news & events

A believer in education for all – in any format or platform accessible – Adelina Hristova obtained her Ph.D. in Lifelong Learning and Adult Education in 2016 from the Penn State College of Education. She defended her dissertation on informal mobile learning among Romani women in Bulgaria. Originally from Bulgaria, Hristova said education takes on many forms among different cultures. As part of her dissertation, she studied this group of Romani women’s mobile phone usage in their everyday learning. The experience showed her firsthand how technology can bridge gaps in learning opportunities when the complexity of technology usage is better understood....

Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank has accepted eight early-stage business startups into its fall 2023 FastTrack Accelerator program. The startups selected range from glowing soap and a modern color vision test to a Latin American gaming media group, an arts education company, and an adventure STEAM summer camp. The no-cost business accelerator program received 32 applications. The program is open to Penn State students, faculty and staff, as well as the local community. “What sets the participants chosen for this fall’s FastTrack apart is their unique blend of innovation, determination, and coachability,” said Elizabeth Hay, Jack White Family Director of Happy...

Have an idea you want to turn into a business? Applications for the Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank Fall 2023 Idea TestLab are open until midnight, Sept. 18. Idea TestLab is a 4-week program that helps participants determine if their startup idea can be turned into a viable business. Those accepted into Idea TestLab will figure out if they’ve identified a problem, or need, that others have too. During the program, participants will identify current solutions, understand where they fall short, and define the value their startup idea provides that others don’t. As part of the program, participants gain access...

Ready to start building a business? Applications for the Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank Fall 2023 FastTrack Accelerator program are open with a deadline set for midnight, Sept. 4. FastTrack Accelerator is a 10-week program that helps early-stage startups better refine their target audience, test the market and build an actionable plan to acquire customers or expand their business. As part of the program, participants gain access to: 1-on-1 expert mentoring, with access to 70+ advisers 1-year subscription to SOLIDWORKS and POWr.io plug-ins Funding for one semester intern through the Penn State College of Engineering School of Engineering Design and Innovation (SEDI)...

State College community member Aquito Young, like a lot of parents, would tuck his 9-year-old son into bed each night. However, when Aquito would go check up on him hours later, he would notice the covers had fallen off his son’s legs and feet. For Aquito, this was his ‘a-ha’ moment to create a solution. “My son is 17 now — it took some time for that idea to finally actualize,” Aquito said. “My background is in social working, where I was always trouble shooting and solving different issues, and it made sense that I always wanted to start my...