1. Penn State alumnus Leidy D. Zern (class of 1927) discovered and patented a successful process that made possible
a. The commerical manufacture of chocolate milk. His process, which he started to develop as a Penn State undergraduate and perfected as a graduate student at the University of Maryland, removed the sediment from chocolate milk.
b. an effective treatment for poison ivy.
c. the first practical dentures for cats.
d. gathering temperature and wind-speed data from weather balloons.
2. In a recent survey, Penn State ranked with Johns Hopkins University, Princeton University, and the University of California Santa Cruz as the nation’s top four schools as measured by the impact of its published research in which of these fields?
a. recreation and leisure studies
b. plastics engineering
c. school and educational psychology
d. Astrophysics
3. In addition to their Penn State baccalaureate degrees, what do alumni Mark Parker, John Surma, and Patricia Woertz have in common?
a. They are members or former members of the University’s Board of Trustees.
b. Each has endowed a professorship or faculty chair at the University.
c. They are CEOs of Standard & Poor 500 companies. At least seven Penn State alumni share this distinction. In fact, Penn State ranks among top producers of S&P 500 CEOs. Read more at http://live.psu.edu/story/47005
d. The University has recognized each by naming a room, plaza or other facility in their honor.
4. What is a Penn State Cwen?
a. a hierarchical system for web mining developed by the College of Information Sciences and Technology
b. a member of a Penn State intramural bowling team
c. an object in the Celtic garden at the Arboretum at Penn State
d. A member of a national honorary society for sophomore women. Established at the University of Pittsburgh in 1922, the society derived its name from the Old English for "queen." A Penn State chapter was formed in 1927. The society admitted men in 1976 and changed its name to Lambda Sigma. Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, continues to have an active chapter.
5. The year 1972 was memorable for the Penn State Blue Band because it
a. played Broadway show tunes for the first time at a home football game.
b. Added majorettes for the first time. The following year, females were first admitted as actual marching band members.
c. appeared twice on national television following the regular football season.
d. played part of a concert under guest conductor Mickey Mouse.
6. When Penn State early in 2010 launched the public phase of its capital campaign, For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students, it became one of how many universities nationally (public and private) to be engaged in capital campaigns with goals of $2 billion or more?
a. 3
b. 7
c. 13, and one of only two universities in the Big Ten that have mounted campaigns of $2 billion or more. Visit http://giveto.psu.edu/s/1218/start.aspx to learn more about the "For the Future" campaign.
d. 22
7. Eric Walker, an internationally distinguished scientist and engineer who served as Penn State’s president from 1956 to 1970, after his retirement acknowledged his involvement in which of the following activities:
a. Investigating UFOs on behalf of the federal government. Dr. Walker was a member of many high-level national defense panels and think tanks. Although he was never forthcoming with any details, he did confirm he was present for the investigation of the Kecksburg, Pa., UFO incident in 1965. Strong circumstantial evidence indicates he participated in additional investigations, activities that he never denied.
b. analyzing aerial photographs of Cuba prior to the Bay of Pigs invasion
c. making clandestine visits to Moscow during the Cold War
d. enrolling in a beginners’ violin class at age 73
8. Penn State Berks alumna Allison Baver achieved fame in 2010 when she
a. Won an Olympic bronze medal in the 3,000 meter speed-skating relay.
b. was recognized by the Country Music Association as a member of the Vocal Group of the Year.
c. won election to Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives.
d. became president of cable television’s Food Network.
9. One of these is located near the West Campus Steam Plant, one near Shields Building, and one on Old Main lawn. What are they?
a. markers for the iHear Penn State campus cell phone tour
b. senior class gifts
c. Descendants of the original Old Willow tree planted by William G. Waring in 1859. Waring planted the original willow between what is today College Avenue and Old Main to mark the turning spot for contractors' wagons bound for the Old Main construction site.
d. solar panels that help the campus make use of the sun’s energy
10. Penn State’s December 2009 commencement ceremonies included the awarding of eight degrees that were among the first to be conferred by the University in what field?
a. International Affairs. The School of International Affairs admitted its inaugural class in 2008.
b. Bioinformatics
c. Alternative Energy Technology
d. Homeland Security
11. Cumberland Posey was Penn State's first African American student to participate in varsity athletics (basketball, 1910-11). He later earned what distinction?
a. Penn State’s Department of Horticulture named a variety of geranium in his honor.
b. He was the first African American to play in what later would become the National Basketball Association.
c. He was a member of the first American squadron to fly around the world.
d. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Posey played for, managed, and later owned the Homestead Grays, turning the team into one of the most successful franchises in the history of black professional baseball.
12. In 2006 Penn State instituted a master plan for energy efficiency and conservation that in a recent national "report card" earned it an A in recycling. How many tons of waste products of all types did the University recycle last year:
a. 950 tons
b. 1200 tons
c. 7500 tons, or about 57 percent of its waste, including paper, electronics, food and many other materials. Visit http://www.green.psu.edu to see what Penn State is doing to improve sustainability and the natural environment.
d. 14,000 tons
In case you need a tie-breaker:
In fall 2010, Penn State’s total enrollment stood at 87,309 (all degrees-level, all campuses.) What was total enrollment in the fall of 1950, when Joe Paterno first arrived at the University as assistant football coach? Whoever comes closest without going over --
13,284