Alumni Newsletter
The Spring 2025 issue of the Science Journal is here—and we've hand-picked some of our favorite stories just for you!
(Super) Positioned
for Quantum Tech
How Eberly College of Science researchers are mastering the very small for very big applications
The Breadth of the Brain
Researchers in the Penn State Neuroscience Institute study the brain’s many aspects in a variety of ways, with implications ranging from mental health to aging and disease
Creating Connections Through Philanthropy
How a simple thank-you note formed a meaningful friendship between a donor and a student
Lab Bench to Commercialization Program Broadens Its Scope
Seed grant program shifts emphasis to earlier development of research, focusing on societal impact and career readiness
Research Need Inspires Student Opportunity
Unprecedented demand for molecular modeling skills, coupled with a funding award for innovative teaching, leads to the creation of a new course-based research experience for undergraduates
Like what you see?
Also in this issue, we're gathering feedback from Braddock Scholars so we can promote the impact of scholarships in the college later this year.
Were you a Braddock Scholar during your time at Penn State?
Upcoming Events
Visit science.psu.edu/PublicEvents for a full listing
of upcoming public events in the college.
June 17: Joel Leja 'Little Red Dots' Webinar
Joel Leja, the Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Endowed Early Career Professor and assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State, will present a webinar at 4:00 p.m. on June 17 about early observations from the James Webb Space Telescope, which has revealed the existence of "little red dots" that existed when the universe was just hundreds of millions of years old, ceasing to exist after the first two to three billion years. These objects are thought to either be galaxies or supermassive black holes—in either case, inferred to be so surprisingly large that our pre-Webb theories of galaxy and black-hole formation do not explain their presence. Leja is a leader in the international team of scientists investigating this phenomenon and will explain the ramifications of these little red dots for our understanding of the early universe.
July 9–12: 26th Annual AstroFest at Penn State University Park
The 26th annual AstroFest—Wednesday, July 9, through Saturday, July 12—will offer visitors of all ages a variety of fun and educational activities.
The four-night festival of astronomy activities and stargazing will run from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. each night during the 2025 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.
The public is encouraged to come enjoy the night sky at Davey Lab, located across from the HUB-Robeson Center on the Penn State University Park campus.
Events are free and will occur rain or shine, both in classrooms and in the planetarium on the fifth floor of Davey Lab.
Add this event to your calendar: Wednesday, July 9; Thursday, July 10; Friday, July 11; Saturday, July 12.
October 1: Neuroscience and Decision-Making Talk and Museum Visit in Philadelphia
Save the date: On October 1, Nikki Crowley, Huck Early Career Chair in Neurobiology and Neural Engineering and associate professor of biology, will share the latest on the neuroscience and decision-making research that impacts our everyday lives, during a talk at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. More details, and invitations, are forthcoming.
Crowley spoke recently on the topic during a community outreach event. Get a preview of her Franklin Institute talk by watching a recording of her presentation at the Village at Penn State.
Also, on July 21 and 22, the Neuroscience Institute—which Crowley directs—will be hosting the fourth annual Big Ten Neuroscience Conference, at Penn State University Park.
In the News
Our long-term theoretical research has been recognized nationally
and internationally, demonstrating Penn State's strength in physics.
Jainendra Jain Featured
in the Hindustan Times
Two months after Jainendra K. Jain, Evan Pugh University Professor and Erwin W. Müller Professor of Physics and holder of the Eberly Family Chair, received the 2025 Wolf Prize in Physics, he has been featured on the front page of the Hindustan Times.
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced a potential breakthrough in quantum computing based, in part, on the early work of Jain and others in this space.
"He discovered a new state of matter — years ago," wrote journalist Kanika Sharma in the Hindustan Times. "There are new formulas named after him. His particles could lead to the discovery of even weirder ones. And Jain recently won the Wolf Prize, considered second only to the Nobel."
