There are many forms of energy around us: light, heat, vibrations, wind, electromagnetic fields, fluid flow, waves, organic waste, etc. At large scale, many of these energy sources already play a significant role in powering our society and are projected to become dominant contributors by 2040. On the smaller scale, exciting scientific and engineering challenges must be overcome to harness these energy sources.
As we begin the New Year we’ll take a moment to celebrate some recent accomplishments and look towards the future: winners of the 2017 Rustum and Della Roy Awards will be announced, new faculty will be highlighted, and I’ll provide an update on some MRI strategic initiatives.
Betul Akkopru-Akgun, assistant research professor in Penn State's Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Materials Research Institute, has received an Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program award to investigate how electricity and heat move through materials used in extreme environments.
Twelve research projects have been selected for the 2026 Penn State Commercialization GAP Fund. Awarded projects receive $75,000 in funding and other support to develop promising proof-of-concept research into commercial ready technology.
Chao-Yang Wang, William E. Diefenderfer Chair in Mechanical Engineering and professor of mechanical engineering, of chemical engineering and of materials science and engineering at Penn State, has received a three-year award from the Toyota Research Institute (TRI) through the institute’s University Research Program (URP). The award will support Wang’s research on redesigning liquid electrolytes to prevent lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries from catching fire.
Yinming Shao, assistant professor of physics at Penn State, has been honored with the Downsbrough Early Career Professorship in Physics in recognition of his research contributions, teaching and service to the Department of Physics and the Eberly College of Science. This professorship was established in 2004 by George A. Downsbrough, a physicist whose extensive volunteer work at Penn State included the Armsby Committee, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and the Eberly College of Science's Grand Destiny Campaign Committee. Downsbrough was named an honorary alumnus of Penn State in 2003.
The Penn State Bakery has long supported the University community through baked goods and desserts. Now, with a system developed by Matthew Hollingham, a third-year doctoral student in architectural engineering, the Bakery will also help pave the way for carbon capture and utilization.
By Ty Tkacik
Although self-driving cars and sophisticated robots use advanced cameras, computer algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) to picture their surroundings, these artificial eyes struggle to remain reliable in mixed lighting conditions. A team of researchers, co-led by an engineer from Penn State, has proposed a solution that mimics the mechanics of the human eye to adapt from bright to dark light in seconds.
