The seventh annual Manufacturing PA Innovation Program Expo took place on April 4, 2025 and celebrated the emerging technologies that can transform Pennsylvania manufacturing.

All the fellows at the 2025 expo

The 2025 Manufacturing PA Innovation Program fellows

Participants met the faculty, students, and companies that are driving the innovations, and:

  • Engaged with science/engineering students who are working on innovation projects with Pennsylvania manufacturers
  • Learned from experts at colleges and universities about advancements in 3D printing, materials development, energy, and smart manufacturing
  • Showcased their company's products and technologies to students, faculty, economic development officials, and potential suppliers/customers 
  • A man and a woman looking at a student's poster at the expo
  • A fellow demo-ing his work with metal
  • Part of the crowd sitting down during a presentation at the expo
  • A student presenting her poster
  • A fellow pointing to his poster while a woman listens
  • Two women and two men chatting and laughing around a table
  • A panel (consisting of two women and two men) from the 2025 expo
  • A student demo-ing his work
  • Two women chatting about a fellow's project

    • Agenda

    10:30 a.m. - 10:35 a.m. – Welcome

    14th Floor Auditorium                                                                                   

    • Jen Gilburg, Deputy Secretary for Technology & Entrepreneurship, PA Department of Community and Economic Development

    10:35 a.m. - 11:20 a.m. – Industry Keynote

    14th Floor Auditorium           

    • Chris Scafario, President and CEO, Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center (DVIRC)

    11:20 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. ­– Manufacturing Fellows Panel

    14th Floor Auditorium

    • Moderator: Jen Gilburg, Deputy Secretary for Technology & Entrepreneurship, PA Department of Community and Economic Development
    • Panel: Kristopher Connelly, Robert Morris University; Madison Haraschak, Penn State University, Berks; Trent Vacula, University of Pittsburgh

    11:45 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. – Manufacturing Innovation Program Update

    14th Floor Auditorium

    • Jennifer Leinbach, Executive Director, PA Department of Community and Economic Development

    11:50 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. – Photo of Fellows

    14th Floor Auditorium

    12:00 p.m. – Lunch & Student Poster Session/Manufacturing Showcase

    12th Floor Atrium and Room 1205

    • 12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. Student Poster Session
    • 12:45 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. Manufacturing Showcase

    1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. – Lightning Talks on Manufacturing Innovations

    Materials Development

    Room 1153

    • Session Chair: Ronald Kander, Dean & Senior Associate Provost, Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce, Thomas Jefferson University

    Synthesizing High Value Materials from Agricultural Biomass

    • Ronald Kander, Thomas Jefferson University

    CleanGraphene: Physical Characterizations and Performance Evaluations

    • Randy Vander Wal, Professor, Energy and Mineral Engineering, Penn State University

    Manufacturing Lightweight Aggregate from Synergistic Integration of Significant Pennsylvania Solid Waste Streams including Coal Combustion Ash, Fiberglass-polymer Composite, and Soda-lime Glass

    • Yaghoob (Amir) Farnam, Associate Professor, Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Drexel University

    Multifunctional Magnesium Oxide Cement Composites for Building Products

    • Christopher Kitchens, Professor and Chair, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Villanova University

    In-line Laser-based Advanced Manufacturing of Nanocrystalline Alloys for Electrification Applications

    • Paul Ohodnicki, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Pittsburgh

    High Temperature Thermal Energy Storage: Future Outlook and Key Challenges

    • Animesh Kundu, Research Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University

    Additive Manufacturing & Smart Manufacturing

    Room 1146

    • Session Chair: Sandra DeVincent Wolf, Executive Director, Manufacturing Futures Institute and NextManufacturing Center; Adjunct Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University

    Additive Manufacturing Overview

    • Todd Palmer, Professor, Engineering Science and Mechanics, Penn State University

    Exploring Next Generation Laser Sources for Advanced Manufacturing

    • Todd Palmer, Penn State University 

    Innovations and Challenges in Additive Manufacturing: Toward Smart and Adaptive Materials

    • Babak Eslami, Associate Professor and Chair, Mechanical Engineering, Widener University

    Human-AI Collaboration for Optimized Manufacturing Processes in Smart and Modular Production Systems

    • Pingbo Tang, Associate Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University

    Applying the Digital Twin Model

    • Charles Stricker, Assistant Teaching Professor, Engineering, Penn State University, Berks

    2:50 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. – Celebrating Collaboration with Cookies

    12th Floor Atrium and Room 1205

    This program is funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development.