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The year in review, in news and images: A look back at 2017 at Penn State

Photos and stories recap some of the year's most notable moments

A gallery of photographs reflecting on events, people and special moments at Penn State during 2017 can be viewed at http://news.psu.edu/gallery/498285/2017/12/13/penn-state-2017-year-phot…. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Peng Deng, a post-doctoral fellow in Penn State's School of Electrical Engineering (EE), makes adjustments to the MEMS laser beam optical communication system in his EE East lab. The steering of a  visible tracking beam and an infrared laser are employed as the research team devises more efficient configurations for wireless data centers. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Romeo Rodriquez got a lift around the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center from dancer relations committee member Mackenzie Cohen during THON 2017 on Feb. 17. THON 2017 raised more than $10 million dollars to ensure funding for research and support families impacted by pediatric cancer. Credit: Madison White. All Rights Reserved.

Although dejected after a 52-49 loss to USC in the 2017 Rose Bowl on Jan. 2, Saquon Barkley and the Penn State football team were able to build on their 2016 Big Ten championship and have a very successful 2017 season. Barkley was a 2017 first team All-American, a first team All Big Ten selection, and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Platinum recording artists and country superstars Big and Rich performed at ‘Happy Valley Jam’ on July 18. ‘Happy Valley Jam’ was the first concert held at Penn State’s Beaver Stadium and welcomed country music fans for a full-day of performances, headlined by Blake Shelton. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Lihua Wu, a graduate student studying plant biology at Penn State, prunes petunias in a plant pathology green house adjacent to Buckhout Building. The petunias are part of a self-incompatibility pollen and fertilization study. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Swimmers took their mark and readied for a 4x25 relay race during day one of the Special Olympics Pennsylvania 48th Annual Summer Games June 1. More than 2,000 athletes and 1,000 volunteers from across Pennsylvania competed at venues around Penn State's University Park campus. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Laura Guley and Julia Hemp, both students in Penn State’s School of Musical Theatre, rehearsed at the Playhouse for the ‘Truth Moves’ dance concert held April 20 to 23. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

A virtual reality demonstration along with a green screen photo studio were on display at the opening of the Pennsylvania Sexual Assault Forensic Examination and Telehealth Center July 25 at Penn State's Nursing Sciences Building. The Pennsylvania Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Training Center (SAFE-T) will establish a 24-hour mentoring and support network that will enable forensic nurses in underserved areas of Pennsylvania access to experts in the care of both adult and adolescent victims of sexual assault. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Junior Hannah Mulhern represented Penn State in the women's pole vault competition at the 2017 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Penn State May 12 through 14. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Law enforcement officers from around the northeasetern United States received International Police Mountain Bike (IPMBA) training during the summer of 2017 led by Penn State Police Lieutenant Matthew Cover and Lieutenant Chad Hamilton. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

The Penn State Blue Band provided the traditional soundtrack throughout the 2017 football season while always offering a unique and highly-produced halftime show for capacity crowds at Beaver Stadium. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

The Discovery Tree and Glass House, located in the Childhood's Gate area of The Arboretum at Penn State, are fun, learning spaces for children to explore plants, animals and the geography of central Pennsylvania. The Arboretum is open to the public from dawn to dusk throughout the year. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

THON 2018 welcomed the Penn State community to celebrate 100 Days 'til THON on Nov. 8 in Penn State's HUB-Robeson Center. The event included a hair donation by Penn State students to 'Wigs for Kids' that will provide children with pediatric cancer wigs at no cost to their family. THON 2018 will happen Feb. 16 to 18 at the Bryce Jordan Center. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

The Nittany Lion, a 2017 National Mascot Hall of Fame inductee, escorted Miss Pennsylvania 2017 Katie Schreckengast through the streets of Penn State and downtown State College at the 2017 Homecoming Parade Nov. 10. Schrekengast is a rising senior at Penn State studying broadcast journalism. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

