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Finding ways to manage the flow of heat in silicon could boost the performance of semiconductors, but, so far, discovering the right design has remained elusive. Now, a team of Penn State researchers report that a fabrication technique may offer a path toward mastering the often chaotic flow of heat carriers at the nanoscale in silicon and other semiconductors.
Parivash Moradifar, a doctoral candidate in materials science and engineering (MatSE), earned the Alumni Association Dissertation Award from the Graduate School for research related to plasmonics, an emerging field between electronics and photonics.
With families stuck at home because of the coronavirus pandemic, the need for quality online resources to help fill the time has skyrocketed. But don’t fret — Penn State’s Center for Nanoscale Science has just launched Mission: Materials Science.
Alex Molina, a fourth-year doctoral student in materials science and engineering, was recently named a Sloan Scholar.
John Shimanek, a doctoral student in materials science and engineering, was one of five students from across the country selected for a federal fellowship program.
Two Penn State professors have been named Evan Pugh Professors, an elite and prestigious distinction conferred by the University on only 73 faculty members since the establishment of the designation in 1960.
Imagine, Summer 2020 MatSE newsletter
Susan Trolier-McKinstry, Flaschen Professor of Ceramic Science and Engineering in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, was recently named an Evan Pugh University Professor, an elite distinction conferred by the University on only 73 faculty members since the establishment of the designation in 1960.
Named for Penn State’s founding president, the distinction honors preeminent professors and recognizes the importance of research in supporting the quality and reputation of the University. Professors are selected without regard to college affiliation, program or location. Professorships are granted only to candidates who are acknowledged national and international leaders in their fields of research or creative activity. Trolier-McKinstry is one of two faculty members who earned the honor this year.
“Susan’s pioneering and internationally recognized research and her innovative approach to teaching, of both undergraduate and graduate students, makes her truly deserving of this recognition,” said Lee Kump, John Leone Dean in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. “We are also proud of the fact that she is the 7th professor from the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences to be honored with this recognition, a group including three other currently active Evan Pugh University Professors in EMS.”
Trolier-McKinstry is the director of the Materials Research Institute’s Nanofabrication Laboratory and is a professor of electrical engineering in the College of Engineering. Her main research interest is thin films for dielectric and piezoelectric applications (dielectrics are electrical insulators that can be used to store charge, while piezoelectrics convert mechanical energy into electric energy and vice versa).
“Penn State is an outstanding place to work. I gratefully acknowledge the many excellent students and post-doctoral scholars that have worked in my group, along with my faculty colleagues and our professional staff. This tremendous honor is really shared with all of these people,” Trolier-McKinstry said.
In 2019, Trolier-McKinstry was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for her "development of thin film multilayer ceramic capacitors and piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems." Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.
She is a fellow of the American Ceramic Society, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the Materials Research Society. She is also an academician in the World Academy of Ceramics. She was the 2017 president of the Materials Research Society. Previously, Trolier-McKinstry was president of IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control Society and Keramos National Professional Ceramic Engineering Fraternity.
Trolier-McKinstry earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in ceramic science and engineering and her doctorate in ceramic science, all from Penn State.
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In honor of Jack Coppola’s dedication and contributions to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MatSE), he was named the 2020 MatSE Alumnus of the Year.
When Coppola retired following his 35-year career in the industry and building products arena — in which he had accomplished a great deal — he brought his knowledge and passion back to Penn State to pay it forward.
Coppola has been a active member of the MatSE External Advisory Board (EAB) since 2006. During his tenure on the EAB, he has greatly impacted lab safety and the safety habits of students. He will be retiring from the board at the end of June 2020.
“The department has continued to advance its commitment to safety and is considered a safety leader on campus and in the academic world,” Coppola said.
The EAB’s tasks include reviewing the department’s safety processes while searching for ways to improve. Because of the extensive safety training and experiences within the department, Coppola said graduates have a significant competitive advantage when they begin their careers.
“I believe the EAB interactions with the graduate and undergraduate students are the most helpful in gauging the success of the MatSE department,” Coppola said. “They are truly the ‘products’ of the educational process and research programs within MatSE.”
Coppola also has profound gratitude for the generous funding he received while at Penn State and knows that the trajectory of his future may have been very different without it. That is what inspired Coppola and his wife Jane '67 '69g to endow the Graduate Student Excellence Fund in MatSE.
Penn State acknowledged Coppola’s devotion by bestowing upon him the 2019 Alumni Fellow Award, the highest award given by the Penn State Alumni Association. Some of his other awards include: Penn State 2006ASM International McFarland Award, 1996 Penn State Earth and Mineral Sciences Centennial Fellow, Alfred University 1994 Outstanding Alumni and 1978 Niagara Frontier Inventor of the Year. He also received a R&D World magazine’s IR-100 award in 1978 for the top 100 technologically significant products and advancements.
Coppola received his B.S. in ceramic engineering from Alfred University in 1966 and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from Penn State in 1969 and 1971, respectively. He also was a postdoctoral research assistant at Lehigh University from 1971 to 1972. He retired from Johns Manville in 2007 as senior vice president and chief technology officer responsible for research and development, and new product innovation and commercialization for the company.
