“We’re in a wild, wild west world right now,” said Daniel P. Lopresti, professor of computer science and engineering at Lehigh University in Bethlehem.

We removed any breaks. When they pack up for Thanksgiving they won’t be returning to campus. We wanted to get them through the semester with as few gaps as possible to reduce the chance that we would transition to remote due to a resurgence (of Covid-19).

People are starting to see that the risk in some sectors is diminishing. Manufacturing is returning, demand is coming back. Some industries, like the ecommerce space is really taking off,”

Educators in the region’s colleges and universities say they are seeing a steady growth in students interested in majoring in engineering disciplines, and the ones coming into their programs are showing more knowledge and have more hands-on experience than in the past.

Aaron Barnes, 44, was recently promoted to vice president at Urban Engineers, providing construction support services from the firm’s Mechanicsburg office. He has been with Urban for 20 years, working on projects with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, among others.

Q: What legislative and professional development initiatives will you be directing during your term as vice chair of the real property division for the PBA real property, probate and trust law section? A: The real property division is part of a larger section of the PBA. That group is composed of lawyers who practice primarily ...