Jeffrey L. Rankinen, associate professor of electronics at Pennsylvania College of Technology, earned his doctorate in materials on Aug. 15 from The Pennsylvania State University. His thesis was "Microwave Characterization of Thin-Film Titania."
Rankinen earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from Penn State in 1992 and a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1986. He also earned associate degrees in electronics technology and computer science from Williamsport Area Community College, a forerunner of Penn College, in 1983.
Rankinen joined the staff at Penn College in 1986 as an engineering specialist and helped with equipment acquisition for the electronics program when it moved to the Breuder Advanced Technology and Health Sciences Center. He began teaching electronics at Penn College in 1987, with an emphasis in communications/fiber optics.
Rankinen is not the first of his family to contribute to student learning at Penn College. His father, Fred, retired as a faculty member from Penn College's civil engineering program, and an uncle, Richard W., is an associate professor in Penn College's forestry program. Rankinen lives in Jersey Shore with his wife, Amy, and 10-year-old son.
For more information about the academic programs offered by the School of Industrial and Engineering Technologies, call (570) 327-4520, send e-mail to industrial@pct.edu or visit http://www.pct.edu/schools/iet