Mauricio Terrones Named Head of the Department of Physics

Mauricio Terrones, Evan Pugh University Professor and Verne M. Willaman Professor of Physics, and professor of chemistry and of material science and engineering, has been named the new George A. and Margaret M. Downsbrough Head of the Department of Physics at Penn State, effective July 1, 2023. Terrones succeeds Nitin Samarth, who has served as head of the department since 2011.

“In addition to Mauricio's outstanding scholarly accomplishments and effective leadership, he cares deeply about the wellbeing and reputation of the department and its future,” said Tracy Langkilde, Verne M. Willaman Dean of the Eberly College of Science. “I am excited to work with Mauricio and the department on furthering our college’s mission of science education, research, and outreach and collectively achieving an even higher level of success.”

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David Hunter Announced as New Director of the Penn State AI Hub

The Office of the Senior Vice President for Research has announced that David Hunter has been appointed director for the cross-functional Penn State AI Hub. Hosted by the Institute for Computational Data Science (ICDS), the hub is designed with the vision of creating a collaborative and creative ecosystem across our university enterprise, to embrace and elevate Penn State's AI research.

“We are thrilled that David is transitioning into the role as leader for this key initiative within our research enterprise,” said Lora Weiss, senior vice president for research. “David’s diversified experience brings the breadth and depth that will drive the vision of our AI Hub.”

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Penn State Computational Biologist Arthur Lesk Honored with 2023 Carl Brändén Award

The Protein Society has announced the recipients of its 2023 awards, which recognize excellence across the diverse disciplines that collectively advance our understanding of proteins; their structure, function, design, and application.

In the tradition of Carl Brändén, pioneer in structural biology, coauthor of the seminal text Introduction to Protein Structure, and leader of the world-class synchrotron facility at Grenoble, the Carl Brändén Award, sponsored by Rigaku Corporation, honors an outstanding protein scientist who has also made exceptional contributions in the areas of education and/or service.

The 2023 awardee, computational biologist Arthur Lesk of Penn State, influenced generations of scientists with his analyses of protein structure and evolution, and his textbooks on protein science, genomics, and bioinformatics.

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Eberly Undergrad Priya Devanarayan Named 2023 Oswald Award Winner

Penn State student Priya Devanarayan has been honored with the 2023 John W. Oswald Award, which recognizes graduating seniors who have provided outstanding leadership in at least one of several areas of activity at the University.

Devanarayan is a Schreyer Scholar majoring in biology with a minor in bioethics and medical humanities. She is passionate about critical and emergency care medicine in rural populations and has been serving as an emergency medical technician for the past two years.

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Student Startup Co-Founded by Eberly Undergrad Wins Funding in Inc.U Competition

Kicking off Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC, six Penn State student teams pitched their startups to a panel of judges and competed for up to $30,000 in funding.

The panel of judges awarded $2,500 to BeyondClass, a centralized hub that provides college students easy and fair access to opportunities such as scholarships, networking, and career-boosting competitions. The startup is founded by students Stella Cho, College of the Liberal Arts, Daniel Lee, Eberly College of Science and College of Information Sciences and Technology, and Charlie Kim, College of Engineering.

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April 8: JWST Lead Scientist to Present Friedman Lecture in Astronomy and Astrophysics

Nobel laureate and James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) lead scientist John Mather will present the Ronald M. and Susan J. Friedman Endowed Lectureship in Astronomy and Astrophysics at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 8, in 100 Thomas Building. The JWST, launched in December 2021, is the largest telescope in space and was designed to allow astronomers to peer farther into space and glimpse close to the beginning of the universe. Its first high-resolution infrared images of deep space have captured imaginations well beyond professional astronomers. Mather, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2006, will describe the design and construction of the James Webb Space Telescope and review some of its scientific achievements during its first year of operation.  

In addition to the public talk, the community is welcome to come early and stay late for a larger event between 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. There will be a meet and greet with Mather, and he will be signing his book, “The Very First Light: The True Inside Story of the Scientific Journey Back to the Dawn of the Universe.” Penn State Eberly College of Science researchers will present additional mini talks about the JWST and other space science. Branded NASA materials will also be available for attendees to take home.

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April 20–21: Biorenewables Symposium at Penn State

The fields of bioenergy and biorenewables have seen and continue to experience unprecedented growth as the world seeks to shift its economy to a sustainable, renewable basis. Penn State's Center for Biorenewables works to catalyze this transformation through innovation and education relating to biorenewable food, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, materials, and energy.

The theme for the 2023 Biorenewables Symposium is “innovation to implementation.” We will be exploring the opportunities for scientific innovation in this space, and the teams, centers, facilities, and partnerships that are needed to generate groundbreaking research that leads to practical implementation of new products and approaches.  

Find more information, and register, via this Microsoft Form.

April 24: Sustainability Expo to Be Held at Shaver's Creek

The Penn State Eberly College of Science Sustainability Council has announced that the 2023 Sustainability Expo will be held Monday, April 24, from 1 to 6 p.m. at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center.

This free event, open to the public, will focus on sustainability efforts at Penn State and feature a student research poster competition (with cash prizes), nature walks, and guest speakers, as well as a special presentation by Eberly College of Science Sustainability Council Chair Charles Anderson.

Food and transportation will be provided. 

Registration is required by April 7 for participants and general attendees, alike.

Undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to enter the research poster competition, and abstracts must be submitted by March 31.

For more information, please contact Caitlin Teti.

May 22–23: Penn State Climate Solutions Symposium

The climate crisis is here. It is impacting big cities and small communities in unprecedented and disproportionate ways. The crisis will continue unless we develop transdisciplinary solutions for climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilience now. 

With Penn State’s excellence in climate change research as the backdrop, the two-day Penn State Climate Solutions Symposium will highlight innovations from numerous disciplines through dynamic workshops, keynote talks from leaders in the climate solutions space, and a poster session. The event will also feature opportunities for attendees to network with like-minded individuals who are seeking climate solutions as collaborators, funders, or implementers in the themes below.

Why Attend?

The Climate Solutions Symposium invites individuals from academia, industry, government, and community organizations to network, learn, and workshop innovative and promising ideas and projects. 

The two-day event will include plenaries, breakout sessions, and a poster session.

Contact

Please contact iee@psu.edu or call 814-863-0291 with any questions.

Register

Find more information, and register, at https://iee.psu.edu/events/climate-solutions-symposium.

Penn State Community Celebrates Campus Pride Month in April

The Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, a unit of Penn State Student Affairs, in collaboration with partners around Penn State, will be celebrating Pride Month throughout April, including hosting the annual Pride March and Rally from noon to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12, on the University Park campus. In addition, Commonwealth Campuses across the University will be hosting events.

Penn State was again recognized in fall of 2022 as a leading university for LGBTQ students, according to the Campus Pride Index, with a 5-out-of-5-star rating.

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