Academics

Penn State Altoona receives gift of engineering equipment from Siemens USA

Eric A. Spiegel, center, president and CEO of Siemens USA, presents a check to students in the Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology Program. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

ALTOONA, Pa. — Penn State Altoona received $12,000 worth of programmable logic controller (PLC) equipment from Siemens USA to be used for the campus' Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology Program.

Eric A. Spiegel, president and CEO of Siemens USA, presented a check on campus Nov. 20. Siemens is a leader in the field of automation equipment.

PLCs are known as the “brains” behind actions that make a process, typically an industrial one, run. These PLCs will be used in the introductory industrial automation lab course at Penn State Altoona so that students have an opportunity to work with Siemens equipment, in addition to existing equipment, on campus.

“Siemens has a long and productive history working with Penn State,” said Spiegel. “This equipment will allow the college and its students to continue to produce cutting-edge research and innovative digitalization software, and Siemens is proud to support Penn State in its efforts to prepare our future workforce for success.”

Eric Beaver, supervisor of the engineering laboratories, said, “While our automation curriculum has been praised for the quality of students coming out of it and moving into industry, our belief is that we can always make progress, and in order to stay ahead of the pack, we must continue to do so. This addition helps the engineering programs at Penn State Altoona prepare students in new and very important ways, ultimately helping Penn State Altoona attract top-notch students and helping those in our service area obtain high-paying and rewarding technical careers, ultimately strengthening our communities.”

Siemens Corporation is a U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. With 343,000 employees in more than 190 countries, Siemens reported worldwide revenue of approximately $98 billion in fiscal year 2014. Siemens USA reported revenue of $22.2 billion, including $5.2 billion in exports, and employs approximately 50,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

Last Updated November 24, 2015