Alumni Newsletter
July 2025
Upcoming Events
The Science Matters: Spotlight Sessions series provides a unique opportunity for the community to engage directly with the brilliant minds working on the front lines of discovery to create positive, real-world impact. Join the college’s top scientists in candid, down-to-earth conversations that answer today’s most pressing questions—how science is shaping our lives, our society, and our future.
September 5: "Celebrating Penn State's Milestones in Physics"
The Penn State Department of Physics is a world leader in a wide range of fields and among the first to hit milestones in areas like astrophysics, gravity, and cosmology (and ranked No. 9 in the US), particle physics, and atomic, molecular, and optical physics.
Join department head Mauricio Terrones to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Erwin Müller’s first “seeing” of the atom, the 10th anniversary of the Penn State LIGO team’s discovery of gravitational waves, and Jainendra Jain’s pioneering Wolf Prize recognition—the first at Penn State!
These Penn State science strengths and longtime investment in discovery have major implications today for impactful research in the cosmos, quantum physics, and semiconductors (the fundamental building blocks for electronics in your cellphones), as well as appliances, computers, vehicles, and much more.
Learn more and register to attend the University Park campus event or to join the webinar.
October 1: "Risky Business: Neural Navigation of Decision-Making"
Nikki Crowley, Huck Early Career Chair in Neurobiology and Neural Engineering, associate professor of biology and of biomedical engineering, and director of the Penn State Neuroscience Institute at University Park, will discuss how the brain assesses risk, the factors that influence our choices to take risks, why risk-taking can be both adaptive and necessary, and how this process changes during development and aging.
Following Nikki’s presentation, you’ll hear from Eberly College alumna Jayatri Das (Class of 1999), now chief bioscientist at the Franklin Institute. As the lead developer of Your Brain—a national award–winning exhibit about the neuroscience and psychology of the human brain—she will share information with you to allow for a self-guided tour through the space.
Finally, join Dean Tracy Langkilde, Nikki, and Jayatri for a reception to answer questions and continue the conversation.
August 1–2: Joint Statistical Meetings in Nashville
On the heels of the recent International Collaboration for Research on Statistical Reasoning, Thinking, and Literacy (SRTL) conference at Penn State University Park, the Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM) are happening this weekend in Nashville, and the Eberly College will be hosting a reception for all Penn State alumni in the area.
Share your photos with us by tagging Penn State Science and using the hashtag #PennStateStats in your social media posts for a potential reshare in the college's channels.
In the meantime, catch up on all the department's news.
October 2: Eberly College of Science Fall Career Fair
The college will host its annual fall career fair on October 2, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Verne M. Willaman Gateway to the Sciences.
This event presents an opportunity for employers to connect with and recruit science students for various roles, including full-time positions, internships, and co-ops.
October 10: Alumni and Friends Homecoming Tailgate
Don't miss out on an ideal spot to watch the Homecoming parade and network with college faculty and staff!
The tailgate will be held rain or shine, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., in front of the Millennium Science Complex.
New this year, there will be student organizations participating—a chance for alumni and friends to meet some of our current students.
Visit science.psu.edu/PublicEvents for a full listing
of upcoming public events in the college.
In the News
Ken Knappenberger Is Among 36 US Chemistry Department Chairs Calling to Restore Funding
Chemistry research is vital to the US—its security and economy. In fact, the chemical industry alone contributes more than $600 billion annually to the US economy and supports more than 4 million jobs.
Kenneth Knappenberger Jr., head of the Department of Chemistry at Penn State, has joined 35 other chemistry department chairs from US universities in publishing an open letter in the journal Science expressing deep concern about recent federal decisions impacting scientific research.
The open letter was also highlighted by Chemical & Engineering News.
Show Your Support
Your support helps to propel groundbreaking research and exceptional educational experiences that transform society. Learn more about ways to engage and partner with Eberly.
Learn more about the implications of federal funding cuts to our future at Penn State's "Research or Regress" web page.
Support research: Sign the petition. Penn State research keeps Americans safe, healthy, and competitive, but it depends on federal funding. Protecting research means protecting our future.
Alumni Impact
Blending Science and Entrepreneurship, Alumna Haley McClain Hill Used Her Math Degree and Penn State Experiences to Launch Her Own Business
Air Force veteran. NFL cheerleader. Entrepreneur. Penn State alum. These are just a few ways to describe Haley McClain Hill, a Penn State Eberly College of Science alumna and founder and CEO of TORCH Warriorwear.
Hill began her Penn State journey in 2014, when she enrolled as a first-year chemistry major and joined the Air Force ROTC program on campus. Shortly after, she switched to math with a concentration in economics. Her passions for gymnastics and cheerleading led her to be recruited to Penn State’s cheerleading team, and eventually to the National Football League, where she cheered for the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers.
It was her experiences serving in the Air Force and being a cheerleader at Penn State and in the NFL that inspired her to do something she never dreamed of—starting her own business.
Scranton Alumna Darlene Dunay Has Been Reelected to the Penn State Alumni Council
Darlene Dunay, a 1979 Penn State graduate of the Eberly College of Science and a longtime supporter of Penn State Scranton, has been reelected to the Penn State Alumni Council, the governing body of the Penn State Alumni Association. She began her three-year term on July 1.
Dunay began her Penn State journey as a biology student in the 2+2 degree plan at Penn State Scranton. She has actively been involved with the campus, supporting student initiatives, such as creating care packages for the campus’s THON dancers every year, which she personally delivers to them on campus before they depart for THON weekend, and serving as a past chair and emeritus member of the Penn State Scranton Advisory Board. She also has mentored students in the Eberly College of Science pursuing careers in health care.
