Feature Archive

When the power goes out, for most of us it’s an inconvenience of losing something we take for granted – the ability to turn on a light, make a pot of coffee or watch TV. But for people with disabilities, power outages can be much more serious, threatening their sole means of connection and information from the outside world or hindering their ability to breathe.

From the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania to the islands of Fiji in the South Pacific, Julia Carter’s life experience includes stints in both – as a student at Penn State Hazleton and, most recently, a competitor on the CBS hit series Survivor.

A group of engineering students at Penn State Hazleton is already getting the opportunity to put their knowledge and skills to use on a real-world project. They are working on designing a drinking water protection system for the borough of Bellefonte on its historic Big Spring, which provides water for about 9,000 customers.

Sally and Mattie aren’t who you’d typically find on a college campus, but they’re welcome visitors – and good listeners – at Penn State Hazleton. The Labrador retrievers come to the campus every few weeks with their handlers, retired biology professor Dave Orbin and his wife, Kathy. The Orbins raise puppies to be guide dogs for the blind through The Seeing Eye.