ALTOONA, Pa. — Abigail Morgan and Nick Riscica, both third-year students studying business at Penn State Altoona, competed in the final round of the seventh annual America250PA Direct Effect Innovation Challenge (DEIC).
DEIC asks students from colleges and universities across the commonwealth to design and develop marketing campaigns that explore solutions to real-life challenges and questions.
The 2025 DEIC consisted of three rounds: a campus round, a virtual second round, and in-person final round at the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex in Harrisburg on Nov. 12. This year’s theme, “Miles of Impact: America’s First Superhighway ” challenged students to design and pitch a $100,000 marketing campaign to promote the 85th anniversary of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Penn State Altoona was one of five post-secondary institutions to compete in the final.