New ferroelectric material could give robots muscles
A new type of ferroelectric polymer that is exceptionally good at converting electrical energy into mechanical strain holds promise as a high-performance motion controller or “actuator” with great potential for applications in medical devices, advanced robotics, and precision positioning systems, according to a team of international researchers led by Penn State.
Retiring the Kauzmann paradox—a call to focus future glass research elsewhere
In the scientific community, researchers often face the hard choice of continuing or ending investigations into different hypotheses or theories. The decision can be complicated when the hypothesis or theory is widely known and referenced, or it helped spark studies that led to great discoveries.
Enrique Gomez named interim engineering associate dean for equity and inclusion
Enrique Gomez, professor of chemical engineering in the Penn State College of Engineering and of materials science and engineering in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS), has been appointed interim associate dean for equity and inclusion for the College of Engineering, effective July 1.
Glass: Neither a solid nor a liquid, this common yet complicated material is still surprising scientists
Glass is a material of many faces: It is both ancient and modern, strong yet delicate, and able to adopt almost any shape or color. These properties of glass are why people use it to make everything from smartphone screens and fiber-optic cables to vials that hold vaccines.
Mission critical: To get critical minerals and rare earth metals from coal waste
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) currently designates 50 minerals as critical to the U.S. economy or its national security or both. That number includes the so-called rare-earth elements — the 15 lanthanide metals at the bottom of the periodic table plus scandium and yttrium — along with the battery metals lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese, as well as platinum, aluminum, and graphite, among others.
Penn State announces tenure-line faculty promotions, effective July 1, 2023
The following is a list of academic promotions for tenured and tenure-line faculty members at Penn State, effective July 1, 2023.
Novel ferroelectrics for more efficient microelectronics
A team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and Penn State University is exploring novel materials that have potential to make microelectronics more energy efficient.
Penn State hosts Nigerian delegation to discuss partnership
A delegation led by the former president of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and His Royal Majesty Saka Adelola Matemilola, the Paramount Ruler of Owu Kingdom in Nigeria, visited Penn State May 23-34 to explore opportunities for long term and impactful partnership between Penn State and a consortium of Higher Ed institutions in Nigeria.
Lora Weiss selected to serve as CHIPS R&D director
Lora Weiss, senior vice president for research at Penn State, has been selected to serve as director of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Research and Development (R&D) Office for a two-year appointment beginning July 1, pending final clearance. During Weiss’ assignment, Andrew Read, currently director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and Evan Pugh Professor of Biology and Entomology and Eberly Professor of Biotechnology, will serve as interim senior vice president for research.
Registration now open for 2023 Graduate Women in Science National Conference
Registration is now open for the 2023 Graduate Women in Science (GWIS) National Conference, hosted by the State College GWIS Chapter at Penn State University Park this summer. Undergraduate and graduate students, post-docs, faculty, staff and professionals of all genders are invited to attend the conference. Register here by Monday, June 5.