You will be able to validate your attendance (Check-In to sessions) using your personal schedule.
10:30am EDT
11:30am EDT
12:00pm EDT
1:00pm EDT
Inc. U Student Pitch Competition 2026 (see description to register)
Saturday March 21, 2026 1:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Speakers 
Western Region Director, Veteran Business Outreach Center at Penn State
I channel my passion for innovation into supporting budding entrepreneurs who want to turn their cool ideas into reality! We work together to prioritize and focus their efforts, and I work hard to help them avoid the common mistakes many start-ups make.
11:30am EDT
Assume Less, Connect More: Turning a Card Game into a Startup
Monday March 23, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Speakers 
Founder, Now You Know
Joe Laezza is a fourth-year Mechanical Engineering student at Penn State with a focus on leadership, innovation, and personal growth. He’s the founder of Now You Know, a social card game designed to create better conversations by testing the assumptions we make about others.Joe...
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12:15pm EDT
Speed Mentoring with Industry Mentors
Monday March 23, 2026 12:15pm - 12:45pm EDT
Speakers 
Program Chair, Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ENTI) Minor, Penn State Berks
Sadan Kulturel‐Konak is a Professor of Management Information Systems and the Director of Flemming Creativity, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CEED) Center at Penn State Berks. Dr. Kulturel is also an affiliated faculty at Penn State Harold and Inge Marcus Department...
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12:45pm EDT
Student Enterprise Award Ceremony
Monday March 23, 2026 12:45pm - 1:15pm EDT
Speakers
Program Chair, Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ENTI) Minor, Penn State Berks
Sadan Kulturel‐Konak is a Professor of Management Information Systems and the Director of Flemming Creativity, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CEED) Center at Penn State Berks. Dr. Kulturel is also an affiliated faculty at Penn State Harold and Inge Marcus Department...
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1:00pm EDT
Intellectual Property Basics (see description to register)
Monday March 23, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Speakers 
Patent and Trademark Resource Center Representative, Pennsylvania State University Libraries
Denise A. Wetzel is the Eric N. and Bonnie S. Prystowsky Early Career Science Libraries Professor and Science & Engineering Librarian at Pennsylvania State University Libraries. She is also the Patent and Trademark Resource Center Representative for the University Park PTRC. She holds...
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Monday March 23, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm
EDT
201 Davey Lab
201 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USA
1:00pm EDT
Microplastics in Everyday Products: Building a Better Tea Brand
Monday March 23, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Speakers 
Founder/CEO, Rooted Organics
Lauren Collins is a senior Finance major at Penn State’s Smeal College of Business and the founder of Rooted Organics, a microplastic free tea brand launched in February 2026. After learning that many conventional tea bags release billions of microplastics per cup, she built Rooted...
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1:25pm EDT
Augmented Innovation Workshop (Penn State Berks)
Monday March 23, 2026 1:25pm - 2:15pm EDT
Speakers 
Reference and Instruction Librarian, Penn State Berks
Sarah Hartman-Caverly is a reference and instruction librarian with Penn State University Libraries at Penn State Berks, where she liaises with the Engineering, Business and Computing division programs, the Flemming CEED Center for Creativity, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development...
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2:30pm EDT
Failing Upwards
Monday March 23, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Speakers 
Co-Founder, Surge Events
Lance Streuber is a cofounder of Surge Events, an online platform that automatically builds and maintains community event calendars. Most of Lance’s ideas have started out wrong. His first attempt, trying to sell food belonging to people he didn’t know to strangers on the internet...
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4:00pm EDT
Why Being a Student Founder Is a Cheat Code for Building a Startup
Monday March 23, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Speakers 
Founder, Whirl Pong
Dillon Fink is a 20-year-old student entrepreneur and the founder of Whirl Pong, the spinning cup pong game. What started as a freshman-year student project has grown into a promising e-commerce startup. Through building Whirl Pong and his involvement in the student entrepreneurship...
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10:00am EDT
3D Printing with Lasers!
Tuesday March 24, 2026 10:00am - 1:00pm EDT
Speakers 
Student Engagement and Outreach Coordinator, OriginLabs
Sarah Fasco is the Student Engagement and Outreach Coordinator for OriginLabs. Before joining the team, she worked at a makerspace at Virginia Tech, where she helped manage the studio, provided project consultations and tool trainings, and built displays for the space.