The Brooks family traveled from Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, to pay tribute to their cousin Barry Frazier, and find his name on the Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall, which was on display at Penn State's Innovation Park the first week in October 2017. This special event was held in conjunction with the WPSU project "A Time to Heal: The Vietnam War-Telling the Pennsylvania Story." Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Norwegian Fjord Horses were put through their paces during day-one at Penn State's Ag Progress Days on Aug. 15, 2017. Fjord horses are a relatively small but strong breed from the mountainous regions of Norway. Ag Progress Days features a variety of horse breeds at the Equine Exhibit Building and the Main Horse Arena at Penn State's Russell Larson Research and Education Center in Rock Springs. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Penn State fans greeted the visiting Michigan Wolverines with a raucous 'White Out' at Beaver Stadium on the evening of Oct. 21. The Nittany Lions rewarded their loyal fan base with a convincing 42-13 win. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Commencement ceremonies at all of Penn States campuses are a traditional celebration of accomplishment. Penn State awarded more than 23,000 undergraduate and graduate degrees in 2017 Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Tim Pillsbury, graduate research assistant at Penn State’s Materials Research Institute, positions a sample of topological insulate for measurement in an angle-resolved photoemission spectrometer (APSE) at his Davey Laboratory facility. Researchers in Penn State's Materials Research Institute are making new discoveries and creating new understandings in materials properties, structures and composites. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Penn State Office of Physical Plant employees Vince Benner, left, and Jim Simpson erected a new Penn State Historical Marker commemorating college radio at Penn State. Penn State is one of the pioneers of college radio and has been broadcasting student-run productions since the 1920’s. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

A fly over by three U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets was one of the highlights of a rousing pregame ceremony as Penn State honored all retired and active military personnel on 'Military Appreciation Day' at Beaver Stadium on Nov. 11. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Percussionist Stephen Fleming, graduate student in Penn State’s School of Music, performed at Mosaic on Dec. 6.  Mosaic is an annual concert held at Eisenhower Auditorium that showcases outstanding soloists and ensembles from the School of Music. Credit: Stephanie Swindle Thomas / Penn State. Creative Commons

2017 was a rewarding year throughout the Penn State community, and Penn Staters came out in full-force to achieve success and make a positive impact in the classroom, laboratory, on the field of competition, and across the state of Pennsylvania. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Peng Deng, a post-doctoral fellow in Penn State's School of Electrical Engineering (EE), makes adjustments to the MEMS laser beam optical communication system in his EE East lab. The steering of a  visible tracking beam and an infrared laser are employed as the research team devises more efficient configurations for wireless data centers. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Romeo Rodriquez got a lift around the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center from dancer relations committee member Mackenzie Cohen during THON 2017 on Feb. 17. THON 2017 raised more than $10 million dollars to ensure funding for research and support families impacted by pediatric cancer. Credit: Madison White. All Rights Reserved.

Although dejected after a 52-49 loss to USC in the 2017 Rose Bowl on Jan. 2, Saquon Barkley and the Penn State football team were able to build on their 2016 Big Ten championship and have a very successful 2017 season. Barkley was a 2017 first team All-American, a first team All Big Ten selection, and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Platinum recording artists and country superstars Big and Rich performed at ‘Happy Valley Jam’ on July 18. ‘Happy Valley Jam’ was the first concert held at Penn State’s Beaver Stadium and welcomed country music fans for a full-day of performances, headlined by Blake Shelton. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Lihua Wu, a graduate student studying plant biology at Penn State, prunes petunias in a plant pathology green house adjacent to Buckhout Building. The petunias are part of a self-incompatibility pollen and fertilization study. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Swimmers took their mark and readied for a 4x25 relay race during day one of the Special Olympics Pennsylvania 48th Annual Summer Games June 1. More than 2,000 athletes and 1,000 volunteers from across Pennsylvania competed at venues around Penn State's University Park campus. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Laura Guley and Julia Hemp, both students in Penn State’s School of Musical Theatre, rehearsed at the Playhouse for the ‘Truth Moves’ dance concert held April 20 to 23. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

