Department of Industry and Technology

MU Home >
Millersville Academics Home >
Industry & Technology Home

Welcome Ms. Donna Painter

The Department of Industry and Technology welcomes Ms. Donna Painter.

Ms. Painter comes to Millersville with experiences in both the graphics industry and teaching. She earned her undergraduate degree in graphic communications, which enabled her to begin her career in the printing industry. Over the time she honed her software and multimedia skills primarily by running a freelance graphic design business for fourteen years. Professor Painter began teaching in higher education in 2001. Since that time she has earned an M.Ed. in Instructional Design and is currently pursuing a D.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction. Any free time is spent with her husband Dean and her children Grace, 17, and Nate, 13.

An Advanced Woodworking Class of a Different Kind

Dr. Kerekgyarto opened up the fall semester with his ITEC 376 Wood Technology class by challenging the students to think “outside of the box” by building something that isn’t a box. “Traditionally, students choose to build very traditional forms in this class,” said Kerekgyarto, “and that is definitely not what this class is all about.” The 376 class is an upper-level woodworking technology class taken by juniors and seniors and the project chosen by most of the students this semester was anything but ordinary – the F1 kayak.

Kerekgyarto himself has spent time over the last two summers exploring some advanced techniques. In 2008 he attended the Wooden Boat School in Brooklin, ME, and last summer he took a week-long workshop on building an F1 kayak. He admits that he was somewhat surprised at how many students decided on this challenging project as he stands in his wood lab bestrewn with bent wood ribs and kayaks and varying degrees of completion. Building an F1 kayak lends itself well to an advanced woodworking technology class because nothing about the craft is square, no layout especially easy, and both machine and hand-tool skills are tested to the limit.

The challenging part of the project is that it includes complex layout, joinery, lashing all rib joints, steam bending of ribs and the cockpit, and sewing the skin on to the wooden frame. The finish includes dying and shrinking the fabric, and coating the fabric with a two-part urethane to make it water tight.

“This has been my best attended class and enthusiasm for the project has been great,” says Kerekgyarto. “This challenge requires a great deal of work from the students, and they have done very well so far. At this point in the semester it seems like they will all complete their kayak.”

Kayak Senior Jon Mummert (pictured) is excited about getting his kayak done too. “I love coming to class to work on my kayak,” Mummert said. “I can’t wait to get it in the water!”

“The important part is the process,” says Kerekgyarto, “but the real reward will be throwing them in the water to see if they float.” The last challenge of the class will be to take a weekend trip to the Grand Canyon of PA in the spring. So, if you’re around Millersville when the weather warms up and you see a motorcade leaving town with beautiful kayaks strapped to their roofs, you’ll know the challenge continues.

Do you know about internships?

Industrial internship combines the student's academic, technical and management preparation with actual on-the-job experiences in industrial enterprises. Industrial internships have a significant management component in that students are required to engage in management-related activities such as planning, organizing, directing, and controlling at the workplace. The student, the employer, and the Department of Industry and Technology faculty work cooperatively to assure the internship experience achieves the best possible learning value.

For more information, please see the internship FAQ page. Any questions should be addressed to
Dr. John Wright, Industrial Technology Program Coordinator.

Starting Conversation: OSEH at Millersville

Having recently completed a rigorous reaccreditation process with ABET, the Occupational Safety and Environmental Health (OSEH) program is endeavoring to create an opportunity for conversation with its graduates and other program constituents. To facilitate this communication, a Facebook Fan Page and a LinkedIn group have been created.

<<linkedin button>>

The OSEH program sees this as an opportunity to increase networking opportunities, to share practices, and to solicit advice using these social media platforms. Creating an information community focused on the OSEH program at Millersville will increase visibility of both the program and the graduates. The more information people know about the OSEH program will create more opportunities for graduates and employers.

The OSEH Fackbook page can be found using the Facebook search tool. Use "Occupational Safety & Environmental Health at Millersville University" or "Millersville University" as your search term and click on the 'pages' button to filter the results. You can also find the LinkedIn group by searching for "Millersville University" or "Millersville University - Occupational Safety & Environmental Health. You may also use the buttons above to get to the site of your choice.

Please take an opportunity to join in the conversation on one of these two social networking sites. Come start the conversation...

ITEC Faculty Recommend Renaming

The Department of Industry & Technology approved recommending a name change for the associate and baccalaureate degrees in Industrial Technology on October 5th, 2009. Following the lead of our professional association and accreditation body, the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ATMAE), the faculty decided to retire the Industrial Technology terminology and upgrade the two programs with more contemporary descriptors that better reflect career titles of our graduates and curriculum efforts.

BS: Applied Engineering & Technology
Management
AT: Applied Engineering & Technology

Both degree programs will continue to offer technical option specialties in Computer-Aided Drafting and Design, Construction, Electronics/Control Systems, General (BS degree only), Graphic Communications, Manufacturing, Mechanical, Nanofabrication, and Safety (AT Degree only).

The new degree names need approval from the University, so these changes may take some additional time before they are implemented. It is believed this much needed update will greatly improve our internal and external identity and marketing efforts as we move forward and brand our programs.