Barbara Mizdail, Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at Penn State Berks, officially retired on December 31, 2014, after 13 years of service to the college. She was the first full-time female engineering professor at the college. Among her accomplishments are founding the college's student chapter of the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) and serving as the first female adviser to SAE Berks Chapter competing in the SAE International Baja competition.

Perseverance Jazz Band will bring the music of Mardi Gras to Penn State Berks on Wednesday, February 11, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Robert Forrey has been named Distinguished Professor of Physics at Penn State Berks. He is the second faculty member at the college to receive the Distinguished Professor title. There will be a reception in his honor on Monday, February 9, 2015, from 1-2:30 p.m. in the Janssen Conference Center for the campus community.

Penn State Berks students will be "lending their paws for a good cause" as they volunteer at a variety of nonprofit organizations during the academic year. The following is a list of community service initiatives in February. Wednesday, February 11, 2015, beginning at 4 p.m. Students can sign up with Berks Cares to help out with an after school Reading Enrichment program with the Olivet Boys and Girls Club. Students will be reading to the kids and doing crafts with them as they relate to the selected readings.

Berks initiatives cited extensively in report As a result of Penn State's far-reaching community partnerships, including cancer prevention efforts in Appalachia and sustainable greenhouse design and production in Africa, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has selected the University for its 2015 Community Engagement Classification.

Scientist and entrepreneur Dr. Nina Tandon will discuss her innovative work in human tissue engineering on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public.

Penn State Berks will hold a Degree Fair for currently enrolled students on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015, from 1-2:30 p.m. in Tully's. Students attending the fair will receive a coupon for a free lunch on the day they attend and they will be able to enter their names in a drawing for a grand prize.

Dr. Bryan Shawn Wang, Lecturer in Biology at Penn State Berks, will present "Combinatorial Biology: Strength in Numbers" at the next Science Colloquium on Friday, Feb. 13, 2015, at 1:15 pm in room 125, Luerssen Building. This presentation is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

In honor of Black History Month, the Penn State Berks will hold the following events in February 2014. Wednesday, Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m., Perkins Student Center Auditorium Perseverance Jazz Band will bring the music of Mardi Gras to Penn State Berks. This event is free and open to the public.

Penn State Berks will host its annual Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Conference, titled "Today and Tomorrow 2015" on Tuesday, March 10, 2015. Approximately 100 eleventh-grade students are expected to attend the conference, which will feature instructors and students from Penn State Berks and the community who will provide workshops with the goal of encouraging the high school students to continue their studies in science, math, engineering, and technology.