Applied Engineering, Safety & Technology - Millersville University

04/30/2026

AEST is in urgent need of a part-time faculty member to teach our Construction Technology 1 course in the Fall 2026 term. The course covers the utilization of materials for the construction of residential and light commercial structures. If you or someone you know could help out with this need, please reach out to the Department Chair ([email protected]) for details or with questions.

Millersville University occasionally needs temporary, part-time instructors in its Applied Engineering, Safety and Technology department. The purpose of this posting is to generate a pool of qualified faculty. Applications submitted will be reviewed on an as needed basis based on enrollment. Anyone....

04/28/2026

Dr. John Wright, a Professor of Automation & Electronics Technologies at Millersville University of Pennsylvania, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award in Engineering to Finland for the spring 2027 academic term from the U.S. Department of State, The Fulbright Finland Foundation, and Turku University of Applied Sciences (UAS).
Drawing on his experience founding U.S. robotics degree programs, Dr. Wright will teach mobile robotics, mentor students in developing an autonomous research platform, and advance applied curricula aligned with industry needs. The project supports Finland’s 2030 goals in automation and workforce development while strengthening U.S.–Finnish collaboration, expanding innovation capacity, and building sustainable pathways for research, exchanges, and joint student projects.
“I am so excited to collaborate with the faculty, staff, and students at Turku UAS,” says Wright. “This opportunity is incredible. I am so grateful to be able to share and learn about applied engineering pedagogy focused on modern automation and robotics.”
Fulbright U.S. Scholars are accomplished faculty, researchers, administrators, and established professionals who teach or conduct research in partnership with institutions around the world. Through these affiliations, they expand their professional networks and often seed future research, innovation, and institutional partnerships. When they return home to their campuses, labs, and classrooms, Fulbright Scholars share their experiences and insights, becoming champions of international collaboration. Many go on to host visiting scholars, and inspire colleagues and students to pursue transformative opportunities abroad.
The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 as a bold investment in global peace and American prosperity through educational and cultural exchange. The Fulbright Program is marking its 80th anniversary in 2026, which coincides with America's 250th anniversary celebration. This dual milestone provides an unprecedented opportunity to showcase the Fulbright Program's role in America's legacy of leadership, innovation, international collaboration, and American excellence.
Fulbright provides opportunities for exceptional Americans and participants from 160 countries and locations to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. For eight decades, Fulbrighters have been leaders at the forefront of discovery and innovation, conducting cutting edge research, advancing critical industries, and preparing future generations with new skills and perspectives. Fulbrighters have included 46 heads of state or government, 63 Nobel Laureates, 93 Pulitzer Prize winners, 83 MacArthur Fellows, and countless leaders in all sectors and industries across the United States and around the world.
Fulbright U.S. Scholars teach or conduct research or professional projects abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. In addition, recent college graduates, graduate students, and early career professionals pursue graduate study, conduct research, or teach English in schools abroad each year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program.
In the United States, the Institute of International Education implements the Fulbright U.S. Student and U.S. Scholar Programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit https://fulbrightprogram.org.
The deadline to apply for 2027-2028 Fulbright U.S. Scholar awards is September 15, 2026. Learn more about Fulbright U.S. Scholar awards and eligibility.

04/23/2026

AEST Spring Picnic today at noon on the Osburn patio. Grills are fired up! Stop by to have some lunch and some fun!

03/25/2026

If you're a Construction Management Professional or know one: We are seeking a Part-Time instructor to teach Construction 1. The course objectives include utilization of materials for the construction of residential and light commercial structures and the effects of these changes on people and their environment.

Details on how to apply can be found on the Millersville University Employment Web page at:

Millersville University occasionally needs temporary, part-time instructors in its Applied Engineering, Safety and Technology department. The purpose of this posting is to generate a pool of qualified faculty. Applications submitted will be reviewed on an as needed basis based on enrollment. Anyone....

02/20/2026

Just announced! The schedule for the Millersville Technology & Engineering Camps for Kids is out. This summer is shaping up to be an exciting one for your camper. See the Millersville Technology & Engineering Camps Web site for more information.

Explore Our Exciting Summer Camps for Young Innovators View All Our Summer Camp Offerings →

01/31/2026

You never know where the path will lead! Read about Adam Zurn, AEST alumnus, technology & engineering education teacher, and adventurer and explorer.

