Penn State Lehigh Valley students present at regional computing conference

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — The Eastern Regional Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges held its annual conference at Arcadia University in late October. The gathering is designed to promote the exchange of information among educators concerning the use of computers in academic environments.

Two students mentored by Jeffrey Stone, associate professor of information sciences and technology at Penn State Lehigh Valley, presented a poster titled "Development of Immersive Virtual Reality for Anti-Cyberbullying Training" at the conference. The work was part of a project funded by the Department of Justice, Stone said. 

“Edward Heimbach and Sumedha Gajanan Pol exemplify students who go above and beyond,” Stone said. “This research grant provides our Penn State Lehigh Valley students with a unique opportunity to gain valuable, hands-on experience in virtual reality development and its real-world applications.”

Stone is no stranger to putting his students in the spotlight. He has had several students present at regional conferences and on-campus research symposia over nearly two decades.

“The value of presenting their work lies in gaining recognition and engaging with faculty and students from other institutions to discuss outcomes and gather feedback,” Stone said. “The experience also allows them to see the interesting things that other campuses are doing in computing research.”

Presenting at the conference also provides opportunities for thoughtful engagement, including the chance to ask and answer questions about their findings.

“Many people came up, and most of them asked different questions that made me think deeper about the project and its future,” Heimbach said. “I even got a couple of suggestions for improvements that I think I may implement.”

For Gajanan Pol, the opportunity was a mix of nerves and excitement.

“At first, I was super anxious — just the idea of standing in front of professionals and peers felt intimidating,” she shared. “But once I got into it, it was really empowering. We were getting feedback and questions from people who genuinely cared about the topic. It made it feel like a real conversation, not just a presentation.”

Both students were quick to share praise for Stone and his commitment to their learning and career-ready skill development.

“It helps when you have professors who have a passion for what they teach," Heimbach said. "Dr. Stone has helped me gain experience in managing larger codebases, which will be essential for my career.”

And real-world opportunities translate into confidence and preparedness, according to Gajanan Pol.

“It was Dr. Stone who suggested we submit our findings,” said Gajanan Pol. “He worked closely with us to refine our ideas and make sure we had access to all the resources we needed. Dr. Stone is a professor invested in our success — that makes a huge difference.”

About Penn State Lehigh Valley

Founded in 1912, Penn State Lehigh Valley combines more than a century of academic excellence with personalized instruction and industry-connected faculty. Students can complete one of 12 degrees on campus or begin any of Penn State’s 275+ majors through the University’s 2+2 program. With small class sizes, advanced learning technology and a strong focus on student success, Penn State Lehigh Valley prepares students to make an impact in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.