OriginLabs Director, The Pennsylvania State University
Ryan joined Penn State in 2021 as Director of the brand-new OriginLabs, a prototyping and product design facility serving entrepreneurs and start-ups from the university, community, and beyond. Previously, Mandell was director of fabrication labs for Indiana University's school of...
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Manager, The Pennsylvania State University, OriginLabs
Jose Nunez is the Shop Manager for OriginLabs. Jose earned his MFA in Production Technology from Ohio University (2017), and his BA in Theatre from the University of Maryland (2010). Jose used to work as a Properties Master in professional regional theatre, building and maintaining...
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Service Bureau Manager, OriginLabs
Tristan Hess is the Service Bureau Manager for OriginLabs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in interior design and a master’s in education focused on art and design. Before coming to OriginLabs, he worked for an independent school in Colorado, where he taught architecture, design...
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10:00am EDT
Exploring Virtual Reality: Hands-On with the Center for Immersive Experiences
Tuesday March 24, 2026 10:00am - 1:00pm EDT
Speakers 
Associate Director, Penn State Center for Immersive Experiences
Patrick M. Dudas (he/him) has an eclectic background and has collaborated with researchers in Biology, Meteorology, Business, Infectious Diseases, Political Science, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Entomology, Food Science, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, Information Science...
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10:00am EDT
10:00am EDT
The Jared Box Project: Making an impact, one smile at a time!
Tuesday March 24, 2026 10:00am - 1:00pm EDT
Speakers 
Executive Director, The Jared Box Project
Cindy Kolarik is the Founder and Executive Director of
The Jared Box Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing joy and hope to children in hospitals. A graduate of West Virginia University, Cindy holds an MBA and a degree in accounting. She is also an active commun...
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12:00pm EDT
Lunch with Alexander “Zander” Isaacson — Future of Energy, Health Tech, and AI (event full)
Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Speakers 
Co-Founder/CEO, Xeal
Alexander “Zander” Isaacson is Co-Founder and CEO of Xeal, a tech-driven EV charging company operating at the intersection of proptech, energy, and IoT. A member of the Forbes Technology Council, his work focuses on making EV adoption easier and more scalable nationwide.
Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:00pm - 1:00pm
EDT
Happy Valley LaunchBox
123 South Burrowes Street, State College, PA 16801
1:30pm EDT
Researching Historical Trademarks: Utilizing HathiTrust and the USPTO (See description to register)
Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Speakers
Patent and Trademark Resource Center Representative, Pennsylvania State University Libraries
Denise A. Wetzel is the Eric N. and Bonnie S. Prystowsky Early Career Science Libraries Professor and Science & Engineering Librarian at Pennsylvania State University Libraries. She is also the Patent and Trademark Resource Center Representative for the University Park PTRC. She holds...
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Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:30pm - 2:30pm
EDT
201 Davey Lab
201 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USA
4:35pm EDT
6:00pm EDT
Founder's Dinner: Private Dinner Application (event full)
Tuesday March 24, 2026 6:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Speakers 
Founder, The Makery PA
Amy Frank is the founder and director of The Makery: a community art studio with two locations in downtown State College, and Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. The Makery specializes in creative classes, parties, and events. You can learn more at themakerypa.com or on Instagram @themaker...
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Business Operations and Strategy Leader, Forte Mental Fitness
Asher Carr is a Business Operations and Strategy Leader who believes that great companies are built on the discipline of simple, repeatable systems. A proud Penn State Alumnus (Altoona ‘16), Asher has spent over a decade optimizing processes and scaling teams across diverse ind...
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Co-Founder & CTO, Guidewise
George Wolf is co-founder and CTO of Guidewise, where he works directly with organizations implementing data and AI solutions in real-world environments. An alumnus of Penn State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology, George has built his career at the intersection of...
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Co-Founder & CEO, Guidewise
Ted Wolf is a serial entrepreneur, executive coach, change management expert, and co-founder and CEO of Guidewise. A Penn State graduate, Ted brings decades of experience building, scaling, and successfully exiting companies, including leading mergers and complex technology integrations...
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Co-Founder/CEO, Xeal
Alexander “Zander” Isaacson is Co-Founder and CEO of Xeal, a tech-driven EV charging company operating at the intersection of proptech, energy, and IoT. A member of the Forbes Technology Council, his work focuses on making EV adoption easier and more scalable nationwide.
The Jack White Family Director, Happy Valley LaunchBox
CEO/Founder, Wojcik Consulting Group
Associate Professor, Associate Director of the Farrell Center,, Smeal College of Business
Dr. Miller is a global citizen, having worked in emerging markets for over a dozen years, specializing in economic development and business start-ups. During her career, she has had a leadership positions with the US Government, worked for multinational management consulting firms...
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Co-Founder, LiteraSeed
I am an entrepreneur and have spent most of my career developing technologies for healthcare. I was the Founding CEO of Lucira Health, which developed the first at-home COVID-19 test cleared by the FDA. Over its lifetime Lucira Health raised ~$250M and IPO'ed (NASDAQ: LHDX) in 2021...
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Central Region Director & Portfolio Manager, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central & Northern PA
Co-founder and Exec Chair, Joy 101
Executive Chairman of the Board, DiamondBack Truck Covers
Founder, Hello Social Co.
I’m Ellen Matis — founder of Hello Social Co., author of the Ellie Mae Explores children’s book series, and someone who has always believed that the magic of a community lies in its people, stories, and sense of belonging.
My work sits at the intersection of social media, placemaking, and community pride. I help downtowns, destination marketing organizations, and experience-based brands uncover what makes them special — then turn that into social-first strategies that boost tourism, fuel local business...
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President/Founder, KidTech, Inc.
I get joy out of doing all of these things:- Mentoring startup teams at the Penn State's Happy Valley LaunchBox- Founder and President of KidTech, Inc - 501(c)(3) doing STEM outreach for middle schoolers in central PA- Trustee with 3 Dots Downtown providing Awesome Grants to help...
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CEO, KCF Technologies
KCF Technologies CEO leading industrial transformation by partnering with world class manufactures to optimize machine health. Passionate about building an industrial world where together, through the convergence of people and technology, dramatic manufacturing improvements are m...
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Tuesday March 24, 2026 6:00pm - 8:00pm
EDT
Happy Valley LaunchBox
123 South Burrowes Street, State College, PA 16801
10:00am EDT
The First Steps to Small Business Success
Wednesday March 25, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Speakers 
Business Consultant, Penn State Small Business Development Center
As a Business Consultant for the Penn State SBDC, Elizabeth uses her experience in marketing and program design to provide educational programming and consulting that helps clients achieve their small business goals. She holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from The...
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11:15am EDT
Design, Touch, Convince: Prototyping for Market Insight- 3D Printing Workshop
Wednesday March 25, 2026 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
Speakers 
3D Printing Coordinator, Penn State Berks
Talan Nguyen is a second-year mechanical engineering student at Penn State Berks pursuing a minor in mathematics. As the 3D printing coordinator at the CEED Center, he provides technical prototyping support to entrepreneurs and manages additive manufacturing resources. Talan is a...
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11:30am EDT
The Execution Gap: Why Great Strategies Fail and How to Fix It
Wednesday March 25, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Speakers
Business Operations and Strategy Leader, Forte Mental Fitness
Asher Carr is a Business Operations and Strategy Leader who believes that great companies are built on the discipline of simple, repeatable systems. A proud Penn State Alumnus (Altoona ‘16), Asher has spent over a decade optimizing processes and scaling teams across diverse ind...
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12:15pm EDT
Failure, Pivots, and Building What Lasts
Wednesday March 25, 2026 12:15pm - 1:15pm EDT
Speakers 
Founder and CEO, honeygrow
Justin Rosenberg is Founder and CEO of honeygrow, a fast-casual stir-fry and salad concept founded in Philadelphia in 2012. With a mission to create a unique, spirited brand focused on simple, wholesome foods, Rosenberg has led the company's creation and growth, which currently has...
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12:45pm EDT
Eric Franchi, Aperiam - In-person Office Hours (see description to apply)
Wednesday March 25, 2026 12:45pm - 1:15pm EDT
Speakers 
General Partner, Aperiam
Eric Franchi is a General Partner at Aperiam, where he invests in marketing and ad tech companies. A proud Penn State alumnus, Eric is a serial entrepreneur and investor who has been on both sides of the table - building, scaling, and exiting companies, and now backing the next generation...
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1:00pm EDT
Asher Carr, Forte Mental Fitness - In-person Office Hours (see description to apply)
Wednesday March 25, 2026 1:00pm - 1:30pm EDT
Speakers
Business Operations and Strategy Leader, Forte Mental Fitness
Asher Carr is a Business Operations and Strategy Leader who believes that great companies are built on the discipline of simple, repeatable systems. A proud Penn State Alumnus (Altoona ‘16), Asher has spent over a decade optimizing processes and scaling teams across diverse ind...
Read More →
1:00pm EDT
Build, Break, Pivot: A Y Combinator Founder's Journey to VC
Wednesday March 25, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Speakers 
Co-Founder, Moichor
Shevy Karbasi is a 2019 graduate of the Eberly College of Science and co-founder of Moichor. Moichor processed 60,000+ tests in 2022 and services 200+ veterinary clinics.
2:00pm EDT
The Dare to Disrupt Design & Build Challenge - Part 1 (see description to register)
Wednesday March 25, 2026 2:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Speakers
Student Engagement and Outreach Coordinator, OriginLabs
Sarah Fasco is the Student Engagement and Outreach Coordinator for OriginLabs. Before joining the team, she worked at a makerspace at Virginia Tech, where she helped manage the studio, provided project consultations and tool trainings, and built displays for the space.
Service Bureau Manager, OriginLabs
Tristan Hess is the Service Bureau Manager for OriginLabs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in interior design and a master’s in education focused on art and design. Before coming to OriginLabs, he worked for an independent school in Colorado, where he taught architecture, design...
Read More →
Manager, The Pennsylvania State University, OriginLabs
Jose Nunez is the Shop Manager for OriginLabs. Jose earned his MFA in Production Technology from Ohio University (2017), and his BA in Theatre from the University of Maryland (2010). Jose used to work as a Properties Master in professional regional theatre, building and maintaining...
Read More →
Wednesday March 25, 2026 2:00pm - 5:00pm
EDT
OriginLabs
123 South Burrowes Street, State College, PA 16801
2:30pm EDT
Cracking the Venture Capital Code: What Investors Actually Look For
Wednesday March 25, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Speakers
General Partner, Aperiam
Eric Franchi is a General Partner at Aperiam, where he invests in marketing and ad tech companies. A proud Penn State alumnus, Eric is a serial entrepreneur and investor who has been on both sides of the table - building, scaling, and exiting companies, and now backing the next generation...
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3:00pm EDT
International Entrepreneurship Program Panel
Wednesday March 25, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Speakers 
Associate Clinical Professor, Associate Director of the Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Smeal College of Business
Jeanette K. Miller is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Smeal College of Business at The Pennsylvania State University. She also acts as the director of the Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIENT) major as well as the Associate Director of the Farrell...
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4:00pm EDT
Careers That Don’t Have Job Titles Yet: Building at the Intersection of AI, Data, and People
Wednesday March 25, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Speakers
Co-Founder & CTO, Guidewise
George Wolf is co-founder and CTO of Guidewise, where he works directly with organizations implementing data and AI solutions in real-world environments. An alumnus of Penn State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology, George has built his career at the intersection of...
Read More →
Co-Founder & CEO, Guidewise
Ted Wolf is a serial entrepreneur, executive coach, change management expert, and co-founder and CEO of Guidewise. A Penn State graduate, Ted brings decades of experience building, scaling, and successfully exiting companies, including leading mergers and complex technology integrations...
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5:00pm EDT
Land Grant Startup Launch Competition
Wednesday March 25, 2026 5:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Speakers 
Instructor in Entrepreneurship; Director, Center for the Business of Sustainability, Smeal College of Business
Travis is the Director of the Center for the Business of Sustainability, as well as an Instructor in the Department of Management and Organization. He teaches courses in entrepreneurship (MGMT 215: Entrepreneurial Mindset), social entrepreneurship (MGMT 365), and responsible business...
