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Home » News » Celebrating the Top 10 HU News Stories of 2024
Celebrating the Top 10 HU News Stories of 2024
December 30, 2024
HARRISBURG, PA – As 2024 comes to an end, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the incredible year of research, partnerships, and innovation at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology (HU). And if you’ve been following our social media or news blog these past many months, we know you’ll agree. From kicking off our 20th academic year to securing impactful grants, creating new career pathways for students, and earning major recognition from national news outlets, we’re closing 2024 and launching in 2025 with incredible momentum and plenty to look forward to.
As we turn the page and begin 2025 with enthusiasm, hope, and full hearts, let’s take another look back at the year’s most exciting breakthroughs and news stories from across the Harrisburg University community.
August 26 marked the first day of classes for the 2024–25 academic year at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology (HU). It was also the beginning of HU’s 20th academic year.
Our first class began 20 years ago with 73 undergraduate students; since then, enrollment has grown to over 9,000 students annually in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs, as well as professional certificates, dual enrollment, and continuing education programs.
As reported by Fox43, HU students got their first taste of campus life for the academic year during a “Break the Ice” event. Featuring Rita’s Italian Ice, community partners and employers like UPMC, Members 1st, PennLive, and Harrisburg Young Professionals, as well as representatives from HU’s Counseling Center, Office of Student Life, Career Services, and Experiential Learning, the event was well attended and gave students a way to ease into the school year.
In 2024, for the first time, HU was chosen to participate in the NASA Lunabotics Challenge. NASA chooses just 50 teams each year spanning public and private universities and vocational and technical schools.
In May, Team HU – dubbed “Lunar Storm” – participated in the team trials at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Of the more than 150 applications, just 42 teams attended the qualifying event. Team Lunar Storm made a strong impression on the NASA judges, leaving the Sunshine State with two awards in hand: an Honorable Mention for their STEM Engagement Report, in which the team led outreach events at HU with high school students from Steelton-Highspire and Central Dauphin East high schools; and the Presentations and Demonstrations First Steps Award for the “best presentation by a first-year team.”
Team Lunar Storm was led on the faculty side by Richard Pitts, Jr., Ph.D. (Program Lead for Advanced Manufacturing) and Cyprian Onyekachi Ekeagwu (Professor of Advanced Manufacturing). “We don’t do space activities by ourselves,” remarked Dr. Pitts. “There are a lot of countries, and when we’re in space we all work together. For some reason, space brings us all together.”
The goal is for this inaugural experience to pave the way for continued growth, inspiring future cohorts of HU students to reach for the stars and make their mark in the field of space exploration. Harrisburg University would like to thank the Gene Haas Foundation for their recent and generous grant support, which helped fund this project.
In March, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the recipients of $13.5 million in grant funding, to fund the creation and development of hands-on aviation programs. Harrisburg University was one of 12 schools to receive funding through this workforce development program. One-third of the grant comes from the FAA’s Aircraft Pilots Aviation Workforce Development Grants Program. The Workforce Development Grant Program was initiated in 2018 under the FAA Reauthorization Act to address anticipated shortfalls of qualified aircraft pilots throughout the aviation industry.
Harrisburg University’s Albert Sarvis, Program Lead for Geospatial Technology, commented: “The FAA has recognized what Pennsylvanians have known for a while: Harrisburg University students can count on receiving a world-class education that prepares them for valuable, high-potential careers. HU graduates are in demand in fields like aviation and advanced mobility because our programs mirror real working environments. We’re grateful for the FAA’s support as we continue to expand our programs to meet federal goals and national needs.”
This is not the first time the Federal Aviation Administration has recognized Harrisburg University’s academic excellence through education grants. Harrisburg University will also leverage this grant to expand its dual enrollment and College in the High School programs.
Rachel Fogle, Ph.D., Program Lead for Environmental Science & Sustainability at Harrisburg University, noted: “From HU Aquaponics and students from Steelton-Highspire to food donations going to Downtown Daily Bread, Phoenix Contact took the opportunity to highlight the interplay between these different entities and to show how automation technologies can support this important effort. It’s a unique relationship and ultimately a model to emulate elsewhere.”
“Growing Tomorrow” showcases a learning and research greenhouse, located on the grounds of Steelton-Highspire High School, and managed by Harrisburg University faculty and students. The facility offers space and programming for area high school students to learn about CEA, earn college credits, and apply STEM skills to an industry that is essential for Pennsylvania’s economy. It also supports critical research into how advanced agricultural technologies can help eliminate food deserts across the Commonwealth.
In March, HU received its official designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) from the National Security Agency (NSA) and US Cyber Command. The CAE-CD program identifies institutions committed to producing world-class cybersecurity professionals with the knowledge to reduce risks to national digital infrastructure. Schools seeking to become NSA-approved CAE institutions undergo an extensive program validation process; for HU, the Master of Science in Computer Information Sciences served as the validated program of study for the NSA.
The benefits of securing CAE-CD status include the ability to compete for Department of Defense Cybersecurity Scholarship program grants, eligibility for the National Science Foundation Scholarship for Service program, and unlocking professional development resources for faculty along with grants, scholarships, and internship opportunities for students. This is a considerable achievement for HU and a welcome milestone for our Cybersecurity Center of Excellence.
