Penn State Abington faculty place a premium on nurturing creative thinking or, as that dreaded cliche urges, thinking outside of the box. Art lecturer H. John Thompson assigned his introduction to sculpture class to think with the box and repurpose it. 

Students worked in teams, creating body kits for vehicles out of corrugated cardboard. For the final, they attached the pieces and paraded around the Woodland parking lot to the tune of the 1975 classic "Low Rider."

Thompson organized the parade with a little help from artist Jaime Alvarez, who was closing the installation "Farthest From Earth" in the campus art gallery that day. 

Thompson manages many aspects of the art program at Abington including directing the new gallery and supervising the wood shop. His drawing and sculpture classes built a 10-foot replica of the historic warship La Gloire, and it set sail across the campus pond.