Adam Zurn ’01 spent more than 1,000 hours creating each of the 15 treasure hunts that are featured on his website Uncharted Lancaster. Lime Kiln Adventure, for instance, takes explorers on a half-mile hike to learn about Lancaster County’s lime kilns at Silver Mine Park in Conestoga. The reward for completing the journey is a treasure cache Zurn creates through 3D printing.

“It’s the ‘National Treasure meets local history’ of geocaching, only better,” Zurn says. “All adventures hold the promise of finding hidden treasure at the end.”

Zurn also offers guided tours, hikes and educational presentations on Lancaster County history. His goal is to take people off the beaten path to discover history through adventure. “There are two sides,” he says. “There’s the local history side and then there’s the adventure side, which gives you an incentive to go and visit a place. Taking kids for a walk can be a tough sell, but they’ll walk four miles to get a plastic coin out of a hidden gold box.”

Zurn grew up in the ’80s watching movies like “Indiana Jones,” “The Goonies” and “National Treasure.” He also spent a good deal of time exploring outdoors near his home in Susquehanna County, which he shared with his parents who were both teachers.

“We spent a lot of summers traveling all over the country learning,” Zurn says. “When you’re young, you don’t really appreciate that. It feels like punishment.” It took years before he realized that those trips instilled in him an appreciation and love for local history.

Zurn came to Lancaster County in 1997 to attend Millersville University. Having toured several other colleges, he decided on Millersville because of his passion for technology. “What sold me was that every residence room had internet access,” he says.

An undecided major, he initially had no interest in being a teacher like his parents. Then he stumbled upon the University’s technology education major. “I ended up taking the classes and enjoyed it,” he says. He earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in technology education, as well as a master’s degree in leadership and learning from Millersville.

Zurn is now in his 24th year of teaching technology at Lampeter-Strasburg High School, where he serves as department head. His wife, Maribeth, also a Millersville graduate, teaches first grade at Conestoga Elementary in Penn Manor School District, where his son is a student.

As a transplant to Lancaster County – “I came in 1997 and never really left” – Zurn spent a good deal of time researching the area and its history. When a neighbor asked if he had seen the cemetery near Shenks Ferry, which is by his home, he set out on a quest. “I looked it up on the internet then decided to physically find this graveyard,” he says. “I eventually found it, and I learned a lot along the way. I thought others might enjoy that same kind of experience.”

That’s how Zurn began creating adventures that teach explorers a little bit of local history. “I’d start by asking, ‘Why is this road called this? Why is this building called what it is?’ Researching something always brought up two more questions and more things to look into,” he says.

Zurn calls his work “a good side hustle. I give tours in the summer and take groups out on kayak trips and history hikes. It’s a great hobby to fill my time.” And he raises money – he estimates $15,000 so far – for the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County through an annual treasure hunt he hosts.

Last summer, he published a book, “Ghosts, Monsters and Tales of Adventure,” that is a compilation of the 64 tales about Lancaster County he has written and published on his website. And he’s working on another book that includes 50 of Lancaster County’s strange stories and hidden places. Much of the heavy work for the books is already done, Zurn says, because the stories were written for his website. “Now, it’s just about editing them to work,” he says.

Writing and editing come somewhat easy to Zurn; he credits that to his experience with The Snapper as a Millersville student.

“I joined The Snapper on day one,” he says. “It was a huge investment of my time over the years. I wrote all the time for the paper – columns and news reports – and did research and interviews. I really enjoyed meeting people. I also did the website for a year or two and learned a lot doing that.”

As a technology education teacher, Zurn works to keep up with the rapid pace of innovation. “Technology is so different than it was when I started,” he says. “Many of the things I’ve learned didn’t exist years ago. I have to constantly learn new things to stay current and modern. So much of what I did at Millersville as a tech ed major prepared me for this.”

It’s his 16-year-old son who keeps him “a bit modern or hip” when it comes to the lingo the students he teaches use now. “When he goes to college,” Zurn says, “I’ll be in trouble.”

12/09/2025

The Lancaster County STEM Alliance held its annual Excellence in Education Reception & Awards Ceremony on Nov. 7 at Millersville University, bringing together educators, leaders and students to recognize outstanding impact in local schools. The event highlighted the work of teachers across Lancaster County and celebrated the next generation of educators preparing to enter the field.

Current Millersville technology and engineering education major Rebecca Hahn received the Outstanding Pre-Service Teacher Award for her hands-on, instructional work at Warwick Middle School. Hahn designed projects in which students built pneumatic systems for VEX robots, explored electrical circuits and applied coding and problem-solving skills to real-world challenges. Hahn says, “Receiving the Outstanding Pre-Service Teacher Award is incredibly meaningful to me. Personally, it reaffirms that I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.”