This summer, HU announced a new initiative designed to support transportation needs as students attend campus, work, and community events. Thanks to a generous grant from Uber, Harrisburg University now offers vouchers to help cover the cost of Uber rides to essential destinations such as internships, doctors’ offices, and grocery stores.
Bradlee Metzger, an Environmental Science major, was one of the first students to take advantage of this new ride-hailing campus voucher program. “I’m interning with Love the Hill, a 2-acre farm that grows fresh food for the people of Allison Hill. We also strive to teach the youth of Harrisburg about agriculture and allow them to volunteer there so they have a positive outlet. HU’s program with Uber has allowed me to worry less about getting to work, and I can now count on a quick and affordable ride to my internship, allowing me to make a positive impact while letting me worry less about my transportation needs.”
Harrisburg University is home to the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, better known as CIE. Since its founding in 2019, CIE has leveraged the considerable resources and talent connected to HU to unleash the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Naqi Logix, one of the first companies to graduate from CIE’s incubator program, celebrated several recent milestones in a profile published in October by Inc. Magazine.
In 2023, TIME Magazine named Naqi Earbuds one of the Top 200 Best Inventions of the Year. Then, in 2024, the company was accepted into the Innovative Solutions Canada Program; claimed the TWICE VIP Award in the “Innovative Tech” category; and received the highly coveted Gold Edison Award for “Social and Cultural Impact.”
Naqi’s innovative Neural Earbuds provide a non-invasive alternative to brain implants, such as Neuralink, allowing wearers to carry out everyday tasks most of us take for granted, like playing games, composing emails, and paying bills. The technology creates an “invisible user interface” that allows individuals with physical limitations to interact with the world around them. According to Inc. Magazine, “Naqi is not only for people with mobility challenges. Anyone can use it to control a cell phone, laptop, TV, drone, or even (in theory) a car. [Inventor and Naqi founder Dave] Segal can pilot a 737 on a commercial flight simulator using nothing but his earbud and a Bluetooth connection. Potential applications are legion, from the military to medicine.”
In June, Select Medical announced a five-year, $5 million gift to Harrisburg University to partner and create The Select Medical Institute of Physical Therapy and Movement at Harrisburg University. The philanthropic investment will support HU’s existing undergraduate Exercise Science program and the developing Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
“We are thrilled to partner with Harrisburg University to shape the future generation of physical therapists,” said Robert A. Ortenzio, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Select Medical. “We see a tremendous opportunity to help students prepare and successfully enter the field as they endeavor to advance their learning and careers.”
The Select Medical Institute of Physical Therapy and Movement will build pathways to expand the physical therapy workforce while providing career advancement opportunities for students and continuing education for professionals. The Institute will provide student scholarships, career counseling, and continuing education; host clinical education conferences; develop clinical residencies and fellowship programs; and fund innovative, evidence-based research initiatives.
In a groundbreaking collaboration, a team of researchers, including Harrisburg University of Science and Technology professor, Dr. Steven Jasinski, has identified a new species of large predatory dinosaur closely related to the iconic Tyrannosaurus rex. This discovery, named Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis, adds an illuminating new chapter to our understanding of dinosaur evolution. Living 70 million years ago in New Mexico, this bipedal carnivore reached lengths of up to 40 feet and weighed 8 metric tons.
The discovery, published in Scientific Reports, reveals that T. rex forerunners existed earlier than thought and offers insights into their evolution and migration. Before this, it was not clear precisely when T. rex came to reside in northern North America, nor the form its forerunners may have taken.
“As we continue to collect more fossils and study those already in museum collections, our understanding of the diversity of the dinosaur fauna of North America, particularly in the Late Cretaceous, will continue to grow,” said Dr. Jasinski. He has been a member of several other research teams that have named and described new species of dinosaur, including Menefeeceratops sealeyi, Sierraceratops turneri, and Bisticeratops froeseorum.
In the most exciting news story of the year, Harrisburg University was ranked #16 among 2025’s Most Innovative Schools in the Regional Universities North category by US News & World Report. The rankings, now in their 40th year, evaluate nearly 1,500 institutions based on academic quality, social mobility, and graduate outcomes. It’s a significant community achievement and a testament to HU’s commitment to opportunity and innovation.
US News & World Report publishes its rankings annually to guide prospective students, offering data on graduation rates, graduate indebtedness, and future earnings. Harrisburg University is thrilled to receive this recognition and proud to have reached a milestone that takes many of our peers and competitors several decades to achieve. This is high-level validation of our 20-year-old startup and a sign of great things to come.
Thanks for reading, and for following along with all of the great news from Harrisburg University’s learners and leaders this year! We hope you have an incredible holiday season, and we’ll see you again in 2025.
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Harrisburg University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and is a private, nonprofit university offering bachelor’s and graduate degree programs in the fields of science, technology, and mathematics. For additional information about the University’s affordable, demand-driven undergraduate and graduate programs, please call 717.901.5146 or email Connect@HarrisburgU.edu. Stay updated by following Harrisburg University on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