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6:00pm EDT
7:00pm EDT
Alumni Expert Series: Great Teams Are Built, Not Born (see description to register)
Wednesday March 25, 2026 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Speakers 
President, Mondo
Stephanie Wernick Barker is the powerhouse behind Mondo’s national success and cultural evolution. As the company’s first female president and a multi-year honoree on SIA’s Global Power 150 Women in Staffing list (2022–2024), Stephanie has built her career on people-first...
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Wednesday March 25, 2026 7:00pm - 8:00pm
EDT
Zoom
10:00am EDT
The SWEAT Mindset: 9 principles to Successfully Transition into any Field
Thursday March 26, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Speakers 
Owner of CFA Newport Beach, Former NFL Athlete
Tony Stewart is a former professional football tight end whose athletic career took him from the fields of Penn State University to the highest level of the game. A standout with the Nittany Lions, Stewart earned honorable mention All-America honors and second-team All-Big Ten recognition...
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1:00pm EDT
Personal Branding: Your Story Is Your Strategy
Thursday March 26, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Speakers 
Sports Broadcaster, Influencer
Anna grew up in the Philadelphia area in an uber-competitive and athletic family that all love to play sports. She played college basketball at Penn State, where she graduated with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, before finishing her playing career at the University of Richmond...
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2:00pm EDT
The Dare to Disrupt Design & Build Challenge - Part 2 (see description to register)
Thursday March 26, 2026 2:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Speakers
Student Engagement and Outreach Coordinator, OriginLabs
Sarah Fasco is the Student Engagement and Outreach Coordinator for OriginLabs. Before joining the team, she worked at a makerspace at Virginia Tech, where she helped manage the studio, provided project consultations and tool trainings, and built displays for the space.
Service Bureau Manager, OriginLabs
Tristan Hess is the Service Bureau Manager for OriginLabs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in interior design and a master’s in education focused on art and design. Before coming to OriginLabs, he worked for an independent school in Colorado, where he taught architecture, design...
Read More →
Manager, The Pennsylvania State University, OriginLabs
Jose Nunez is the Shop Manager for OriginLabs. Jose earned his MFA in Production Technology from Ohio University (2017), and his BA in Theatre from the University of Maryland (2010). Jose used to work as a Properties Master in professional regional theatre, building and maintaining...
Read More →
Thursday March 26, 2026 2:00pm - 5:00pm
EDT
OriginLabs
123 South Burrowes Street, State College, PA 16801
3:30pm EDT
The Brand Academy Lions to Leaders Symposium
Thursday March 26, 2026 3:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Speakers 
Director, The Brand Academy, Penn State
Sports Broadcaster, Influencer
Anna grew up in the Philadelphia area in an uber-competitive and athletic family that all love to play sports. She played college basketball at Penn State, where she graduated with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, before finishing her playing career at the University of Richmond...
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Founder and CEO, West Shore Home
Owner of CFA Newport Beach, Former NFL Athlete
Tony Stewart is a former professional football tight end whose athletic career took him from the fields of Penn State University to the highest level of the game. A standout with the Nittany Lions, Stewart earned honorable mention All-America honors and second-team All-Big Ten recognition...
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4:30pm EDT
AI for Founders: Four Key Moves -- Encore Session
Thursday March 26, 2026 4:30pm - 5:15pm EDT
Speakers DB
Associate Professor, Penn State
As an Ethnomethodologist, Dr. Betsy Campbell studies the practices of teams at the forefront of technological innovation and new venture creation. Campbell is a Fulbright Specialist in AI entrepreneurship and the recipient of two Academy of Management awards for entrepreneurship...
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Thursday March 26, 2026 4:30pm - 5:15pm
EDT
Zoom
6:00pm EDT
Student Recognition & Networking Reception (Invite-only)
Thursday March 26, 2026 6:00pm - 8:30pm EDT
Speakers 
Associate Vice President for Research, Director of the Office of Entrepreneurship & Commercialization
President, The Pennsylvania State University
Neeli Bendapudi was appointed Penn State’s nineteenth president in 2022. She oversees the University’s modern land-grant mission of teaching, research, and public service across twenty-four campuses and the online Penn State World Campus.
Neeli Bendapudi has served as the nineteenth president of Penn State since May 9, 2022. With a nearly thirty-year career in academia, President Bendapudi is committed to student success, fostering inclusive excellence, and creating opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to...