A virtual reality demonstration along with a green screen photo studio were on display at the opening of the Pennsylvania Sexual Assault Forensic Examination and Telehealth Center July 25 at Penn State's Nursing Sciences Building. The Pennsylvania Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Training Center (SAFE-T) will establish a 24-hour mentoring and support network that will enable forensic nurses in underserved areas of Pennsylvania access to experts in the care of both adult and adolescent victims of sexual assault. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Junior Hannah Mulhern represented Penn State in the women's pole vault competition at the 2017 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Penn State May 12 through 14. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Law enforcement officers from around the northeasetern United States received International Police Mountain Bike (IPMBA) training during the summer of 2017 led by Penn State Police Lieutenant Matthew Cover and Lieutenant Chad Hamilton. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

The Penn State Blue Band provided the traditional soundtrack throughout the 2017 football season while always offering a unique and highly-produced halftime show for capacity crowds at Beaver Stadium. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

The Discovery Tree and Glass House, located in the Childhood's Gate area of The Arboretum at Penn State, are fun, learning spaces for children to explore plants, animals and the geography of central Pennsylvania. The Arboretum is open to the public from dawn to dusk throughout the year. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

THON 2018 welcomed the Penn State community to celebrate 100 Days 'til THON on Nov. 8 in Penn State's HUB-Robeson Center. The event included a hair donation by Penn State students to 'Wigs for Kids' that will provide children with pediatric cancer wigs at no cost to their family. THON 2018 will happen Feb. 16 to 18 at the Bryce Jordan Center. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

The Nittany Lion, a 2017 National Mascot Hall of Fame inductee, escorted Miss Pennsylvania 2017 Katie Schreckengast through the streets of Penn State and downtown State College at the 2017 Homecoming Parade Nov. 10. Schrekengast is a rising senior at Penn State studying broadcast journalism. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

The Brooks family traveled from Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, to pay tribute to their cousin Barry Frazier, and find his name on the Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall, which was on display at Penn State's Innovation Park the first week in October 2017. This special event was held in conjunction with the WPSU project "A Time to Heal: The Vietnam War-Telling the Pennsylvania Story." Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Norwegian Fjord Horses were put through their paces during day-one at Penn State's Ag Progress Days on Aug. 15, 2017. Fjord horses are a relatively small but strong breed from the mountainous regions of Norway. Ag Progress Days features a variety of horse breeds at the Equine Exhibit Building and the Main Horse Arena at Penn State's Russell Larson Research and Education Center in Rock Springs. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Penn State fans greeted the visiting Michigan Wolverines with a raucous 'White Out' at Beaver Stadium on the evening of Oct. 21. The Nittany Lions rewarded their loyal fan base with a convincing 42-13 win. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Commencement ceremonies at all of Penn States campuses are a traditional celebration of accomplishment. Penn State awarded more than 23,000 undergraduate and graduate degrees in 2017 Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Tim Pillsbury, graduate research assistant at Penn State’s Materials Research Institute, positions a sample of topological insulate for measurement in an angle-resolved photoemission spectrometer (APSE) at his Davey Laboratory facility. Researchers in Penn State's Materials Research Institute are making new discoveries and creating new understandings in materials properties, structures and composites. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Penn State Office of Physical Plant employees Vince Benner, left, and Jim Simpson erected a new Penn State Historical Marker commemorating college radio at Penn State. Penn State is one of the pioneers of college radio and has been broadcasting student-run productions since the 1920’s. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

A fly over by three U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets was one of the highlights of a rousing pregame ceremony as Penn State honored all retired and active military personnel on 'Military Appreciation Day' at Beaver Stadium on Nov. 11. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Percussionist Stephen Fleming, graduate student in Penn State’s School of Music, performed at Mosaic on Dec. 6.  Mosaic is an annual concert held at Eisenhower Auditorium that showcases outstanding soloists and ensembles from the School of Music. Credit: Stephanie Swindle Thomas / Penn State. Creative Commons

