MONT ALTO, Pa. — Penn State Mont Alto students will display and present their best academic and artistic work during the 11th annual Penn State Mont Alto Academic Festival, set for noon to 3 p.m. April 22, in the Multipurpose Activities Center (MAC). An awards ceremony will be held in the General Studies Building auditorium at 3:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend free of charge. The event is sponsored by F&M Trust Company.
“We are proud to showcase the hard work of our students. These innovative projects are the culmination of great effort and a hunger for knowledge on the part of all the participants,” said Andrea Pritt, Penn State Mont Alto librarian and co-chair of the Academic Festival.
The Academic Festival will include 49 projects, including research-based projects, oral presentations, performances, and informational exhibits covering a wide array of topics, as well as all majors and subjects. Art projects will also be on display in the Academic Support Center of the General Studies Building, including drawings, paintings and photographs.
The festival will advance a wide range of topics, including:
- Engineering: “Rube Goldberg Project” — A device that has moving, swinging, and rolling parts that will end with the device opening a glass bottle of soda by popping off the cap.
- Forestry: “Evaluating a Genetically Diverse American Chestnut Orchard for Education and Research” — The evaluation of an American chestnut grove including the survival and growth of trees.
- Nursing: “Franklin County Health Babies” — The design of a program in partnership with the Keystone’s Women Center that educates pregnant women and their significant others about the expectations of pregnancy and the ongoing needs of their unborn child.
- Human Development and Family Studies: "Anatomy of Peace" — A presentation and demonstration on how “a heart of peace can help with everyday conflicts,” based on the book “The Anatomy of Peace,” which explains the sources of conflict and offers tools and techniques to resolve disputes.
Debra Collins
Director of Public Relations and Marketing, Penn State Mont Alto