The inaugural Manufacturing PA Innovation Program Expo took place on Monday, April 8, 2019, at the Keystone Building Meeting Center in Harrisburg, PA. The event celebrated the power of Pennsylvania’s students to energize Pennsylvania manufacturing and also highlighted examples of teamwork among the Department of Community and Economic Development, industry, economic development, and higher education created by Governor Wolf’s Manufacturing PA initiative. 

The event attracted over 100 attendees, including faculty, Manufacturing PA student fellows, companies, legislative staff, and economic development partners. Company representatives from US Steel, LIA Diagnostics, AM21 Technologies, Ametek, and Advanced Research Systems.

Attendees enjoyed two panels, “Advancing Innovation and Enhancing Market Competitiveness,” and “Challenges and Opportunities in Training Tomorrow’s Manufacturing Workforce.” Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman spoke about the importance of manufacturing in PA, and Phillip C. Yu, the Director of Corporate Science & Technology Initiatives and Operations at PPG Industries, Inc., gave a keynote speech about innovation’s significance in PA, as well as the crucial role that universities play in advancing research and development activities. To conclude the Expo, Manufacturing PA student fellows competed in a poster session, with winners announced in the Graduate, Undergraduate, and Overall categories.

Best Poster Winners 

An example poster of one of the projects. You can read only the headings, "research objective," "motivation," and "approach." It also says "Temple University" in the top left.

Source: Manufacturing PA Innovation Program

Temple University project poster from the PA Manufacturing Program Expo.

Undergraduate category

Casey Bate, Christie Hasbrouck, Elizabeth Gaughan, Jackson Craig and Austin Hankey
Penn State University
Project title: "Next Generation Castings – Integrating 3D Sand-Printing for Revamping Pennsylvania Foundries"
PIs:  Guha Manogharan and Paul Lynch

Graduate/undergraduate category

Chukwuemeka Chikelu, Engy Khoskit and Brennan Coleman
Drexel University
Project title: "Enhancing Surface Area and Sensor Sensitivity through Electrospinning"
PI:  Caroline Schauer

Graduate category

Titus Reed, Jivtesh Khurana and Lindsay Mitchell
Penn State University
Project title: "Additive Manufacturing of Functionally Graded Medical Devices"
PIs:  Mary Frecker and Todd Palmer