Five months ago, 32 Penn State alumni found themselves making a leadership decision. Today, thousands of alumni are posed with a similar choice. Ryan Beckler weighs in.

It's one of those things about college, like a particularly boozy night or where your freshman writing classroom was, that, looking back in 20 or 30 years, you will not remember, but at the time seem particularly important (especially where the classroom is). Snagging a high-profile commencement speaker, these days, is seen as a sign of cachet, a way to set a university apart. There are slideshows of the best college commencement speakers of 2012. Penn State... will not be on that list.

Last week, Homecoming 2012 announced that its emcees would be Avery Williams and Chrissy Bohn. Onward State had the opportunity to interview Avery on Friday. Williams, a senior majoring in aerospace engineering and Vice-Chair for Region II of the National Society of Black Engineers, discusses what motivated him to apply for emcee and what he hopes to accomplish in this position after the jump.

Dr. Subra Suresh, with the support of three renowned Penn State researchers, headlined the Nelson W. Taylor Lecture in Materials yesterday. This year's theme was Materials Frontiers, where it was clear that the future of research lies in the ongoing collaboration between scientists of different specializations.

Later this week, three of our own faculty, along with a distinguished speaker, will be giving talks on the future of their respective fields as part of the 2012 Nelson W. Taylor Lecture.

The Penn State Student Red Cross Club has organized a month-long blood drive in the second annual “Fight for Life”. Penn State will compete to give the most blood against the Ohio State University Student Red Cross Club. The friendly competition began Monday, April 2 and will conclude on Friday, April 27.