At Penn State Great Valley’s Industry Engagement Day, leaders from industry and academia explored how they combine their expertise with artificial intelligence (AI) to tackle challenges across diverse sectors. The campus is seeking new collaborations with industry partners who want to consult with expert faculty and students to improve their operations and solve complex business problems.
Penn State Great Valley’s master’s in engineering and IT programs have again earned high rankings in U.S. News & World Report's "Best Online Programs" for 2026, based on factors such as faculty credentials and training, student engagement, services and more.
Penn State’s online programs, offered through Penn State World Campus, are featured throughout the 2026 U.S. News "Best Online Programs" rankings of undergraduate and graduate programs offered by higher education institutions nationwide, as well as rankings of specialized programs and also for student veterans.
Penn State Great Valley has again earned national recognition for academic excellence, securing top rankings in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report "Best Online Programs" list for engineering management, software and systems engineering and IT programs.
A swimming race taught Colin J. Neill a valuable professional lesson about good technique that he took with him as he became a systems and software engineer, then a professor and now chancellor and dean at Penn State Great Valley. Although his students often found it challenging to learn new techniques, Neill often hears them express appreciation for their graduate education and how their studies accelerated their careers.
The team developed Trinity, an AI-powered device that can analyze a variety of elements present in water to determine drinkability and offer solutions on how to render water drinkable, and will compete in the final phase of the competition at the AI for Good Expo on Sept. 7.
Kathryn Jablokow, a professor of engineering design and mechanical engineering at Penn State Great Valley who also has appointments at Penn State University Park in the department of mechanical engineering and the School of Engineering Design and Innovation, will serve as on the American Society of Mechanical Engineering's Board of Governors as one of 12 members overseeing all the society's activities.
Joanna DeFranco, associate professor of software engineering and associate director of Penn State World Campus’ Doctor of Engineering program, is working with researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop the Secure Federated Data Sharing system, which allows secure data access where the data resides, rather than exchanging or being centrally stored.
Kathryn Jablokow, professor of engineering design and mechanical engineering, recently received a prestigious National Science Foundation Director’s Award as part of the team that created the Engineering Research Initiation program.