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Senior Vice President for Research, The Pennsylvania State University
Andrew Read is a scientific leader and innovator dedicated to advancing discovery and translating research into real-world impact. He serves as Senior Vice President for Research at Pennsylvania State University, where he is a member of the President’s Council and the principal...
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10:30am EDT
11:15am EDT
PSU Biotech Boardroom Pitch Competition
Friday March 27, 2026 11:15am - 12:45pm EDT
Speakers 
Associate Teaching Professor, Penn State Eberly College of Science
Associate Teaching Professor and Bio-Tech Cluster Director of the Entrepreneurship & Innovation (ENTI) minor
11:30am EDT
AI for Your Business
Friday March 27, 2026 11:30am - 1:30pm EDT
Speakers 
Director of Economic Development & Student Programs, Penn State
Brad Zdenek, as the Director of Economic Development and Student Programs at Penn State University, strives to advance the university's land-grant mission, leveraging Penn State's vast resources, expertise, and expansive reach to catalyze the translation of innovative ideas into action...
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1:00pm EDT
7:00pm EDT
7:00am EDT
3:00pm EDT
Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition (see description to register)
Saturday March 28, 2026 3:00pm - 4:15pm EDT
Speakers 
Doctoral Researcher, Penn State Kinesiology
Sayan Deep De is a doctoral researcher in kinesiology, specializing in motor control and human movement neuroscience. His research focuses on understanding how the nervous system coordinates complex movements and how disruptions in these control mechanisms can reveal early signs of...
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Graduate Student, Penn State Architecture
Yasaman Ghaffarian is a final-year graduate student pursuing degrees in Master of Science in Architecture and Master of Architecture at Penn State.
Graduate Student, Penn State Architectural Engineering
Julia Ho is a fourth-year doctoral student in Architectural Engineering. I study how to reduce energy use of heating and cooling systems with a specific focus on district energy systems (large, typically centralized systems supplying sizable and/or multiple buildings.) I also am the...
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Graduate Student, Penn State Food Science and International Agriculture & Development
Zilfa Irakoze is a dual-title doctoral candidate in Food Science and International Agriculture & Development at Penn State. She holds a master's degree in food Science and has worked across academia, industry, government, and extension settings, focusing on food safety, applied microbiology...
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Graduate Student, Penn State Energy and Mineral Engineering
Patrick Abban Sarpong is a doctoral student in Energy and Mineral Engineering whose research focuses on the sustainable recovery of lithium and rare-earth elements from coal waste, with an emphasis on process mineralogy and environmental risk assessment.
His academic journey spans three continents. He holds a master's degree in Sustainable and Innovative Natural Resource Management (SINReM) from universities in Germany, Belgium, and Sweden, and a bachelor's degree in Minerals Engineering from the University of Mines and Technology...
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Graduate Student, Penn State Energy and Mineral Engineering
Shakshi Sekar is a third-year doctoral candidate in the department of Energy and Mineral Engineering whose research tackles two critical challenges: plastic pollution and critical mineral shortage.
Every year, 160 million tons of single-use plastic wastes are generated, out of which only 12% gets recycled. At the same time, the global demand for graphite, essential for batteries powering everything from consumer electronics like smartphones and laptops to electric vehicles...
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Graduate Student, Penn State Counselor Education
Saiber Shaikh is a doctoral candidate in Counselor Education and Supervision at Penn State. Her research centers on counselor preparation, learning, professional development, and retention, so that counselors are equipped to support the growing mental health needs in their commun...
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Graduate Student, Penn State Informatics
Shikha Soneji is a doctoral candidate in Informatics at Penn State, where her research lies at the intersection of human-centered AI, privacy, and policy understanding. Her work focuses on building and evaluating AI systems that help people interpret complex, high-stakes documents...
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Graduate Student, Penn State Architecture
Nusrat Tabassum is a fifth-year doctoral candidate in Architecture at Penn State, where she researches how advanced computation and robotic fabrication can transform contemporary building practices. Her work centers on 3D concrete printing, with a focus on achieving formwork‑free...
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Graduate Student, Penn State Nutritional Sciences
Gopi Yalavarthi is a doctoral student in Nutritional Sciences at Penn State. He works under the mentorship of Dr. Vishal Singh, where his research focuses on the effects of processed dietary fiber interventions in ongoing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) using multiomics approaches...
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