Hawaiian-themed ChE GSA tailgate on September 3

The ChE GSA will host a hawaiian-themed tailgate for the first football game on Saturday, September 3, 8 am – 3:30 pm. Wear your favorite Hawaiian shirt. We’ll provide leis and decorate the area with an inflatable palm tree or two.

The tailgate will be held in the IM Fields. A more specific location will be given when we park in the lots on gameday.

We will cover the main, Hawaiian-themed meal, but please bring either a side dish, drinks, or $5. Anything you can bring would be appreciated; it does not need to fit the theme.

If you have never experienced a Penn State tailgate before, this is a great one to go to, especially since it will be warm outside.

Getting to the Tailgate

Using public transportation to get to the tailgate is highly encouraged. Check the Catabus website for bus schedules. CATA also offers Game Day Football shuttles. The routes of those shuttles can also be found on their website.

If you need to drive to campus, it will be easier to find parking as you move away from the stadium. You need a specific football parking pass to park in these lots. Utilize the free campus buses (blue loop, white loop, and red link).

New photos page on ChE GSA website

The ChE GSA website now has a page completely dedicated to photos from the many events we participate in throughout the year. Hover over the events tab in the navigation bar and click on “Photos”. You will be taken to a page with links to Google Photos albums, showcasing Grad Cup, recruiting weekends, seminar speakers, our research symposium, and more.

ChE GSA to host ice cream social for Administrative Professionals Day

The ChE GSA will host an ice cream social on Thursday, April 28, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm in 101 Fenske in observance of Administrative Professionals Day. Every graduate student relies on our staff to schedule exams, to balance budgets, to maintain your records for graduation, to schedule seminar speakers, to organize recruiting weekend and the research symposium, and so much more.

Come out on Thursday to show your appreciation for our staff and get some free ice cream.

ChE GSA to hold elections on May 3

The ChE GSA will hold elections for our executive board on Tuesday, May 3, 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm in 101 Fenske. Every graduate student should attend the elections and vote, since the executive board serves as the voice of all ChE grad students in the department.

Please use this Google form to nominate individuals for executive board positions. Nominees must be current ChE graduate students. Ideally, nominees would be able to serve a full term from May 2016 to April 2017. Nominations will be accepted up to the start of the meeting.

What are the responsibilities of a ChE GSA executive board member?

To answer this question, I have attached a document with job description for each position on the executive board. The executive board as a whole serves as the voice of all ChE grad students in the department. Executive board meetings are held about once per month for an hour.

What are the benefits of being a ChE GSA executive board member?

For one, leadership positions always look great on resumes. Additionally, executive board members are the first points of contact for meeting with invited guests to the department, where you will be able make important professional contacts, often over nice dinners. You are also more likely to be the first to know about major department decisions (new building progress, hiring faculty members, and so on).

Please consider nominating yourself or someone else for a ChE GSA executive board position.

Pinguinos finish IM soccer season

The ChE GSA IM soccer team, Pinguinos Voladores, finished the IM soccer season last night with a 4-2 loss. While the team was able to get within a goal twice (2-1 and 3-2), an equalizing goal was not to be had. The team finishes with a 1-2-2 record. The team last night consisted of Tonnam Balankura, Dan Cetnar, Tyler Culp, Mel Hainey, Michael Regula, and James Sheehan.

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Seminar about job opportunities at ARPA-E to be held on Tuesday

Dr. Joseph Rollin, a fellow at ARPA-E, will give a seminar about job opporunities at ARPA-E on Tuesday, April 12, 11:30 am to 12:30 pm in 102 Chemsistry Building. Whether you are about to graduate or still have a few years left, this is a great opportunity for graduate students to see the types of careers that are available to those with advanced degrees. Dr. Rollin will highlight ARPA-E’s fellowship program, as well as positions as “Technology-to-Market Advisors”, “Technology-to-Market Scholars”, and “Program Directors.”

More information about the job opportunities that Dr. Rollin will be discussing can be found here.