Alumni Newsletter
November 2025
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we are reminded of our gratitude for you—our alumni—who have contributed to the Eberly College's longstanding legacy of positive, real-world impact and its top global and national reputation.
Below, we highlight a few recent proof points, knowing that such exceptional statistics don't happen overnight; rather, they're the result of much hard work over an extended period of time—a testament to the dedication and commitment to excellence of the college's faculty, students, staff, alumni, and supporters.
Earlier this fall, we welcomed more than 250 alumni and friends to campus to celebrate Penn State Homecoming (see the photo gallery below) and to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia for our Science Matters Spotlight Session on neuroscience. It was wonderful to see so many of you at these events, and we hope to continue engaging with you both in person and through remote event opportunities.
We're thrilled to share here a few points of Penn State and Eberly pride, which we hope you’ll share in turn:
- Penn State ranks in the top 5 percent globally in the 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, released in October, and fourth in the US in the 2026 QS sustainability rankings, released in November.
- The University also ranks 20th globally, and 13th nationally, for space science in the U.S. News & World Report 2025–26 Best Global Universities rankings, and is among the top five universities in the country—No. 2 this year—for conferring undergraduate degrees in the physical sciences, according to a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
- The college was well represented by our undergraduate students in the Penn State Schreyer Honors College’s new magazine, Scholar, with nine being featured for prestigious awards.
- Eberly has six faculty members—the most of any college at Penn State—who have been named to the 2025 Clarivite Highly Cited Researchers list, which recognizes scientists worldwide who rank in the top
1 percent by citations for their fields.
- Jordan E. Bisanz
- Daniel J. Cosgrove
- Joel Leja
- Andrew D. Patterson
- Mikael C. Rechtsman
- Mauricio Terrones
Upcoming Events
November 21—Final "Past to Present" Public Microscope Tour
This fall, the Eberly College of Science and the Penn State Materials Research Institute will be hosting special tours for the public to see Müller's early, groundbreaking instruments—including the field ion microscope of his own invention, which enabled him to "see" the atom for the first time in history—as well as the modern version of the equipment: state-of-the-art atomic resolution microscopes at the Materials Characterization Lab.
On home football game Fridays between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., visitors can tour the original, historic Müller equipment in Osmond Lab and then walk over to the lobby of the Materials Research Institute entrance of the Millennium Science Complex to tour imaging equipment in the Materials Characterization Lab, one of three core facilities in the institute that fuel the interdisciplinary, life-changing innovations of Penn State’s materials research.
The final tour date is November 21.
December 2—GivingTuesday
This will be the 11th year that Penn State is participating in the global GivingTuesday event. What began as a small event with less than 10 participating campaigns has grown into a signature fundraising event for the University—and the Eberly College of Science.
Gifts made during GivingTuesday will support science education and the college’s outreach mission via our Science-U summer camps and outreach programs. Take a peek at the experiments and experiences we offer, and please consider joining the thousands of alumni, friends, faculty, staff, families, fans, and students who make gifts each year.
December 3—Free Screening of Contact and Expert Discussion on Extraterrestrial Intelligence
The Penn State Eberly College of Science will be hosting a free screening of the award-winning film Contact on Wednesday, December 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the State Theatre as part of the college’s Science Matters Spotlight Sessions and the Friedman Lectures in Astronomy and Astrophysics.
A Q&A featuring experts in and related to the field of extraterrestrial intelligence will immediately follow the film’s screening.
January 5—Joint Mathematics Meeting
The Department of Mathematics, in partnership with the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, will be hosting a reception during the world's largest annual mathematics conference—the Joint Meetings of the American Mathematical Society—in Washington, DC, on Monday, January 5, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
We hope you'll join current faculty, staff, and other alumni at the Marriott Marquis, Magnolia Room.
Visit science.psu.edu/PublicEvents for a full listing of upcoming public events in the college.
Our events and programs are open to all individuals regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, or any other protected class. The Eberly College of Science is committed to building a community of belonging for all.
Alumni Impact
Alumnus Richard A. Gottscho's $1.5 Million Gift Will Launch an Angel Network to Fuel Penn State Commercialization
A $1.5 million gift from Penn State alumnus and volunteer leader Richard A. Gottscho is launching a new initiative to support Penn State startups and enhance research commercialization across the University.
The newly established philanthropic fund will provide early-stage investment capital and infrastructure to help bring Penn State innovations to market. The fund is designed to strengthen the pipeline of startup companies emerging from the University’s research enterprise and to connect those ventures with accredited investors from the Penn State community, including alumni, faculty, staff, parents, and students.
