Earth and Mineral Sciences

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Scientific posters on easels line a large room, with windows on one side. People are grouped together in twos or threes, discussing the research on the posters.

Drawdown Scholars returning to Penn State for international conference

9/13/19

Undergraduate students from across the country are returning to Penn State next week for the first international conference on the science of drawdown, the point at which greenhouse gases in the atmosphere begin to decline. The students, participants in this past summer’s Penn State Drawdown Scholars Research Experience for Undergraduates Program, will present results from their summer research projects from Sept. 16-18.

Jane Cook is the new director of the Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) Museum & Art Gallery.

Museum director takes over with eye on expansion

9/12/19

When Jane Cook talks about her career as an engineer at precision glass manufacturer Corning Inc., and then as chief scientist at the Corning Museum of Glass, she mentions the process window: that’s the concept of understanding everything about the process, knowing what causes that process to both succeed and fail.

Diagram showing the precise atom arrangement of an intermetallic on the left, and the random atom arrangement of the alloy on the right.

Researchers seek to revolutionize catalyst design with machine learning

9/11/19

Researchers from Penn State and Carnegie Mellon University have received a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to use machine learning — a form of artificial intelligence — and data science to design more effective catalysts for chemical processing. The grant is part of a new initiative by the DOE to provide $27.6 million in grants for data science research in chemical and materials sciences.

Scientists constructed a laboratory in northern Alaska

Fossil fuel emissions impact Arctic snow chemistry, scientists find

9/10/19

Perennial sea ice is rapidly melting in the Arctic, clearing the way for new shipping routes and fossil fuel extraction. This increased activity could have unexpected impacts on the natural chemistry of the polar region, according to a team of scientists that included Jose Fuentes, Penn State professor of atmospheric science.

Katelyn Kirchner headshot

Materials science and engineering major named an Astronaut Scholar

9/5/19

Katelyn Kirchner, a senior materials science and engineering major from Downingtown, earned a prestigious Astronaut Scholarship earlier this year. Each year, the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation recognizes more than 50 outstanding students from the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Research to Action: The Science of Drawdown

Climate conference to feature Penn State researchers Sept. 16-18

9/5/19

More than 20 Penn State researchers are participating in the upcoming climate solutions conference Research to Action: The Science of Drawdown. Overall, more than 70 speakers will be presenting at the event, which will take place Sept. 16-18 at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center.

Research to Action: The Science of Drawdown

Climate conference to be livestreamed

9/5/19

Research to Action: The Science of Drawdown, the conference focused on climate solutions being hosted at Penn State from Sept. 16-18, will be livestreamed online for free. Interested viewers can see the conference agenda for what is planned during the three-day event, which is sold out.

Natural gas map

Researchers unearth cost-effective method for finding shale gas

9/3/19

A new method for exploring natural gas in the Marcellus Shale shows potential high yield areas can be found more easily and with lower costs. Traditionally, natural gas hot spots are determined using a combination of current well production data and various geological tests. Penn State researchers, in work published in the SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering journal, detail a method for approximating available gas in untapped areas using well production data taken from more than 5,600 existing wells.

Village on Alaskan coast

Helping Alaskan coastal communities adjust to global warming

9/3/19

Penn State researchers have been awarded a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation in a multi-institutional effort to assist Alaskan coastal Indigenous communities with foreseeable environmental challenges due to global warming.

Storm surge batters a coastal area.

Researchers identify five factors for better coastal risk-management strategies

8/30/19

Decision makers face choices about how to design risk management strategies to protect coastal populations from rising sea levels and storm surges. Finding a solid strategy is difficult and only complicated by a warming climate, but a team of Penn State researchers has identified five factors that can better characterize risk management options.

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