Engineering

PA Department of Community & Economic Development tours Learning Factory

Carrie Lepore, Deputy Secretary of Marketing, Tourism, and Film in the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED), visited the Bernard M. Gordon Learning Factory on July 23.  The goal of the visit was for Lepore to see firsthand the exciting work taking place at the Learning Factory and better understand how the Learning Factory benefits the commonwealth.

Lepore was joined by Mary Bethea, marketing manager for the DCED, and Debra Bowman, executive director of marketing for the DCED.

The group toured the facility and talked to several students, including members of the Lunar Lion team, about their experience with the Learning Factory. Lepore was very enthusiastic about the ongoing work at the Learning Factory.

“It’s truly amazing and exciting that it’s here in Pennsylvania,” Lepore said.

The Learning Factory provides access to hands-on manufacturing resources for undergraduate students. The Learning Factory also coordinates the capstone design program, where teams of undergraduate students gain real-world experience through a semester-long industry-sponsored project. It is the largest program of its kind in the country with more than 800 students participating on about 200 projects every year.

Mary Frecker, director of the Learning Factory, explained that one of the biggest challenges the unit faces is finding new sponsors.

“Because we have so many students we need a lot of projects,” Frecker said. “We constantly need new sponsors for the projects and the types of companies and contacts the DCED has are really helpful to us.”  

The DCED has been instrumental in promoting the Learning Factory to Pennsylvania-based companies looking to work with students or solve problems in the area of engineering. The group plans to continue this promotion and look for additional ways to maintain a strong partnership with the Learning Factory.

The DCED works to foster opportunities for businesses to grow and for communities to succeed and thrive in a global economy.

Last Updated July 27, 2015

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