Millennium Café

Established in 2022 by the Penn State College of Medicine, the LION Clinic is a mobile health clinic with a three-part mission of Service-Education-Research. The clinic aims to serve medically underserved communities by providing health care services, educate medical students through hands-on and student-led care provision, and facilitate community-engaged research on rural population health. In this talk, I will describe how our team has used a unique hybrid of research and service to build trust with underserved communities, explore community-identified needs and desires, and adapt the clinic model to respond to those needs and desires.

Kristina Brant  |  Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education

Introducing new opportunities aimed at helping graduate students 1) broaden their understanding of how engineering, law and policy intersect and how science/technology can shape policy as well as how policy shapes science; and 2) gain access to hands-on opportunities in bridging research to practice and policy with local governments and non-profits. And, for STEM graduates to serve as non-partisan science policy advisors to the PA legislature and advisory bodies.

Christine Kirchhoff  |  Law, Policy, Engineering

Space-based spectrometers rely on a critical component to decode light from distant stars, galaxies, and exoplanets: diffraction gratings. At Penn State’s Nanofabrication Lab, we use electron-beam lithography to craft these gratings with extreme precision, customizing them for NASA’s most ambitious missions. This technology unlocks new designs for astronomical spectrometers, enabling missions that were previously impractical. I will share how our work helps push the boundaries of what is possible in space science.

Fabien Grise
Astronomy & Astrophysics

Nature’s photosynthesis shows how light can efficiently power complex chemical reactions—a concept that inspires modern photoredox catalysis. While small molecule photocatalysts have revolutionized organic synthesis, major bottlenecks remain in the efficiency and purification of these processes. We have developed novel homogeneous, recyclable polymer-based photocatalysts for various applications. Here, I will discuss our organic and metal-based homogeneous polymer-based photocatalysts that embrace some key design elements to accelerate photoredox reactions offering a promising route toward more sustainable chemical synthesis.

Shweta Gaikwad
Chemisty

Electroceramic materials power countless modern technologies from smartphones to electric vehicles, yet understanding their internal structure, failure mechanisms, lifetime reliability, and processing relationships remains challenging. This talk explores how ultrasonic waves can characterize these materials beyond conventional testing standards, revealing critical properties and manufacturing defects that traditional methods often miss. By harnessing sound to analyze how processing methods impact material integrity and performance, we're developing more reliable electroceramics for innovations across electronics, renewable energy, and beyond.

Haley Jones

Materials Science & Engineering

Ancient Greek philosophers valued a virtue called phronesis or “practical wisdom,” which involves doing the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason. It is the conceptual counterpoint to a form of apathy known as akrasia, or knowing what's right, but not doing it. In my recent book, Peace by Peace: Risking Public Action, Creating Social Change, I explore these dynamics and in this lively ten-minute talk will share some insight on how to operationalize practical wisdom in your everyday life.

Lisa Silvestri
Communication Arts & Sciences