Common threads: Materials science student weaves textile passions into research
Irena Potochny first picked up a needle to sew buttons on felt in preschool, and she hasn’t put down crafts since. Now a student entering her senior year at Penn State, Potochny spends her free time creating upcycled clothing and tackling myriad projects, like 3-D printing her own spinning wheel one weekend this spring semester.
Huck Chair in Nanomedicine plans to take research from bench to bedside
As biomedical challenges grow more complex, Penn State’s Dipanjan Pan is pioneering a multifaceted approach to nanomedicine that spans basic research, clinical translation and entrepreneurial deployment.
New material could provide cooling through existing mechanical energy
As global temperatures rise, the demand for air conditioning is surging, driving up energy bills and straining power grids. In the United States, air conditioning accounts for nearly one-fifth of all residential electricity use, and cooling systems in commercial buildings consume about one-third of their total energy. To meet this energy need, a team of researchers at Penn State is developing new materials that cool their surroundings when bent or stressed. On the latest episode of “Growing Impact,” the team discusses how this cutting-edge technology could transform the future of building climate control.
LionGlass video highlights sustainable glass applications
Professor John Mauro of Penn State University shared the latest developments of the LionGlass project through a video presentation, highlighting its potential applications and environmental benefits.
LionGlass is a family of glass engineered by researchers at Penn State University in the USA.
$2.7M NIH grant to fund first comprehensive syphilis test
In the United States, syphilis cases rose by nearly 80% between 2018 and 2023, with 209,253 cases reported in the latest year of data. The infection, which can be transmitted sexually or passed from mother to infant during birth, is curable but only if diagnosed quickly. Left untreated, syphilis can progress from painless lesions to brain and cardiovascular damage. Despite the first recorded outbreak of syphilis occurring more than 500 years ago — with some researchers theorizing that it has plagued humans for thousands of years — there still isn’t a way to quickly and reliably test for active syphilis infection, according to Penn State Professor Dipanjan Pan.
College of Earth and Mineral Sciences names spring 2025 student marshals
Parker Przybylski has been named Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences’ student marshal, the top graduate overall; and Shahad Alsadoon has been named the college’s engineering honor marshal, the top graduate in an engineering discipline. They will be recognized during the college’s spring 2025 commencement ceremony, scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, in the Pegula Ice Arena on Penn State's University Park campus.
Winners announced for 17th annual Materials Visualization Competition
The winners of the 17th annual Materials Visualization Competition (MVC), a scientific visual and artistic competition sponsored by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Materials Research Institute at Penn State, have been announced. MVC celebrates the quality of research in materials at Penn State and promotes awareness of materials science through visualization.
Mesta Electronics partners to power Penn State semiconductor research
As one of the founding members of Penn State’s Silicon Carbide Innovation Alliance (SCIA), Mesta Electronics works with SCIA to grow silicon carbide crystals for semiconductors, which requires a stable, precise power source to heat a specialized furnace to extreme temperatures. To meet this need, Mesta Electronics LLC has donated two Mesta 50kW Induction Heating Power Supplies to SCIA.
Saudi Aramco senior VP, Penn State alumnus to present Richard E. Tressler Lecture
The 2025 Richard E. Tressler Lecture in Materials will be held at 3:05 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, in 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building on the Penn State University Park campus. Faisal Mohammed Al-Faqeer, senior vice president of liquids to chemicals at Saudi Aramco, will deliver the lecture, “Oil and Gas Sector: Cutting-Edge Advanced Materials for Sustainable Energy.”
EMS experts promote research ties at National Academies US-African symposium
For some pressing research problems, an ocean’s worth of distance isn’t enough to prevent the connection to some common ground. That’s the point behind the annual National Academies U.S.-Africa Frontiers of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Symposium. And it’s why the College of Earth and Minerals Sciences (EMS) joined Google, the Gates and Rutter Foundations, the Department of Defense and others as sponsors of the event.