2017 was a rewarding year throughout the Penn State community, and Penn Staters came out in full-force to achieve success and make a positive impact in the classroom, laboratory, on the field of competition, and across the state of Pennsylvania. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

As 2017 draws to a close, we review a small, representative selection of achievements and visual reflections on the year at Penn State, from among the many University-wide accomplishments in academics, research, athletics, student life and entrepreneurship.

Highlights of 2017 include:

Artist impression of gravitational waves generated by binary neutron stars

Penn State scientists contribute to gravitational wave studies

12/13/17

After the existence of gravitational waves was confirmed in 2016, the waves continued to be one of the top science stories in the world this year. Penn State scientists manage or help supervise some of the satellites and installations used to detect and analyze gravitational waves. They were part of at least three big gravitational wave studies this year.

Portrait of Penn State President Eric Barron in front of Old Main on April 22, 2016.

Penn State president named chair of national economic prosperity commission

11/13/17

Penn State President Eric J. Barron has been named chairman of the Commission on Innovation, Competitiveness and Economic Prosperity for the Association of Public Land-grant Universities.

Nittany Lion pointing up at football game

Nittany Lion named 2017 Mascot Hall of Fame inductee

11/6/17

The Nittany Lion is one of four mascots to be inducted in the Mascot Hall of Fame in an announcement made today (Nov. 6).

Penn State fundraising campaign shows strong results after first year

7/21/17

The first year of Penn State’s latest fundraising campaign inspired alumni and friends to commit $304.6 million to programs and needs across the University, said President Eric J. Barron in a report to the Board of Trustees today (July 21).

Zena Cardman NASA astronaut announcement

Penn State graduate student selected for NASA astronaut program

6/7/17

Zena Cardman, a doctoral student in Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, was named a member of NASA’s 2017 class of astronauts on June 7. Vice President Mike Pence joined NASA officials in introducing the 12 men and women during a ceremony at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Bellisario talks at podium

Television legend Donald P. Bellisario endows College of Communications

4/21/17

In recognition of a $30 million gift from 1961 alumnus and television producer Donald P. Bellisario to Penn State, the Board of Trustees has named the College of Communications in his honor. The college will now be known as the "Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications."

Jennie Noll

Grant creates first national center for child maltreatment studies at Penn State

4/18/17

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), part of the National Institutes of Health, recently completed a competitive process to fund for the first time ever, an academic institution to serve as a national resource for child maltreatment research and training. Penn State has been selected based on scientific merit to establish the Center for Healthy Children. The award of $7.7 million over five years will support the center as a national resource for child maltreatment research and training. To further this effort, Penn State has committed $3.4 million in funds, to total more than $11 million.

Bed Bug Micro Image

Bedbugs beware: New research may beat back bedbug epidemic

3/22/17

A new biopesticide developed by Penn State scientists has the potential to turn the bedbug control market on its ear, thanks to a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem taking root at Penn State that’s helping to push crucial discoveries out of the laboratory and into the marketplace.

Team photo of title team

Lions' perfect finals run culminates with NCAA wrestling championship

3/18/17

The Nittany Lion wrestling team left no doubt to its dominance, rolling to a perfect 5-0 record in the 2017 NCAA Championship finals. The stunning run capped off Penn State's team title performance in St. Louis' Scottrade Center. Penn State, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, claimed its sixth NCAA team title in the last seven years, its second straight and its seventh overall.

HPV surface

Scientists get best view yet of cancer-causing virus HPV

1/24/17

New details of the structure of the human papillomavirus (HPV) may lead to better vaccines and HPV anti-viral medications, according to studies led by a Penn State College of Medicine researcher.

 

Last Updated January 18, 2018

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