Penn State Harrisburg's Office of Research and Outreach will host the third annual Research and Discovery Day and the Research Impact Challenge on April 9 to showcase research and scholarly activities at the college. The event is free and open to public. Registration is not required.
Research and Discovery Day will feature an overall look at research activities at Penn State Harrisburg, as well as featured speakers from the community, the presentation of research awards and the recognition of highly cited publications from faculty.
In addition, the Research Impact Challenge Poster Session will showcase participants' research impact on real-world challenges locally, nationally and internationally, focusing on how it results in societal and economic advancements. Presentations will feature diverse disciplines, including engineering and technology, humanities and arts, education, health studies, social sciences and public policy, business and economics, health and medicine, and other majors. The event aims to celebrate the transformative power of research by providing a platform to share ideas with community members and industry professionals.
The 21 student recipients of Harrisburg's 2024-25 Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) funding, along with other students and faculty, will participate in the challenge. Prizes will be awarded to the top three presenters.
Most of the day's events take place in the Mukund S. Kulkarni Theatre. The agenda is as follows:
- 9 to 9:30 a.m. - Breakfast refreshments
- 9:30 to 9:35 a.m. - Welcome remarks: David Callejo Pérez, chancellor
- 9:35 to10:10 a.m. - Keynote Speaker 1: Ryan Unger, president and CEO, Harrisburg Regional Chamber and CREDC (Capital Region Economic Development Corporation)
- 10:10 to 10:30 a.m. - Penn State Harrisburg Research Excellence and Growth: Sherri Kermanshachi, vice chancellor for research and outreach
- 10:30 to 11:05 a.m. - Keynote Speaker 2: Sheilah Borne, vice president, government relations, Penn State Health, and associate vice president, government relations, Penn State
- 11:05 to 11:15 a.m. - Penn State Harrisburg Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Amma Johnson, director, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- 11:15 to 11:30 a.m. - Research Award Celebration
- The recipients of four research awards will be announced, and the authors of the top three "highly cited publications" from 2024 will be recognized.
- 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. - Research Impact Challenge Poster Session in the Morrison Gallery, Madlyn L. Hanes Library
