University leadership joined state, regional and local officials, as well as project partners and supporters for the grand opening of the Digital Foundry at New Kensington, a partnership between Penn State New Kensington and the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland on June 1. The new 15,044 square-foot innovation and manufacturing lab space on Fifth Avenue in downtown New Kensington. The state-of-the-art space, which was recently named one of eight Smart Manufacturing Innovation Centers (SMICs) by the U.S. Department of Energy in partnership with the Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Institute (CESMII), will serve as a launching pad for training and access to modern software tools by linking digital data and equipment into manufacturing, operations and business management for industry, as well as research and educational components for students and workforce training.
The launch of the space was funded through a partnership between local government, corporate donors and foundational support. Since 2018, the Richard King Mellon Foundation has invested nearly $10 million in total funding, to date, for the project and within New Kensington. Penn State has also provided a $1 million matching gift, which will help create an endowment for ongoing operating support of this state-of-the-art facility, through the Economic Development Matching Program, an initiative of its current campaign, “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence.”
A crowd of people gathers on Fifth Avenue in downtown New Kensington as they await the grand opening of the Digital Foundry at New Kensington, a partnership between Penn State New Kensington and the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland.
Neeli Bendapudi, Penn State president, speaks during the grand opening of the Digital Foundry at New Kensington, a partnership between Penn State New Kensington and the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland.
Kevin Snider, chancellor of Penn State New Kensington, makes remarks at the grand opening celebration of the Digital Foundry at New Kensington, a partnership initiative of the campus and the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland.
Jim Smith, president and CEO of the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland, makes remarks at the grand opening of the Digital Foundry at New Kensington. The facility is a partnership between the organization and Penn State New Kensington.
Keynote speakers at the Digital Foundry at New Kensington prepare to celebrate the opening of the new facility by pulling a lever to open the doors. Speakers included, from left to right, Jim Smith, president of the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland; Neil Weaver, acting secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development; Kevin Snider, chancellor of Penn State New Kensington; Tom Guzzo, mayor of New Kensington; Sherri McCleary, executive director of the Digital Foundry at New Kensington; and Neeli Bendapudi, president of Penn State.
Neil Weaver, acting secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), speaks at the grand opening of the Digital Foundry at New Kensington, a partnership between Penn State New Kensington and the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland County. The DCED provided nearly nearly $200,000 in funding towards the project through the Manufacturing Training-to-Career (MTTC) program in 2021.
Tom Guzzo, mayor of the city of New Kensington, speaks at the grand opening of the Digital Foundry at New Kensington. The new facility, a partnership between Penn State New Kensington and the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland, is just blocks away from the campus' Invent Penn State innovation hub, the Corner Launchbox, along Fifth Avenue in the city, which was credited as a catalyst for revitalization in the city.
The Nittany Lion applauds at the grand opening celebration of the Digital Foundry at New Kensington, a partnership between Penn State New Kensington and the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland.
Tom Giannantonio, program director at Siemens Healtineers (left), and Melanie Spare of Siemens Digital Industries Software, enjoy the grand opening of the Digital Foundry at New Kensington, a partnership between Penn State New Kensington and the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland. Siemens is a founding Technology Partner at the Digital Foundry.
Kelly Austin, vice president for commonwealth campuses at Penn State and pictured left, shares a laugh with Zack Moore, vice president for government and community relations at the University, during the grand opening of the Digital Foundry at New Kensington, a partnership between Penn State New Kensington and the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland.
Attendees of the grand opening of the Digital Foundry at New Kensington enter the facility and look around the lobby after hearing from the event's keynote speakers.
Bevanny Stearman, an information sciences and technology student at Penn State New Kensington and pictured right, showcases an augmented reality project she built to Neeli Bendapudi, president of the University as part of the grand opening celebration of the Digital Foundry at New Kensington. The Foundry project is a partnership between Penn State New Kensington and the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland, and the facility is located in downtown New Kensington a couple blocks from the campus' innovation hub, the Corner Launchbox.
A staff member from Integrated Systems Technologies (IST) prepares a demonstration of cobot technology during the Digital Foundry at New Kensington grand opening. The technology, along with others, will be utilized at the Digital Foundry for workforce training and education to help meet the skills gap seen in the manufacturing industry and teach future-ready skill sets to students and workers. The Digital Foundry is a partnership between Penn State New Kensington and the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland.
Sherri McCleary, executive director of the Digital Foundry at New Kensington and pictured left, explains the use of 3D printers at the facility to Neeli Bendapudi, president of Penn State. The new facility is a partnership between Penn State New Kensington and the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland.