Latest news with #PennStateAltoona
Dominion Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- Dominion Post
Olana Lynn Hedrick-Sheaffer
Olana Lynn 'Tick' Hedrick-Sheaffer, 75, of Altoona, passed away Tuesday, May 27, 2025. She was born in Fairmont, a daughter of the late Olan G. 'Oley' Hedrick and Yvonne Little married Albert A. Sheaffer July 15, are her husband, Al; sister, Jan Bachowski (Gary) of Sarasota, Fla.; niece, Ashley Reinhold (Chris) and their children, Taylor, Kai and Lilly; nephew, G. Jake Bachowski (Gianna) and their children, Luna, Capri and Olan; cousin, David Little (Marsha); Jeffrey and Cathy Bathgate (sister-in-law) and their children, Andy, Stacey and Stephanie, and their families in Mechanicsburg, Pa.; special friends: Chris and Mickey Sisto and dog, Kaley of Hollidaysburg, Pa.; Becky Snyder in West Virginia; Rhonda Shawley and family of Hollidaysburg; Fredina Ingold and family of State College, Pa.; Donna Tremmel of Duncansville, Pa.; Darren and Cindy Kester of Huntingdon, Pa. and family; and Kristen Martin and Pam was a 1967 graduate of East Fairmont High School. She earned her B.S. in 1971, M.S. in 1973 and graduated with her M.S. in Physical Education and Sport Science respectively from West Virginia University. She earned a National Athletic Training Certification in was an instructor in kinesiology at Penn State Altoona for 35 years (retired in 2009). She was the women's volleyball coach for 28 years, the men's club volleyball coach for six years and the women's tennis and basketball coach for one teams earned 13 Commonwealth Campus titles, eight Western PA Conference titles and four PA State Conference was Conference Coach of the Year 11 times, with a 505-175 record in her 1995 volleyball team was inducted into the inaugural Penn State Altoona Athletics Hall of Fame in was a member of the Irvin Stewart Society and a life member of the WVU Alumni Society. In 2017, she was inducted into the WVU College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Hall of was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honorary, a member of the Ivyside Society of Penn State Altoona and a 1997 recipient of the Robert J. Scannell Roll of Honor award for outstanding service to the Commonwealth Education System in Recreation and Sports at Penn State 2023, she was inducted into the Penn State Altoona Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of was a member of the National Athletic Training Association for 25 years, a member of the American Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance for more than 30 years and a volunteer for the American Red Cross for more than 20 her retirement years, Tick was a member of Scotch Valley Country Club and enjoyed traveling with her husband, was a member of Altoona First Church of the Brethren, 510 Fifth Street, Altoona, where a memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, May 30, with the Rev. Gary Koontz officiating.A Celebration of Life is planned to be held at a future time. Arrangements are by Myers-Somers Funeral Home Inc., 501 Sixth Avenue, Altoona.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
4th annual Blair Creators Festival set for Downtown Altoona. Here's what to know
ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — A celebration of art, music and community is coming back to Downtown Altoona for a fourth year this April. What: Blair Creators Festival Where: Heritage Plaza in downtown Altoona When: Saturday, April 26, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Cost: Free admission for all ages The Fourth annual Blair Creators Festival will take place Saturday, April 26, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at and around Heritage Plaza in downtown Altoona. The event, made possible through ArtsAltoona and the Sheetz Fellows Program at Penn State Altoona, will bring together local artists, musicians, food trucks and vendors for the day of 'celebration, creativity and fun.' Multiple eateries, shops announce opening dates in downtown Altoona The event will kick off at 11 a.m., allowing festival goers to come and go as they please with free admission. You're invited to bring your own lawn chair to relax and enjoy the musical line up. Blair Creators Festival touts an all-day lineup of local music from groups such as Felix and the Hurricanes and The Jaded Lips. Here's the current lineup, according to a press release: 11 a.m. – ToyNoon – Felix & the Hurricanes1 p.m. – Dom Frucella & band (I'll see if there's a name)2 p.m. – Stephanie & The Wild Hearts3 p.m. – Search Party (Formerly Hot Fudge Mondaes)4 p.m. – Ethan Eckenroad5 p.m. – The Jaded Lips6 p.m. – Sweet Desire Between each band, there will be mini performances from local groups, including the Arc of BlairCounty and the Keystone Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps and more. In addition to local downtown businesses such as The Clay Cup and Philly Pretzel Factory (inside Center City Market) being in the immediate area, the festival will have food vendors set up that include Smokin' J's and alcohol vendors will be set up with arts, crafts, gifts and more. Vendor spaces are still available by reaching out to Blair Creators Festival via email at BlairCreatorsFestivalVendors@ What: Blair Creators Festival Where: Heritage Plaza in downtown Altoona When: Saturday, April 26, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Cost: Free admission for all ages Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
PSU Altoona professor adds ‘penny experiments' to lesson plan
ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — More than 200 billion pennies are estimated to be in active circulation throughout the United States today. Last month, President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. Treasury to stop minting new pennies, because production costs more than the coin. So for right now, its future hangs in the balance. Now, a professor at Penn State Altoona is using the coin to educate his students. Dr. William Van Der Sluys an Assistant Teaching Professor of Chemistry has been conducting a few experiments with his students, one of which determines the density of metals. 'The current market value of the zinc that's in our penny and the coating of the copper amounts to about 0.8 cents. So there's a very slight margin, there but, the published cost of making a penny these days is about three and a half cents,' Van Der Sluys said. Mount Aloysius offering four summer camps for high school students According to the 2024 Annual Report from the U.S. Mint, there's been a decrease in the amount of shipments for the penny. In 2022, the Mint made 5,387 shipments. 2023 had 4,136, and last year there were 3,172 shipments of pennies. With this and current events, Van Der Sluys said it makes the experiment more relevant for students. 'Our main goal is to find things that students will find interesting. And, it's really important that students have some sort of previous experience with what we're doing. If you don't give them some relevance, then it's not quite as fun to learning experience for them,' Van Der Sluys said. Professor Van Der Sluys has collected pennies for years, and he said the possibility of losing them is sad. However, he's in favor of stopping the coin's production. As the saying goes, 'If you love something, let it go.' 'There's lots of good reasons we should not be minting pennies. Environmentally, it's probably not the best thing to be doing. But I would say, copper is a very valuable metal in terms of electronic materials, and we could be doing other things with that metal,' Van Der Sluys noted. For the experiment, the professor cuts and dissolves pennies, for educational purposes. He has a goal of publishing the study to encourage his students even more. *All forms of currency in the United States, including bills and coins, are protected by federal law. Intentionally mutilating, defacing, or rendering U.S. currency unfit for reissue is illegal.* 'Understanding the various types of reactions, balancing reactions quantitatively determine the amounts of various elements in a sample. Those are all skills that can translate into engineering jobs. Other scientific jobs,' Van Der Sluys said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
