Weekly Wrap: Penn State Values; Stand for State; $1 million gift

      A look back at the top stories for the week of Jan. 17

      Spring Run, which makes its way through parts of the Penn State Altoona campus, was partially frozen by the extremely low temperatures gripping much of the Northeast this week. Credit: Marissa Carney / Penn State. Creative Commons

      This week's top stories from across Penn State:

      PENN STATE VALUES: University President Eric Barron shared the final version of the Penn State Values in a video and email sent to faculty, staff and students.

      STAND FOR STATE: Stand for State, an initiative aimed at empowering Penn Staters to stand up for one another, will kick off the week of Jan. 25.

      $1 MILLION GIFT: A $1 million gift from alumnus Steward Flaschen will endow a professorship in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.

      BATTERY POWER: A lithium-ion battery that self heats if the temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit has multiple applications, but may have the most impact on relieving winter "range anxiety" for electric vehicle owners, according to a team of researchers.

      LEHIGH VALLEY LAUNCHBOX: Micro grants totaling $50,000 for 13 projects were approved for the Lehigh Valley LaunchBox.

      DRIVE TO COMPETE: Communications student Brett Gravatt dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player. But a snowboarding accident paralyzed Gravatt from the waist down. Though Gravatt lost the use of his legs, he never lost the drive to compete.

      DISASTER RESPONSE: Leveraging publicly available social media posts could help disaster response agencies quickly identify impacted areas in need of assistance, according to a Penn State-led team of researchers.

       

       

      Last Updated January 21, 2016