Anonymous Donor gives $5 million to engineering

The donor has given the College of Engineering $5 million to strengthen the department's interdisciplinary work in the life sciences, according to a news release.

"The discipline of chemical engineering is in transition today," said Larry Duda, head of the chemical engineering department in a news release. "We're elated that the resources from this endowment will move our department into this area much more quickly than we had anticipated."

The endowment will fund a faculty chair for a senior professor to help lead in the new areas, undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships in biological and biomedical research, equipment for new research and instructional activities and an annual lecture series featuring experts in chemical engineering and life sciences, according to a news release.

This gift will not only help the department's efforts and advances, but encourage other donors, University President Graham Spanier said.

"As Penn State prepares for its forthcoming capital campaign, notable gifts such as this will inspire others to help us achieve our goal of significantly increasing the University's endowment," Spanier said in a news release, "and we are extremely grateful for such generous support."

--by Patricia K. Cole