Earth and Mineral Sciences

Top News
Top news RSS feed
James Kasting headshot

Kasting elected to National Academy of Sciences

5/7/18

James F. Kasting, Evan Pugh University Professor of Geosciences at Penn State, has been elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences. Membership in the NAS is one of the highest honors given to a scientist or engineer in the United States.

Sean Avery

Students, companies benefit from interdisciplinary projects at Learning Factory

5/4/18

Qisheng Ding admits building a portable escape room on the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center is a little out of his comfort zone. He’s a senior majoring in materials science and engineering, so the concept of building a storyline, developing computer coding, wiring lights and other electronics — all housed in a rented tent — was foreign to him. So was working with a team of other engineers outside of his field.

Energy Days 2018

Energy Days conference to build partnerships, solve critical energy challenges

5/3/18

The third annual Energy Days conference will be held this year on May 30 and 31 at The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. Energy Days was created in an effort to convene the energy expertise of Penn State and develop partnerships to help improve the affordability, sustainability and security of energy in the future. The conference is open to the public and is free for Penn State students, faculty and staff.

2018 OASA recipient Tim Brown

U.S. Army veteran named 2018 Outstanding Adult Student

5/2/18

Staff Sgt. Timothy Bowen said he built his career by honing his craft. For the past eight years, Bowen served in the U.S. Army and National Guard, including one year in Iraq. Bowen’s dedication continued as a materials science and engineering major at Penn State. While earning his degree, he worked at the Applied Research Lab and appeared on the dean’s list six times. Bowen is the 2018 recipient of the Outstanding Adult Student Award.

Greater Allegheny Faculty teaching students.

Greater Allegheny to offer first 3+1 Energy Engineering degree at Penn State

5/2/18

Penn State Greater Allegheny will begin to offer the third year of the Energy Engineering major beginning in Fall 2018. This will be the first 3+1 Energy Engineering program  at any Penn State campus and will allow students to remain at Greater Allegheny through their junior year, moving to University Park to complete their final year of study.

David Boutt will give a talk at Penn State on the role hydrogeosciences can play in the transition from fossil fuels to green energy

Speaker to discuss hydrogeosciences' role in transition to green energy

5/1/18

David Boutt, associate professor of geology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, will speak at Penn State on the role that hydrogeosciences can play in the transition from fossil fuels to green energy from 4 to 5 p.m. on May 9 in 112 Walker Building. The event is free and open to the public.

Fatimah Altarrah and Madeline Nyblade

College of Earth and Mineral Sciences names spring student marshals

5/1/18

Fatimah Altarrah has been named the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences’ student marshal, the top graduate overall, and Madeline Nyblade has been named the college’s science honor marshal, the top graduate in a non-engineering discipline. They will be recognized during the college’s spring 2018 commencement ceremony, scheduled for 8 p.m., Friday, May 4, in the Pegula Ice Arena.

Robert Johnson

Robert Johnson named nation's best student TV weathercaster

4/30/18

Robert Johnson, a Penn State junior majoring in meteorology and atmospheric science, earned first place in the television weathercaster category at the annual Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Festival of Media Arts competition, held April 8-9 in Las Vegas. Johnson served as a weather anchor for Penn State’s student-produced newscast, the “Centre County Report.”

Engineering students Ryan Shea and Sarah Tevis test out the Ford prototype.

Student engineers innovate passenger car seats with Ford

4/30/18

A team of engineers worked diligently for months designing a new passenger car seat for the Ford Motor Company, harnessing years of education to create a finished prototype. But they weren’t professionals working in Detroit — the team members were all undergraduate seniors at Penn State.

Icebergs in the Amundsen Sea

Thwaites glacier focus of international program

4/30/18

The National Science Foundation and the United Kingdom's National Environmental Research Council are the forces behind eight new initiatives in Antarctica to determine how quickly a massive glacier could collapse. Penn State is part of two of these projects, GHOST and MELT.

solar boxes

Students build portable solar boxes to help restore services in Puerto Rico

4/27/18

Nikhil Bharadwaj had an ingenious idea for improving the tailgating experience for himself and his friends at Penn State football games. Drawing from his love of renewable energy, the senior majoring in energy engineering began drafting plans for a small-scale solar box capable of charging cell phones and powering devices while tailgating at Beaver Stadium. But then he had a better idea.

students study at whiteboard wall

Materials Science and Engineering students hope to inspire future women in STEM

4/27/18

Tight-knit friendships have allowed a group of female students to excel in a field that has traditionally been male dominated, materials science and engineering. Throughout their time at Penn State, these students took on leadership roles, conducted research, represented Penn State at national conferences and prepared for the start of their careers.

Graduate student excellence celebrated at awards luncheon

4/27/18

Penn State President Eric Barron presented 11 awards to more than 30 graduate students in recognition of outstanding achievement during the annual Graduate Student Awards Luncheon, held April 25 at the Nittany Lion Inn.

Pages