University Park, Pa. — Peter and Angela Dal Pezzo of Fresno, Calif., have committed $100,000 to create the Global Manufacturing and Services Laboratory in the Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering.
The lab is designed to allow engineering students to experience international culture, language and education without having to leave campus. Led by Amine Lehtihet, professor of industrial engineering, the 1,000-square-foot lab will consist of five components: a teleconferencing facility, multiple international language stations, satellite televisions, design collaborative software and an international products benchmarking station.
The lab will open by fall semester.
Peter Dal Pezzo is a 1968 Penn State industrial engineering graduate and the retired vice president of corporate projects for PELCO, a California-based firm that designs and manufactures video security systems and equipment.
The Dal Pezzos' previous gifts to Penn State include $3 million to endow a department head’s chair in industrial engineering and a $150,000 Trustee Scholarship. Peter Dal Pezzo is an active member of the department's Industrial and Professional Advisory Council and Service Enterprise Engineering board.