Alumna Dr. Ala Stanford Discussed Her "CNN Hero" Work During COVID Pandemic
Dr. Stanford, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology from the Eberly College of Science and a medical degree from the Penn State College of Medicine, shared her path to a career in medicine as a guest on Chancellor Ralph Ford’s podcast, Behrend Talks.
Read about their conversation on the Eberly College website.
University Highlights
Mathematics Professor Wenrui Hao Has Been Named the New Director of the Penn State Center for Mathematical Biology
Wenrui Hao, professor of mathematics in the Penn State Eberly College of Science and 2025–26 Huck Leadership Fellow, has been named the new director for the Center for Mathematical Biology in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.
The Center for Mathematical Biology fosters the exchange of ideas and the development of research collaborations involving mathematical models and quantitative approaches to the life sciences.
Four College Faculty Have Been Inducted into the Penn State Emeritus Academy for Fall 2025
The Emeritus Academy has recognized the following Eberly College of Science retired faculty for their significant contributions through teaching, research, creative accomplishments and service:
- Richard W. Robinett, professor emeritus of physics
- Stephen W. Schaeffer, professor emeritus of biology
- Jacqueline Bortiatynski, teaching professor emeritus of chemistry and former director of the Grove Center for Science Education
- Peter Denis Usher, professor emeritus of astronomy and astrophysics
College Highlights
Physics Professor Bryce Gadway Has Been Named to the 2025 Cohort of Moore Experimental Physics Investigators
Bryce Gadway, professor of physics at Penn State, was selected to the 2025 cohort of Experimental Physics Investigators by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. This cohort is a distinguished group of mid-career researchers pushing the boundaries of experimental physics.
The Experimental Physics Investigators Initiative provides $1.3 million over five years to give these scientists flexibility to accelerate breakthroughs and strengthen the experimental physics community.
Two Statistics Professors Have Been Honored with American Statistical Association Awards
Matthew Beckman, associate research professor of statistics in the Eberly College of Science at Penn State and executive director of the Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education has been honored with the 2025 Waller Education Award.
Beckman was chosen for the Waller Award for his more than 20 years of statistics teaching experience; excellence in teaching across a variety of statistics and data science courses; innovation, scholarship, and creative efforts in education; and impact in statistics education beyond Penn State.
Aleksandra "Seša" Slavković, professor of statistics and public health sciences, the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Data Privacy and Confidentiality, and associate dean for research in the Eberly College of Science at Penn State, has been honored with the Links Lecture Award.
Each year, the award recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution to advancing official statistics—those published by government agencies—and whose work and vision offer the promise to advance the role of official statistics in addressing critical data needs.
The Eberly College Has Launched a New Neurobiology Major
The college has launched a new major in neurobiology; this degree will prepare students to tackle the cross-disciplinary questions and problems related to the brain, the nervous system and its interactions with the body and environment, and brain health.
The bachelor of science degree program in Neurobiology will provide a comprehensive framework of training to fill an increasing student interest and need for wide-ranging skill sets in neuroscience research, preparation for medical and health-care careers, and beyond.
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.
In Photos
Homecoming Tailgate
A visit back to Happy Valley during football season isn't complete without a tailgate. The college's alumni and friends gathered to enjoy a visit to campus and celebrate Penn State's Homecoming. Eberly also had a student selected for the student court—fourth-year biology student Marola Anes—who participated in the Homecoming week festivities.
Haunted-U and Exploration-U
The college's Office of Science Outreach hosts events all year, not just Science-U camps during the summer. They bring the community together for events like Haunted-U and Exploration-U for kids to learn about science and take part in experiments. This year, they are the focus of the college's GivingTuesday campaign.
Members of the Eberly College of Science Millennium Society, keep an eye on your mailboxes this season. The college has reintroduced a special calendar for members to enjoy.
If you want to learn more about the Millennium Society, reach out to the Office of Development and Alumni Relations at eberlyalumni@psu.edu.
Join the Eberly College of Science Alumni Society Board
The Alumni Society exists to facilitate interactions and connections between the college, its alumni and current students, and Penn State, with a focus on assisting the college in meeting its strategic goals, serving as an informal advisory panel to the dean, and providing support and guidance to current students. Some specific board activities include serving on the student engagement or alumni engagement committees, mentoring students, participating in alumni programs and awards, and joining in efforts to enhance the college.
For questions, please reach out to Kelly Praskovich, director of alumni relations, or Linde Miles, alumni society president.
Applications are being accepted until February 9, 2026.
You help put the “We” in “We Are Penn State!”
Join our community of alumni and friends today.
For more than 150 years, we have been keeping alumni connected
to the University and to each other.
If your contact information has changed,
please update our directory to help us keep in touch!