University Highlights
A $2.9M Grant Will Fund a Study on Long-Term Effects of Adolescent Binge Drinking
Ten percent of adolescents and young adults aged 12 to 20, whose brains are still developing, report drinking alcohol, with 90 percent of their consumption being binge drinking, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
Led by Nikki Crowley, director of the Penn State Neuroscience Institute at University Park, Huck Early Career Chair in Neurobiology and Neural Engineering and assistant professor of biology and of biomedical engineering, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Penn State will use a new five-year, $2.9 million grant from the NIAAA to investigate the long-term effects of excess alcohol drinking during adolescence.
A $2.6M Grant from the National Institutes of Health Will Fund a New Microbiome Sciences Training Program at Penn State
The internationally recognized One Health Microbiome Center in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State—led by Seth Bordenstein, Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Endowed Chair in Microbiome Sciences and professor of biology and of entomology—is the recipient of a new $2.6 million T32 training grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to train doctoral students in biotechnological innovation, industry advancements and interdisciplinary microbiome research.
The grant will fund 5–10 students per year over the next five years as they pursue their doctorates through the Biotechnological & Integrative Opportunities in Microbiome Sciences (BIOMS) program, with the inaugural cohort beginning their training this fall semester.
Charlie Anderson Has Been Chosen to Lead the Plant Biology Intercollege Graduate Degree Program
For the first time in almost three decades, the Huck Institutes' intercollege graduate degree program in plant biology has a new chairperson. Charles "Charlie" T. Anderson, professor and associate head of research and faculty success in the Department of Biology, succeeds outgoing chair Teh-hui Kao, who had served in the role since 1999.
A member of the Plant Biology program’s faculty since 2012, Anderson already has mentored a dozen of the program’s trainees. Now, he’s stepping into a role responsible for 44 graduate students spread across eight departments, with an incoming cohort of half a dozen new trainees set to join in August.
College Highlights
Denise Okafor Has Been Named One of Chemical & Engineering News’ Talented 12
Denise Okafor, Huck Early Career Chair in biophysics and assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and of chemistry, has been selected as one of the 2025 Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN) Talented 12.
The Talented 12 program recognizes early-career researchers in the chemical sciences. C&EN notes that “being recognized can serve as a launching pad for the Talented 12 to gain recognition for their ideas, find funding and collaborators, and become the leaders of the future.”
Melanie McReynolds Has Received a 2025 National Science Foundation CAREER Award
Melanie McReynolds, Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has been honored with a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the US National Science Foundation (NSF). The CAREER award is NSF’s most prestigious award in support of early-career faculty members who can serve as academic role models in research and education and lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.
The five-year, $1.3 million CAREER award will support McReynolds’ research to understand a molecule called NAD+, which is present in all living organisms and involved in a wide variety of cellular processes. Low levels of NAD+ have been linked to aging and a wide range of diseases, including type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and cancer.
Remembering Wesley Hymer, a Pioneer of Health Research in Space
The Eberly College of Science mourns the loss of Wesley Hymer, professor of biochemistry, who died on May 4 at the age of 89. Over his 35 years on the faculty at Penn State, he made important contributions to the understanding of pituitary hormones and was internationally recognized for his pioneering research of living cells in space.
In 1983, Hymer was the principal investigator on the first experiment conducted aboard the space shuttle in which live cells were processed by a separation technique called electrophoresis. Over the next 10 years, he led five more cell studies that were conducted in space, including two in the Cosmos biosatellite series, a joint Russian-U.S. effort, and one that resulted as a collaboration with Japanese researchers. Hymer's space experiments with living cells developed conclusive evidence that the hormone output and activity of pituitary-gland cells is adversely affected by the lack of gravity in space, which may contribute to the bone loss of astronauts in space.
Penn State is now known as a Space Grant institution largely thanks to Hymer, who helped develop the successful proposal that resulted in Penn State participation in NASA's Space Grant College program in 1989. The program continues to support student research in the space sciences as well as other space-related activities.
In Photos
Eberly College alumna Jayatri Das joined NPR Science Desk correspondent Jon Hamilton and Philadelphia Inquirer public health reporter Aubrey Whelan for a panel discussion on science communication, sponsored by the college and supported by its Johnson Lectureship endowment, at the 2025 Big Ten Neuroscience Annual Meeting, hosted by Penn State at the Nittany Lion Inn, July 21–22.
Jason Wright, director of the Penn State Extraterrestrial Intelligence Center and professor of astronomy and astrophysics, spoke to residents of the Village at Penn State on June 27 as part of an ongoing outreach program connecting Penn State faculty with the local community, in advance of the third international Penn State SETI Symposium in August.
Robin Tuluie, former Penn State postdoc, previous head of research and development at Renault F1, and founder of PhysicsX, spoke at the Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos' Alumni and Friends Reunion, an event that also featured networking opportunities, panel discussions, and a showcase of the institute's new developments and initiatives, May 30–31 in State College.
The Department of Physics celebrated the "topping out" of the new Osmond North Building, where the last steel beam was put in place at the highest point of the building. Department and college community members were invited to sign the beam before it was finally installed on June 18.
More than 50 faculty, staff, students and friends in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics celebrated the unveiling of the first ultrahigh-definition images and videos from the US National Science Foundation–Department of Energy Vera C. Rubin Observatory on June 23.
Attendees of the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics' popular longtime outreach program AstroFest—a four-night festival of astronomy activities and stargazing—view the night sky through telescopes atop Davey Lab on July 11. Enjoy AstroFest? Support the event's short-term fundraiser, now through Aug. 31.
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