Zoltan Fodor Quoted
in Science Magazine
Disproving a 25-year-old question that physicists around the world are working to answer isn’t an easy task, but that is what Penn State theoretical physicist and Distinguished Professor Zoltan Fodor did five years ago with his groundbreaking, extensive calculation of the strength of the magnetic field around the muon—a subatomic particle similar to, but heavier than, an electron.
This week, another research group shared their results, which align with Fodor’s 2020 calculations and are consistent with the Standard Model, the well-tested theory that has guided particle physics for decades, with important implications for quantum theory.
“I’m very happy that the other lattice groups are confirming our results,” Fodor said.
Alumni Impact
Biology/Neurobiology and Women's Studies Alumna Jocelyn J. Fitzgerald Recognized with Schreyer Honors College Outstanding Scholar Alumni Award
Penn State’s Schreyer Honors College has selected Jocelyn J. Fitzgerald to receive the 2025 Outstanding Scholar Alumni Award, which recognizes the contributions of graduates who have demonstrated exemplary leadership skills, professional achievement, and a passion for lifelong learning.
Fitzgerald is a 2008 graduate with dual degrees in biology/neurobiology and women’s studies.
Chemistry Alumna Gail Folena-Wasserman Recognized with Fox Graduate School Lifetime Achievement Award
The J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School has recognized Gail Folena-Wasserman with the 2025 Fox Graduate School Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her distinguished career in the biopharmaceutical industry and her contributions to mentorship and workforce development.
Folena-Wasserman graduated in 1979 with a master’s degree and in 1982 with a doctoral degree, both in chemistry.
College Highlights
Biological Physicist Réka Albert Elected to the National Academy of Sciences
Réka Albert, Evan Pugh University Professor and professor of physics and biology, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Albert was recognized for her work in the field of network science, mapping complex biological systems through computational modeling. Her research provides new insights into the functioning of complex systems, from cellular processes to societal interactions, which has impacted fields like medicine, environmental science and public health.
Biotechnology Undergraduate Megan von Abo Receives Prestigious Astronaut Scholarship
Megan von Abo, a fourth-year student in the Biotechnology integrated undergraduate-graduate degree program and pursuing minors in Neuroscience and Entrepreneurship and Innovation has been named a 2025 Astronaut Scholar, earning a competitive national scholarship facilitated by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. The scholarships, awarded to 74 students in across the United States this year, provide up to $15,000 toward education for undergraduate students pursuing careers in engineering, math, or natural or applied sciences research. Earlier this year, von Abo also earned a Goldwater Scholarship.
Recordings Now Available Online: Ashtekar Frontiers of Science Lecture Series Celebrates the ‘Year of Quantum’
The United Nations designated 2025 as the “Year of Quantum” to recognize the contributions in quantum science since the development of quantum mechanics 100 years ago.
To celebrate this scientific milestone, the college’s Ashtekar Frontiers of Science lecture series, which ran January 25 through March 22, focused on quantum science and the impact that Penn State is making in the field.
Now, the lectures are available to watch online.
In Photos: Commencement
The college held its spring commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 11.
Congratulations to the Class of 2025!
Credit: Michelle Bixby
Watch alumna Jane Rigby's commencement address on Penn State's YouTube channel.
Extending an Eberly College Welcome to Tanner Nickell, Kelly Praskovich, and
Alan Schaffranek
The Office of Development and Alumni Relations is pleased to welcome three new team members: Tanner Nickell, Kelly Praskovich, and Alan Schaffranek.
Tanner is a 2016 graduate of the Penn State Smeal College of Business with a bachelor’s degree in management information systems and began his role as an associate director of development with the college on April 7.
Kelly is a Penn State alumna with a bachelor’s degree from the College of Liberal Arts and a master’s degree from the College of Education and was named the new director of alumni relations with the college, effective May 27, after serving as interim director since November 2024.
Alan is a 2024 Penn State alumnus with an associate's degree and began his role as associate director of development on April 28.
Read more about Tanner, Kelly, and Alan, and please join us in welcoming them to the college!
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