport in both their gas and liquidchromatography business sectors. Healso worked for seven years at FirstRonald JohnsonQuality Nonwovens in McElhattan,PA, where he was responsible for allaspects of maintenance, engineering, and operability of a highspeednonwoven (SMMS) line.Christina RagerLee GornyHeather DaleChristina Rager joined the School ofEngineering Design, Technology, andProfessional Programs as a part-timestaff assistant for the Toys ‘n MOREstudent retention program. Toys ‘nMORE is a new program made possiblethrough a $2.4 million NationalScience Foundation grant to improveretention rates of students in thescience, technology, engineering, andmathematics fields over the next fiveyears.Lee Gorny joined the EngineeringDesign Program in fall 2009 as aninstructor for EDSGN 100 Introductionto Engineering Design. Gorny iscurrently a post-doctoral studentat Penn State’s Materials ResearchInstitute. He has worked with associateprofessor of engineering designAndrew Lau on the Solar Decathlonand has also taught courses inmechanical engineering.Heather Dale joined the School ofEngineering Design, Technology,and Professional Programs as a staffassistant. Dale previously worked atthe Penn State Dairy Alliance as anadministrative support assistant. Shehas assumed Jetta McClenahan’sformer position.Frank Koe joined the EngineeringEntrepreneurship Minor in spring 2009as an instructor for the engineeringentrepreneurship capstone course.He will again join the EngineeringEntrepreneurship Minor as aninstructor in spring 2010.In addition to being engaged inongoing entrepreneurial activities andFrank Koeserving as adjunct professor at theUniversity of Memphis, Koe was theformer director of the Executive MBA program at New JerseyInstitute of Technology and associate director of the BerkleyCenter for Entrepreneurial Studies, Stern School of Business, NewYork University.Adam and Rachel HackenbergKristin and Domer SmeltzerAdam Hackenberg, networkadministrator for the Centerfor Engineering Design andEntrepreneurship, married RachelElizabeth Strouse on May 23, 2009.The couple was married at St.John’s Lutheran Church in Millheim,PA, and celebrated their receptionat the Nittany Country Club inMingoville, PA. The Hackenbergsspent their honeymoon at SandalsDunn’s River Villaggio in Jamaica.Congratulations, Adam and Rachel!Kristin K. Witherite, daughter ofadministrative support assistantDebra Witherite and her husbandGeorge Witherite, married DomerO. Smeltzer on July 11, 2009.The wedding took place at theSprucetown United MethodistChurch, a small country churchin Potter Mills, PA. The reception,held at the Centre County GrangeFairgrounds in Centre Hall, PA,had more than 200 family andfriends in attendance. The Smeltzershoneymooned in Williamsburg, VA.Kristin is the youngest of Deb’s three daughters. She and hernew husband are both employed at Penn State in Food Services.Kristin is the assistant manager at Pollock Dining Commons,and Domer is the warehouse stock clerk at Housing and FoodsServices. Kristin and Domer currently reside in Spring Mills withtheir three beagles, Ben, Annie, and Sam. Congratulations to thehappy couple and to the proud parents!Senior financial assistant Jetta McClenahan and her husband,Terry, became proud grandparents on March 7, 2009. Theirdaughter, Trista McClenahan, andHerminio (Camilo) Bautista Antunezwelcomed their first child, EmmelinaGrace Antunez. She was born at5:03 a.m. weighing six pounds,fifteen ounces and measuring twentyinches in length. Emmelina goesEmmelina Grace Antunez by the nicknames Emme, Mami,and Mamasita. She is also thegranddaughter of Rodolfo Bautista José and Julieta AntunezBautista. Congratulations to Jetta and her familly on their littlebundle of joy!58 | SEDTAPP News | Spring 2010 Spring 2010 | SEDTAPP News | 59