She believes that her goal as an educator is not only to teach future engineers but also to help every student find joy in learning. She adds, “Hands-on, inquiry-based learning allows students to take ownership of their work, make mistakes and figure things out in real time. It sparks curiosity and confidence, and it shows students that education isn’t just about getting the right answer – it’s about the process of discovering how things work and why.”

12/08/2025

Robotic WorX – a public-private partnership between Millersville University and Precision Cobotics of Lititz that gives college and high school students opportunities to experience real-world automation challenges – has secured its first major commercial sponsorship with Advanced Atomization Technologies (AA Tech) of Clyde, N.Y. AA Tech designs, produces and supports fuel nozzles for aircraft engines.

“This sponsorship provides opportunities for students to come up with engineering solutions for an industry that is new to the program,” says Dr. Marc Harris, dean of Millersville University’s College of Science and Technology. “They’ll be working to meet the defined outcome AA Tech is looking for, which is great preparation for a career in manufacturing.”

Directed by John Bridgen, president of Precision Cobotics, and Dr. John Haughery, associate professor and coordinator for the automation and robotics engineering technology program at Millersville, Robotic WorX helps students connect STEM skills to real-world engineering careers and manufacturers tackle labor and production issues through workforce development and innovative processes.

“Seeing young people rise to the challenge of solving current engineering challenges for some of the global leaders in the industry is priceless! Robotic WorX is quickly becoming a serious workforce destination for students and manufacturers alike.” says Haughery.

Bob Hildebrand, director of product integrity at AA Tech, believes in the program’s impact. “Programs like Robotic WorX are essential for industry growth and for inspiring young minds to enter challenging fields,” he says.

“Beyond the incredible educational impact,” says Bridgen, “this milestone represents a major step toward long-term sustainability and provides tangible proof to our generous seed investors that the Robotic WorX model delivers real commercial value. We’re just getting started. The future of workforce development in automation is bright!”

12/01/2025

The annual meeting of the 1909 conference was held in Memphis, TN on November 20-21, 2025. Millersville University was represented by Dr. Scott Warner and Dr. Molly Miller, and graduate assistant Madison Hansen. The conference represents a combination of two long-standing groups within technology and engineering education, the Mississippi Valley Technology Teacher Education Conference and the Southeastern Technology Education Conference. The conference exists with the goal of advancing thought, research, and practice in technology & engineering education.

Current student and graduate assistant, Madison Hansen, and recent alumni and former graduate assistant Joseph Kaskel, were admitted to full membership at this year’s conference. This is an elite group of individuals nationwide who must first be invited by a current member, attend multiple conferences, and be recommended for membership by a current active member. Congratulations to Maddie and Joe!

Maddie Hansen, Joe Kaskel, and faculty member Dr. Molly Miller each presented sessions at the conference based on their current research and findings. Maddie presented a session titled, "A Qualitative Comparison of Undergraduate Student Motivation Toward Making and Doing," on undergraduate inclination towards hands-on learning and creation, a collaboration with current adjunct faculty Dr. Justin Egresitz. Joe presented a session titled "Exploring Expert Opinions for Defining Computer Science in K-12," centered around his ongoing doctoral dissertation focused upon defining computer science education. Dr. Miller presented the session titled "From Training to Teaching: A Call for a Philosophical Renaissance in Technology Education, highlighting the importance of educational theory and philosophy within technology and engineering teacher preparation programs.

Dr. Miller was selected by her peers at the conference to be awarded the 2025 Epsilon Pi Tau Outstanding Presentation Award.

12/01/2025

TEECA @ MU brought 25 members to the TEECA Eastern Regional Conference in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware on November 6-8, 2025.

Two faculty advisors also joined the trip where they served as event coordinators and judges, Dr. Alex Johnson and Dr. Molly Miller. All student members participated in at least one event, competing against students from four other east coast universities. There were also team building sessions and a dinner banquet with a keynote speaker. We are very proud of ALL student participants for their professional representation of MU and their hard work and effort in preparing and competing in their respective contests. TEECA @ MU placed in the top 3 at every event at the conference!

Integrative STEM – First Place
Manufacturing – Second Place
Transportation – Second Place
K-5 STEM Challenge – Second Place
Poster Session – Second Place
Problem Solving – Second Place
Teaching Lesson – Second Place
Robotics – Third Place
Communications – Third Place

Congratulations go out to ALL TEECA @ MU members for their participation in this conference!